Live: Music Picks Dec. 17-23 

THURSDAY 12.17
Rock En Español: Cenizas Ajenas, Leyenda Oculta
Rock & roll sounds muy chingon in Spanish. In the past decade, acts like the Mexican Institute of Sound, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Del Castillo and The Pinker Tones have helped further the cause of Latin alternative music (a catchall term for pretty much any popular music from Spain, Mexico or Central and South America). Before that, were heard of big-name Mexican rock bands from Mexico like La Cuca, Café Tacvba, Maná or Jaguares. Alongside that, there was Los Lobos, and Tito Larriva with Tito and Tarantula (see Robert Rodriguez's Desperado and From Dusk Till Dawn), the Cruzados and The Plugz (see Alex Cox's Repo Man). And then there was Azteca, Santana and The Blazers. Utah has its own Latino rock bands—even an Aztec-themed black metal band in Yaotl Mictlan. Tonight's bill features two great Latino rock bands from Utah. Cenizas Ajenas, who land somewhere between Del Castillo (sans the flamenco guitar) and the arena rock of La Cuca, and Leyenda Oculta, which leans more punk/metal, with hints of rockabilly in songs like "El Rey" that may betray Tito's influence on the band (and be a possible nod to Elvis—"the King"). Liquid Joe's, 1249 E. 3300 South, 8 p.m., $5, LiquidJoes.net

THURSDAY, FRIDAY & SATURDAY 12.17, 18, 19
Food Drive Festival Nights 1, 2 & 3
In the spirit of the holidays, Kilby Court presents three nights of local music at bargain prices. Three bucks and a few cans of food (or three extra ducats) is the nightly price of admission Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. The first-night lineup features the killer '80s-influenced trio The Lovestrange along with Lazy Susan and Magic Flip. Night 2 is post-hardcore/spoken word act Sights with Aspen Grove and Shape of Color, and the third night has indie folksters Little Barefoot with Small Lake City and Soft Limbs. Dig all the fruit cocktail and Dinty Moore stew out of your cupboards and hit up all three nights if you can. Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, 7 p.m., $3 with cans of food, $6 without, KilbyCourt.com

FRIDAY 12.18
RL Grime
Before releasing the 2014 album Void (WeDidIt), DJ/producer RL Grime dropped six EPs between 2011 and 2013, three of which are under the name RL Grime, a nod to one of the many EDM styles he works in (the others being hip-hop, trap and bass). His other three EPs are as Clockwork. If you then consider the heap of remixes he's done for the likes of the Beastie Boys, Jamie Lidell, Kaskade and Chief Keef (plus, yawn, mainstream lowest common denoms like Chris Brown, Rihanna and The Weeknd), that's a pretty impressive output for a guy (real name: Henry Steinway) barely entering his mid-20s. It's also a huge well to draw from for tonight's set. Jorden Odegard opens. Park City Live, 427 Main, 9 p.m., $25-50, ParkCityLive.net

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FRIDAY 12.18
UT Blues Society Member Appreciation Party feat. The George T. Gregory Band
First things first: You do not have to join the UT Blues Society in order to get into this show. However, if you do decide to become a member, it'll only cost about $25. That's money well-spent if you're a blues fan, because the UBS helps keep the music jumpin' here in the Beehive State. In addition to a live set by tenor sax ninja George T. Gregory and his band, there will be a social hour from 7-8 p.m., where you can pick up new UBS holiday swag and peruse bins of "choice blues CDs." Proceeds from merch sales benefit Mike Ricks, a founding father of the legendary Monday night blues shows as the Dead Goat Saloon, as well as the bass player for Rick Welter & the Tempo Timers, who lost his home in a fire earlier this month. (Randy Harward) The State Room, 638 S. State, 7 p.m., free, TheStateRoomSLC.com

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FRIDAY 12.18
A Festivus for the Rest of Us feat. Canyons & Six Impossible Things
So regular holiday celebrations ain't your thing—how about Festivus, which is to holidays what Krampus is to holiday figureheads and what the Flying Spaghetti Monster is to deities. You know, a change of pace. Something different for a change. And a holiday celebration featuring Canyons' summery folk-rock tunes and the breezy, harmonious jazz folk of Six Impossible Things sounds pretty good right now. Also, it'll be nice to get a few things off the ol' chest during the airing of grievances. (Randy Harward) The Garage on Beck, 1199 Beck St., 9 p.m., GarageOnBeck.com

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SATURDAY 12.19
DMXmas
Hey—got time for 69 seconds of fun? Go to YouTube and search these terms: DMX and Rudolph. That'll get you a clip of hardcore rapper DMX applying his gruff style to an a cappella version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." You're already smiling, huh? Wait'll you hear—and see—the dude getting way into the spirit, drumming on a desk, dancing and adding his own little touches to the tune. Even the hardest G's (stands for grinches) gold chains will grow three sizes. Now imagine how much fun that'd be live, as part of a set of originals, less than a week before Santa and his horned crew lands on the roof of your crib. JR The Superstar opens. Park City Live, 427 Main St., 9 p.m., $35-75, ParkCityLive.net

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SATURDAY 12.19
The Spazmatics
Eighties music and nerds go together like wine and cheese. Or is it cheese and whine? The music of that decade is totally cheesy and totally awesome. And nerds whine about forgetting their inhalers or getting bullied. But, as Revenge of the Nerds and Tom Petty taught us, even the losers get lucky sometimes. Like when they form franchise bands and conquer the cover-band club scenes in towns like Salt Lake City and Austin (and Los Angeles, New York City, Seattle...) and move on to Comic Con. Salt Lake City's version of such a band is called Spazmatics, and they're playing every Saturday this month. You'll geek out over their set, which includes everything from Prince to Billy Idol to Bon Jovi and Cyndi Lauper. You may even wanna have them sign your inhalers, if you didn't leave them next to your humidifier. Nerds. Liquid Joe's, 1249 E. 3300 South, 10 p.m., LiquidJoes.net

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MONDAY 12.21
Michale Graves, formerly of the Misfits
Old Misfits or New Misfits? That is, do you prefer Glenn Danzig's original version of the horrorpunk band, the original new Misfits with Michale Graves, or the current trio fronted by original bassist Jerry Only? Say what you will about curmudgeon/dick Danzig—he made the band. Graves is lamented as a ho-hum substitute and, by some, a conservative wiener, but he helped keep The Misfits alive through the late '90s. Bassist Only—the last remaining O.G. Misfit—has done a decent job of holdin' it down since. Obviously, the originals are the gold standard 'cause the Danzig albums weren't just the first; they're the best—real classics. But sometimes you need a fix. And while Graves doesn't play songs like "Last Caress," he does perform "Static Age" and "TV Casualty" and he even covers the Ramones' "Pet Sematary." That'll do nicely. The Cliterinas, Anything That Moves and Ulteriors fill out the bill. Metro Bar, 615 W. 100 South, 8:30 p.m., $10 in advance, $14 day of show, JRCSLC.com