Live Music Picks: January 18-24 

• Andreas Lawen, Fotandi via Wikimedia commons

FRIDAY 1/19
Marilyn Manson, Alice Glass
First things first: City Weekly sends its condolences to Marilyn Manson on the passing of his great-great-great-great-great grandfather, the LDS prophet Thomas Slayer Monson. But seriously, condolences to Elder Monson's family—which does not, as far as we know, include America's second-favorite shock-rocker. Even if the two were related, they'd have certainly been estranged. While Monson wasn't the prophet at the time, Mormon influence was certainly behind the Delta Center management robbing Manson of his First Amendment rights by preventing him from performing as the support act for Nine Inch Nails in 1994. That, of course, prompted the usual tit-for-tat non-familial spat where Manson went, justifiably, full-Sinead on the Book of Mormon during NIN's set. Well, someone on the ostensible "good side" must've swept away the protective circle of shredded Wonder bread and non-fluoridated tap water, 'cause Manson's been back to play Salt Lake City several times in the past decade. Not that he's cleaned up his act at all: Manson's latest album is called Heaven Upside Down (Loma Vista) and features songs like "We Know Where You Fucking Live" and "KILL4ME"—both of which would've really alarmed the DC staff back in the day. (Randy Harward) The Complex, 536 W. 100 South, 7 p.m. (doors), $46.50 presale (plus fees), all ages, thecomplexslc.com

• Sleep (Weedian.com)

Sleep, SubRosa
It was 25 years ago that the Bay Area doom band Sleep debuted with Sleep's Holy Mountain (Earache, 1992). Their somnambulant barbaric yawp was loud enough to bring London Records calling and, in 1995, the band presented their new boss-partners with Dopesmoker, consisting of a single 63:36 track all about green cheer. Like its trichome-speckled subject matter, it confused the shit out of the major-label execs. You almost can't blame them. What self-respecting terrestrial radio station would play an hour-plus song, even with payola in full effect? I mean, they couldn't get a scripted commercial in edgewise. So Sleep capitulated—a little—rewriting some lyrics, scalping the run time by 20 percent and retitling it Jerusalem to appease the crucial Jeebus-belt demo. London still wasn't having it, so Sleep went dormant. Guitarist Matt Pike formed the mighty High on Fire while singer/bass player Al Cisneros and drummer Chris Haikus emerged as Om. Both bands developed respectable followings, but Sleep continued to stir, with Jerusalem finally released by The Music Cartel in 1998 and Dopesmoker issued by Tee Pee Records in 2003. Reunion gigs for festivals started happening in 2009, leading to Sleep (with Jason Roeder replacing Haikus) commencing a full-on wake-and-bake. The only new music so far has been the single "Clarity" (Southern Lord), but they teased a new album in November, which is the music news equivalent of awakening to the smell of coffee and bacon and ... stuff. With support from local music point-of-pride SubRosa, this show is a must-see. (Randy Harward) Metro Music Hall, 615 W. 100 South, 8 p.m., $28 presale; $30 day of show, 21+, metromusichall.com

• Jake Stark

SUNDAY 1/21
Anti-Flag, Stray from the Path, The White Noise, Sharptooth
The imagery used in the music video for Anti-Flag's single "American Attraction" is telling. Between shots of the band playing in front of an American flag, the video cuts to military operations overseas, automatic rifles firing and explosions; cows on factory farms and hamburgers; working-class people and unemployed people; and faces of all colors. In case you didn't get the idea from the band name, Anti-Flag likes to make political statements against war, imperialism and social injustice. The punks are touring in support of their 10th(!) album, last year's American Fall (Spinefarm), which is chock-full of protest music made amidst turbulent times, including standout track "Racists," a response to the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va. In it, frontman Justin Sane sings, "Just 'cause you don't know you're racist/ You don't get a pass for your ignorance." Anti-Flag is joined by supporting hardcore acts Stray from the Path, The White Noise and Sharptooth. (Howard Hardee) Metro Music Hall, 615 W. 100 South, 6 p.m., $25, all ages, metromusichall.com

• Steve Parke

MONDAY 1/22
Victor Wooten Trio, feat. Dennis Chambers & Bob Franceschini
In his TED talk "Music as a Language," Victor Wooten reveals he was born into his family's band. They needed a bass player, so that's how he started on the path—at age 2—to becoming one of the instrument's foremost virtuosos, with more than a half-century of experience. He goes on to posit music as tantamount and paramount to spoken languages. In music, theory is grammar, technique is usage and immersive practice is the key to fluency. Unlike spoken languages, music is universal. It has accents and dialects, but where words sometimes fail us, chords or notes imbued with pure emotion can be a purer and more reliable form of communication. And the learning curve isn't as steep as some folks—who feel they can't access this sonic language for lack of innate ability—might think. Babies learn language by listening to fluent speakers, so Wooten reasons that musical neophytes shouldn't fear playing with more experienced players. There's more to the talk than that, and it's well worth watching (see YouTube), much like Wooten himself. His imaginative and mindful approach to music speaks volumes, whether it's with his hip-hop/funk/R&B fam-band (The Wootens), a far-out spacegrass group (Béla Fleck & the Flecktones), a three-headed bass-hero hydra (SMV with Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller) or his trio with drummer Dennis Chambers (Parliament/Funkadelic, Steely Dan) and saxophonist Bob Franceschini (Willie Colón, Paul Simon). The music-as-a-language concept gets even deeper on their new platter Tripnotyx (Vix), a trippy-hypnotic prog-jazz joint featuring a cameo by actor/comedian Michael Winslow, the guy who makes the funny noises the in Police Academy films. Alas, he's not on the tour. (RH) The State Room, 638 S. State, 8 p.m., sold out (check lyte.com for tickets), 21+, thestateroomslc.com

• Brian Ziff

TUESDAY 1/23
Big Boi, The Cool Kids
Best known as one-half of the extremely dope hip-hop duo Outkast, Big Boi has a hit-and-miss history outside of working with Andre 3000. He's always been perceived as less lyrically nimble than the flamboyantly creative Andre, or a solid anchor for a visionary space cadet. His debut solo record Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty (2010), however, reinforced that he's got a musical vision all his own and is a master of subtle, syncopated flows. But his follow-up record Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors (2012) was a misfire, despite (or because of?) its extensive list of name-brand guests like Phantogram and Wavves. He's not quite in top form on last year's Boomiverse (Epic), but remains refreshingly indifferent to the trends of modern commercial rap. Big Boi is rolling through town on his Daddy Fat Saxxx Tour (subtitled "Sack 2!") and you can expect classic Outkast hits as well as solo gems. His special guests on the tour are reunited alternative hip-hop/hipster-hop duo The Cool Kids, who broke up after their 2011 LP When Fish Ride Bicycles. They insisted only two years ago that they would reunite when swine flew, but their new album Special Edition Grandmaster Deluxe (Propelr/Cake) dropped last year. (HH) Park City Live, 427 Main, 8 p.m. (doors), $35-$60, 21+, parkcitylive.net