Music Picks Feb. 5-11 | Live: CWMA Showcases, Local Band Night, Show N Prove Emcee Battle, Marcia Ball, Metro Stereo & Red Fang 

Thursday 2.5
nCWMA SHOWCASES
nThe action continues tonight with City Weekly Music Awards nominees Michael Gross & The Statuettes and Cavedoll at the Urban Lounge. Friday, it's Red Bennies, Tolchock Trio and The Future of the Ghost at the Urban Lounge; High Beams and Andale at Bar Deluxe; and RuRu, Kid Theodore and Neon Trees at Velour in Provo. On Saturday, God’s Revolver, Cave of Roses and Blackhole will bring the noise at Club Vegas; Paul Jacobsen and The Devil Whale will make you swoon at Park City’s Star Bar. For details visit CityWeekly.net

LOCAL BAND RECOGNITION NIGHT
nEveryone’s jumping on the local bandwagon—how cool is that? In addition to our own City Weekly Music Awards and SLUG’s monthly Localized, now Triamid Productions is doing its part to boost homegrown talent with a weekly event spotlighting up-and-coming talent. Here’s how it works: audience members vote for their favorite act every Thursday, and the top vote-getters earn the chance to play a weekend gig and/or open for a national headliner. Tonight’s lineup features Darren Thornley & The Burgs, The Krypled and Bootload of Boogie vying for big ups. Club Vegas, 445 S. 400 West, 8 p.m. Tickets: 24Tix.com

Saturday 2.7
nSHOW N PROVE EMCEE BATTLE
nIf your familiarity with emcee battles is limited to scenes from 8 Mile, consider checking out Show N Prove, a round-robin-style competition with 16 participants selected from a prequalifying heat held behind closed doors prior to the main event so that audience members can expect quality bouts. Mike Booth of local hip-hop group The Bad Apples and label/studio Penalty Box Recordings whose services the battle’s ultimate victor will receive in addition to $500—not to mention mad respect from his/her peers. The whole shebang is fairly involved, so potential entrants should check out MySpace.com/PenaltyBoxRecordings for the complete 411. Potential spectators, however, just have to show up and enjoy the show, including special guest performances by YZE, Ras Benjamin, The Bad Apples and DJ Kool Kel. New Song Underground, 859 S. 800 East, 6 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: 24Tix.com

MARCIA BALL
nStrange as it sounds, the Bush administration helped Marcia Ball grow as an artist. The well-respected pianist widely regarded as the “queen of swamp boogie” struggled throughout W’s tenure to square what she considers part of her duty as a musician—”to help people escape from the daily grind”—with constant underlying frustration and anger toward an ever-devolving political climate. That Ball ultimately found a way to incorporate timely messages into her rollicking ivory-tinkling revue is testament to her strength and endurance. Now blessed with a new era of change, she’s ready to truly cut loose again with lively blues, honky-tonk and soul tracks from her crazy prolific career. Her most recent release Peace, Love & BBQ snagged a 2009 Grammy award nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album. Things are looking up already. Eccles Center for the Performing Arts, 1750 Kearns Blvd., Park City, 7:30 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: EcclesCenter.org

METRO STEREO
nA new wave of house-supporters is slowly but surely expanding Utah’s night life, sparking renewed interest in a movement that for a moment seemed doomed to neglect or worse—total extinction. Oh yeah, the sky was falling, but local DJs Danny Dance, Dan Dixon and K Pharoah stepped up with Haus Addix, educating future generations of electronic-music devotees on the sounds, sights and culture that originally took root in Chicago’s club scene circa late-1970s. “House is a feeling, not a fashion,” say the Addix reps. To that end, they’ll be bringing you one step closer to sharing their obsession with Metro Stereo, a party held on the first Saturday of every month featuring “soulful-rhythmic-funky-old-school-Latino” house music. Share in the night’s debut and maybe Danny Dance will teach you some of his crazy-cool moves. W Lounge, 358 S. West Temple, 9 p.m.

RED FANG
nTired of hyper-technical noise that makes your head hurt? Red Fang deliver the rock as in its purest, most snaggletooth form—easy to digest, yet gritty enough to provide the typical listener with his daily roughage requirement. Your head will still hurt, but in a different way—repeatedly pounded by the Tecate-swillin’ Portlanders’ gravely growls and melodic ‘70s-metal-inspired riffs. For further insight into their sound, consider their upcoming tour opening for the mighty Clutch. Or check out their killer video for “Prehistoric Dog” featuring the latest in low-rent fashion. Check your rocket-science credentials at the door. Bar Deluxe, 666 S. State, 9 p.m. Tickets: SmithsTix.com

Coming Up
nCWMA Finals w/ Ben Kweller (Depot, Feb. 13); P.O.S. Sims, Mictlan, Lazerbeak (In the Venue, Feb. 13); The Wailing O’Sheas (Monk’s, Feb. 13); Loudon Wainwright III & Leo Kottke (Eccles Center, Feb. 14); Zepparella (Urban Lounge, Feb. 16); Castor & PollutionBig Head Todd (Depot, Feb. 19); Larusso CD Release (New Song Underground, Feb. 20) (Burt’s Tiki Lounge, Feb. 17);