Music Picks 

Thursday 1.4

AKROBATIK
tClear-headed, clean-living emcee Akrobatik isn’t all high and mighty, rapping about sinners headed to hell for smoking spliffs and watching porn. He recognizes his imperfections: “I don’t occupy myself with glamour, fortune or fame … but if I do, it’s because I’m a hypocrite just like you.” As one-third of The Perceptionists with Mr. Lif and Fakts One, the Boston-based artist does his best to be the change he wants to see in the world'one tight, infectious rhyme at a time. Monk’s, 19 E. 200 South, 10 p.m. Info: 350-0950.

Friday 1.5

SCHOOL OF ROCK: METALLICA SHOW
tInsiders suggest the second night of each School of Rock showcase offers concertgoers more bang for their buck. Good news for those strapped for cash after the holiday rush. Everyone else, dig deep and check out both performances to determine which rendition of pre- and post-therapy Metallica hits truly brings the noise. C’mon, how often do you get to hear a 10-year-old belt the lyrics to “Master of Puppets” or “Enter Sandman?” Sleep with one eye open, indeed. The Circuit, 7711 S. 700 West, Midvale, 7 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: SmithsTix.com.

- Also Friday: Peter Mayer (Holladay United Church of Christ)

Saturday 1.6

- School of Rock: Metallica Show (The Circuit); The Rodeo Boys (Burt’s Tiki Lounge)

Monday 1.8

IN REVERENT FEAR
tStill clinging to 2006, terrified of an unpredictable new year? Take comfort in the time-honored tradition of radio-friendly rock. Cut from the cloth that fashioned 30 Seconds to Mars, Breaking Benjamin and even Muse comes In Reverent Fear, a group whose scream-core sound is rendered perfectly inoffensive when lead singer Jarrod Taylor breaks into ballad. To his credit, Taylor keeps things interesting with pipes that range from scratchy to drawn-out, like Rufus Wainwright lamenting an outfit from Target. Club BoomVa, 2701 Washington Blvd., Ogden, 7 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: 24Tix.com (with Fiore and Now They Are Six).

THE APPLICATORS
tSugar and spice and everything nice? Please'that’s what clichés are made of. Austin’s female-fueled The Applicators owe more to The Distillers than The Go-Gos. Lead vocalist Sabrina Applicator coats the quintet’s pop-punk sound with just enough snarl to impress all the young dudes who’ve watched them open for Bad Religion (Greg Hetson helped buoy their career), Teen Idols and Fear. Raised on a steady diet of Motorhead, Joan Jett and Aretha Franklin, The Applicators are quick to belt out gnarly kiss-off anthems and radio-ready hits'and if one more critic chalks up their talent to “girl power,” they might just belt him, too. Burt’s Tiki Lounge, 726 S. State, 10 p.m. Info: 521-0572 (with Numbskull).

Wednesday 1.10

DMITRY SITKOVETSKY & BELLA DAVIDOVICH
tTalk about pressure. Dmitry Sitkovetsky grew up with a mother whose reputation as a world-class pianist secured her a coveted slot among Russia’s elite cultural circles. Lesser men might have lowered the bar and pursued a career far removed from their ultra-famous parent. Instead, Sitkovetsky picked up a violin and established himself as an enviable talent in his own right, performing with highly respected orchestras. If that weren’t enough, the ambitious musician also conducts and transcribes classic works by Haydn, Beethoven, Brahms and others. Tonight, the young soloist appears onstage with his mother in a powerful benefit concert to honor the memory of their late friend Mikhail Boguslavsky. Get off your bar stool and class it up. Libby Gardner Hall, 1395 E. Presidents Circle, University of Utah, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: 581-7100

BERES HAMMOND
tBeres Hammond is The Pixies of reggae'adored by critics, overlooked by mainstream audiences. Like Black Francis & Co., the Jamaican artist approaches sound with schizophrenic zeal, merging traditional island riddims with contemporary R&B, dancehall, hip-hop and lovers rock. Given his disappointment with the direction in which corporate heads are taking reggae, you might as well tack on the blues to his laundry list of preferred genres. “Over a period of time, the business did sorta get deaf,” he says. “I yearn for the days to come back when people truly appreciate this kind of thing that we’re doing.” Show the brudda some love. The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, 8 p.m. Tickets: DepotSLC.com (with Marcia Griffiths and Leon & The Peoples).

ANGIE APARO
tAtlanta singer/songwriter Angie Aparo is an earnest adult-alternative artist whose strong, passionate vocal delivery approximates the hypothetical merging of ’90s alt-rockers Live with pop-master Matthew Sweet. Confident, road-weary and socially conscious, his well-produced albums deserve to be heard through top-notch headphones, though it’s likely tonight’s stage performance will just as easily communicate their intensity. Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 10 p.m. Tickets: 24Tix.com.

COMING UP

Tech N9ne (Great Saltair, Jan. 11). My Morning Jacket (The Depot, Jan. 11). Reverend Horton Heat (Great Saltair, Jan. 12). Dixie Dregs (The Depot, Jan. 13). Robert Earl Keen (Suede, Jan. 13). Jesse Dayton (Suede, Jan. 16). Bowling for Soup (In the Venue, Jan. 17). The Album Leaf (Urban Lounge, Jan. 19). Hell’s Belles (Suede, Jan. 24). Slayer (Great Saltair, Jan. 30). The Fray (McKay Events Center, Jan. 31).