Live: Music Picks Nov. 19-25 

THURSDAY 11.19

HoneyHoney in a Beneficial Acoustified Get-Down with Dave (Gruber) Allen and a Tribute to Joe Hill
Aren't there enough Joe Hill tribute shows this week? Well, when you're talking about labor organizer/songwriter/martyr Hill ... nope. Tonight's the 100th anniversary of Hill's execution for a crime he likely didn't commit, and a perfect time to commemorate his life and his work—but it's just a coincidence that this show is happening tonight. "Adam at Diabolical Records just flipped through his calendar, and this was the first open night," says actor/musician/Salt Lake City resident Dave (Gruber) Allen (Freaks and Geeks, The Naked Trucker & T-Bones Show). "I told him, 'That's the 100th anniversary!' That's awesome. Let's do it." Tonight, Allen's friends from Los Angeles alt-country duo HoneyHoney, will play an opening set, then Allen will join them for a set of Hill songs. Afterward, Allen says it'll get "loose and weird" with a random set that may include some Naked Trucker chestnuts. The best part about tonight, though, is it's an all-ages show. "Audiences under 21 don't know Joe Hill," says Allen. "So I told Adam, 'Let's do it for the kids!'" (RH) Diabolical Records, 238 S. Edison St., 8 p.m., free (donations encouraged), Facebook.com/Diabolical Records

The Yawpers
So you're riding a motorcycle down a long stretch of desert highway, listening to The Yawpers' second album, American Man (Bloodshot). These are the bugs in your teeth: The Replacements, Robert Rodriguez films, buds of grass, The Meat Puppets, Easy Rider, Townes Van Zandt, the way the 4th of July fireworks looked pre-Dubya, Drive-By Truckers, cold beer, Les Claypool, the smell of a charcoal grill, Son Volt, Southern rap (not Kid Rock), Guns 'N Roses, Harry Crews... That this list could be twice its size before hitting on every name, image and sound conjured by this Denver trio—which consists of two overdriven acoustic guitarists, a drummer and some fine, fine songwriting—should make you very curious. The Yawpers are the kind of band that you can get into. Seriously. You'll want the back catalog, every single, bootleg, demo, compilation appearance, poster-sticker-shirt-button—and you'll follow them like a puppy for as long as they last. (RH) Club X, 445 S. 400 West, 7 p.m., $10 in advance, $12 day of show, ClubXSLC.com

The Fall of Troy, Kylesa
A celebrated battle tactic of the soldiers of ancient Greece was to sneak into their enemy's camp under the guise of a gift—the famed Trojan horse. Mukilteo, Wash., band The Fall of Troy sneak up on you with surprising changeups in dynamics, time signatures and even vocal styles: Guitarist Thomas Erak and bassist Tim Ward converse via the former's unadulterated vocals and the latter's screams. They're two years into a reunion tour that commenced in 2013 after a three-year breakup. Kylesa, a metal band that dips so deep into the sludge that they have to drop-tune their guitars to get there, opens. (Brian Staker) Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, 7 p.m., $17 in advance, $20 day of show, TheComplexSLC.com

FRIDAY 11.20

Modern Baseball
There's something just really unhip about baseball—whether it's the lore of its history, or the modern variation that, come to think of it, hasn't changed much. That's precisely what makes it endearing. The same goes for Philadelphia, Pa., band Modern Baseball, naming themselves after an archaic manual on the sport. Brendan Lukens and Jake Ewald emote vocally with a snarky emo style, but somehow they make it likeable. You're Gonna Miss It All (Run For Cover), their sophomore release, doesn't indicate a slump at all, but rather a growth spurt. They make you not want to miss out, as though they might hit a home run and be the next big thing. (BS) The Complex, 536 W. 100 South, 6 p.m. (doors), $13.50 in advance, $16 day of show, TheComplexSLC.com

Mother Falcon, Ben Sollee, Six Feet in the Pine
Lexington, Ky., native Ben Sollee has made a name for himself both as a classically trained cellist and, recently, as folk singer. (His 2010 Sub Pop record with Daniel Martin Moore is lovely). For this tour, he teams up with Mother Falcon, the Austin-based brainchild of Nick Gregg, who picked folks off the street (or, to be more exact, out of 7-Eleven parking lots) to round out his symphonic collective. If you call them a poor man's Polyphonic Spree, Gregg might either clock you or buy you a cup of coffee. Local bluegrass outfit Six Feet in the Pine opens. (Tim Hinely) The Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 9 p.m., $12 in advance, $14 day of show, TheUrbanLoungeSLC.com

MONDAY 11.23

Fuzz
Fuzz. That pretty much says it all with this fuzzed-out trio, in which Mr. Ty Segall plays drums and sings. Wait. That's saying more than just "fuzz," huh? Well, I'm pretty sure there are parts on the new album, II (In the Red), like "Rat Race," where there's fuzz on the guitars, bass and organ; it's like if shag carpet could sing. So fuzz is a big deal with these cats. But the record has other attributes, like flower-child moments that induce mild tie-dyed synesthesia ("Let It Live," "Silent Sits the Dustbowl"), punky garage romps ("Red Flag") and a mid-tempo, surf instrumental that references Land of the Lost ("Sleestak")! So maybe it does take more than one word to describe II. Ha! (RH) The Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 9 p.m., $15, TheUrbanLoungeSLC.com

TUESDAY 11.24

Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Ghosts of Christmas Eve
Transubstantiation Orchestra? Who would've thought that an arena-prog band whose best-known material was based on Christmas themes would be so popular? But here they are, going on two decades. Their orchestral arrangements add a sense of grandeur to the musical and lyrical experimentation of progressive rock (and lest ye forget, they do rock). Their latest, Letters From the Labyrinth, includes adaptations of works by Beethoven, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and J.S. Bach, and is sure to mesh well with their holiday fare. (BS) Vivint Smart Home Arena, 301 W. South Temple, two shows, 4 & 8 p.m., $33.50-$71.50, SmithsTix.com

WEDNESDAY 11.25

Puscifer
Maynard James Keenan—you know him best as the singer of prog-metal mystery men Tool—keeps busy with all kinds of projects. Besides the supergroup A Perfect Circle, and his Merkin vineyard and Caduceus Cellars winery, there's Puscifer. More than a rock band, Puscifer incorporates cabaret, comedy, visual media and whatever else suits Keenan's whim. Puscifer is "a playground for the voices in my head," he told City Weekly in 2009, where the goal is "to make music that sounds like a smooth but firm hot buttered pelvic massage" and attendees are instructed to "check [their] over-inflated expectations at the door." The band is staffed, in Keenan's words, by a "revolving door of talented people." That includes noteworthy singer-songwriters Lisa Germano, Jonny Polonsky, Juliette Commagere and Carina Round; actress/singer Milla Jovovich; Rage Against the Machine rhythm section Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk; Primus drummer Tim Alexander; and composer/sound designer Lustmord. Only Round and Commagere are in the 2015 touring version of Puscifer, but personnel doesn't matter: Their shows are must-see spectacles, and the albums, like the brand-new Money Shot (Puscifer Entertainment), are a riot. (RH) Kingsbury Hall, 1395 E. Presidents Circle, 8 p.m., $30-$70, KingsburyHall.Utah.edu