Thursday | 1/21

JESSE SYKES

Alt-country singer/songwriter Jesse Sykes specializes in dusky, seductive twang. A compelling songstress with a sharp sense of arrangement, she has a broad number of palettes at her disposal: country, blues, soul, psychedelic '60s pop and more, but has a distinctive voice and strong personality that is present no matter what style she turns her attention to. Her most recent release, 2007's Like, Love, Lust and the Open Halls of the Soul, is her most mature effort yet, couching her singular voice and clarion songcraft in lush arrangements that bring to mind the best of the '60s. Though Sykes usually tours with her backing band the Sweet Hereafter, this is a rare stripped-down show in which she performs as a duo with her guitarist Phil Wandscher. Brookdale Lodge; price TBD; 8pm. (Paul M. Davis)

CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO

A three-headed beast comprised of big-gun guitar slingers, the California Guitar Trio is an ax aficionado's dream. Careening between classical, rock, blues, jazz, world music, progressive and surf guitar, the band wows audiences with feats of guitar virtuosity that must be seen to be believed. The intercontinental trio—Paul Richards of Salt Lake City, Bert Lams of Brussels and Hideyo Moriya of Tokyo—perform with aplomb and an affecting humor that lends their performances a buoyancy similar guitar-fests lack. They are joined by Tony Levin, a steady studio hand who has performed with the likes of King Crimson, Peter Gabriel and T-Bone Burnett. Don Quixote's; $15; 7:30pm. (PMD)

Friday | 1/22

HEARTBREAKER

It would be one thing if San Francisco quartet Heartbreaker only sounded like Led Zeppelin, but this cover act looks and acts just like them too. From Robert Plant's open-chested shirts and package-hugging jeans to Jimmy Page's hellacious guitar licks and curly perm to John Bonham's bombastic drums and porn-star mustache, every Tolkien reference and sexual innuendo that made Zeppelin Zeppelin is condensed for easy consumption. Yet even though the group's onstage tribute is flawless, it's their musical chops and reverence for the source material that lets Heartbreaker legitimately claim that "the song remains the same." Don Quixote's; $15; 8pm. (Curtis Cartier)

Saturday | 1/23

THE RESIDENTS

Question: "Are the Residents a musical ensemble, an avant-garde performance troupe, a multimedia visual arts outlet or an anonymous gang of weirdoes?" Answer: "Yes." Performing and producing nearly every conceivable artistic medium available since 1962, the Residents are a rotating cast of artists known for their wildly creative concerts and obnoxiously prolific work output. All information about the Residents comes via the aptly named Cryptic Corporation and is usually complete BS. The only thing known for sure is that there is nothing quite like them. Rio Theatre; $26.25; 8pm. (CC)

BRYN LOOSLEY

If the name Bryn Loosley sounds familiar, that may be because, until recently, Loosley was best known for his work fronting muscular roost-rock outfit Buffalo Creek. With the release of his solo album The Wrecker, Loosley is taking center stage. As a solo artist, he's much more ruminative and restrained than his Buffalo Creek work might suggest, opting for stripped-down acoustic arrangements over electrified bluster and bombast. The Chico native (who now lives in Portland) has a lot of country music in his soul, which is evident from his fondness for tear-in-my-beer laments, but overall his sound sits comfortably between contemporary Americana and pop-rock. Kuumbwa; $10; 8pm. (PMD)

Sunday | 1/24

MAUS HAUS

San Francisco electropop pioneers Maus Haus have a sound somewhere between the nightclub-hopping indie anthems of the Arctic Monkeys and the sonic gadgetry of Animal Collective. The group's debut LP Lark Marvels is the kind of disc you'd immediately confiscate from an overactive tween and replace with a prescription for Adderall and possibly a helmet. That said, it doesn't necessarily require an overactive personality disorder or even a full-blown case of epilepsy in order to enjoy Maus Haus, it would just help if you plan on dancing to it. Crepe Place; $8; 9pm. (CC)

Wednesday | 1/27

ERIC LINDELL BAND

After spending the '90s playing around Sonoma and working on his first album, Eric Lindell decided to make the move to New Orleans in 1999. There he soaked up the funk and blues from the greats he was playing with and went on to release seven albums in the next decade. His formula of blues, soul and funk has proven tried and true on the road, so catch him as he whirls through Moe's Alley. Moe's Alley; $12 advance/$15 door; 8:30pm. (Brian Harker)

TETHER HORSE

After a potent moment of identification with a horse being hauled around by a cute girl, singer Matthew Joe Chaney decided to name his band Tether Horse. The way he tells it, he was simply tired of being pulled along with no say, so he grabbed the reins and has been making the music he's wanted to ever since. With an upbeat folk rock sound, these locals have been compared to another hometown favorite, the Devil Makes Three. However, being a five-piece, they have a fuller sound, complete with glockenspiel and mandolin. As this show doubles as their CD release party, these Santa Cruz boys are sure to pull out all the stops. Crepe Place; $8; 9pm. (BH)

Send a letter to the editor about this story.