Wednesday | 5/12

ROGER CLYNE and THE PEACEMAKERS

Anyone who's spent more than a little time at bars or parties in Phoenix, Ariz., or Rocky Point, Mexico, has likely crossed paths with Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers. Most are former members of Tempe rock act the Refreshments—a hallowed, tequila-soaked name in the Valley of the Sun—and all know how to throw down blisteringly fun reggae-spiked country rock. On Glow in the Dark, RCPM's latest LP, the group went DIY, releasing one beer-raising song per week for 14 weeks in a web-only broadcast. It's at their live shows, however, that the five banditos truly earn their reputation as Arizona's spicy answer to Phish. Moe's Alley; $15; 8:30pm. (Curtis Cartier)

Thursday | 5/13

WOOSTER AND YUNG MARS

Fronted by the dynamic Caroline Kuspa and anchored by a cast of local music stalwarts, Wooster has risen to the top of Santa Cruz's party band pile. Reaching deep into blues, soul and vintage reggae, the band adds its own charge to sounds that would come across as dated in less capable hands. Wooster appears at this launch party for beeets.com, a new Santa Cruz–based startup that aims to make show planning easier and more convenient; the founders optimistically describe it as a "Google for shows." Robo-funkster MC Yung Mars rounds out the bill with his consciousness-raising hip-hop. Crepe Place; Price TBD; 8pm. (Paul M. Davis)

Friday | 5/14

SIERRA LEONE REFUGEE ALL-STARS

As the name suggests, these All-Stars were formed in African refugee camps by men (and, originally, one woman) who had been forced to flee the civil war in Sierra Leone. Out of tragic events emerged an amazing success story: the band is now gaining an enthusiastic worldwide audience. After appearing in a multiple-award-winning documentary about their formation and eventual return to Sierra Leone, the bandmembers recorded their debut album, Living Like a Refugee. A follow-up to that acclaimed release, Rise & Shine, came out earlier this year. Reggae is the foundation of the band's sound, but Sierra Leonian palm-wine music as well as a few other West African styles help form the musical substrate for their messages of hope. Moe's Alley; $25; 8:30pm. (Sean Conwell)

ELECTRONIC GARDEN OF EDEN

Take a trip back to the halcyon era of endless all-night raves with the Electronic Garden of Eden, a nonstop dance party determined to resurrect the bygone spirit of warehouse dance parties, albeit in a slightly more constrained and restrained setting. Five leading DJs will hit the wheels of steel, spinning electro, house and dubstep into the late hours: San Francisco's Disco Vader, a.k.a. Justin Illusion; Northern California radio host Ross.FM; dubstep and drum 'n' bass maven Rastatronics; Bay Area DJ John Beaver and the confusingly named local breakbeat king Minnesota. It's not quite the same as dancing the night away in a dingy forgotten warehouse, but it'll do the job. Catalyst; $12 adv/$16 door; 8pm. (PMD)

Saturday | 5/15

ERIC TAYLOR

An artist who has served as inspiration to the likes of Nanci Griffith and Lyle Lovett, Eric Taylor is a shining folk star of Texas who paid his dues in the gritty 1970s blues-and-country scene of Houston. Originator of a picking style adopted by contemporaries like Guy Clark and Steve Earle, Taylor drew inspiration from the incomparable Townes Van Zandt, an influence that has informed both his career moves and his art. Among folk-music aficionados, though, Taylor is a legend in his own right. Henry Miller Library, Big Sur; $15; 7:30pm. (PMD)

GROUNDATION

Traveling the world and sending good vibrations through the land is what Groundation does best. The nine-piece Sonoma-based outfit has drummed up a massive following playing in 30 different countries, pouring on a nuanced sound that combines rich flavors of jazz and heavy doses of dub with the lyrical struggle of traditional reggae. The live performance generates a communal vibe with positive ruminations of social change and energetic jazz-inspired improvisation. Throngs of fans across the globe now await their next sumptuous plate of organic roots reggae dressed in funk and delivered family-style by one of the biggest American reggae bands of our time. Catalyst; $17 adv/$21 door; 9pm. (Maria Grusauskas)

Sunday | 5/16

LOST WEEKEND

When it comes to Western swing, Lost Weekend is the real deal. Three of its members have been inducted into the Western Swing Hall of Fame, and while the band may take its name from the dark and somber 1945 film of the same name, the music is anything but. Featuring typical instruments like steel guitar, fiddle and piano in addition to brass and woodwinds, this 12-piece band delivers the kind of raucous cowboy jazz that could have been found in 1940s dance clubs, and it's sure to inspire a lot of dancing at this special matinee performance. Don Quixote's; $12; 2pm. (Sean Conwell)

Monday | 5/17

VIENNA TENG

A couple years back, Taiwanese-American pianist Vienna Teng played the Outside Lands Music Festival in Golden Gate Park. As the hordes of indie rock fans made their way between the five stages, a delicate croon from the small "Avenues Stage" stopped scores of them in their tracks. The voice, so precisely wrapped around fluttering piano notes, was Teng's, and for a lot of the wide-eyed scenesters, it was the start of a love affair. Classically trained and professionally polished, Teng is the real deal. See story, page 17. Kuumbwa; $22 adv/$25 door; 7pm. (CC)

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