SIC ALPS

>>> Thursday, March 24

Sic Alps hail from the same effervescent Bay Area garage scene as Ty Segall and Nobunny. They ply bright, psychedelic guitar sounds and offbeat lyrics, but their music is ultimately more pockmarked than paisley, with gnarly guitar textures and walloping drums so forceful they poke holes in the "screen of reality." Too stoney for you? Deal with it - this is a band with a track called "I Am Grass," and a shambling, low-burning take on old-fashioned, distortion-heavy rock ‘n' roll. The trio makes music that's hella grimy; dirt-under-your-fingernails, fingers-sticky-from-resin, calluses-from-too-much-riffing kinda grimy. You might need a bath afterwards, but you'll have a hell of a time at this show. - Jason Baxter

[Northern, with Maxines, Basemint, 8 p.m., all-ages, 321 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia, northernolympia.org]

STRANGLED DARLINGS

>>> Friday, March 25

There are only so many new sounds in the world. Barring the possession of a completely unique motif, the marking of a good band is how they draw influences from the considerable and jumbled history of music as we have come to understand it. Portland's Strangled Darlings stop far short of reinventing the wheel, rather succeeding by taking the best aspects of certain artists (the vocal histrionics of Jack White, the gypsy-flavored pop of Devotchka, the lyrical obtuseness and pomposity of the Decemberists) and blending them together into a delightful stew. It's the kind that tastes unmistakably like something you've enjoyed one million times before, but one you could enjoy countless times more - thanks, especially, to the strange tics and eccentricities that Strangled Darlings possess. - Rev. Adam McKinney

[Le Voyeur, with Romanteek, 10 p.m., no cover, 404 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia, 360.943.5710]

OSAMA BIN ROCKIN

>>> Saturday, March 26

As I've mentioned before, Tacoma's Osama Bin Rockin did not win "Best Band Name" in the 2010 Weekly Volcano Best of Tacoma poll. That's unfortunate, because they probably should have. But there's always this year. Sure, there are some pretty sick-ass band names out there, some fairly memorable monikers, but just hearing this band mentioned makes me grin - every time. Perhaps I'm just simple? I don't know. Either way, the sonic cacophony presented by Osama Bin Rockin is exactly the kind of guttural, grindcore goodness - with a touch of experimental tinkering - that you'd expect from a band not afraid to name-check the most reviled man in America on their calling card. Of course, the band also has a song called "God Is Totally Gay," so you get the point. It's rapid. It's loud. It's definitely not pretty. And it's pretty fucking metal. - Matt Driscoll

[O'Malley's Irish Pub, 9 p.m., no cover, 2403 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.627.9403]

TACOMA'S METAL CHOICE AWARDS

>>> Saturday, March 26

Typically, awards shows are the worst. Bobble Tiki would rather endure a no anesthetic root canal than tune in for the Grammies, Golden Globes or even Oscars. It's like watching paint dry ... only more boring and predictable. Saturday, however, an awards frenzy to end all awards frenzies will enrapture Hell's Kitchen in Tacoma, as the 2011 Tacoma Metal Choice Awards will be handed out - honoring our area's top metal band as voted on by devil-horn waving fans of the South Sound (via the Internets) throughout February. Billed as a "red carpet event," the Metal Choice Awards Saturday at Hell's Kitchen will feature scene stalwarts like Unhailoed, Devils of Loudon, Faces Pale, After the Fallout and Plague Ships - all of whom will no doubt be in fine form when it comes time for an acceptance speech. Also, expect surprise metal guests. - Bobble Tiki

[Hell's Kitchen, 9 p.m., $5, 928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]