[AMERICANA] + FRI, MAY 10

There's a kind of gauzy, depressive Americana that began spreading around in the '90s, spearheaded by the likes of Bill Callahan and Lambchop - these masters and practitioners of the slow-burning, baritone-voiced folk music that reveled in cynical humor as much as poignantly expressive dirges. The Super 8 are instantly evocative of these touchstones, the vocals pointedly reminiscent of Kurt Wagner's distinctive croak and Callahan's defeated mumble, and the guitars mournfully spilling deceptively beautiful melodies from deep within that hollow body. It's this beauty that saves the Super 8 from descending into utter despair; this beauty, you see, that elevates their crawling tunes into wistful reverie. But this singular voice and singular guitar are wrapped in wispy tones - reminders of the company that will always keep you, hold you, in the face of empty space. {REV. ADAM MCKINNEY}

THE SUPER 8, w/ Gary Alan May, the Hinges, 8 p.m., Northern, 414 ½ Legion Way, Olympia, $5

[ALT-ROADHOUSE] + FRI, MAY 10

Looks like it's the end of the road for Tacoma Rock Band Midnight Salvage Co. Well, sort of. This Friday, May 10, at Jazzbones, the band will be playing its last official show - and releasing its sophomore album, Neon Lights. A year ago, the band holed up at Seattle's Egg studios with veteran producer Conrad Uno (Mudhoney, Presidents of the United States of America, Young Fresh Fellows), unbeknownst to the band members that a year later guitarist Brason Alexander would be blazing to sunny Cali, bassist Dustin Lau would be headed to The Big Apple and their University Place practice space would meet a wrecking ball. Drop by Jazzbones Friday, take in Midnight Salvage's shot of whiskey infused roadhouse Springsteen and grab yourself a piece of musical history. {Ron Swarner}

MIDNIGHT SALVAGE CO., w/China Davis, 8 p.m., Jazzbones, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, $8, 253.396.9169

[STONER ROCK] + SAT, MAY 11

Portland's Mammoth Salmon is playing this Saturday in Olympia. Of course, McCoy's will be hosting, as the band's chunky, heavy riffs need the proper ship to anchor down in. There is no doubt in my mind that this show will be as good as the name Mammoth Salmon implies. Imagine a giant fish pulsing its way upstream to spawn in the sludge rock waters of the Pacific Northwest music scene, and this is what you get - stoner rock at it's finest. With Tacoma's From the Sea and Olympia's Johnny Las Vegas and the Melee'ers, this is one of those shows you don't want to miss. Thanks McCoy's for keeping it real and bringing in the rock. {Nikki McCoy}

MAMMOTH SALMON, w/From the Sea, Johnny Las Vegas and the Melee'ers, 9 p.m., McCoy's, $4, 420 Fourth Ave., Olympia, 360.352.0696

[PSYCHEDELIA] + THURS, MAY 16

As I've said before, the hunt for nostalgia in contemporary music has been both a blessing and a curse, as bands have found and emulated long-forgotten artists and influences to varying degrees of success. At its worst, this kind of emulation comes across as the pandering output of those who can't create their own path. This pattern has found itself firmly represented in the psychedelic revival. But, at its best, these nostalgia-mongers can bring out everything that was great about these lost sounds, while managing to carve out their own special niches. Rose Windows is particularly good at riding that line, as they evoke the sounds of American and British psychedelia of the late '60s, while also incorporating elements of proto-metal acts like the Gun and Black Sabbath, even managing to emulate those earlier psych bands' cannibalizing of world music. Murky waters, indeed. {REV. AM}

ROSE WINDOWS, w/ La Luz, Happy Noose, 8 p.m., Northern, 414 ½ Legion Way, Olympia, $5