[HIP-HOP] + THURS, JULY 18

He is more than a "rapper." He's not your average MC either. He's a legendary writer, freestyle MC and a member of another legend's crew - Marley Marl's famed Juice Crew.  He is called by the name Craig G and he will be in The 253 Thursday night. This. Is. Significant.  For all that Tacoma has done for Pacific Northwest hip-hop, the city is still seeking stability, and in this humble writer's opinion, the more substance from hip-hop's foundation that makes a presence in Tacoma - the better.  Craig G's resume is of phenomenon status. Not only gracing tracks from the '80s through to today, Craig G was involved in memorable episodes that defined the pinnacle of freestyle MCing - see his jousts with Supernatural - and the Queens, NY-bred wordsmith has written for film as well - 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin'. Craig G will be hosted by Tacoma's own Josh Rizeberg and Shigg Tha Rhythmspeaker with DJ Seabefore (206 Zulu) and DJ Cues (206 Zulu) as they celebrate the album release of L.O.E.E.'s, The Marauders. {JOSE GUTIERREZ JR.}

WORD 3RD THURSDAY, 9 p.m., The New Frontier Lounge, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, $8, 253.572.4020

[POST-PUNK] + FRI, JULY 19

Death By Stars is a band I've come to love, as have many other Puget Sounders. Is it their funk pop, all jams and synth and boom-chika-boom?  Is it Cherry Danger, Patrick Galactic and Juan El Revelator's hypnotic voices, rolling around the bass lines and guitar licks, harmonizing into your very soul? Is it their stage presence and visual aids? I'm going to simply say it's their post-punk-rock-psychedelia that makes you DANCE. Whatever it is, it's sticky and it's sweet. This Friday, come experience Death By Stars live at The Harmon Tap Room with guests Battersea (SEA) and Souvenir Driver (PDX). "This night is all about the local love," says Galactic, "and there's gonna be a LOT of it!" {NIKKI MCCOY}

DEATH BY STARS, w/ Battersea, Souvenir Driver, 9 p.m., Harmon Tap Room, 204 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, $5, 253.212.2725

[PUNK] + SUN, JULY 21

In case you were wondering whether Dog Jaw were as aggressive as their name might suggest, the answer is a resounding yes. The opening track on the Olympia punk outfit's album, Slow to Build, begins with what sounds like dogs howling and whimpering, before guitars slowly begin to emerge, and a full-on sonic assault is enacted. Much like the album's title hints, most of Dog Jaw's songs begin as stony headbangers before morphing into thrashing screeds. The songs have titles like "Time," "Fire," "Hope" "Pain," and "Phoenix" - which should hopefully give you an idea of what you're getting into when you take in some Dog Jaw. This is a band with little use for subtlety, or any interest in giving you a moment to catch your breath. From the word "jump," Dog Jaw are about loosening earwax and crushing bones. {REV. ADAM MCKINNEY}

DOG JAW, w/ Hot Fruit, Arrington De Dionyso's Malaikat Dan Singa, 10 p.m., Le Voyeur, 404 E. Fourth Ave., Olympia, no cover, 360.943.5710

[ROOTS] + TUES, JULY 23

Roots music revivalists have begun to get a bad rap recently - especially thanks to the influx of banjo-strumming posers like Mumford & Sons and the Lumineers - but the Littlest Birds more than pass the smell test. Coming from the mountain town of Bishop, Calif., this cello-and-banjo duo does well in capturing the sort of humbly catchy Dust Bowl-era folk that used to dominate lonely radio stations on long stretches of desolate country road. David Huebner's utilization of the cello is particularly inspired, capturing as it does both the sound and feel of the genre's requisite fiddle, while lending a certain depth that would have been lost without an upright bass or something similar. The Littlest Birds manage to revive these old sounds without attempting to modernize them or mash them up with pop, which is rather refreshing these days. {REV. AM}

THE LITTLEST BIRDS, 10 p.m., Le Voyeur, 404 E. Fourth Ave., Olympia, 360.943.5710