[BLUES] + FRI, JULY 11

Dudley Taft may well be the best white, Cincinnati-based blues artist you've never heard of, despite the fact that he toured with Seattle's own Alice in Chains and Candlebox. But wait, you say, Alice in Chains and Candlebox aren't blues bands. You're right! Now wipe that smug look off your face. Nobody likes a know-it-all. Dudley Taft has mastered both hard rock and electric blues, and his new CD, Screaming in the Wind, delivers a paint-peeling firestorm of both. The album and its debut single, a Skip James cover called "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" and accompanied by an awesome Star Trek-themed video, came out in May, but it's new to you so let's just call his upcoming appearance at Jazzbones a CD release party. Trust us, this guy can rock you like your back ain't got no bones. {CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL}

DUDLEY TAFT, 8 p.m. Jazzbones, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, $10.25, 253.396.9169

[HIP-HOP] + FRI, JULY 11

From the legendary Juice Crew in New York City, Masta Ace & eMC (Stricklin, Punchline and Wordsworth) make their first ever visit to the state of Washington with stops in Seattle, Bellingham and Friday night at Jezebels, with Afrok, Heretic The Heathen, Kings Records (out of Fresno) and VintageDOPE warming up the stage. Aside from being one of the MC culture's most influential writers and lyricists (Eminem cites Masta Ace as having a major impression in his early career), Masta Ace is also one of the pioneering MCs who brought unity to the East Coast-West Coast feuds of the mid-'90s, with bangin'-trunk-rattlin' anthems such as "Sittin' On Chrome," "Slaughterhouse," "The I.N.C. Ride" and "Born To Roll." His impact cannot be minimized - as both a lyricist and party-rockin' MC. Masta Ace is truly one of hip-hop's unsung heroes. {JOSE GUTIERREZ}

MASTA ACE & EMC, w/ Afrok, Heretic The Heathen, Kings Records, VintageDOPE, DJ Polo, DJ Luvva J, 9 p.m., Jezebels, 414 Fourth Ave., Olympia, $10, 360.915.6503

[POP-PUNK] + FRI, JULY 11

One of the more intriguing aspects of our prolonged exposure to intense music snobbery is the eventual caving of critics and admitting support of more maligned subgenres. Pop-punk's return to acceptable regions of taste for folks that would have previously turned up their noses at Blink-182, in particular, has been fascinating to watch. It's hard to trace back when music critics suddenly decided that they like to have fun, too, and that not everything has to be Bon Iver or Sigur Ros or any other number of whale-song bands. Sarchasm is a group of pop-punk slackers from the Bay Area, and they have all the hallmarks of that late-'90s pop-punk boom, but they pull it off with such breezy panache that it avoids lame pastiche. Reedy, bratty vocals ride atop sugary guitars, and it all feels so goddamn right. {REV. ADAM MCKINNEY}

SARCHASM, w/ Captain Algebra, Full Moon Radio, Whelp, 8 p.m., Northern, 414 ½ Legion Way, Olympia, $5, northernolympia.org

[POWER POP] + FRI, JULY 11

On their recent EP, Vacation, Charts burst out of the gate with skittering drums and bright guitars on "Settling Down." The Portland band makes a bold statement, practically daring you not to blast their music out of the open window of your crummy car. This is driving music, first and foremost, made for sunny days amongst friends. With a lo-fi fuzz covering everything, the music of Charts almost resembles the sort of blurry landscapes that would shoot past on a cross-country road trip you'd soundtrack with their music. Their Tacoma show will be taking place at Half Pint Pizza Pub (formerly Medi's), which has slowly been establishing itself as a welcome addition to the rock scene, with intimate shows that shake the foundation of the modest venue. {REV. AM}

CHARTS, w/ MILK, the Shrews, 9 p.m., Half Pint Pizza Pub, 2710 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, $5, 253.272.2531