[HIP-HOP] + THURS, OCT. 9

Olympia-based DJ Pasquan has arranged another night of hip-hop and rap for his frequent joint, The Cypher.  This Thursday, Pasquan will host a night of MCs on the microphone at the quaint and intimate eatery/nightspot, Le Voyeur.  An Oly mainstay and favorite for out-of-town acts, the Voyeur will open its doors and its floor for performers Tripple Three, Dr. Roks, Lazlo Steele, Lega C Jones, MC Swamptiger and special guest, Kyle Mclin. {JOSE GUTIERREZ}

THE CYPHER, w/DJ Pasquan and friends, 9 p.m., Le Voyeur, 404 Fourth Ave., Olympia, 360.943.5710

[FOLK-ROCK] + TUES, OCT. 14

Admittedly, anymore, it's a little silly to think of an entire record label as having one defining sound. There's too much influence getting divided and spliced by new generations of musicians. Still, when I think of ANTI- Records, I think of the junkyard nightmares of Tom Waits' latter-years output, not the bucolic folk-rock of Saintseneca. The Ohio-based quartet has more in common with fellow ANTI- alumni like Calexico, Dr. Dog and Wilco. Theirs is a supremely melodic sound, filled to the brim with surprising turns and grace notes. Saintseneca may also have the first Christmas-related song I've heard since I don't know when, with "On Holiday" - which is reportedly about a Christmas where a brick flew through singer Zac Little's window. Lots of Saintseneca's songs have this quality of taking what might be twee and steering it into cheerful darkness. {REV. ADAM MCKINNEY}

SAINTSENECA, w/ Busman's Holiday, Globelamp, Generifus, 8 p.m., Northern, 414 ½ Legion Way, Olympia, $5

[ANTI-FOLK] + WED, OCT. 15

As strenuously as I labor to remain ignorant, there are occasions working for this fine journal when I discover myself learning something inadvertently. Such was the case when editor Ron "Pappi" Swarner asked me to cover an upcoming performance by Hamell on Trial. Absolutely, I replied. Happy to oblige. Now. What the hell is a Hamell on Trial? It turns out Hamell on Trial (I said it three times so you'll remember) is the nom de la musique of Ed Hamell, solo punk poet extraordinaire, beloved among cognoscenti at the Venn-diagram intersection of folk, punk and observational standup comedy. His current album, The Happiest Man in the World, was inspired by a recent divorce, but don't let his aggro delivery scare you: this guy can sing a joke. From his promotional materials, I gather he relishes comparisons to comedian Bill Hicks. Well, I'm a nice guy, and Hamell deserves this, so here: he'll remind you of Bill Hicks. Even better, he can play the rockin' hell out of a '37 Gibson guitar. I was especially won over by his YouTube video for a jaunty number called "I Hate Your Kid." The More You Know! {CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL}

HAMELL ON TRIAL, w/garage rock band Radio On, 8:30 p.m. The Swiss Restaurant and Pub, 1904 Jefferson Ave., Tacoma, no cover, 253.572.2821

[PSYCH-ROCK] + WED, OCT. 15

A little goes a long way when it comes to psych-rock. This can be a hard lesson for a lot of bands to learn. When the Sex Pistols came around to bring music back to basics, they were reacting to the bloat of bands like Pink Floyd, who had taken psych-rock to its breaking point, and then fallen off a cliff into the howling void of pretension. Still, the lessons that '70s psych bands taught us were not in vain, and some restraint applied to the right blend of mind-melting antics can be very effective. Enter Indigenous Robot, who cram the stomping menace of Black Sabbath and the masculine poetry of the Doors into something resembling Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Psychedelia still works, as shown in Indigenous Robots' in-and-out brevity, which allows them to pack a considerable amount of punch into three minutes or less. {REV. AM}

INDIGENOUS ROBOT, w/ Glass Elevator, 10 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 15, Le Voyeur, 404 E. Fourth Ave., Olympia, no cover, 360.943.5710

INDIGENOUS ROBOT, w/ Bottlenose Koffins, Static and the Cubes, 10 p.m., Friday, Oct. 17, Half Pint Pizza Pub, 2710 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, $5, 253.272.2531