[BLUEGRASS] + FRI, DEC. 26

It's a final hoedown of sorts as the year draws to a close. The Rusty Cleavers and The Cottonwood Cutups takeover the Half Pint Pizza Pub the night after Christmas. Sadly, the Riverbottom Gang - a motley crew of rich kids with bad attitudes lead by Chuck, an ill-tempered bear in shades and a denim vest - the traditional uniform of rebellion for quadrupeds - pulled out of this show. In any case, the night will still be amazing. {RON SWARNER}

THANKS GOD CHRISTMAS IS OVER CELEBRATION, 9 p.m., Half Pint Pizza Pub, 2710 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, no cover, 253.272.2531

[HYPHY-HIP-HOP] + SAT, DEC. 27

After a couple years of being stranded in the wilderness of Alaska, Saucy Yoda is once again gracing the Pacific Northwest with her presence. For those who haven't had the pleasure of catching her live, Saucy Yoda is a whirling dervish of gonzo party energy. Combining a garage punk aesthetic with full-blown, hyphy hip-hop, Saucy Yoda brings just the right mixture of bratty attitude and balls-to-the-wall, malt liquor-slamming rave-ups. When I first saw her at Maltoberfest a few years ago, she brought the house down with her interactive performance, getting the crowd to chant along with songs they'd mostly never heard before. If you have any sense, you'll get yourself to the cozy confines of Bob's Java Jive for a rare dose of Saucy Yoda on the Jive's last show of the year. {REV. ADAM MCKINNEY}

SAUCY YODA, w/ masonapron, Bango Skank, Watermelon, the Beach Boy, 8 p.m., Bob's Java Jive, 2102 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma, $5, 253.475.9843

[COUNTRY] + SUN, DEC. 28

Ever heard tell of "Old Christmas Day?" I hadn't, either. Apparently it took centuries for the West and East to see eye to eye about the day Christ was born. The Western world settled on Dec. 25, of course, while Eastern churches preferred Jan. 6. (They were both wrong. Historians tell us Jesus could not have been born in winter - but you knew that.) The latter day's still celebrated as "Old Christmas," "Little Christmas" or "the Feast of the Epiphany" in many parts of the world - including, it seems, the Appalachians, where the period between the two Christmases is devoted to dance-happy house parties. That's the tradition celebrated by husband-and-wife mountain music gurus Erynn Marshall and Carl Jones in their "Breaking Up Christmas and Appalachian Country Dance" program. They'll be joined by caller Charmaine Slaven, fiddler Tony Mates and guitarist Catherine Alexander; and, as folks might say up in the holler, it'll be finer'n a can o' snuff. They Law! {CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL}

BREAKING UP CHRISTMAS, 6 p.m. Sunday, Prosperity Grange Hall, 3701 Steamboat Loop NW, Olympia, $5-$8, 276.237.6866

[HARDCORE PUNK] + TUES, DEC. 30

Orden Mundial do not fuck around. The Spanish hardcore outfit lay everything out on the line in their recent LP, Obedienca Debida, with 10 tracks that almost never make it past a minute and a half. Still, within these unfathomably tight structures, Orden Mundial find compelling melodies and enough crunch to satisfy those that normally blanch at hardcore punk. There's a ferocity to the vocals that almost upstages the instrumentation, creating a roaring drive akin to a train barreling down on you. When they slow things down, as on the weighty "Son Fantasmas," there's almost a terrifying muscularity to the guitars that should shame anyone who builds their band on heavy blues riffs that supposedly "melt faces." The noises that Orden Mundial produce are a beautiful affront. {REV AM}

ORDEN MUNDIAL, w/ Combat Knife, Spetsnaz, 7 p.m., Le Voyeur, 404 E. Fourth Ave., Olympia, cover tba, 360.943.5710