[FUNK] + FRI, JAN. 23

Unh, get on up! Sometimes you just got to get funky. Did you know funk hails from the classical era? The word derives from fumigare, a Latin word that means "to release smoke." It refers to anything stinky or musty, and funk artists are still putting "stank" on it today. It's a form of music that borrows liberally from West African polyrhythms and Southern black church music, with stress on the downbeat and extended riffs on a single chord. The Grandfather of Soul bequeathed this booty-shakin' style to us by way of Sly & the Family Stone, George Clinton and Chaka Khan, with white guys such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Phish paying due homage along the way. The 10 Seattleites in DoctorfunK may not look like a prototypical funk band - no bell bottoms, star shades or afrofuturist hairstyles here - but they do have some serious chops. Their music is informed by emphatic, Tower of Power-style horns and Bay Area humanism. As Parliament said, they'll put a glide in your stride and a dip in your hip. {CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL}

DOCTORFUNK, 8 p.m. Jazzbones, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, $10-$15, 253.396.9169

[FOLK PUNK] + SAT, JAN. 24

Considering how abrasive and corrosive solvents can be, the band Solvents may as well be a swimming pool filled with fluffy teddy bears. The Port Townsend duo are a master of controlled intensity, blending guitar and violin in ways that can attack as much as they soothe. The interplay between Jarrod Paul Bramson and Emily Madden is what draws you into the world of Solvents, where everything skirts the line of dusty Americana and introspective pop. As Solvents have grown, they've tempered some of their stranger impulses, while still standing apart from the glut of weepy singer-songwriters. When they bring in a full band, their modest music reaches soaring heights; as a duo, there's a haunting sparsity that draws you out of yourself in the way that the best stripped-down artists can. {REV. ADAM MCKINNEY}

SOLVENTS, w/ Teach Me Equals, Dweller on the Hill, RedRumsey, 8 p.m., Bob's Java Jive, 2102 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma, cover tba, 253.475.9843

[HIP-HOP] + SAT, JAN. 24

Members of the Olympia hip-hop community, and beyond, join together for the Hip-Hop 4 the Homeless benefit, hosted at the Olympia Ballroom in Olympia. Originally founded in Vancouver, B.C., in 2002, HH4H moved to Olympia in 2007. This year performing are Afrok, The Staxx Brothers, AKA, Free Ya Mind, The Zulu Nation (206 and 25Z60), VintageDOPE, Formula Boogie and others, as well as the 6th Annual 25360 Awards presentation. {JOSE GUTIERREZ}

13TH ANNUAL HIP-HOP 4 THE HOMELESS, 5 p.m., all ages, Olympia Ballroom, 116 Legion Way, Olympia, $5, facebook.com/hiphop4thehomeless since2002

[SKA] + WED, JAN. 28

For those outside the ska scene (like me, I must admit), it can be a little bit of a struggle to keep the various "waves" in check. Are we up to 20 waves, by now? In any case, there's no denying the influence that The Toasters had on the ska scene through their developing of third wave ska, which added punk elements into the well-defined skiffle and brass of the ska sound. Now more than 30 years into their career, The Toasters stand tall as godfathers of what would come to dominate the skanking dance floors of the '90s. Their appearance at a live in-store show in Olympia is one that cannot be missed. When's the last time you've let down your walls and been taken over by the checkers and 2 Tone of no-f---ing-around ska? {REV. AM}

THE TOASTERS, w/ the Fun Police, Skablin, 8 p.m., Deadbeat Olympia, 226 N. Division, Olympia, $8, 360.943.0662