BASEMINT

>>> Thursday, March 18

Here we have a monster of a show. Calvin Johnson, godfather of Olympia music, will be bringing his Hive Dwellers to the Den. Joining him will be local favorites Basemint and Friskey. I don't feel like I need to tell you any more about this show, because the quality is obvious - but I will anyway (because that's what they pay me for). At play will be a genuinely whacked take on garage-pop from three originals. Calvin Johnson, of course, dominates his songs with a signature droning drawl and oddball lyrics. Basemint, reverent of the music of the '60s, bring a high energy to live performances. Tacoma mainstay Kyle Brunette's band, Friskey, specializes in freaky, deceptively bubblegum pop music. But you already knew all of this, didn't you? And you will be at this show. - Rev. Adam McKinney

[The Den @ urbanXchange, with Friskey, Calvin Johnson and the Hive Dwellers, 8 p.m., all ages, $5, 1932 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.2280]

POST STARDOM DEPRESSION

>>> Saturday, March 20

After pounding out more than 2600 words last week on Post Stardom Depression I'm not sure I've go much left to add. I think my two cents are already firmly on record. Do I think Post Stardom Depression is a rock band in the truest sense of the term? Yes - as you already know. Do I think seeing them on stage is worth your Saturday night? Absolutely - which could have been gathered from my previous coverage. Do I think Post Stardom Depression is the sexiest band to ever emerge from the grit and squalor of Tacoma? I do - except for when K.P. Kendall takes off his shirt at a Girl Trouble show. Be sure to check out PSD Saturday at Hell's Kitchen. - Matt Driscoll

[Hell's Kitchen, with Mom's Rocket, Shim, Careless Eaters, 9 p.m., $6 advance, $8 door, 928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]

MAHNHAMMER

>>> Saturday, March 20

Ask any true-blue Tacoman what's likely to be birthed when Dave Takata, Shawn Lanksbury, Sean Horst, Chris Roxx and Michah Hammer get together and the answer will be blatant: fucking rock. And lots of it. Formed from members of the late Brian Redman's Dirty Knockers and members of low-fi punks Gold Teeth, Mahnhammer, according to the band, "come to flatten the South Sound with a rock so monstrous it must be from Leipzig." Leipzig is in Germany, for those playing at home - but let's not get distracted by geography. Invading The New Frontier, under the guise of a birthday party where all are invited, Mahnhammer, Trip the Light Fantastic, Pioneers West and Swampy Draws will easily provide one of the weekend's best lineups. - MD

[The New Frontier Lounge, with Trip the Light Fantastic, Pioneers West, Swampy Draws, 8 p.m., cover TBA, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020]

CATCHER

>>> Saturday, March 20

Ah, boys and girls. Something mysterious and beguiling happens when their voices come together in pairs. The boy's voice is anxious and searching, the salty to the girl's sweet; the girl's voice is simple, a warm embrace, the sweet to the boy's sour. With Catcher, the boy/girl dynamic is well represented, but somehow it comes off lonelier than usual. The two voices intermingle, to be sure, but they sound lost: the boy and the girl at once together and separate, missing and badly needing one another. The songs of Catcher sound like that point deep in a relationship when you start to see the seams; you can feel the end drawing nearer, and begin to pull away from each other - just at the point where you need that embrace more than ever. - Rev. AM

[The Den @ urbanXchange, with A Cozy Kitchen, Smile Brigade, 7 p.m., all ages, $5, 1932 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.2280]

WOMBERANG

>>> Saturday, March 20

The word on the street is to watch the fuck out for Womberang - a surly troupe of SOTA-bred punk metal badasses. And I would never use the word "badasses" lightly. Trust me. A little like Scratch Acid with acne, Womberang has been kicking around many of the same haunts as Tacoma's other (somewhat) well-known up-and-comers - the Den, the 808 House, and especially relevant to this blurb, Rocket Records on Sixth Avenue. An underappreciated weekend warrior gem of an all ages venue - and quickly becoming legitimate - Rocket Records will play host to Apache Chief and Womberang this Saturday. Did I mention it's free? Go forth and rock. - MD

[Rocket Records, with Apache Chief, 2 p.m., all ages, no cover, 3843 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.756.5186]