TOTAL LIFE

>>> Thursday, Nov. 4

Total Life is the solo project of Kevin Doria from esteemed experimental Olympia expats Growing. Like most drone music, Total Life can be as punishing as it is proficiently-crafted, and so subtle that the many shifts and eddies which unfold amidst Doria's white noise squall sometimes barely register, sticking to the margins of the listener's perception. On the extremely-rare 2005 Total Life debut, Doria's feedback-overloaded guitar occasionally contorts into something resembling a typical solo or melody, bubbling up through layers of phlegmy whorls to reach the sonic foreground. It's a little like Growing's earlier material, only morphed by mountainous heaps of distortion. Fans of both Kevin Shields (the seminal shoegaze musician who found nirvana in eardrum-immolating guitar) and Kevin Shields (the intense noise band), take note. - Jason Baxter

[Northern, with Marty Barrett, Heaths, 8 p.m., all ages, 321 Fourth Ave., Olympia, northernolympia.org]

ELBOW COULEE

>>> Saturday, Nov. 6

The music of Elbow Coulee is inarguably influenced by the kind of power pop that ran so rampant in the mid- to late-1990s, but it is delivered in a deceptively prickly package. In every song there is a huge chorus, delivered in that particularly bratty, California punk style by lead singer Andrew Tuller. Keeping the songs from dissolving into mainstream radio pap are jagged edges that hug every power chord and triumphant tempo change. It's an effective way of transporting those classic pop sounds into the murkier territory of today's music. There's a kind of restless ambition at work in many of the songs, resulting in delightfully unexpected turns, like the piano that comes twinkling along in "Strangers for Now" to accompany Elbow Coulee's surprisingly sweet harmonies. - Rev. Adam McKinney

[Le Voyeur, with Pocket Panda, Razors and Red Flags, 10 p.m., no cover, 404 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia, 360.943.5710]

SONIC SHAKEDOWN

>>> Saturday, Nov. 6

Over the years, garage rock has become a staple in the Tacoma music scene, which is partially the result of having a lineage that dates back to the Sonics, those almighty, amp-stabbing garage grandfathers. Talking about "Tacoma grit," the music that pops into one's head is the likely the  dirty, ear-splitting kind that will be on display at Sonic Shakedown. Assembled by local garage rock act the Dignitaries, the bill is made up of almost half a dozen local mainstays, including the Coloffs, the Plastards, the I Love Myselfs, Apache Chief and the Dignitaries themselves. The lineup is eclectic within the boundaries of garage rock, showcasing the punkier and poppier extremes of the genre: the I Love Myselfs' more classic rock leanings will play in opposition to Apache Chief's rabid squall, for instance. Sweetening the deal even further are Sonic Shakedown's admirable intentions. Proceeds of the event will go to the America Diabetes Association. - Rev. AM

[The New Frontier Lounge, Sonic Shakedown with the Plastards, the I Love Myselfs, the Dignitaries, the Coloffs, Apache Chief, DJ Darren Selector, 7 p.m., $5, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020]

HURTBIRD

>>> Sunday, Nov. 7

Hurtbird nimbly avoids classification. In form, perhaps they most closely resemble hip-hop but, similar to Revengers, they eschew classic hip-hop instrumentation in favor of rock ‘n' roll. That's where the similarities end, though, as Hurtbird brings a mellower, more experimental edge to the table. Accompanied largely by spoken word samples and led by a vocalist who has a more conversational, less confrontational style of emceeing, Hurtbird frequently falls into a meditative, though still quite danceable, groove. In the case of a song like "I Like My Bike," they even proudly flash their Portland roots by championing the very un-hip-hop subject of city transit. It's fun, not knowing what a band will do next - an inscrutability that Hurtbird seems to have mastered. - Rev. AM

[Northern, with Mosley Watta and guests, 8 p.m., $6, 321 Fourth Ave., Olympia, northernolympia.org]

WILD FLAG

>>> Wednesday, Nov. 10

Well fuck me running! Though I've never fully understood that exclamation, what I do understand is what a crazy spectacular, not-to-miss, drop-everything-and-get-your-ass-there kind of show is headed to Northern Wednesday. Wild Flag. Just put this band to the forefront of your attention now. Like a goddamn everything-that-has-managed-to-stay-right-about-rock supergroup, Wild Flag is Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney), drummer Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney, Quasi, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks), Mary Timony (Helium, Autoclave, the Mary Timony Band) and Rebecca Cole (the Minders, the Shadow Mortons). Just think about that for a second. Apparently, Wild Flag recently announced a) its existence, and b) intentions to release a debut album for Merge Records early next year. People will be talking about this band. Some already are. See Wild Flag now. - Matt Driscoll

[Northern, with Royal Bath, Western Hymns, 8 p.m., $7, all ages, 321 Fourth Ave., Olympia, northernolympia.org]