PICOSO

>>> Thursday, March 17

While Olympia often has a few bagpipers skirting around downtown on St. Patty's Day squeaking out classic Irish ditties, there are other options out there. Instead, how about some lively, upbeat music you can really move to? I'm not talking about a DJ spinning New Wave or Top 40; I'm talking about a live six-piece salsa band. A band that has full credit up and down the coast for being able to move crowds into a sweaty, booty-shaking night of fun. The band is Picoso, and they fill every inch of open air with sound. Trumpet, congas, timbales and more each find their perfect rhythm in the characteristic sound of traditional salsa music - with a little Northwest flavor. - Nikki Talotta

[Eastside Club Tavern, 9 p.m., $5, 410 Fourth Ave., Olympia, 360.357.9985]

FUR HOOD

>>> Friday, March 18

Whereas virtually all of the best-known Icelandic bands have an incredibly likeminded sound (wintry, angelic, experimental), it's a lot harder to make that kind of generalization about Scotland, which also borders the frigid Atlantic Ocean. Indie rock foursome Fur Hood is a prime example of Scotland's musical diversity. The Glaswegians sound remarkably like America's most sun-baked, mellowed-out jammers (Real Estate, Norse Horse), with a damp, lagoon-ready guitar sound and sunny disposition that seems at odds with their geographic origins. More "chilled out" than "chilly," Fur Hood are as warm and comforting as their name implies, and their sonic showmanship is in keeping with a longstanding tradition of UK musicians one-upping America at our own musical game (blues-inspired rock ‘n' roll, anyone?). - Jason Baxter

[Peabody Waldorf Gallery, with North American War, 7 p.m., all ages, 745 S. Broadway, Tacoma]

GOLDEN GHOST

>>> Sunday, March 20

Beneath Golden Ghost's quivering fragility and twee innocence, there is a vague creepiness. The lead singer's voice is childlike and small, but she gives the impression that she may be the kind of person whom you can get far too close to, far too quickly. Roundly muted guitars, gently brushed drums and sweetly singing violins swirl around her vocals in an ambient haze that sometimes approaches twilight soft rock in tone and temperature. But all the while, that edginess creeps in a way that suggests this gentle lulling might not end well if you were to give yourself over to it. In time, Golden Ghost's twinkling Christmas lights begin to look unmistakably fluorescent - blinding and unwelcome. But for those dreamy first moments, nothing feels more like home. - Rev. Adam McKinney

[Northern, with Mother McKenzie, Seed, 8 p.m., $5, 321 Fourth Ave., Olympia]

OLD MAN MARKLEY

>>> Tuesday, March 22

The safe assumption would be punk and bluegrass don't mix. In fact, one might go as far as to suggest the two genres should avoid each other at all costs - with punk likely to kick bluegrass's ass if the two were to cross paths, or bluegrass likely to loose punk's attention with an epic jam out. While statements like these may hold true much of the time, California's Old Man Markley, playing Hell's Kitchen Tuesday, is a definite exception. An eight-piece comprising musicians that straddle both genres, according to the band's website: "OMM cut its teeth playing countless jams of bluegrass standards and covers of distinctively un-bluegrass songs done bluegrass style. Soon, out of the chaos grew original material that combined everything the band loved about all the different styles of music the members grew up laying and writing." Judge the creation for yourself this week. - Matt Driscoll 

[Hell's Kitchen, with Cooper McBean, Love Songs From the Hated, Looking for Lizards, 8 p.m., NC, 928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]