UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS

>>> Thursday, Sept. 8

The lead singer of Upstairs Downstairs sounds like Chrissie Hynde from the Pretenders, which pretty much seals it for me. I suppose I should say more, but those cool and soulful, yet laid-back and sarcastic vocals do so much speaking on their own. Upstairs Downstairs, if you need to know, play the kind of breezy folk-pop that seems to have gotten lost in the self-important shuffle in the years after Belle and Sebastian began evaporating from public view. So, you know, that's nice. But Upstairs Downstairs are really about that voice. It begins and ends every song, drawing you in and never relinquishing control. Something about it seems special, and there's no putting a finger on it. It is real, and it stares you right in the eyes. - Rev. Adam McKinney

[The New Frontier Lounge, with Check Please, 8 p.m., cover TBA, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020]

LEARNING TEAM

>>> Friday, Sept. 9

You can hardly blame contemporary indie bands from wanting to venture to a happy, more peaceful, less wholly-craptacular place through music. With the world around us disintegrating into bickering, hopelessness, tireless marketing campaigns, rampant stupidity and way more hapless finger-pointing than answers, a break from it all would be nice for anyone. If that means white kids with scruffy beards and liberal arts degrees need to go all folk and campfire and hand claps on us, so be it I guess.  Bellingham's Learning Team, in Tacoma Friday for a show at the Den with the Royal Sea, is a band capable of delivering such a respite, at least sonically - which is about all we can hope for these days. A indie folk mélange that ends up somewhere similar to bands like Cave Singers and their ilk (albeit taking a more circuitous route), Learning Team is a band well suited for a nap on the grass or an afternoon of no responsibility. Billed as a "summer rock" band, The Royal Sea (also from Bellingham) should only sweeten the deal. - Matt Driscoll

[The Den @ UrbanXchange, 8 p.m., all ages, 1934 Pacific Ave., Tacoma]

SOK AND THE FAGGOTS

>>> Friday, Sept. 9

Naming a band Sok and the Faggots is kind of the musical equivalent of setting a height requirement. If you're able to accept the name, you've passed the first of the many, deliberately offensive tests set by Sok and the Faggots. The Faggots are followers of a style set by G.G. Allin, the shock-punk weirdo famous for his unending envelope pushing and all-around gross-out live performances. He threatened, every year, to bring a gun to his Halloween show, with the intention of shooting as many audience members as he could before turning the gun on himself. People showed up every year. Sok and the Faggots may not take it to that extreme, but the band certainly does its part in upholding the wild and base Allin tradition. - Rev. AM

[Hell's Kitchen, with South 11th, the Assasinators, Dead Peasants, the Savage Henry's, $5, 928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]

BIG FRICTION JAM

>>> Wednesday, Sept. 14

There was a time when the Big Friction Jam at Jazzbones was THE place to be for Sunday night maxin', relaxin' and jammin'. Powered by the groove-heavy leanings of saxophonist Brett "Big Friction" Cummings, and aptly backed by a rhythm section the South Sound knows well - drummer Darin Watkins and bassist Jeff Leonard, of Vicci Martinez Band fame - the Big Friction house band took the stage, laid down the funk and groove, and magic ensued, with a cast of talented locals streaming through to take the stage and get down. Next week, under the increasingly-cool "Wednesday Sessions" header, Jazzbones will welcome back the Big Friction Jam for an evening that's sure to blow your usual Hump Day plans out of the proverbial water. If you're down to jam on it (or enjoy when others jam on it) this one's for you. - MD

[Jazzbones, 9 p.m., no cover, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169]