JEREMY JAY
>>> Friday, Jan. 27
A streak of romanticism is splashed broadly across the music of Jeremy Jay. Though largely influenced by the suave synth-pop of acts like Spandau Ballet, Jay's music is far from the detached cool that has come to be associated with the genre. Rather, Jay seems to care deeply about matters of the heart, the world of dreams, the beauty of cinema, the sad-sack love affairs of '50s crooners and nighttime drives illuminated by drooping stars and a swollen moon. As prolific as he is restless, it's not easy to predict just where Jay's tastes and sounds will fix their next trajectory, but the constant quality of his swooning heart and restlessly daydreaming mind will always remain at the core of his output-past shifting tides and long, winding roads. - Rev. Adam McKinney
[The Midnight Sun, with Nucular Aminals, the Curious Mystery, 9 p.m., $5, 113 N. Columbia St, Olympia]
GLASS ELEVATOR
>>> Saturday, Jan. 28
Ladies and Gentlemen, Saturday night McCoy's in Olympia presents one of the greatest local psychedelic, classic, punk rock lineups in recent memory. Seriously. Local band The Hard Way will bring it all with a slew of rock and punk favorites. The equally local Glass Elevator will shake the house with trippy grooves and heady lyrics. Not to be outdone, Seattle's the Tripwires will provide a blast into a poppy world of progressive punk rock. With all this glorious music under one roof, along with McCoy's cheap and trusty drinks, Saturday night will be one to remember. - Nikki Talotta
[McCoy's Tavern, The Hard Way, Glass Elevator, Tripwires, 9 p.m., $3, 418 Fourth Ave., Olympia, 360.352.0696]
TREES WITHOUT LEAVES
>>> Saturday, Jan. 28
On the opening track of Trees Without Leaves' album, Don't Say Uh Uh!, a master of ceremonies comes on to announce the band, in grand fashion, before they come barreling out in full, goofy force. The over-the-top blues rock of Trees Without Leaves is indebted to the similarly winking tradition of groups like Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, Tom Waits, and the bluesier elements of Captain Beefheart or, more recently, the positively hallucinatory soul of That Handsome Devil. The lead vocals of Stewie Crockett are howlingly absurd, hugely animated odes to those manic preachers that used to be spotted in stale, smoky nightclubs and barrooms lined with peanut shells. It's all a delirious mixture that lands somewhere in the area of doting homage and full-throated hysteria. - Rev. AM
[The New Frontier Lounge, with Midnight Salvage Co., the Purrs, 9 p.m., cover TBA, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020]
HEY GIRL
>>> Sunday, Jan. 29
The band Hey Girl is totally Olympia. Sludgy, grungy, dirty and totally cute. And I mean cute in a garage punk way. It makes you wanna crush on the three-piece band, based on their live performances and relatable lyrics - like in the song "Pizza Girl," where the delivery diva is on a pillar of gold, hallowed by catchy riffs and slamming drums. Hey Girl, along with local rock ‘n' roll shredders Blues Druid, should be the perfect openers for the ever-popular Pierced Arrows. Brace yourself for a night of sweaty, good old-fashion fun. - NT
[The Brotherhood Lounge, Hey Girl, Blues Druid, Pierced Arrows, 9 p.m., $5, 319 Capitol Way, Olympia, 360.352.4153]