THE CAVE SINGERS

>>> Friday, March 23

The members of the Cave Singers began their notable music careers on full tilt, in prog-rock and art-punk outfits like Pretty Girls Make Graves, Murder City Devils and Cobra High. Their transition to the indie folk rock of the Cave Singers is somewhat akin to someone taking a lung-bursting sprint into a freezing body of water, their legs becoming sluggish frigid as the waters begin to lap up around their waist. In the subsequent years, this body has become acclimated to its new environment, and the Cave Singers sound more comfortable than ever creating simultaneously traditional and rousing folk rock. The drums have become a little more restless, the vocals a little more sneering, and the guitars a little more raucous. Inside the Cave Singers teems a punk rock soul. - Rev. Adam McKinney

[The New Frontier Lounge, with Mongrel Blood, 8 p.m., $15, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020]

HIP-HOP IS ALIVE WITH TODD SYKES

>>> Friday, March 23

This Friday, A-Hyp Productions brings Tacoma a new hip-hop monthly. Headlining the show will be a solo set from Todd Sykes. He'll be throwing down on the MPC and the mic. Awall A.K.A. 2-Piece is also on the bill - making this a good chance to hear some of his new music, which is killer. Furthermore, local MC J-Hill's rhymes always pack a punch. Opening the night is the new group Killerz With Kindness - bringing authentic hip-hop with an added trance dance vibe that's fresh. The show will be hosted by the underutilized Chief Noo, with the BreakLite's DJ "The Mayor" on the wheels. - Josh Rizeberg

[Harmon Tap Room Underground, Hip-Hop Is Alive with Todd Sykes, Awall, J. Hill. Killaz with Kindness, DJ The Mayor, Chief Noo, 9 p.m., $5, 204 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, taproomunderground.com]

RVIVR

>>> Saturday, March 24

RVIVR kicks fucking ass. There's something so nourishing about pop punk that's hard to explain - especially when it's done with as much precision and flair as RVIVR. There's just something about this unabashed enthusiasm, the giant hooks, and even the more enormous choruses. Everything is full-throated and giddy with RVIVR. The band's Dirty Water EP is compiled of five songs of non-stop momentum, and before you know it, it's over, and your hand is reaching over to restart it. Seeing the band live will be an exhausting experience, especially at Le Voyeur. You'll be locked in a small, concrete room with a surging mass of revelers, skanking and pogoing and giving each other sweaty bear hugs. RVIVR's music will bring it out in you, so if you're worried about dancing like an idiot, you'd best keep your distance. - Rev. AM

[Le Voyeur, with Chin Up, Meriwether, 7:30 p.m., no cover, 404 E. Fourth Ave. Olympia, 360.943.5710]

SIOUX FALLS

>>> Saturday, March 24

Bands that take on influences from Modest Mouse tend to sound more lost to me than bands drawing from, say, Vampire Weekend or Death Cab for Cutie. If you are talented and you really want to sound like Vampire Weekend or Death Cab, well, you can. But no one can fully capture that Modest Mouse sound, which makes bands like Sioux Falls- which draws some influence from that infamous shack in Issaquah - sound forever searching, lost in the complexities of the guitar. In a good way, if you can believe it. What's most striking about Sioux Falls, despite clearly being a band still in the process of finding itself, is they've managed to land in a spot that indicates a sure-footed confidence beyond their years together. As Sioux Falls encounters more sounds on its current tour down the coast, who's to say what shape the band will ultimately form? It's the searching that matters. - Rev. AM

[Tahoma Tea & Co., with Sorta Ultra, Battersea, 7 p.m., no cover, 1932 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.2477]

RAEKWON

>>> Sunday, March 25

Olympia will be blessed with an East Coast legend Sunday when Wu Tang Clan member Raekwon hits the state capitol for the first time.  Since officially joining Wu Tang in 1992, over the years Raekwon has become one of the more recognized names in the group and continues to consistently release his Mafioso style of hip-hop.  After releasing a very successful album in 1995, Only Built For Cuban Linx, "The Chef" maintained his composure and stayed busy by collaborating on many other Wu projects, releasing more solo efforts and working with many other top hip-hop artists.  Come see Raekwon this Sunday at The Royal in Olympia just for the fact he's rumored to have punched Master P in the face. - Nic Leonard

[The Royal Lounge, 8 p.m., $15, 311 Capitol Way N., Olympia, 360.705.0760]