>>> Friday, Nov. 9

BARLEYWINE REVUE

Barleywine Revue credits itself simply as a bluegrass band, but to hear it, the band somehow transforms that format into something more. Depending on whose lead vocals you get (in a very egalitarian move, the members trade off lead vocal duty,) you'll either find yourself in a jumping jam like "Sunshine in Tacoma," a Fleet Foxes-esque reverie like "Burb on the Rocks" or the stately sway of "Ghost Woman Blues." You might even find yourself in the murky politics of "Aliens," which takes a (hopefully) tongue-in-cheek look at the issue of immigration and, specifically, those who obsess over ending it. Regardless of which Barleywine Revue you encounter, you're guaranteed to find flawless harmonies and impeccable musicianship. Barleywine Revue will celebrate the release of its new album with fellow bluegrass mavericks, the Cottonwood Cutups. - Rev. Adam McKinney

THE NEW FRONTIER LOUNGE, WITH COTTONWOOD CUTUPS, 9 P.M., COVER TBA, 301 E. 25TH ST., TACOMA, 253.572.4020

>>> Friday, Nov. 9

HILLSTOMP

After a one-year hiatus, Portland's Hillstomp is back in action, romping from venue to venue and selling out shows with its swamp blues style. Armed with washboards, spoons, buckets and banjos, slide and stomp, the junkbox blues duo Henry Christian, guitar, and John Johnson, buckets - bring an assault of high-energy backwoods punk. How the hell does a person yell harmonious twang without sounding like a drunken hillbilly? Maybe the duo do sound like drunken hillbillies. For this talented twosome, it's charming.  "They're a lot of fun," says promoter Andy Geertson. "Hillstomp has missed their fans and are excited to get playing again." Rumor has it Hillstomp will play new songs. Local draw Oly Mountain Boys will perform its bluegrass flair. - Nikki McCoy

OLYMPIA BALLROOM, WITH OLY MOUNTAIN BOYS, 9 P.M., $8-$10, 116 LEGION WAY, OLYMPIA, 360.943.9242

>>> Saturday, Nov 10

ROMAN HOLIDAY

As I've said for a long time, now, there is no other band in Tacoma that surpasses Roman Holiday in terms of big, national potential. The band already sounds like it has been vetted on adult contemporary radio for years. This is not to say it is a prepackaged band, but, rather, it's a completely successful accompaniment to huge stadium acts like Kings of Leon and Coldplay. Above all, Roman Holiday is the king of melodrama, expert in the act of building tension and then, in one fell swoop, releasing in gigantic hooks and choruses. The band fetishizes each triumphant rise and each melancholy fall. Being that Roman Holiday was born in the recording studio, its sound is predictably polished and honed to near-perfection; the joy is seeing it replicate this polish live on stage. - Rev. AM

JAZZBONES, WITH TRUE HOLLAND AND CADILLAC RADIO, 9 P.M., $10, 2803 SIXTH AVE., TACOMA, 253.396.9169

>>> Saturday, Nov. 10

KIMYA DAWSON, JEFFREY LEWIS

Jeffrey Lewis and the Junkyard joins Kimya Dawson and Stephen Steinbrink for a performance at the Olympia All Ages Project venue Northern. It's a reunion, of sorts, for Lewis and Dawson. During New York's anti-folk scene in the early 200s, Lewis and Dawson crossed musical paths - often Lewis would perform and collaborate with Dawson and her Moldy Peaches project. The collaboration led to a K Records LP, The Bundles, and critical praise as an anti-folk supergroup of sorts. According to Lewis, he doesn't mind the anti-folk label. "I think it's a cool title. The fact that no one knows what it means, including me, makes it kind of mysterious and more interesting than saying that you're a singer/songwriter or that you play indie rock." After Peaches, former Evergreen State College student Dawson returned to Olympia to larger audiences - thanks to her Juno soundtrack -  and continue the musical collaboration path. Her most recent album, Thunder Thighs, features collaborations with Aesop Rock and pro-wrestler Daniel Bryan. - Timothy Grisham

NORTHERN, 9 P.M., ALL AGES, $6, 414 ½ LEGION WAY, OLYMPIA, OLYMPIAALLAGES.ORG