>>> Friday, March 29

AFROK'S BIRTHDAY SHOW

Friday at the Urban Onion, Afrok and his band, The Movement, will lead a musical charge followed up by plenty of other organic hip-hop talent he's bringing out for his special occasion.  Afrok handpicked local rappers Akeem, MC Swamptiger and Sky Hatter - who just dropped a dope new video for his single "She's My Hip-Hop - to perform at his historic event. In addition to the Olympia area rappers, Afrok also invited his friend and OG Seattle native Gabriel Teodros to be a part of the fun filled evening. Teodros has been a staple in the Seattle hip-hop scene since it first REALLY started bubbling in the early 2000s and has been putting in work since then, including the release of a new album last year, Colored People's Time Machine. Teodros is a very unique and talented individual that also happens to be a strong community organizer and overall, a very good, humble dude. Oh and kids, this show is all ages until 11 p.m. and ... (whisper voice) he's a good friend of Macklemore. - Nic Leonard

URBAN UNION, AFROK'S 30TH BIRTHDAY BASH, AFROK & THE MOVEMENT, GABRIEL TEODROS, SKY HATTER, MC SWAMPTIGER, AKEEM, DJ LUVVA J AND DJ ANDREW JAMES, FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 8 P.M., ALL AGES UNTIL 11 P.M., $5, 116 LEGION WAY SE, OLYMPIA, 360.943.9242

>>> Friday, March 29

HILLSTOMP

Hey kiddies, lace up your most comfortable shoes, coat your throat with some whiskey and get ready for some serious dancing and hollering 'cause Hillstomp is back in Olympia. The rowdy, washtub, bucket band, rock 'n' roll duo are taking over the Olympia Ballroom Friday for a night of old time enjoyment, with a funky twist. Andy Geertsen, voted best booker in Oly, who's throwing the show, describes Hillstomp's style: "When they play they bring an energy to the crowd that is infectious and reciprocated right back to them ... as if there was one communal heartbeat bouncing between fan and musician. It's like high energy therapy - when Hillstomp plays Oly it's not just another show it's an event." You heard the man, it's not just another show, so get down there and get some Hillstomp healing. - Nikki McCoy

THE OLYMPIA BALLROOM, W/KENDL WINTER AND THE SUMMER GOLD, 9 P.M., $10, 116 LEGION WAY SE, OLYMPIA, 360.943.9242

>>> Sunday, March 31

MERCHANDISE

For fans of Bruce Springsteen, the Replacements and the Pogues, their latter-day answer to those icons came in 2010 in the form of Titus Andronicus' epic, messy, passionate, over-the-top masterpiece, The Monitor. Similarly, fans of the Smiths, Tears for Fears and the Church may find solace in Merchandise's similarly epic and messy release, Children of Desire. A full-length at merely six songs, Children of Desire is somehow over-stuffed and minimalistic at the same time. Vocalist Carson Cox evokes Morrissey without ever approaching imitation. For all its bluster and ambition, Merchandise's album somehow leaves the listener in mystery, even in the wake of such a strong statement of purpose. "Who Are You," the lead track off of Merchandise's forthcoming follow-up, finds them tightening their arrangement without sacrificing the awesome sound that has become their calling card. - Rev Adam McKinney

NORTHERN, W/ LOVE INTEREST, CAIRO PYTHIAN, WET HAIR, 8 P.M., $6, 414 ½ LEGION WAY, OLYMPIA

>>> Thursday, April 4

EMA

EMA, aka Erika Anderson of defunct psych-folk outfit Gowns, is all about contradictions. She's lo-fi and blown-out, folk-minded but tentatively danceable, ethereal and explosively percussive. The reductive way to describe her music would be to say that it's experimental, but, well, dammit everything's experimental now. The advent of the Internet has changed music forever. Now, it's not mind-blowingly weird for EMA to do a 17-minute cover of a Robert Johnson song - it's par for the course in an age where music and time mingle undivided in the ears of up-and-coming artists. Maybe EMA makes drone-folk, which I suppose can be a thing, now that the paint cans of culture have tipped over and turned everything swirly and brown. Regardless of how you describe EMA, what can't be denied is that she is making fiercely individualistic music. - Rev. AM

NORTHERN, W/ ARRINGTON DE DIONYSO'S MALAIKAT DAN SINGA, THE MOTHER RUCKUS, 9 P.M., $5-$8, 414 ½ LEGION WAY, OLYMPIA

LINK: Live music tonight in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area