MONDAY
>> The Boss is in town! The Boss is in town! Wait, wasn’t he just here? Perhaps that's why there are tickets available. Springsteen & The E Street Band will be rocking out the Verizon Center tonight. 7:30 p.m. $32.50, $68 and $98.

>> Or if you'd rather see another big name at even higher prices (and with even bigger hair) Lyle Lovett and his Large Band are at the Strathmore. 8 p.m., $59.50-$125.

>> When King Khan comes to town with his band The Shrines, it's a show that pays homage to the Godfather of Soul and the lower income tax bracket. When the bill states that it's time for the King Khan & BBQ Show as it does tonight at the Rock and Roll Hotel, prepare for a glorious racket of soul, garage and punk music. 8:30 p.m., $15

>> Guitarist Chris Grier impressed us when collaborating with another guitarist and sax player at the final show of Sonic Circuits. Now he's back at the Black Cat on his own opening for Arlington rockers The Chance. $8, 9 p.m.

>> The Very Best are the latest of many groups who have mixed African rhythms with American pop melodies and they're giving DC9 patrons a special VIP option for tonight's show with electro-pop act Javelin. For an additional $12 you can get a VIP ticket, which includes an autographed copy of their latest CD, which includes vocals by M.I.A. and Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig. 9 p.m., $10 gen/adm, $22 VIP (includes autographed copy of CD) 18+

>> Vince Scheuerman of Army of Me celebrates a new and starkly intimate EP by doing an acoustic show at Jammin Java. 7:30 p.m., $13.

>> For another intimate look at local music, John and Paul Thornley of US Royalty are testing out some new tracks at an event they've named Thornley & Friends at Solly's. Honey House will be opening and Matthew Hemerlein will be joining the brothers on violin. 8:30 p.m.

TUESDAY
>> It's a good month for people who liked emo before emo became a dirty word. Fresh off the heels of a Sunny Day Real Estate reunion, The Get Up Kids will be playing at the 9:30 Club with Kevin Devine and The Life and Times. High school flames not required. 6:30 p.m., $21.

>> Girls is one of these heavily hyped but incredibly polarizing new groups whose aesthetic sounds like a bizarre union of Soul Asylum and Elvis Costello. Regardless of which side of the debate you're on regarding Girls, Real Estate (from D.C.'s own Underwater Peoples record label) will provide a woozy, laid-back and enjoyable experience at the Black Cat Mainstage. 8 p.m., $12

>> Two of the more interesting "anti-folk" acts around, Herman Dune & Julie Doiron, will be performing at DC9. $12, 9 p.m., 18+.

>> New Zealand balladeer Liam Finn will be playing at the Rock and Roll Hotel with long time collaborator Eliza Jane. Miracle Fortress, who veers more toward psychedelic dream pop, opens. 8:30pm, $15

>> If you feel like you're hearing one hundred too many high pitched squeals tonight, Miley Cyrus's sold out a show at the Phone Booth is to blame. Unless you're a parent of a tween, run for cover.

>> It's unclear whether the locals in Spelling for Bees are a Collective (as stated on the Velvet Lounge Website) or a Supergroup (as stated on their MySpace page.) It's also unclear just how many people are going to squeeze up on that stage. There are 12 names listed on their page, but they also claim there are more 40 musicians involved altogether. Get the answers to all these questions @ Velvet Lounge. 7:30 p.m., 18+, $5.

WEDNESDAY
>> They started their debut album with one of the most impressive screams in rock and roll and now the Aussies in Wolfmother are coming to the 9:30 Club to bust your eardrums some more with their combination of heavy Kyuss-esque guitar riffs and the same high pitched vocals that made "Dimension" so immediate. Heartless Bastards open. 7 p.m., $30.

>> Basla Andolsun might be one of the most underrated voices in D.C., and The Andalusians succeed in matching dissonance worthy of the Dischord label with that voice to create gritty and incredibly interesting tunes. They'll be at the Velvet Lounge. 9 p.m., 21+, $8.

>> Screeching laptops, mixers, samplers and children's toys probably sound like a recipe for a headache to some, but Fuck Buttons deftly turn these elements into something rather hypnotic. @ DC9 $10/$12, 9pm, 18+

>> Recent Three Stars subjects Gestures take their No Jazz to open for Douglas Kieth at the Red and the Black. $8.

THURSDAY
>> On his last trip through D.C., Kurt Vile thoroughly wowed a packed Velvet Lounge with his haunting acoustic songs, which borrow strongly from classic rock but twist with a hint of psychedelia. He'll be bringing his full band, The Violators, to the Black Cat Backstage and performing with one of the area's hardest working musicians, Benjy Ferree. 8:30 p.m., $10 in advance, $12 day of show.

FRIDAY
>> Virginia native gone west, Thao Nguyen has a new album and she'll be back at the Black Cat this weekend with her band, The Get Down Stay Down. $15, 9 p.m.

>> What better way than to celebrate Liberation Dance Party's fifth anniversary than to bring Dragonette to DC9. She's got all of the electro-pop hooks of Lady Gaga but without the crazy costumes. $8. 9 p.m., 18+

>> Baltimore act Gary B and the Notions clearly have good taste in music. Not only does their sound borrow from the likes of The Modern Lovers, Television and Elvis Costello, but for their CD release party at the Velvet Lounge they've chosen The Moderate, Future Islands and Sick Weapons as openers. 10 p.m., 21+ $8

>> Four great local bands taking over Eastern Market? And it's for the benefit of Girls Rock! DC and Guitars Not Guns? Where do we sign? Join Tennis System, Shapiro, Memphis 59 and Spring Tigers this Friday at Eastern Market's North Hall from 7 p.m. to midnight to support "the positive impact music education can have on young girls and boys throughout the District area." Tickets are $20 in advance (available here), and includes snacks. There will be a cash bar and a limited number of tickets will be available at the door.

SATURDAY
>>Our favorite Swedish whistlers, Peter Bjorn & John will be returning to the D.C. area for what also seems to be the kabillionth time this year. El Perro del Mar joins them at the 9:30 Club. 8 p.m., $25.

>> It's been awhile since we've seen the locals in Le Loup play a hometown show, but they've got a new album, Family, and we finally get to see the tracks from that album live at the Black Cat. Furthermore, here's your proof that May Tabol's break from Le Loup was amicable; her current outfit, Pree, will be opening the show. 9 p.m., $12

SUNDAY
>> Virginia Beach natives Mae hit it big on the touring circuit a few years back but now find themselves label-less. So they've been releasing new songs every month and touring with sassy alt-country guitarist Jenny Owen Youngs. They're taking their act to the Black Cat. $13/$15 8 p.m.

>> When Amy Millan performs solo, as she will be at DC9, she eschews the rock and dream pop of her bands Stars or Broken Social Scene for a more folky feel. $12/$14 9 p.m.

Filed in Arts and Events and tagged music, weekly music agenda