CHELSEA WOLFE
9 p.m. • Triple Rock • 18-plus • $10-$12
Following two studio albums of lo-fi transmissions laced with dirge-y guitars, this goth-folk artist gave her spooky psalms a sonic cleanse with last fall's "Unknown Rooms: A Collection of Acoustic Songs." Still steeped in despair, a de-fuzzed production quality and downplayed drone makes the doom-and-gloom Californian's woeful calls the focal point. The album packages unreleased oldies with a few new songs, but it's anything but a B-sides bust, adding a new wrinkle to her still-young career. Metal-schooled neo-folkie King Dude opens. MICHAEL RIETMULDER
The Current's 8th Birthday party
8 p.m. Fri. & Sat. • First Avenue • 18-plus • sold out
They're calling 89.3 the Current's two-night birthday bash a "celebration of Minnesota music." Friday's show offers the wilder musical mash-up, with the howling blues-punks of the 4onthefloor for headliners (who are also working on a new album), preceded by the Twin Cities Funk and Soul All-Stars assembled for Secret Stash Records' "Lost Grooves" compilation, including members of the Valdons and Prophets of Peace. Rounding out the Friday bill are passionate singer-songwriter Chastity Brown and indie-pop wunderkind John Mark Nelson. Headlining Saturday's instantly sold-out lineup are the psychedelic, soul-searching orchestral rockers Cloud Cult, who will preview songs from their new album, "Love." Night 2 also features one of the few local rockers you could regularly hear on the FM dial before the Current, Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum, plus burgeoning rockers Now, Now and sultry rappers the Chalice, two mostly female trios so young they probably can't remember the scene pre-89.3. CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
Walk the Moon
8 p.m. • Fine Line • all ages • sold out
Walk the Moon is one of those generic but pleasant-enough pop-rock bands you probably don't know that you already know, since its Killers-meets-Coldplay-sounding single "Anna Sun" ("This house is falling apart," goes the hook) has been all over the TV and radio, including in an HP laptop commercial. The Ohio band, started by singer/keyboardist Nicholas Petricca, issued its self-titled debut album last summer on RCA Records and did some opening dates with fun. and Young the Giant. It's starting off 2013 with a headlining tour that starts in Minneapolis. Pacific Air opens. C.R.
