THOSE DARLINS They have dubbed their trek the ??Excuse to Have Fun Tour,?? and we have no doubt that this Tennessee trio will colorize a dreary gray winter with their irresistible blend of country, pop, punk, and sugar. Feb. 4. $10. T.T. the Bear?s Place. 866-468-7619. www.ticketweb.com
(rob stack)
Music: the week ahead
THOSE DARLINS They have dubbed their trek the ??Excuse to Have Fun Tour,?? and we have no doubt that this Tennessee trio will colorize a dreary gray winter with their irresistible blend of country, pop, punk, and sugar. Feb. 4. $10. T.T. the Bear?s Place. 866-468-7619. www.ticketweb.com
(rob stack)
POP & ROCK
A.A. BONDY The former Verbena frontman is hitting the road to spread the gospel on his second solo album, the critically praised “When the Devil’s Loose,’’ a collection of ambling, shaggy, country-tinged rockers. 9 p.m. Feb. 5. $10. T.T. the Bear’s Place. 866-468-7619. www.ticketweb.comCHEVELLE Hard rock signal WAAF-FM presents this evening with the aggressive Chicago trio, a sort of post-millennial mash-up of the catchiness of Linkin Park and the aural punishment of edgier groups like Tool. 8 p.m. Feb. 8. $27.50. House of Blues. 877-598-8689. www.livenation.com
THE RESIDENTS We spy with our great big top-hatted eye that the deeply avant rockers are returning to the Hub for a night of sonic adventure that may or may not include dips into their most recent concept album, “The Residents Present the Ughs!’’ 9 p.m. Feb. 10. $20. Middle East Downstairs. 800-745-3000. www.ticketmaster.com
THE MAGNETIC FIELDS The elegant indie popsters kick off a two-night stand in support of new album “Realism.’’ A tip for newbies: Keep the volume of you clapping in the golf-zone in order to protect leader Stephin Merritt’s sensitive ears. 8 p.m. Feb. 10. $29.50. Wilbur Theatre. 800-745-3000. www.ticketmaster.com
SARAH RODMAN
FOLK, WORLD & COUNTRY
THE SWEETBACK SISTERS If you think the concepts of hipster Brooklynites and classic country music are mutually exclusive, allow us to introduce you to this swinging sextet. Fronted by the closely harmonizing duo of Zara Bode and Emily Miller, the zingy group is simultaneously reverent of tradition and contemporaneously cheeky. 8 p.m. Feb. 4. $12. Club Passim. 617-492-7679. www.clubpassim.orgSARAH LEE GUTHRIE & JOHNNY IRION The spunky folk duo’s latest release is a family affair called “Go Waggaloo!’’ that features famous friends and relatives including Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and the couple’s two daughters. But we expect the pair’s smart, incisive music for grown-ups will get plenty of attention. 8 p.m. Feb. 5. $20. Club Passim. 617-492-7679. www.clubpassim.org
LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO The tireless African group continues to dazzle with its a cappella prowess: technically impressive and rich with emotion and history. 8 p.m. Feb. 6. $44. Sanders Theatre. 617-876-4275. www.worldmusic.org SARAH RODMAN
JAZZ, BLUES & CABARET
GABRIELLE AGACHIKO/CHARLIE KOHLHASE’S EXPLORER’S CLUB Passionate singer-songwriter Agachiko, a Kenyan native, draws on influences from jazz, blues, soul, and rock. Her local all-star band includes saxophonist Russ Gershon (Either/Orchestra), flutist Ken Field (Revolutionary Snake Ensemble, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic), and guitarist Joey Pesce (ex-Til Tuesday). Superb saxophonist-composer Kohlhase’s newest band is a seven-piece ensemble tailor-made to investigate every nook and cranny of the leader’s intricate freebop tunes. 7:30 p.m., Kohlhase; 9 p.m., Agachiko. Feb. 4. $15. The Center for Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Avenue, Somerville. 617.718.2191. www.artsatthearmory.orgBRAD MEHLDAU Among the most admired improvisers of his generation, the probingly elegant jazz pianist known for his far-reaching repertoire will perform a special solo concert. 8 p.m. Feb. 5. $25-$35. Sanders Theater, 45 Quincy St. Cambridge. 617-496-4595. ofa.fas.harvard.edu/cal
DWIGHT & NICOLE The jazzy, alt-blues duo of soulful guitarist Dwight Ritcher and sultry singer Nicole Nelson celebrate the release of their new album, “!Signs.’’ 8 p.m. Feb. 5. $15-$20. Somerville Theatre. 617-625-5700. www.somervilletheatreonline.com
TOM HALL The local saxophone luminary celebrates his new book, “Free Improvisation: A Practical Guide,’’ with an art exhibit by the book’s illustrator, Lennie Peterson, a lecture by Hall titled “Life Is One Big Improvisation,’’ and a concert featuring Hall, Peterson on trombone, bassists Michael Rivard and Marty Ballous, and percussionist Jerry Leake. 2 p.m., exhibit/reception; 3 p.m., lecture; 3:30 p.m., concert. Feb 7. Free. Forsyth Chapel, 95 Forest Hills Ave., Jamaica Plain. www.foresthillstrust.org KEVIN LOWENTHAL
CLASSICAL
‘THE TURN OF THE SCREW’ Boston Lyric Opera is breaking fresh ground with an inventive site-specific staging of Britten’s haunting opera “The Turn of the Screw’’ at the Park Plaza Castle. A strong cast (including Emily Pulley, Joyce Castle, Vale Rideout, and Rebecca Nash) takes up the principal roles. Sam Helfrich directs and Andrew Bisantz conducts. 7:30 p.m., Feb. 5 and 6, $39-$85, 130 Columbus Ave., 617-542-6772. www.blo.orgBOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Principal flutist Elizabeth Rowe is the soloist in the US premiere of Elliott Carter’s Flute Concerto, on a program with works by Schubert and Brahms. James Levine conducts. Feb. 4, 5, and 9, $29-$105, Symphony Hall, 617-266-1200. www.bso.org
RICHARD GOODE AND JONATHAN BISS These two elegant pianists collaborate in a duo recital given over to music by Schubert, Schumann, Beethoven, Stravinsky, and Debussy. 3 p.m., Feb. 7, $45-$66, Jordan Hall, 617-482-6661. www.celebrityseries.org
CHAMELEON ARTS ENSEMBLE The enterprising chamber troupe offers a typically wide-ranging program, including music by a Spanish violin virtuoso (Pablo de Sarasate) and a high priest of musical modernism (Pierre Boulez) alongside a popular cornerstone of the Romantic chamber literature (Brahms’s Piano Quintet). Feb. 6 and 7, $18-$38, Goethe-Institut, 170 Beacon St, 617-427-8200. www.chameleonarts.org
JEREMY EICHLER 
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