No picks today, but still plenty to do! View the full calendar.

• May 16
  • Damien Jurado and JBM Schubas, 8 p.m.

    For more than a decade now, songwriter Damien Jurado has made his name with folk-based ...

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    Active Child, Balam Acab, and Superhumanoids Lincoln Hall, 9 p.m.

    The solo recording project of L.A.-based Pat Grossi, Active Child brings a glassy ...

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    Reggie Watts Vic Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

    Stepping onstage with little more than a loop pedal and an impressive vocal range, Reggie ...

• May 17
  • Daniel Clowes Quimby's Bookstore, 7 p.m.

    Before it was a movie that most of us remember as the last time we ...

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    Here We Go Magic and Dolphins Empty Bottle, 9:30 p.m.

    Here We Go Magic boasts an underwater analog sound so exuberant and open that it ...

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    Mayer Hawthorne and The Stepkids Park West, 7:30 p.m.

    Recalling the smoother, sensual side of the Motown sound, Mayer Hawthorne (né Andrew Cohen) makes ...

• May 18
  • Cameron Esposito, Adam Burke, Liza Treyger, Chad Briggs, Chris Condren, Drew Michael, Renee Gauthier, Jeff Steinbrunner, Puterbaugh Sisters, Katie McVay, Rhea Butcher, and Andrew Halter The Lincoln Lodge, 10:30 p.m.

    It’s not surprising that local comedian and perky, young go-getter Cameron Esposito recorded her ...

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    HoZac Blackout Fest 2012 Empty Bottle, 5 p.m.

    Local record label HoZac puts out the freakiest, weirdest music and builds up a good ...

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    Joe Pug and Bailiff Lincoln Hall, 10 p.m.

    Given how deeply Austin-based singer-songwriter Joe Pug (né Joe Pugliese) steeps his music in the ...

• May 19
  • Bonnie Raitt and Marc Cohn Chicago Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

    Bonnie Raitt might not enjoy being described as “classic,” but the tag fits: Trends have ...

  • Comics: Philosophy And Practice University of Chicago- Logan Center, 9 a.m.

    Comics are becoming more prevalent in popular and academic culture, as seen through the rise ...

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    HoZac Blackout Fest 2012 Empty Bottle, 5 p.m.

    After 15 years off the musical radar, L.A. punk-rock institution Redd Kross is back ...

• May 20
  • Kurt Vile And The Violators, Black Bananas, and True Widow Lincoln Hall, 8 p.m.

    Philadelphia’s Kurt Vile might scare off listeners who are skeptical of trendy folk-pop and ...

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    HoZac Blackout Fest 2012 Empty Bottle, 5 p.m.

    That 13th Floor Elevators frontman Roky Erickson survived his long battle with mental illness to ...

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    Kathy Griffin Rialto Square Theatre, 7 p.m.

    Though it’s true that Kathy Griffin can be annoying, there’s no denying that ...

• May 21
  • Lee "Scratch" Perry, Subatomic Sound System, Illuminati Congo, and Impala Sound Champions Lincoln Hall, 8 p.m.

    As inventive and iconoclastic as any genius hiding out in music history, Lee “Scratch” Perry ...

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    The Beach Boys Chicago Theatre, 8 p.m.

    The past few years have been remarkable for The Beach Boys in many ways. Lead ...

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    Robbie Fulks and The Pussycat Trio The Hideout, 7 p.m.

    Robbie Fulks was introduced to many as an alt-country smartass, thanks to songs like “She ...

• May 22
  • M. Ward and Lee Ranaldo Vic Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

    M. Ward was a talented, much-beloved indie singer-songwriter before he became the talented, much-beloved indie ...

  • In A World... Annoyance Theatre, 9:30 p.m.

    Improv shows run on the same fuel, for the most part: dubious audience suggestions. There ...

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    James McCartney Bottom Lounge, 8 p.m.

    It’s tempting to be cynical about James McCartney (the dough-faced son of Paul McCartney ...