- Giles Clement
FRIDAY 11/17
The Devil Makes Three, Scott H. Biram
It would be easy to categorize The Devil Makes Three as simply a left-of-center string band, given their obvious affinity for blues, bluegrass, folk, ragtime, old-time country and other archival elements plucked from American musical tradition. However, that would be missing the point. Reverence for the roots doesn't negate the irreverence they invest in their delivery, and the consequent insurgent sound. Band members Pete Bernhard, Cooper McBean and Lucia Turino take particular delight in sharing the joys of drink, a preference for partying and a carousing attitude that often belies their more sobering source material. Indeed, if the title of their album Redemption & Ruin (New West, 2016) isn't descriptive enough, the swagger, attitude and relentless revelry they exude through these grooves ought to seal the deal. All one needs to do is peruse the song titles—"Drunken Hearted Man," "Champagne and Reefer," "I Gotta Get Drunk" and "Waiting Around to Die"—to get a sense of how they go about mining their muse. Indeed, that's been their M.O. from the beginning; with seven albums released over the past 15 years, the Santa Cruz-based band has honed a sound that brings Americana music full circle with unabashedly raucous results. Renegades by any other name, clearly they're giving the Devil his due. (Lee Zimmerman) The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, 9 p.m., $25, 21+, depotslc.com
- Tim Saccenti
SATURDAY 11/18
Flying Lotus in 3-D, Seven Davis Jr., PDBY
The spectacularly eccentric beat-maker Flying Lotus (real name Steven Ellison) has dabbled in a wide array of creative projects over his decade-long career. He's perhaps best known for producing much of the music on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, but has garnered acclaim for his super-weird collaborations with his studio soulmate, bass wizard Thundercat, and his guest spot on Kendrick Lamar's opus To Pimp a Butterfly (Top Dawg, 2015). Ellison's also made headlines for his intermittent on-stage meltdowns and his indie-horror flick Kuso, which made most viewers wretch with its relentless, stomach-churning barrage of blood, guts, pus and other bodily fluids, and prompted walkouts during the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. FlyLo's nasty detour into filmmaking aside, he's been cranking out curious compositions in Los Angeles, pushing the envelope instrumentally outside the rapper-centric world of music production with five studio albums (while occasionally rapping under the alias Captain Murphy). Currently on tour with a totally trippy, laser-heavy 3-D stage show ahead of the release of his as-yet-untitled sixth record, concert-goers can count on a mind-melting—and decidedly strange—live experience. (Howard Hardee) The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, 9 p.m. $27 presale; $30 day of show, 21+, depotslc.com
- Samuel Gehrke
Morrissey
Morrissey—whom you might know from being, uh, Morrissey, as well as the former frontman of The Smiths—is a global pop-culture icon, a forefather of modern indie-rock and alternative music. He's also a polarizing figure: absolutely adored by some for his tongue-in-cheek insights, poetic self-mythology and theatrical lyrical delivery, and reviled by naysayers who just don't dig his smug preachiness and generally depressing take on human existence. As Moz embarks on a huge U.S. tour to support his forthcoming album, Low in High School (BMG), fans can expect him and his full band to roll out some old hits and fresh tracks such as single "Day Spent in Bed." Just don't look him directly in the eyes, lest the gloom possess your soul. (HH) Kingsbury Hall, 1395 E. Presidents Circle, 8 p.m., $55-$85, all ages, kingsburyhall.utah.edu
- Gilles O'Kane
MONDAY 11/20
Joyce Manor, Wavves, Culture Abuse
After releasing You're Welcome on Wavves frontman Nathan Williams' Ghost Ramp label, the California indie-surf-emo punks are enjoying a level of freedom and creative exploration that their recently defunct relationship with Warner Bros. Records had denied them. You're Welcome also comes on the heels of Williams' series of public interviews about his heroin abuse, making the band's latest album feel like a series of victorious battle hymns. Wavves has always been saturated with the sun-drenched beach punk of their predecessors, and they're co-headlining this tour with Joyce Manor, another band whose unapologetically catchy rhythms and soaring guitar hooks ushered in the new millennium. After racking up popular and critical acclaim with 2014's Never Hungover Again and 2016's Cody (Epitaph), Joyce Manor's innovative take on bygone emo nostalgia provides the perfect tonal complement to Wavves' beach punk aesthetic. With the aid of the grunge-infused rock quintet Culture Abuse, it's a show that promises to unite old farts like myself with the up-and-coming generation of music nerds. (Alex Springer) In the Venue, 219 S. 600 West, 7 p.m., $22 presale; $25 day of show, all ages, inthevenueslc.com
- Phil Emerson
TUESDAY 11/21
Yukmouth, Mitchy Suck, Sleepdank, Big Homie T-Low, Mr. 200 MadStak, DJ Jordan Russell
You can feel this dude's flow: "They call me Yukmouth/ 'cause I don't brush/ You know, I like my teef like this" and "Got some beef in my teef/ got some chicken, too/ Ouch! That's a cavity/ Hey! That's new!" Hold up—It seems as though I've confused a Saturday morning educational cartoon character Yuckmouth for Yukmouth, the Grammy-nominated Bay Area rapper who boasts 11 solo albums, six mix tapes and 21 more releases counting collabs (with The Gamblaz, Killa Klump, The Dragons and more) and side projects (Luniz, Thug Lordz and The Regime). With output like that, you can feel his flow, for real. In "Root of Evil," from his current two-volume release JJ Based on a Vill Story (Smoke-A-Lot), Yukmouth blends conscious concerns with gangsta reality: "Money's the root of all evil/ bang/ got us killin' all of my people/ slang/ niggas dealin' tryna get equal/ pray/ send a blessing to all of my people." The posters for this gig advertise that Yukmouth is holding a $100 "Big Titty Contest" at the show. It's legit—and so are my luscious, perky moobs. So go ahead and enter, but you don't stand a chance. Ima get paid tonight. (Randy Harward) Liquid Joe's, 1249 E. 3300 South, 7 p.m., $15 presale; $20 day of show, 21+, liquidjoes.net
- Jason McEachern
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Christmas is metal. Think about it: The holiday's figurehead lives at the top of the world and watches everything we do. He has minions. If we don't play by his rules, we have to sit and sulk with a dirty black rock while everyone else joyfully opens their loot. And his name is an anagram for "Satan." Plus, the music is gnarly. Those portentous bells, chilling glockenspiel and uninvited guests with their haunting round-robins and roast-beast breath ... shudder. A holiday like that was just begging for the metal treatment, and Paul O'Neill's festive prog-rock project comes through every year—even this year, only seven months after O'Neill's passing and four months after losing bassist David Zablidowsky (aka David Z of ZO2, the band featured in the old VH-1 series, Z Rock) in an auto accident. The band elected to continue, once more performing The Ghosts of Christmas Eve show for the third year running—now with extra supernatural membership, which is even more metal. (RH) Vivint SmartHome Arena, 301 W. South Temple, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., $43-$74, all ages, vivintarena.com