• Emilee Atkinson
• The Green Room

Halloween Party @ The Green Room 10/31
Who'd have thought that listening to music and being able to hear your friends talk at the same time would ever be a "thing" to sell? The Green Room was designed with the purpose of providing a place for music-lovers to come together to enjoy recorded music played the best way possible: on vinyl, with an exceptional analog sound system and, of course, drinks. They have DJ Godina on Halloween doing an all-wax '80s set.

A little information about the Green Room's sound system: The high-end tube amplifiers are manufactured by Fezz, the Klipsch speakers (Cornwall II's and Heresy) provide amazing dynamics and simply does do better, and the LPs behind the bar come from the personal collection of bar owner James Ramirez. It is a collection of genres from soul, funk & jazz to new wave, post punk & psych-rock, plus reggae, salsa and a variety of world music from every continent. Acoustics are as important as, if not more than, the actual sound system. This place has the necessary diffusion, so you don't end up getting reverb reflections that suck out the energy of the frequencies in different positions in the room. A focus on music is always appreciated in this age of streaming algorithms and a SPOOKY visit to the Green Room sounds amazing, pun intended. Catch all of this at the Green Room (17 E. 400 South in SLC) on Thursday, Oct. 31 at 9 p.m. Admission for the 21+ event is free. For more information, check @thegreenroom.bar on IG. (Mark Dago)

• Pamela Littky
• Richard Thompson

Richard Thompson @ The Jeanne Wagner Theatre 10/31
It's hard to imagine an artist more direct, distinctive, witty and pithy than Richard Thompson. Having initially gained fame during the folk revival of the mid and late '60s courtesy of his extended stint in Fairport Convention—the British folk-rock band that transformed the traditional music of the British Isles by infusing it with the relevance and urgency of rock and roll—Thompson went on to create a remarkable solo career, first with his ex-wife Linda and, for the past 40 years or so, on his own. While Thompson's sound tends to be more taut than tender—at least on first encounter—he never strays far from his insights into basic human emotions. That said, he's often gone about his efforts in curious ways, as exemplified by the tale of a delusional woman in "From Galway to Graceland," the tender yet tragic "Vincent Black Lightning" and a view of life's perils imagined in the rollercoaster ride described in "Wall of Death." Indeed, any encounter with Thompson's work overall tends to infuse irony into the unexpected. He's especially entertaining in concert, and given his legendary status as a singer, songwriter and guitarist, any opportunity to see him in concert is well worth the effort. Or, to quote from one of his most memorable songs: "If you really mean it, it all comes round again ..." The State Room presents Richard Thompson's Ship To Shore tour at The Jeanne Wagner Theatre on Thursday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $47 - $67 at arttix.org. (Lee Zimmerman)

• via Insomniac
• Dr. Fresch

Dr. Fresch @ BoxPac Project 11/1
If you are looking for the freshest house artist out there, look no further than Dr. Fresch. His real name is Tony Fresch, and he lives up to the homophonic adjective. What makes him stand apart in the world of electronic music is the recipe combining various genres such as West Coast hip hop, bass house and nu-metal. It's a balance that works well, because he has had a decade in the industry to fine-tune his production. His big start in the electronic music scene was in 2013 after winning Insomniac's Discovery Project Contest. Dr. Fresch's life quickly changed, especially with the release of his remix of "Gangsta Gangsta" featuring Baby Eazy-E, which is the epitome of the sub-genre "Gangsta House" (known as G-House). While he's been known for his hip-hop remixes like A$AP Ferg's "Plain Jane," he also has many original productions. For example, his newest songs "Mobbing," as well as "Enemy" released this year with fellow producer, Habstrakt, stay true to that original sound, but are even more elevated and woven with the hip-hop/house. His high-energy DJ sets will be a treat at Mutiny Music Collective's 360-degree stage at BoxPac Project. The eclectic and energetic beats create a unique, forward-thinking sound. This show takes place on Friday, Nov. 1; doors open at 9 p.m. Tier 3 tickets are left, and cost $30. Mutiny's shows often sell out, so get your tickets fast. Go to seetickets.us. (Arica Roberts)

• Chipster
• Queensrÿche

Queensrÿche @ The Depot 11/3
In the musical world, umlauts seem to be the domain of hard rock and metal bands: Motörhead, Mötley Crüe, Spinal Tap... and Queensrÿche. The last-named of those came roaring out of the Pacific Northwest in the early 1980s, brandishing a sound that combined the passion power of heavy metal, the arena-rock sensibility of '70s giants like Queen and Van Halen, and the finesse and sophistication of progressive rock. The three-time Grammy-nominated group's lineup has changed over the years—only guitarist Michael Wilton and bassist Eddie Jackson remain from the original lineup—but Queensrÿche has been remarkably consistent in crafting intelligent and compelling music. Since forming in 1982, the group has released 16 studio albums of new material, five live albums and assorted other sets. Queensrÿche's peak commercial period came in the late '80s and '90s, with a three-album run of platinum-selling releases, Operation: Mindcrime, Empire and Promised Land (1990's Empire went triple-platinum). But the group endures to this day; 2022's well-received Digital Noise Alliance charted in four European countries. While the latest album eschews the conceptual character that made albums like Operation: Mindcrime special, it delivers subtlety and heaviness in equal measure. Queensrÿche comes to The Depot on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $48 and up at livenation.com. (Bill Kopp)

• S. Bollmann
• W.A.S.P.

W.A.S.P. @ The Depot 11/4
Hair metal, glam rock, shock rock: choose your sub-genre of over-the-top rock associated with the 1980s, and W.A.S.P. fits into it. Formed in 1982, the four-man outfit from Los Angeles found widespread success with its brand of bombastic, theatrical music. Staking out a polarizing image, W.A.S.P.—especially in the person of lead vocalist and guitarist Blackie Lawless—has successfully tapped into the rebellion of teenage rock fans. Deliberately courting controversy has long been one of the band's calling cards; they memorably butted heads with morality lobbyists Parents Music Resource Center in 1987. Yet for their trouble, the group has earned critical praise and an ardent following. While the band's live presentation draws from rock's tradition of shock (see also: Alice Cooper, Marilyn Manson), W.A.S.P. has often swung for the fences with its music, crafting rock operas like the two-part The Neon God (2004). More typical of the band's oeuvre, though, is a release like 1989's The Headless Children, their highest-charting release to date. Sixteen studio albums in, W.A.S.P. continues to provoke and entertain in equal measure. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the band's debut album, W.A.S.P. comes to The Depot on Monday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $59 and up at livenation.com. (BK)