Best concerts this weekend | Mar 8–10

This weekend offers a busy slate of great concerts, including Buddy Guy, My Gold Mask and the annual SXSW Send Off Party.

Friday 8
Dillon Francis + Flosstradamus
8pm, Congress Theater, Sold Out
Championed by Mad Decent tastemaker Diplo, L.A. beat maker Dillon Francis quickly took over the scene with his infectious moombahton and dubstep productions. You'd also think he had a second home in Chicago, he plays here so often. Tonight, he heads up the cavernous Congress with local heroes Flosstradamus doing their genre-busting, bootie-quaking thing.

Brad Goode Quartet
9pm, Green Mill, $12
Chicago native Goode, a protégé of the late, great Von Freeman, calls Boulder home now thanks to a teaching gig at the University of Colorado. He's back for a weekend to bop behind a new release, Chicago Red, which showcases the trumpeter's impressive technical chops.

Psalm One + Cutz on Cuts + ProbCause + E Brown
10pm, Hideout, $8
Psalm One has remained one of Chicago’s hip-hop mainstays for years, and one doesn’t maintain that kind of rep simply by coasting. South Side DJ collective Cutz on Cuts supports with genre-jumper ProbCause and E Brown.

Wrekmeister Harmonies
10pm, Logan Theatre, $13
Soundscapist J.R. Robinson reprises his ambient alias Wrekmeister Harmonies along with Chanel Pease, Jeremy Lemos of ambient act White/Light and Mark Solotroff of Anatomy of Habit. Tonight the noise mongerers perform a live score for a screening of Panos Cosmatos's striking sci-fi mind-fuck flick Beyond the Black Rainbow.

ON AN ON + Psychic Twin
10pm, Schubas, $12
Semi-local outfit ON AN ON was out of town when its lush, raw and rousing debut album Give In (recorded with Broken Social Scene mainstay David Newfeld) dropped, so it’s returning home for a belated release party. The moody synth-pop psych of Psychic Twin warms up the stage.

Strychnine + Fletcher C. Johnson + John Wesley Coleman + Jaill + The Half Rats
9:30pm, Empty Bottle, $10
SoCal label Burger Records gets to showcase a quintet of its acts tonight, from Chicago’s Strychnine to Brooklyn’s Fletcher C. Johnson, with tonight’s bill covering every corner of rock in all its gloriously no-frills permutations.

Ky-Mani Marley + Gizzae + Mr. Greenweedz
9pm, The Shrine, $15
The son of Bob Marley and Ping-Pong champion Anita Belnavis (yes, really!), Ky-Mani Marley was born in Jamaica and then moved to Miami as a child. He scored a mini hit in ’97 with a cover of "Electric Avenue" with Pras of the Fugees, and his latest hip-hop–reggae fusion is 2012's New Heights. Here he celebrates his birthday.

Implodes + Night Terror
9pm, The Burlington, $7
As the name suggests, it’s easy to get swallowed up by Implodes. The local outfit doesn’t exist in a vacuum so much as actually create one, shrouded in bottomless layers of delay. What could be blaring into your ears sounds light years away, like shoegaze with the pop sucked out of it. Electronic-prog noodler Tyson Torstensen warms up the room as Night Terror at this party for the Chicago Underground Film Festival.

Chicago Afrobeat Project + Sugar Blue
9pm, Double Door, $10–$12
Fela Kuti envisioned Afrobeat as an almost revolutionary force, and while it never quite achieved that ambitious goal, years after Fela's death the music he pioneered remains as vibrant and exciting as ever, as channeled by bands such as the Chicago Afrobeat Project, which recently celebrated its tenth anniversary and plays behind a fantastic new record, Nyash Up. We suspect that in some quarters blues veteran Sugar Blue is still touted as the Guy Who Played Harmonica on "Miss You" by the Rolling Stones, but in blues circles he's known as the man who took Little Walter's innovations on that same instrument clear into the stratosphere.

Dee Alexander Quartet
8pm, Jazz Showcare, $20–$30
Dee Alexander's utility work shows off an impressive range of skills—with everyone from the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians' free-associative large ensembles to straight-ahead trumpeter Orbert Davis. Ultimately, that chameleonic ability may be the workaholic jazz vocalist's calling card.

Brian Lynch Quartet
9:30pm and 11pm, Andy's, $15
Trumpeter Brian Lynch is a, er, lynchpin in the modern Latin jazz community, and has worked with the likes of Buena Vista Social Club alumni and Afro-Caribbean band leader Eddie Palmieri. His 2007 disc with Palmieri, Simpatico, even picked up the Best Latin Jazz Album of the Year Grammy Award.

Billy Branch & The Sons of Blues
10pm, Rosa's Lounge, $15–$20
Ever since he was mentored by the likes of Willie Dixon in the '70s, Branch has continued to live up to his early promise as a fine singer and harmonica player.

French Montana + Chinx Drugz + Katie Got Bandz
8pm, Bottom Lounge, $22.50
Moroccan born rapper French Montana has earned friends in high places, such as Sean Combs and Rick Ross, who are releasing his upcoming (and long-delayed) debut, Excuse My French, as a joint venture in May.

Blunted Beats
9pm, The Whistler
Estaban LaGrue and Dave Matta, a.k.a. the Impala Sound Champions, have their fingers in a lot of pies, cultivating their Impala Sound arts space, spinning with the Soul Summit DJs, soundtracking Odd Obsession film nights and putting their own unique spin on the world of left-field beats with this night, which explores the experimental and instrumental side of hip-hop and breaks.

Transmission
10pm, Neo, $5
Breaking from the common belief that time is linear, Transmission seeks to live in the past, present and future simultaneously. Resident DJs Mr. Automatic, the Vicelord and Lolly Gagger, of Neo's long-running Front 312 parties, spawn this offshoot to weave a path through new wave, classic industrial, acid, alternative dance and synth music monthly.

Third Coast Percussion
7:30pm, Gottleib Hall, Merit School of Music, $15 general admission, $10 students and seniors
Pianists Timothy Andres and David Kaplan join TCP for masterworks by two of America's most renowned composers. Steve Reich's Sextet plays with metric modulation and harmonic ambiguity, while George Crumb's Music for a Summer Evening offers an unpredictable, atonal exploration of rhythm.

Noise-Bridge Duo
8pm, Elastic, $8
The excellent German duo, made up of soprano Christie Finn and clarinetist Felix Behringer, explores "the musical and physical properties of communication and self-discovery" through new works by local composers Eliza Brown and Chris Fisher-Lochhead.

Hitchcock at the Movies: A Symphonic Celebration
8pm, Symphony Center, Orchestra Hall, $70–$185
Maestro Richard Kaufman leads the CSO in captivating musical excerpts from some of Alfred Hitchcock's best-known films, including North By Northwest, Strangers on a Trainand Dial M for Murder.

Baroque Band
7:30pm, Augustana Chapel, Lutheran School of Theology, $15–$35
The period-instrument orchestra creates a program inspired by Fellini's classic film La Dolce Vita, which is set against the backdrop of Roman high society. The group uses the movie as a springboard to pay tribute to legendary violinist Arcangelo Corelli, who was esteemed by Rome's beau monde during the 15th and 16th centuries. Baroque Band pairs Corelli with composers who were greatly influenced by the Italian master: Bach, Locatelli, and Geminiani.

Mike Smith Quartet
Midnight, Andy's, $10
Chicago native Mike Smith, active on the scene since the early ’80s, has the kind of lyricism that singers love to have behind them. The saxophonist is a smart, loyal interpreter of jazz standards.

Cosmix
10pm, Berlin, $5 
With nothing more than a healthy bit of sweat-drenched dancing as its goal, DJ Greg Haus steps into the booth every Saturday to mix it up with dance tunes of every flavor, giving hipsters, freaks and club kids alike something to get excited about.

Saturday 9 

Buddy Guy + Johnny Lang
8pm, Rialto Square Theatre, $37–$92
One of the most iconic living electric blues legends, Buddy Guy is notorious for keeping people on their toes. He knows he’s got skills, and he doesn’t think it’s anyone else’s place to tell him how to use them. While this may make for the occasional off night, it definitely allows for more surprises than most septuagenarians manage. Support comes from former blues wunderkind Johnny Lang, still practically a kid in his early thirties (by blues standards, at least).

My Gold Mask + Shuteye + K Serra
10pm, Schubas, $12 
Arty outfit My Gold Mask has been a hit with the fashion world, which heaped praise upon the duo a few years ago. Since then Gretta Rochelle and Jack Armondo have developed MGM’s aesthetic around that ingenuity, as its impressive new album, Leave Me Midnight, attests with songs like “Burn Like the Sun,” which foregrounds Rochelle’s piercing voice, and the tribal stomp pounding throughout “Lost in My Head.” Previously, Rochelle could be seen dutifully thwacking away at a floor tom on stage, but the recent addition of drummer James Andrew frees up the singer to work the stage, not unlike a runway.

Jukebox the Ghost + Matt Pond + The Lighthouse & The Whaler
7pm, Metro, $16 
Jukebox the Ghost is a likable rock trio from Washington, D.C., with pop tendencies and a flair for the grandiose. Tonight you'll hear from the band's new LP, Safe Travels. This solid bill also features Matt Pond, a Philadelphia singer usually fronting the indie-pop group Matt Pond PA, and Cleveland indie folksters the Lighthouse & the Whaler—yes, inspired by Moby Dick.

Brad Goode Quartet
8pm, Green Mill, $12
Chicago native Goode, a protégé of the late, great Von Freeman, calls Boulder home now thanks to a teaching gig at the University of Colorado. He's back for a weekend to bop behind a new release, Chicago Red, which showcases the trumpeter's impressive technical chops.

Off the Record: ONO
8pm, Washington Park Arts Incubator,  
A confrontational, experimental enigma dating to Chicago's very early ‘80s postpunk heyday, ONO (led by Travis Dobbs and guitarist P. Michael) has technically never broken up, though its general obscurity is such that its presence remains fleeting all the same and its sound (which some have dubbed "noise-gospel") ever challenging. Here the groups performs selections from its recent release, Albino.

Audra McDonald
5pm, Dominic University, Lund Auditorium, $25–$350
Bigwig Audra McDonald has appeared in some major Broadway shows including Ragtime,Porgy and Bess and Carousel, not to mention her stints at the opera and as an actor in television sitcoms such as Private Practice. Here the enigmatic vocalist performs a genre-jumping set for Dom U's Trustee Benefit Concert. 

Jim Baker & Michael Zerang + Young, Baker & Rosaly
9pm, Heaven Gallery, donation 
Pianist Jim Baker participates in two sets at Heaven Gallery's improvisational "Protest" series.

Cult of Youth + The So So Glos + Lazy + Big Ups
9:30pm, Empty Bottle
Cult of Youth’s new one, Love Will Prevail, mostly recorded by leader Sean Ragon himself, continues in an unlikely vein that at times combines the heavy portent of Swans with the folk-punk of the Pogues. A trio of bombastic punks supports the post-industrial quartet at this showcase curated by Impose magazine. 

The Annual SXSW Send Off Party
3:30pm, Hideout, $10 
The Hideout bids farewell to 11 diverse Austin-bound acts, with the proceeds of the party going toward their travel costs. This year boasts an impressive lineup of indie, folk, garage, punk, pop and more in locals Twin Peaks, Judson Claiborne, the Congregation, Scott Lucas & The Married Men, the Waco Brothers, Frontier, Summer Girlfriends, Mahogany, Outer Minds and the Hood Internet.

Dee Alexander Quartet
8pm and 10pm, Jazz Showcase, $20–$30
Vocalist Dee Alexander's utility work shows off an impressive range of skills—with everyone from the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians' free-associative large ensembles to straight-ahead trumpeter Orbert Davis. Ultimately, that chameleonic ability may be the workaholic jazz vocalist's calling card.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Yefim Bronfman and Cristian Macelaru
8pm, Symphony Center, Orchestra Hall, $24–$212
Romanian conductor Cristian Macelaru leads a program of modern masters. Starting things off with Debussy's evocative Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, the evening continues with the CSO's first performance of Olivier Messiaen's Chronochromie, which was inspired by the composer's experience of nature while passing the day on the bank of a river. Stravinsky's The Song of the Nightingale and Bartók's Piano Concerto No. 2, with soloist Yefim Bronfman, wrap up the evening.

Brian Lynch Quartet
9:30pm and 11pm, Andy's, $15
Trumpeter Brian Lynch is a, er, lynchpin in the modern Latin jazz community, and has worked with the likes of Buena Vista Social Club alumni and Afro-Caribbean band leader Eddie Palmieri. His 2007 disc with Palmieri, Simpatico, even picked up the Best Latin Jazz Album of the Year Grammy Award.

Billy Branch & The Sons of Blues
10pm, Rosa's Lounge, $15–$20
Ever since he was mentored by the likes of Willie Dixon in the '70s, Branch has continued to live up to his early promise as a fine singer and harmonica player.

Derrick Carter
10pm, Smart Bar, $15 general admission, $10 advance, $12 before midnight
As soon as Carter was old enough to drive, he was sneaking into the city to immerse himself in Chicago’s rich house-music culture. Before he knew it, he was contributing as much to it as he was taking it in. An integral part of the second wave of house DJs spawned in the city, Carter is a legend in his own right, and his live sets are as potent as they've ever been. Tonight, he spins the Classic residency.

Citizens! + Grayshot + Future Monarchs
10pm, Lincoln Hall, $12
Franz Ferdinand main man Alex Kapranos produces promising London talent Citizens!, whose debut single for Kitsuné, "True Romance," suggests prime David Bowie.

Alma Negra + Low On High + Lyra Hill
10pm, Township, $7 
This after-party for the Chicago Underground Film Festival features Alma Negra, which unites members of Nones, Yakuza, Telenova and the Blasted Diplomats for its blend of metal, psych and punk.

Fifth House Ensemble
7:30p.m., MCA stage, Edlis Neeson Theater, $28 general admission, $10 for students
5HE tests limits in "Caught: The Wide Open," which features music by John Zorn, Shostakovich and Caleb Burhans.

Baroque Band
7:30pm, Music Institute of Chicago, $15–$35
The period-instrument orchestra creates a program inspired by Fellini's classic film La Dolce Vita, which is set against the backdrop of Roman high society. The group uses the movie as a springboard to pay tribute to legendary violinist Arcangelo Corelli, who was esteemed by Rome's beau monde during the 15th and 16th centuries. Baroque Band pairs Corelli with composers who were greatly influenced by the Italian master: Bach, Locatelli, and Geminiani.

La Bohème
7:30pm, Civic Opera House, $34–$244
Puccini's classic and beloved opera returns to Lyric in a new-to-Chicago production owned by the San Francisco Opera Association. Russian soprano Anna Netrebko makes her Lyric debut as Mimi, alongside Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja as her lover, Rodolfo. Set in the vibrant Latin Quarter of mid-19th-century Paris, the plot revolves around the antics of the artistic community and beautifully straddles the divide between comedy and tragedy. The perfect opera for first-timers. 

Sunday 10 

Queen!
10pm, Smart Bar, $5 
Smart Bar maintains its hold on Sunday-night polysexual dancing with Queen! Gathering residents Michael Serafini, Donovan DJ and Garrett David, Queen! also spices things up with guest DJs from a spectrum of sounds and scenes weekly. Derrick Carter spins Sun 17. Byrd Bardot and Sal-E make us all feel welcome.

Deathfix + Brokeback + Dubpixels + Robin Bell
8pm, Schubas, $10 
Deathfix started as a collaboration with keyboardist Richard Morel, with whom former Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty toured as the rhythm section for Bob Mould a few years back. Since growing Deathfix into a band they’ve found common ground in a rich pop sound more indebted to Roxy Music and David Bowie than the typical punk touchstones associated with the D.C. scene. Morricone-esque local foursome Brokeback, led by Douglas McCombs of Tortoise/Eleventh Dream Day fame, plays in support of an excellent new LP for Thrill Jockey, Brokeback and the Black Rock, which dropped in late January. 

Orion Ensemble with Patrice Michaels
7pm, Fox Valley Presbyterian Church, $26 general admission, $23 for seniors, $10 for students 
Guest soprano Patrice Michaels joins Orion for "A Voice from Heaven." Michaels will belt out a selection of arias from her recent CD, Divas of Mozart's Day, plus choice picks by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Schubert and Shostakovich.

Zs + Guardian Alien
10pm, Empty Bottle, $8 
Currently operating as a lean trio of band leader Sam Hillmer, guitarist Patrick Higgins and former Liturgy drummer Greg Fox, experimental outfit Zs continues in its glorious pursuit of melding jazz-improv with experimentalism, breathless pussy-footing and unreasonable noise. Fox's latest heady project, Guardian Alien, makes its debut at the Bottle tonight behind an excellent 2012 Thrill Jockey release, See The World Given to a One Love Entity.

Sunday Transmission Series: Williams & Reed
10pm, Hungry Brain, $7
Local drummer and promoter extraordinaire Mike Reed, one of the brains behind this Sunday improvisational series at the, er, Brain, sits in with Liquid Soul sax man Mars Williams.

Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Segal
7pm, Old Town School of Folk Music, Maurer Hall, $23–$25
A real exercise in sweetness: Malian kora master Ballaké Sissoko has worked with Taj Mahal and Touamani Diabaté, while French cellist Vincent Ségal has performed with Opéra de Lyon, Sting and Elvis Costello. Playing together, as on their new album, At Peace, their sonic blend has a disarming, delicate beauty all its own.

Dee Alexander Quartet
4pm, 8pm and 10pm, Jazz Showcase, $20–$30
Vocalist Dee Alexander's utility work shows off an impressive range of skills—with everyone from the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians' free-associative large ensembles to straight-ahead trumpeter Orbert Davis. Ultimately, that chameleonic ability may be the workaholic jazz vocalist's calling card.

Anne-Sophie Mutter
3pm, Symphony Center, Orchestra Hall, $38–$120
The world-renowned German violinist, known for her flawless technique and elegant style, joins her longtime recital partner Lambert Orkis in a program that includes Lutoslawski's Partita for Violin and Piano followed by Saint-Saëns's theatrical Violin Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 75. Works by Mozart and Schubert get the evening off to a strong start.

Brian Lynch Quartet
12:30am, Andy's, $15 
Trumpeter Brian Lynch is a, er, lynchpin in the modern Latin jazz community, and has worked with the likes of Buena Vista Social Club alumni and Afro-Caribbean band leader Eddie Palmieri. His 2007 disc with Palmieri, Simpatico, even picked up the Best Latin Jazz Album of the Year Grammy Award.

Boom Boom Room
10pm, Dolphin, $10
This legendary, polysexual Chicago-house night is back at Dolphin, settling on a Sunday night spot, rather than the Monday it used to call home. It remains an awe-inspiring blend of clubbers and regular city folk who like to party, and it's a Chicago institution. Mushroom jazz purveyor Mark Farina plays Boom Boom Room’s 22 Year Anniversary on March 10. Gene Farris, Diz, Justin Sheridan and Martin Stoy spin every week.

Wayne Montana
8pm, Rodan
To get your Saturday off on the right track, Eternals bassist Wayne Montana takes over this modern Asian-themed and always-packed-with-beautiful-people haunt on Milwaukee Avenue for early evening dubby jams.

Roddy Radiation + The Crombies
5pm, Cobra Lounge, $5
Specials lead guitarist Roddy Radiation provides some face time, and no doubt a few hot licks, ahead of the ska legends' appearance at the Vic tomorrow.

Four Score Festival
3pm, Music Insitute of Chicago, Nichols Concert Hall, $30 general admission, $20 for seniors, $10 for students 
The fest wraps up with a bold program that focuses on thoughtfully provoking works that engage with social, political and ideological issues. The first half of the program features Michael Daugherty's 1989 work, Strut, followed by local composer Janice Misurell-Mitchell's Everything Changes. The second half includes two works by Frederic Rzewski and also celebrates the 20th-anniversary release of Frank Zappa's iconic album The Yellow Shark, with a variety of orchestral selections. Performers include pianist Abraham Stokman, Misurell-Mitchell, the Academy Chamber Orchestra and a Four Score Festival ensemble of 25 musicians.

Spektral Quartet
3pm, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, $10 
The local lads bring drama to Hyde Park with Elliot Carter's lively and technically tricky String Quartet No. 2. To help guide listeners through the sonic terrain of this rigorously animated work, Spektral will offer its own take on the four string parts that Carter designed as distinct characters. The group ends with a repertoire fave—Chris Fischer-Lochhead'sDig Absolutely.

Rigoletto
2pm, Civic Opera House, $34–$259
A masterpiece of Italian opera, Verdi's Rigoletto tells the story of the womanizing Duke of Mantua, who has the hots for Gilda, the daughter of despised court jester Rigoletto. Tragedy unfolds as the cursed Rigoletto struggles to keep Gilda out of Mantua's slimy grip.