If you’re looking for a way to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day that doesn’t include ceili dancing and drinking green beer until you see leprechauns, then you might want to check out the Sic Alps on March 17. Digging in the basement of sixties garage and psychedelic, the San Francisco trio of Mike Donovan, Matt Hartman and Noel Von Harmonson make a messy garage rock that plays off the lo-fi wave, putting them in league with bands like Tyvek, Times New Viking and even, on the extreme end of the spectrum, Psychedelic Horseshit. Their early contender for 2011 glory, January’s “Napa Asylum,” starts off sounding like a cleaner recalibration for the Alps, but proves to be every bit the buzzy deconstructed bar-rock fans of the Sic Alps have come to love. (David Wicik)
March 17 at Empty Bottle, 1035 North Western, (773)276-3600, 9:30pm. $8.
Cooling It: A Preview of Colleen Green at Cole’s Bar When Green strums power chords or chiming notes on top of her backing track, you might think you’re at Ramones karaoke night and Madonna is taking her turn.
Brutal Finesse: A Preview of King Crimson at Ravinia There have been few new compositions from King Crimson these past two decades, but the live arrangements of songs from its catalog are often strikingly different than the recorded versions.
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