MUSIC—There ain’t many things you can count on in this life, but until further notice the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion remains one of them. Despite the genre folded into its nomenclature, Spencer & Co. draw from a range of influences from hiphop to punk, and the energy of the live experience will sustain you like a rock. MARJORIE SKINNER
w/We Are Hex; Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $18
MUSIC—Forget Bill Callahan! Go home, David Berman! No one can beat the comforting drone of Stephin Merritt’s mournful, unbelievably low voice. The frontman for clever purveyors of nun’s litanies and rodeo-raised children the Magnetic Fields, Merritt’s currently flying solo, and brings his wonderful voice and hyper-literate lyrics to the Aladdin Theater tonight. Bring every bookish misfit you know. MEGAN BURBANK
w/Darren Hanlon; Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie, 8 pm, $25, all ages