10 must-see concerts happening in metro Detroit this week

Wednesday, 5/18 La Luz @ Marble Bar Wednesdays are not our favorite day here at Metro Times, as events that fall on the day our paper is released kind of fall through the cracks. We should have told you about this show last week, but we neglected to, and we really hope you see this notice and leave your house tonight to see one of the best bands currently out there. Their music flips the conventions of 1960s surf and harmony-based rock ‘n’ roll and organ-based psychedelia, but is super accessible, and fun, and awesome. The band recently moved from Seattle to Los Angeles, a move that should be cheered heartily. Doors at 9 p.m.; 1501 Holden St., Detroit; $12.

Thursday, 5/19 Chelsea Wolfe @ El Club Quick: Which of the following phrases do you think the beguiling and uncompromising Wolfe uses to describe her own work? “Hazy afterlife”? “An inverted thunderstorm”? “The dark backward”? “The abyss of time”? If your guess was “all of the above,” then, hot damn, you’re the winner. Wolfe has sleep paralysis, a phenomenon in which a person temporarily experiences an inability to move, speak, or react. This haunting experience informs her music, particularly the heavy, droning new album Abyss, the demos for which were recorded in a barn in the hills of Northern California. Doors at 9 p.m.; 4114 W. Vernor Hwy., Detroit; elclubdetroit.com; $17.

Thur-Fri, 5/19&20 Peter Wolf and the Midnight Travelers @ The Ark The former leader of the J. Geils Band returns to his beloved Michigan (which embraced his soulful rock music years before worldwide success) to debut brand-new music with his rough, rowdy, and soulful new band the Midnight Travelers. The wiry soul singer, who in the 1960s called himself “Woofa Goofa Mama Toofa,” once roomed with David Lynch, and was later married to Faye Dunaway, is an indelible part of the fabric of American music at this point. We should all relish the opportunity to see him in such an intimate setting. Doors at 7:30 p.m.; 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; theark.org; 734-761-1800; Tickets $38- $63.

Friday, 5/20 Musiq Soulchild @ Sound Board at Motor City Casino Few singers can bridge the generation gap as Philly-based neo-soul singer Musiq Soulchild has experlty blended R&B, funk, jazz, blues, and gospel influences with solid hip-hop elements since he first burst on the scene in 2000. Since then, he’s had two platinum albums, two gold albums, and seven hit singles on the charts — not to mention the silken-voiced balladeer’s dozens of awards and nominations. Doors at 8 p.m.; 2901 Grand River Ave.; soundboarddetroit.com; Tickets $42- $50.

Saturday, 5/20 Rhys Chatham, Shells @UFO Factory Here’s an event many have been waiting months for. We don’t know if the 63-year-old musical innovator, who’s perhaps best known for corralling guitar armies that can number up to 200 people, will be playing guitar tonight, or trumpet — or perhaps something else entirely. The provided photo seems to show the guy performing with a mess of effects. Chatham is known for fusing “the overtone-drenched minimalism of John Cale and Tony Conrad with the relentless, elemental fury of the Ramones,” to quote from his press release. His layered work is just exceptional, especially his looped and processed solo trumpet performances. Do not miss this. Doors at 9 p.m.; 2110 Trumbull Ave., Detroit; ufofactory.com; $12 in advance, $14 cash at the door.

Sunday, 5/22 Yeasayer, Young Magic @ Majestic Theatre Yeasayer’s just-released Mute album Amen & Goodbye finds the enigmatic Brooklyn, New York-based band moving away from their previous digital-heavy approach to more organic sounds. A&G features Yeasayer’s trademark psychedelic new wave sound without sounding like anything the band has done before; it’ll be really interesting to see how they carry it off live. Young Magic are an experimental soul music group that consists of multi-instrumentalists and vocalists Melati Malay and Isaac Emmanuel. Doors at 8 p.m.; 440 Woodward Ave., Detroit; majesticdetroit.com; Tickets $25 in advance, $30 day of show.

Friday, 5/20 Blueflowers @ The New Way Bar One of our favorite local Americana acts has to be these “folk-noir” music makers. The Blueflowers are thrilled to announce the release of their newest song, “You Won’t Like This Part,” as a free digital single. They will be releasing the tune, along with a B-side, their cover of the Everlys’ “Bye Bye Love,” at this special release event at the New Way Bar in Ferndale on Friday, May 20. Doors at 9 p.m.; 23130 Woodward Ave, Ferndale; newwaybar.com; $5.

Saturday, 5/21 Kap Slap @ V Nightclub Kap Slap is another in a long line of superlative artists who play the spectacular V Nightclub. Kap Slap has made a huge name for himself thanks to his viral mashups of artists ranging from Justin Bieber to the Foo Fighters, and is now signed to Ultra Music. Slap has headlined sold-out tours and racked up millions of plays on platforms such as SoundCloud. He’s one of American EDM’s biggest success stories; you owe it to yourself to come see why for yourself. Doors at 10 p.m.; 1777 Third Ave., Detroit; mgmgranddetroit.com/v-nightclub; Early bird discounted tickets are available for $10.

Sunday, 5/22 Heather Leigh and Peter Brötzmann @ Trinosophes One of the more intriguing duos in the recent history of improvised music has to be that of lap steel musician and Volcanic Tongue co-founder Heather Leigh with the absolutely fierce and trailblazing German free jazz sax and clarinet player Peter Brötzmann. The 75-year-old Brötzmann, often called “the loudest saxophonist in Europe,” is a pivotal musician in the transition from free jazz to free improv. Leigh’s 2015 Editions Mego LP, I Abused Animal, mixes striking vocals with layered pedal steel work. Doors at 7:30 p.m.; 1464 Gratiot Ave., Detroit; trinosophes.com; General admission is $15; reserved seating $20; front row $25.

Tuesday, 5/24 Trashcan Sinatras @ Magic Bag Beloved Scottish band Trashcan Sinatras are touring behind a brand-new album, Wild Pendulum, produced by Bright Eyes’ Mike Mogis. Over the past couple dozen years, the band has delivered a masterful body of work; “A chain of magnificence,” as Filter magazine once raved. Following the immediate success of 1990s alternative radio hits “Obscurity Knocks” and “Only Tongue Can Tell,” the band released a string of textured, super smart rock albums. Wild Pendulum follows an eight-year hiatus, so fans should be extra chuffed. Doors at 8 p.m.; 22920 Woodward Ave, Ferndale; Tickets $18.