Organized by ex-Tropicalia booker Jim Thomson, Capital Fringe’s music lineup threatens to be almost as out-there and eclectic as its theater slate. So… what to hear?

Tonight

Stop by Fringe’s famous Baldacchino Tent Bar tonight and you’ll catch “Transglobal Express,” a promising showcase featuring the locally based Malian griot Cheick Hamala Diabate. Pop sensualist, trombonist and nudity champion SMOOTA—recently interviewed by Bandwidth—rounds out the bill with New York’s Karikatura and D.C.’s Sol Power All-Star DJs. 7:30 p.m. Free.

Friday

Avant-rock trio Heavy Breathing evolved from one of the most thrilling live acts D.C. had in the early aughts: Apes. The trio—consisting of Apes members Amanda Kleinman, Erick Jackson and Jeff Schmid—seems to take seriously the art of a wild performance (not to mention insane music videos). Friday, the envelope-pushing ensemble plays the tent bar alongside silly cover act The Dangles and D.C.’s Mundy. 7 p.m. Free. Note: The Fringe website lists the wrong time. This show begins at 7 p.m. tonight, not 5 p.m.

Saturday

Saturday brings a fantastic-looking left-field electronic-music show called Cybertrax, which will host the New York-based “cosmic synth” outfit Forma in addition to two local acts: Rory O’Connor’s chillwave-esque Nitemoves and (my pals) Protect-U. 7:15 p.m. Free.

Thursday, July 17

For those put to sleep by folk music: Um, have you tried turbo folk? That’s the kind of mania peddled by Baltimore ensemble Orchester Praževica, which borrows its ideas from a handful of traditions, particularly Hungarian czárdás, Slovak folklore, gypsy swing, American jazz, and good ol’ fashioned drinking music. In the tent bar next week, the band plays a show billed simply “Turbofolk.” 9 p.m. Free. Note: The Fringe website lists the wrong time. This show begins at 9 p.m., not 7 p.m.

Saturday, July 26

D.C. “crime-rock” band Chain & the Gang, returned recently from a European tour, plays the Baldacchino Tent Bar the night before its show at Black Cat. I don’t think I’ve ever seen singer Ian Svenonius play a boring show—not in this band nor his previous ones I wasn’t too young to see—and the chance of a funny, spirited performance from the city’s most magnetic frontman seems about as inevitable as a swampy August in D.C. 8:30 p.m. Free.

See Capital Fringe’s complete music schedule at capitalfringe.org.

A Sound of Thunder, MindMaze, Iris Divine, and Metanium
Friday, June 6 at the Pinch, $10

Local power-metal quartet A Sound of Thunder doesn’t often play within D.C.’s borders, so this is a rare chance for Metro-dependent fans to catch its crazy guitar riffs and thunderous lead vocals live. ASOT is one of the more prolific local metal acts, having released an album each of the last three years, with another one due out this year, so it’s always adding new tunes to its set. Joining A Sound of Thunder are the Pennsylvania power metal band MindMaze, local progsters Iris Divine and Metanium. (CPL)

Janka Nabay and The Bubu Gang
Friday, June 6 at Tropicalia, $10 to $13

Janka Nabay and The Bubu Gang’s En Yay Sah was one of the most exciting D.C.-affiliated albums to come out in 2012. Around the time of its release, Nabay—originally from Sierra Leone—was working here, on Fojol Bros. food trucks. His band was also one of the first acts to play Tropicalia when the club opened in the fall of 2012. Nabay hasn’t released much new music since that fine LP, but the speedy sound of his very own bubu genre hasn’t aged whatsoever since he first brought it to D.C. listeners’ attention. (Ally Schweitzer)

Nothing, Superheaven, Myrrh Myrrh
Saturday, June 7 at DC9, $14

Philadelphia’s Nothing features a Dominic Palermo from the hardcore band Horror Show, but this new project has far more of a shoegaze sound than a punk one. It’s not a surprise that Palermo has left his aggressive side behind: After a 2002 knife fight, Palermo spent two years in prison for assault and attempted murder, eventually starting the Nothing project in 2011. It’s a good transition: Nothing’s debut, Guilty of Everything, is reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine with its distortion and indistinguishable vocals. Nothing will be joined by Pennsylvania rock band Superheaven and local newcomers Myrrh Myrrh. (CPL)

Typefighter
Saturday, June 7 at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, free

The Kennedy Center has a free show every day at 6 p.m. as part of its Millennium Stage series, and once in a while, they team up with local promoter Listen Local First to bring D.C. artists to the stage. This month’s LLF show features D.C. garage-pop quartet Typefighter, who will certainly be playing a lot from its new album, The End of Everything. (CPL)

Babe Rainbow and Rich Morel’s Hot Sauce
Saturday, June 7 at the Black Cat (backstage and mainstage), $10

It’s Capital Pride week, and there are events all over the city. During the day on Saturday, dance the day away to the sounds of Rita Ora, Betty Who, DJ Cassidy, Bonnie McKee, and Karmin. At night, move the party up to U Street, where DJs are taking over the entire Black Cat: downstairs, you can boogie to the Rich Morel half of Blowoff, and upstairs you can blow off steam to a whole cadre of DJs that you’ve heard at Gay/Bash, Cobalt, and BearZerk. (CPL)

Deafheaven, Pallbearer, Wreck & Reference
Tuesday, June 10 at Rock & Roll Hotel, $15

With the release of Sunbather last year, Deafheaven eclipsed Liturgy as the most buzzed-about hipster black-metal band. This isn’t trve black metal, though: imagine shoegazer instrumentals with black-metal vocals on top, and you’ll get a pretty good picture of how Deafheaven sounds. Opener Pallbearer is a fantastic doom band from Little Rock, Arkansas, and the first band of the night is California’s Wreck & Reference. (CPL)

Other notable shows:

Beautiful Swimmers, Sami Y. and Jane Junior at Lost Society (Thursday); Feedel Band at Bossa (Thursday); Pharoah Sanders at Blues Alley (Thursday through Sunday); Spoonboy, Colour Me Wednesday, and The Goodbye Party at DC9 (Friday); The Men, Heavy Breathing, and Passing Phases at Rock & Roll Hotel (Saturday); Future at Fillmore Silver Spring (Sunday); Ratking, Show Me the Body, Sir E.U at DC9 (Tuesday); Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 at Howard Theatre (Wednesday).

These and other show listings can be found on ShowListDC.

Channels, Soccer Team, Bells≥
Friday, May 30 at Rock & Roll Hotel, $12

Baltimore rock band Channels features J. Robbins (from Jawbox and Burning Airlines) alongside bassist Janet Morgan and drummer Darren Zentek of Kerosene 454. Their recorded output in their 10-year career has been relatively minimal (one album and one EP), and their live shows seem even more rare, so this is an excellent chance to check out these almost-locals. They’ll be joined by D.C. rockers Soccer Team and Brooklyn instrumental band Bells≥. (Catherine P. Lewis)

Foul Swoops, Nic Fits, Anchor 3, and Luke Reddick
Friday, May 30 at St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church, $5 to $10

St. Stephen’s doesn’t host benefit shows as often as it used to, but it’s back at it this weekend with an all-local lineup that will benefit UNICEF’s work to help Syrian children. The show features Arlington rockers Foul Swoops, D.C. punkers Nic Fits, D.C. indie-pop band Anchor 3, and Alexandria’s Luke Reddick (of Dudes). (CPL)

Eels and Chelsea Wolfe
Saturday, May 31 at Lincoln Theatre, $35

This is Chelsea Wolfe’s “acoustic with strings” tour leg, which I hope means the gothic-folk/rock artist plans to perform a whole set of gorgeous tunes like this special version of one of her best songs to date, “Flatlands.” Wolfe’s last album, the synth-infused Pain Is Beauty, had plenty of memorable moments (especially the thunderous “We Hit A Wall“), but I always return to the seething, lower-key Unknown Rooms: A Collection of Acoustic Songs. Here’s hoping Saturday’s show (with headliner Eels) coaxes out more of that understated beauty. (Ally Schweitzer)

Outputmessage, Paperhaus, and The Effects
Saturday, May 31 at 945 Florida Ave. NW, free

A solid lineup of local performers, free admission, and dogs? I can’t think of many reasons to miss this show, co-presented by DCist.com, which takes place Saturday in the parking lot that formally hosted District Flea. Electronic wizard Outputmessage and indie-rock mainstays Paperhaus top the bill, but new band The Effects is worth an ear, too, featuring members of Medications, Buildings, and Deleted Scenes. The dogs come courtesy of Metro Mutts, which hosts a “Canines and Cocktails” happy hour before the show. (AS)

Priests, The Shondes, and Pinkwash
Monday, June 2 at Black Cat Backstage, $10

Local punk band Priests isn’t one for social media, but it’s all over the press, both locally (on Bandwidth and in the pages of Washington City Paper and the Washington Post) and nationally. The group finally drops its debut EP Tuesday—a step up from its previous cassette releases—but its DIY ethos still rages on. Opening group The Shondes joined this lineup after being booted from the Washington Jewish Music Festival because of their support of Palestine. (CPL)

Also recommended this week:
Internationally Known Global Hip-Hop Showcase at Tropicalia (Friday); Drop Electric, The Walking Sticks, and The Raised By Wolves at the Howard Theatre (Friday); Janel Leppin’s Volcanic Ash at Twins Jazz (Friday and Saturday); Queering Sound at Pyramid Atlantic (Saturday); The Menzingers, Lemuria, Pup, and Cayetana at Rock & Roll Hotel (Sunday); Br’er, Wei Zhongle, Three Brained Robot at the Paperhaus (Monday); Louis Weeks at Anacostia Arts Center (Wednesday).

These and other show listings can be found on ShowListDC.

Trans Am and Heavy Breathing
Thursday, May 22 at the Black Cat Backstage, $10

Trans Am isn’t based in D.C. anymore, but it will always be a D.C. band: the Bethesda-born post-rock trio has been steadily releasing albums on Thrill Jockey since 1996 despite its members now being scattered across the country (guitarist Phil Manley is a recording engineer in San Francisco, and drummer Sebastian Thomson joined the progressive metal band Baroness last year). The group’s latest (and 10th overall), Volume X, continues the group’s heavy electro-rock tradition with a dash of thrash (!) and some bizarre vocoded vocals. Opening band Heavy Breathing will set the energy bar high, so come ready to move.

Ayman Fanous and Jason Kao Hwang, Jaimie Branch, Nine Strings
Thursday, May 22 at Back Alley Theater, $10

Get your experimental/improvisational fix here: This is the CD-release show for Egyptian guitarist/bouzouki player Ayman Fanous and violinist/violist Jason Kao Hwan, who have just released their first album together, Zilzal (the Arabic word for “earthquake”). Also performing is trumpeter Jaimie Branch and a double bass/cello duo called Nine Strings.

Fu Manchu, Electric Citizen, Borracho
Friday, May 23 at Rock & Roll Hotel, $15

Most of the area’s metalheads will be in Baltimore this weekend for Maryland Deathfest, but those who stay in town will find their way out to this heavy show, featuring SoCal stoner-rock band Fu Manchu. On its last two trips through D.C., the band played two of its older albums in their entirety, but since they’ve just released a new album (Gigantoid), this show will likely (finally!) feature some new Fu tunes. Opening the show will be Ohio’s Electric Citizen and local stoner band Borracho.

TEEN and The Sea Life (Update: This show has been canceled.)
Saturday, May 24 at the U Street Music Hall, $15

When Kristina Lieberson (aka “Teeny”) left the Brooklyn indie-rock band Here We Go Magic, she teamed up with her sisters Katherine (drums) and Lizzy (keys) and unrelated bass player Boshra AlSaadi to form the R&B-laced alterna-rock band TEEN. Not to be confused with that other four-letter band featuring sisters (the one with the bass face), TEEN’s new album The Way and Color is synth-driven and saturated with vocals from all four of the group’s members. Local indie-rock band The Sea Life will open.

Estonia in Concert: The Music of Arvo Pärt
Tuesday, May 27 at the Kennedy Center, free

This show is a rare opportunity to see legendary Estonian composer Arvo Pärt in person and hear some of his best works performed—for free. His intimate show at the Phillips Collection on May 29 has been sold out for months, but the Kennedy Center is hosting this Estonia In Concert event, featuring the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, with a repertoire hand-selected by Pärt scholars at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. The President of the Republic of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik, will also be in attendance. The performance is free, and tickets will be distributed at the Kennedy Center beginning at 4:30 p.m., so queue up early. If you’re interested in learning even more, there’s an Arvo Pärt panel discussion at George Washington University on Wednesday.

Wild Luck, ShowPony, Penguin Gentry
Wednesday, May 28 at DC9, $8

Wild Luck is a new D.C. post-rock instrumental band, very much in the vein of Explosions in the Sky or Drop Electric’s instrumental work. This will be their first live performance, following an EP that they released last December. They’ll be joined by math-rock group ShowPony and funk/rock/jam/fusion band Penguin Gentry.

 Also recommended this week:

The Sun Ra 100th Birthday Celebration at Bohemian Caverns (Thursday); Deleted Scenes, Celestial Shore, and Laughing Man at Rock & Roll Hotel (Thursday); Mobb Deep at Howard Theatre (Friday); The Great Noise Ensemble at Atlas Performing Arts Center (Friday); Oumar Konate at Tropicalia (Friday); The Caribbean, Nice Breeze, Marriage Blanc at Velvet Lounge (Saturday); The Flatmates, Foul Swoops, Expert Alterations, and DJ Archie Moore at Comet Ping Pong (Tuesday); Teen Mom, Minka at Black Cat Backstage (Wednesday).

These and other show listings can be found on ShowListDC.

Redline Graffiti
Friday, May 9 at the Hill Center, $10 to $15

Washington Post pop-music critic Chris Richards has an ongoing series at the Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital called District Sounds, featuring an interview and performance with a local band. May’s installment features electro-rock quartet Redline Graffiti, a chillwave-influenced electronica project that just released a new EP, The Drill. (Catherine P. Lewis)

The Haxan Cloak
Friday, May 9 at U Street Music Hall, $15

I don’t tend to associate Friday nights with cavernous dronescapes, but that’s what’s in store for attendees at tomorrow night’s Haxan Cloak show at U Street Music Hall. U.K.-based artist Bobby Krlic is behind the moniker, and last year released Excavation, the latest LP from his blackened drone project. There’s little glee to be found on the record; on the contrary, it produces an enveloping feeling of loss and helplessness, with moments of heinous beauty. In the right state of mind, The Haxan Cloak can be, somehow, cleansing. (Ally Schweitzer)

Side Yards at the Yards: U.S. Royalty, Shark Week, Drop Electric
Saturday, May 10 at the Yards, free

Sometimes music alone isn’t enough, and the evening party Side Yards at the Yards has you covered: In addition to the Bluejacket beer garden, there will be three stages of sideshow performers, from contortionists and jugglers to fire breathers and sword swallowers. If all that is too boring, then there are still three local rock bands performing: U.S. Royalty, Shark Week and Drop Electric. (CPL)

Protect-U, Peaking Lights Sound System, Maxmillion Dunbar
Saturday, May 10 at Comet Ping Pong, $12

I won’t write anything fawning about two of the acts on this bill—having been friends with them for years—but I will say that this is a record-release show for (my pals) Protect-U, a local electronic duo that tends to play partially improvised, exploratory sets with an ear for abstract house and techno. Joining them is DJ and producer Maxmillion Dunbar (another pal), as well as (not a pal) Aaron Coyes from the great dubby twosome Peaking Lights, whose gorgeous song “Beautiful Son” (from 2012’s Lucifer) still ranks among the best of label Mexican Summer. (AS)

Young Rapids, Big Hush, The Sea Life, The Effects
Saturday, May 10 at Rock & Roll Hotel, $12

D.C. alt-rock band Young Rapids has been a staple of the local music scene for the past few years, performing all around town at venues ranging from the Paperhaus and the Dunes to Comet Ping Pong and the 9:30 Club. But this will be that group’s final show. For this finale, they’ve put together a solid lineup of other great local rock: Big Hush, The Sea Life, and the debut of The Effects (featuring Devin Ocampo from Medications, Matt Dowling from Deleted Scenes and David Rich from Buildings). (CPL)

Cognitive, Palkoski, Existentium
Sunday, May 11 at the Lab, $8 to $10

If you’re taking your mom out to celebrate Mother’s Day, it should probably not be to this show, unless she’s a big death-metal fan: Cognitive is a relatively new tech-death-metal band from New Jersey with a new full-length album out this year. They’ll be joined by two solid locals: grindcore band Palkoski and Baltimore death metal band Existentium. Bring earplugs, but leave the booze at home—the Lab is a dry DIY space. (CPL)

Maimouna Youssef
Wednesday, May 14 at Howard Theatre, $13 to $17.50

Local singer and rapper Maimouna Youssef has been on a roll lately, flipping radio-pop tunes into sharp social commentary. Her new track “Student Loans”—premiered today on this website—transforms Rihanna’s far-from-transgressive hit “Pour It Up” into a critical track about crushing debt. Her new project comes out next Tuesday, and the following night, she plays a release show at Howard Theatre. (AS)

Listen to “Student Loans” here.

Amen Dunes and Amos Piper
Wednesday, May 14 at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, $10 to $12

There’s a lot to love on Love, the forthcoming album (now streaming at Pitchfork) from psych-folk artist Amen Dunes (Damon McMahon). My favorite cut is “Lilac In Hand,” a simple, hypnotic tune from the experiment-prone songwriter who almost quit making music entirely. Give it a listen and you may be thankful he didn’t put down his guitar. (AS)

These and other show listings can be found on ShowListDC.

Buildings, Other Colors, Big Hush, and Howling Void
Friday, March 28 at the Dunes, $10

Buildings is back! The arty instrumentalists—quiet for a while now—typically perform in front of film projections, which makes sense: the band’s proggy math-rock would conjure images even if they weren’t placed in front of your face. Joining the quartet at this Columbia Heights art space are Baltimore’s lo-fi experimental pop group Other Colors, D.C. fuzzy rockers Big Hush, and newcomers Howling Void. (Catherine P. Lewis)

Alsarah and The Nubatones
Friday, March 28 at Tropicalia, $8-12

A Sudan-born Brooklyn resident with a background in ethnomusicology, Alsarah takes a somewhat academic approach to performance, which—as she told the Guardian in 2013—occasionally involves explaining to her American audiences what she’s doing onstage. At the D.C. release show of her new album “Silt,” let’s hope she doesn’t have to take too many talk breaks: Songs as funky as “Soukura” don’t need to be unpacked to be loved. (Ally Schweitzer)

Dudes, Blizzard Babies, BRNDA
Friday, March 28 at CD Cellar Arlington, donations only

Young local three-piece Dudes is the band every rebellious, punk-rock kid wanted to form when they were 17. The songs on the band’s debut recording, “Greatest Hits,” stick to simple and sassy, with lots of funny interplay between co-vocalists Francy Graham and Luke Reddick. That pair—charismatic as they are—will probably wind up on a magazine cover (e-magazine cover?) one day. But before that moment comes along, let’s just enjoy hearing them scream dumb, profane lyrics at each other, most of which are unquotable on this family-friendly blog. (AS)

Warning: This song contains explicit lyrics.

The Day of the Beast, Vitality, Death Penalty
Saturday, March 29 at the Lab, $8-10

D.C. isn’t exactly famous for its metal scene, but there’s a huge variety of heavy bands in the greater D.C. area. This show features three bands who play on the faster side of things: death/thrash band The Day of the Beast hails from Virginia Beach, with thrash openers Vitality (from Frederick, Md.) and Death Penalty (from Northern Virginia). In true D.C. fashion, this show is hosted at Alexandria DIY space The Lab, which is affiliated with the Convergence Church—so leave the booze at home. (CPL)

Dead Heart Bloom, Tone, Cavallo, Talk It
Saturday, March 29 at DC9, $10

Dead Heart Bloom is based in New York City, but is a D.C. band at heart, featuring two core members of the late D.C. band Phaser. Dead Heart Bloom continues down the path of Phaser’s shoegazy psychedelic pop and has released a series of excellent EPs over the last six months. This is a co-headlining show with D.C.’s post-rock guitar army Tone and also features Brooklyn instrumental band Cavallo and ex-Eggs project Talk It. (CPL)

The Jet Age, The Caribbean, Early American
Saturday, March 29 at Comet Ping Pong, $10

This show celebrates old bands with new releases: Longtime indie rockers The Jet Age have just released their newest album, “Jukebox Memoir,” which features guest vocals from Swervedriver’s Adam Franklin and Ride’s Mark Gardener. Those two guys probably won’t be at the show (alas!), but fellow old-school experimental pop band The Caribbean will be, playing songs off their newest album, “Moon Sickness.” (CPL)

Cosmonauts, Black Sea
Monday, March 31 at Black Cat Backstage, $10

California label Burger Records is micro-famous for peddling a slackerly, California-flavored kind of fuzz pop, and noisy Orange County band Cosmonauts has a natural place in the family tree. But it’s also more Loop- or Spacemen 3-driven than many of its Burger buddies, and that’s pleasantly evident on its 2013 full-length, the melodic-but-chunky “Persona Non Grata.”

This is more of an awards show than a concert, but we also recommend:

TMOTTGoGo Honors at Howard Theatre
Thursday, March 27 at Howard Theatre, $20-25

Since the mid-’90s, there’s been no better source of information on D.C.’s go-go scene than TMOTTGoGo. Tonight, the go-go news resource hosts another installment of its annual honors show, which recognizes some big names in the local scene. Among them: noted keys player and go-go celeb Sweet Cherie, photographer and poet Thomas Sayers Ellis, Rare Essence bassist Funky Ned and saxophonist Donnell Floyd, E.U. drummer Ju Ju House, and musician and activist Jason Lewis. Informally recognized all night, of course, is the music that TMOTTGoGo has been championing for nearly 20 years. (AS)

These and other show listings can be found on ShowListDC.