FRIDAY
fun.
With their 2009 debut album "Aim and Ignite," fun. burst onto the music scene with bold, brassy pop with a '70s AM-radio vibe and a new-millennial wink. "Be Calm," the stunning lead track, was a weird and wonderful cocktail of Queen and Weezer. Despite those obvious influences, this trio sounded fresh and, yes, fun. With the band's second album, "Some Nights," the sonic palette expanded and so did the audience. The album's first single, "We Are Young," which features Atlanta's Janelle Monae, just won the Grammy for song of the year, while the band took home the best new artist trophy.
8 p.m. Feb. 15. $30.50. Tabernacle, 152 Luckie St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-659-9022.
Eric Benet
The neo-soul neophyte might recognize the name Eric Benet from his tumultuous union with Oscar winner Halle Berry, but he's been a reliable maker of romantic R&B both before and after his marital brush with Hollywood. This show is the Morehouse College Founders Day Concert, but it also could serve as the perfect post-Valentine's Day night out.
8 p.m. Feb. 15. $35; $50 VIP. Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College, 830 Westview Drive S.W., Atlanta.
SATURDAY
Michelle Malone, Caroline Aiken and Dede Vogt
See three great Atlanta musicians on one bill. Malone is one of the South's hardest-working musicians. The bluesy roots-rocker released her debut album in 1988 and became a fixture on the Atlanta music scene in the '90s. Aiken has been performing for more than 40 years, and her powerful voice and masterful guitar skills fit comfortably in a wide range of styles. Multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and producer Vogt was a trailblazer for Atlanta's acoustic singer-songwriter scene and was once a member of western-swing outfit Cowboy Envy.
8 p.m. Feb. 16. $18. Eddie Owen Presents at the Red Clay Theatre, 3116 Main St. N.W., Duluth. 678-957-7283.
SUNDAY
Dark Star Orchestra
The Dark Star Orchestra re-creates specific Grateful Dead concerts in their entirety, drawing from all eras of the Dead's existence. Rolling Stone has praised the band's "fanatical attention to detail" and several members of the Dead have performed with DSO.
8 p.m. Feb. 17. $27.50; $25 in advance. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-524-7354.
TUESDAY
Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang
A brilliant Chicago blues innovator and electric blues pioneer, Guy is generally credited as one of Jimi Hendrix's prime inspirations. Eric Clapton told Musician magazine in 1985 that "Buddy Guy is by far and without a doubt the best guitar player alive." Lang was just 16 when he released his debut album in 1998. The Grammy-winning American blues guitarist and singer most recently visited Atlanta as part of the Experience Hendrix tour in spring 2012 (a show that also included Guy), celebrating the brilliance of Hendrix.
8 p.m. Feb. 19. $37-$77. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta. 770-916-2800.
THURSDAY
Pat Green
The Texas singer-songwriter brings the outlaw country music of the '70s into the new century, adding a big dose of heartland rock. Green's "What I'm For," released in 2009, was his second for Sony-affiliated BNA Records. It was also his last album with the label, since they parted ways less than a year after it was released. That's no big deal for an artist such as Green. He was selling out shows and moving plenty of CDs on his own before his major label debut in 2001 with Universal. Major label or not, he'll probably keep doing just that. With 2012's "Songs We Wish We'd Written II" (the first one was a 2001 collaboration with Cory Morrow, who makes a guest appearance on this album), he makes his debut on the venerable indie label Sugar Hill Records. The album includes Green's takes on Tom Petty's "Even the Losers," the Allman Brothers' "Soulshine" and Collective Soul's "The World I Know." The latter song's writer, Ed Roland, lends his voice to the new recording.
7:30 p.m. Feb. 21. $31; $26 in advance. The Buckhead Theatre, 3110 Roswell Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-843-2825.
Desaparecidos
Singer-songwriter Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes formed this outfit back in the early years of this millennium. It was a much noisier affair than Oberst's primary outlet, displaying a decidedly post-hardcore punk influence. The group recorded one album, "Read Music/Speak Spanish," before breaking up in 2002. The band reunited for a couple of shows in 2010, released two new tracks in 2012 and now they're on the road again. Another two-song 7-inch single is set for release March 12.
8 p.m. Feb. 21. $25. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-524-7354.
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