NASHVILLE PUSSY: The name alone tells you there's not a lot of mystery to what this Atlanta-born band's decade-plus career has been about. If that didn't cinch it for ya, then surely LP titles like Get Some! or its most recent effort, 2009's From Hell to Texas, should do the trick. Proud purveyors of Southern sleaze, NP is RIYL for fans of every kind of raunchy riff rock from AC/DC and Alice Cooper to Reverend Horton Heat or the New York Dolls. In other words, when Blaine Cartwright sings a line like "I was born to die in a rock & roll band," I'd probably take him at his word. With Koffin Kats. $10-$14. Visulite Theatre. www.visulite.com. (John Schacht)
RAEKWON: It's amazing what a little time off can do to get the juices flowing, and after taking a couple of years, this Wu-Tang legend came back with a bang in 2009 with Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Pt. 2. Now Rae is keeping the steam going with the release of Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang earlier this year. He's proof that the Wu brand, and more importantly, their music, is untouchable even after all these years. Charlotte MC's Royal-Tee & Charles Herron join. $22-$25. Amos' Southend. www.amossouthend.com. (Mike McCray)