Friday 11
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BETTIE SERVEERT “Don’t get stuck somewhere in the middle,” Bettie Serveert singer Carol van Dyk pleads on the pep-talky title track of Attagirl (Minty Fresh/Palomine), but this veteran Dutch band always struck me as a stuck-in-the-middle kind of act itself. I’ll cast no aspersions on their competence, their good taste, or their way with a wistful tune and well-placed sudden turn. But they’re the very embodiment of the modern indie combo whose records get played in record and clothing stores, impeccably fitting the atmosphere of the place and disappearing completely from your mind as soon as you leave. On Attagirl they take a few more steps away from their early Luna-Velvets worship, moving confidently into decorative-arts Europop; the album’s seductive and wanky in all the right places. Locals the Zincs, who’ll release their terrific second album, Dimmer, on Thrill Jockey in April, open. 7 PM, Abbey Pub, 3420 W. Grace, 773-478-4408 or 866-468-3401, $13 in advance, $15 at the door, 18+. Bettie Serveert also plays a free in-store at Tower Records; see Sunday. –Monica Kendrick
TRES CHICAS There’s a short but rich tradition of female singers who create their best work when they get together just for fun: Freakwater and the Shams began as casual spin-offs from their members’ “real” bands. More recently, North Carolinians Caitlin Cary (Whiskeytown), Tonya Lamm (Hazeldine), and Lynn Blakey (Let’s Active, Oh-OK) formed the low-key side project Tres Chicas, whose work easily eclipses everything the women have done with their other bands. Their vocals blend smoothly whether they’re singing bluegrass gospel, raucous honky-tonk, or sweet ballads; their debut album, Sweetwater (Yep Roc), released last year, contains sharp covers of Lucinda Williams, George Jones, and Loretta Lynn, but all three contribute originals that are just as good. Dolly Varden opens. 10 PM, Schubas, 3159 N. Southport, 773-525-2508, $10. –Peter Margasak
GRADA These promising young Irishfolk, who released their second album, The Landing Step (Compass), last year, transcend any tendencies to slickness with a raw songwriterly sensibility; they’re unafraid to stir a little small-gauge grit about the clash between modern Ireland and the postcard version (“Weight of the World”) in with the willow-and-urn tragedy (the Oscar Wilde adaptation “Tread Softly”). a 8:30 PM, FitzGerald’s, 6615 Roosevelt, Berwyn, 708-788-2118 or 312-559-1212, $10. –Monica Kendrick
Wednesday 16
ZUTONS Liverpudlians enamored of American music are nothing new, but the Zutons approach it from such odd angles that they’re constantly pushing their luck. Who Killed the Zutons? (Epic), their debut album, is a rattling, jarring melange of pseudo-N’Awlins punk-funk-country that’s so laid-back at times it conjures images of Deadhead puppy-pile naps; at other times it’s shrill, hyperactive, and uses Sly Stone-ish horns like weapons of war. Keane headlines; Redwalls play second. 6:30 PM, Riviera Theatre, 4746 N. Racine, 773-275-6800 or 312-559-1212, $21. All ages. –Monica Kendrick
