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THURSDAY 7/2

DEERTICK
John Joseph McCauley III wants people to know that despite his pretentiously long name and the tendency for fans to bathe him in adoration, he's not the only member of Deertick. He did found the band, originally a simple bass and drums duo, on the rainy streets of Providence, but since then, the crew has grown by two, and though it remains McCauley's brainchild, it's a true collaboration now. What it all adds up to is good, honest, bluegrass-tinged indie rock with clever lyrics, boot-scooting rhythms and rough-and-tumble vocals for a full sound that no single country boy could do on his own. Crepe Place; $10; 9pm; (Curtis Cartier)

FRIDAY 7/3

MIGHTY DIAMONDS
All that glitters is not gold but a certain precious stone when it comes to reggae spun by this radiant trio. Though the Mighty Diamonds have retained social and political commentary in their act, for the 30-plus years they've performed together they've opted out of building their message around Rastafarian beliefs. Jamaica's gems procured a name for themselves during the '70s roots era by conjuring the mojo of Motown through euphonious harmonies and a choreographed appearance. Their thumping beats and electronic ditties reverberated through to the United States with the release of album 19, 1986's Pass the Kutchie--merely the halfway mark of a lustrous career with no end in sight. Moe's Alley; $20 advance/$25 door; 9:30pm. (Jaime Nabrynski)

EEK-A-MOUSE
A titan of Jamaican reggae known for his ebullient sense of humor, Eek-A-Mouse towers above all comers. This is not only physically--granted, he is almost impossibly tall--but stylistically; his iconoclastic talent as the popularizer of the "singjay" vocal style that has come to define dancehall. The man born Ripton Joseph Hylton has had a storied career, achieving stateside success in a genre that rarely cracks the pop charts, and is on his way to being a veritable elder statesman of the genre--even if he remains its perpetually adolescent class clown. Catalyst; $14 advance/$19 door; 9pm. (Paul M. Davis)

THE PARSON REDHEADS
Proving that blondes can't have all the fun, the Parson Redheads made the big migration from Oregon to the City of Angels in the summer of 2005. A White Stripes-like husband-and-wife team of Evan and Brette Marie Way are the bedrock of an indie-psyche six-piece that escorts audiences on a trip through the '60s. The heavily English-pop-influenced outfit is hailed for taking the catchy hymns of the Byrds and wooing listeners with a Donovanesque melodiousness. Their premiere vinyl release, Orangufang, will no doubt further already solid alternative radio airplay and could perhaps induce the birth of what may one day be christened the Oregon invasion. Crepe Place; call for price; 9pm. (JN)

SATURDAY 7/4

REVEREND BEAT-MAN
Santa Cruz's most beloved downtown dive bar and punk venue is pulling out all the stops to celebrate our nation's birthday. Five rock bands, two burlesque dancers and one hot rod car show are all slated to turn Independence Day into Indie Punk Dance Day in a way that only the Blue Lagoon can pull off. Headlining the shindig is Swiss rockabilly badass Reverend Beat-Man and his brand of hard-nosed gutter rock. In tow come four more Central Coast punk and psychobilly acts, including Thee Merry Widows, Rifraff, S.C. Beatdown and the End, for a one-night liberty freak out that's sure to leave bruises. Blue Lagoon; $10; 8:30pm. (CC)

DANJUMA and ONOLA
Though Santa Cruzan Danjuma Adamu grew up Lagos, Nigeria, it was the groundbreaking rock & roll of the Beatles that helped kick-start his musical obsession decades ago. The multi-instrumentalist started his first band at age 18, playing mostly American rock music, before joining the Action Funk Ensemble in 1967. The group's first album, Groove the Funk, found modest success internationally, as did the follow-up, 1972's Dawn of Awareness. Danjuma's current band, Onola, is a further embodiment of the funkified Afro-beat Danjuma has come to embody. Moe's Alley; $9 advance/$12 door; 9pm. (Garrett Wheeler)

SUNDAY 7/5

JUG STOMPERS
The string band revival earlier this decade resurrected a number of long-dormant musical genres, but no comeback may have been more unlikely than that of the jug band. Unabashedly hokey and dated, jug bands enjoyed a brief revival in the '60s before lapsing back into obscurity. Fortunately, they've enjoyed a comeback in recent years, embracing the form in all of its eye-rolling, bad-gag glory. Featuring the Club Zayante Jug Stompers, this juke-joint jamboree is a celebration of jug band music and its many dorky charms. Don Quixote's; $10; 6pm. (PMD)

MONDAY 7/6

KURT ELLING
It's risky business embarking on a tour that pays tribute to the likes of John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, no matter your artistic pedigree. Well loved  baritone vocalist Kurt Elling raises the stakes on what is already a seemingly no-win proposition by offering vocal reinterpretations of work composed or popularized by these instrumental jazz giants. It's an audacious move, but Elling makes it work with his iconoclastic vision and prodigious talents, buoyed by a crack band that includes Ernie Watts on tenor sax. Kuumbwa; $25 advance/$28 door; 7 and 9pm. (PMD)