FRIDAY, MAY 15

David Allan Coe

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John Amis/AP

Keyshia Cole’s songs usually outclass the competition, whether on the pop or R&B charts.

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From the honky-tonk to the jailhouse and back, this country outlaw has traveled a hard road, and his gritty, darkly humorous songs reflect every inch of the journey. Even though he’s politically incorrect and sometimes downright vulgar, he’s written some genuinely poignant songs. His best-known hit wasn’t even his own composition, but he certainly made Steve Goodman’s “You Never Even Called Me by My Name” his own.

• 10:30 p.m. May 15. $15-$30. Cowboys, 1750 N. Roberts Road, Kennesaw. 678-581-0891, www.cowboysatl.com.

The Drexlers

The Drexlers’ lush pop is reminiscent of the Sundays or 10,000 Maniacs. The Atlanta band returns from a yearlong break while a couple of members welcomed new family additions. Vocalist Annie Drexler promises new material from their upcoming third album at this gig. “It’s a bit more mellow than rockin’, a bit more quirky than pop, and we think our fans are going to love it,” she says.

• 6:30 p.m. May 15. $10-$13. Eddie’s Attic, 515-B N. McDonough St., Decatur. 404-377-4976, www.eddiesattic.com.

Mastodon

Already one of the most thoughtful, complex heavy rock bands ever, Mastodon takes things even further with this year’s monumentally metallic “Crack the Skye.” It makes this Atlanta quartet’s progressive rock inclinations clear, but most prog-rockers never rocked this hard.

• 8 p.m. May 15. $19. Center Stage Atlanta, 1374 W. Peachtree St. 404-885-1365, www.centerstage-atlanta.com.

SATURDAY, MAY 16

The Thermals

This incendiary Oregon band’s 2006 album “The Body the Blood the Machine” injected intelligence and a lightning bolt of energy into the deteriorating remains of punk. This year’s “Now We Can See” tempers the burn but keeps the irresistible hooks and the dystopian lyrical concerns.

• 8 p.m. May 16. $12 advance. The Masquerade, 695 North Ave. 404-577-8178, www.masq.com.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20

Gavin Rossdale

After fronting British grungey-come-latelys Bush in the 1990s, Rossdale married No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani and formed the blandly Bush-like Institute. Now solo, with slightly better musical results, Rossdale still plays to a world that pays far more attention to his wife.

• 8 p.m. May 20. $29. Center Stage Atlanta, 1374 W. Peachtree St. 404-885-1365, www.centerstage-atlanta.com.

THURSDAY, MAY 21

Keyshia Cole

Most of this California native and Atlanta resident’s songs do better on the R&B charts than the pop charts. That’s a shame, because they’re usually classier than the competition. Take last year’s Grammy-nominated “Heaven Sent,” which went to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart. It’s beautiful simplicity, as the singer croons “I wanna be the one who you believe in your heart is sent from …” and then another, softer Cole coos “sent from heaven” before the first phrase ends. Hear it once, and you’ll be singing along the next time it floats from the radio.

• 8 p.m. May 21. $49.50-$87.50. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. 404-881-2100, www.foxtheatre.org.