FRIDAY, JULY 18

Alkaline Trio

Lisa Johnson (ENLARGE)
'Question' from 'Satellite Rides' by the Old 97's is getting Fuse ad airplay.
MOST POPULAR STORIES 'Housewives' star forced to move from Duluth home Rosie's dreams of TV variety comeback are dashed Who are metro Atlanta's sexiest men? Woman sues Tyler Perry for copyright infringement Six Flags to auction part of Monster Plantation
EMAIL THIS PRINT THIS MOST POPULAR
RELATED LINKS: • Blog: Atlanta Music Scene • Summer Music Guide • CD reviews • Find a concert

LUCKY 13: Pop-punk isn't known for its intelligence and depth, but the dark-heart imagery of Alkaline Trio has always been an exception. The Chicago threesome released its first album a decade ago, but the brand-new "Agony and Irony" marks the band's major label debut. It was AT's high-water mark on the Billboard album chart, debuting at No. 13.

• THE 411: 8 p.m. $19; $16.50. Center Stage Atlanta, 1374 W. Peachtree St., Midtown. 404-885-1365, www.centerstage-atlanta.com

SATURDAY, JULY 19

HE WROTE THE SONGS: You might not know this Louisiana-born musician's name, but you've probably heard his music. In 1970, Brook Benton took White's "Rainy Night in Georgia" to No. 4 on the singles chart, and Elvis Presley's version of "Polk Salad Annie" is more widely known than White's 1969 Top 10 hit recording.

• THE 411: 6 p.m. $18; $15 advance. Eddie's Attic, 515-B N. McDonough St., Decatur. 404-377-4976, www.eddiesattic.com

TUESDAY, JULY 22

YOUNG MAN BLUES: Blues-rock has been done to death — or so you'd think. With an infusion of fresh young blood, it comes back to life quite nicely through Back Door Slam. These three youngsters from the U.K.'s Isle of Man are a trio out of time, hearkening back to the late '60s and early '70s with their debut album "Roll Away." This isn't your average revivalist combo, though. This is the music the boys in Back Door Slam were born to play. There isn't a hint of false nostalgia in this stuff.

• THE 411: 8 p.m. $15. The Loft, 1374 W. Peachtree St., Midtown. 404-885-1365, www.theloft-atlanta.com

Old 97's

SAY YES: They have a new album, "Blame It on Gravity," but the song that's getting the most attention these days isn't on it. Music television channel Fuse is using the Texas-born band's song "Question" in a recent ad campaign. That bittersweet acoustic love song is from the band's 2001 album "Satellite Rides," the final part of a three-album major label run. Following that release, the band has been back in the land of the independent label with New West, and it's tough to imagine a better marriage of band and record company. New West is the home of Steve Earle and Georgia's Drive-by Truckers and Vic Chesnutt. The rootsy exuberance of the Old 97's fits right in with the rest of the label's roster.

• THE 411: 8:30 p.m. $20. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave. N.E., Little Five Points. 404-521-1786, www.variety-playhouse.com

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23

BACK FROM THE BRINK: Spiritualized main man Jason Pierce nearly died between 2003's sludgy, roaring "Amazing Grace" and the just-released and far more varied "Songs in A&E." The songs were largely written before Pierce's severe bout with double pneumonia, but they're still infused with sickness and mortality, and the title refers to Accident and Emergency (basically, British for emergency room). "This album seems hinged on the fact that I was ill, but my whole life is a product of accident and emergency," Pierce told The (London) Times earlier this year. "There has never been any carefully laid out plan in anything I do."

• THE 411: 8 p.m. $22.50; $20 advance. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave. N.E., Little Five Points. 404-521-1786, www.variety-playhouse.com