Teenage Casket Company, The Erotics, Glamorous Stuntcocks, Danko Jones

Valentine’s, Friday

Critics have said of England’s Teenage Casket Company that they combine the flash ’n’ trash vibe of late-’80s hair-metal bands like Motley Crue with the straight-ahead energy of early punk acts like the Ramones. Strangely, some of those same critics have then compared the band to Goo Goo Dolls, but that’s a different story. A more reliable indicator of where the band are coming from may be the fact that they’re sharing the stage (several stages over a short tour, in fact) with Albany’s own Erotics, who combine the aforementioned influences and throw in Helen Keller jokes for good measure. Also on the bill are the Glamorous Stuntcocks and Danko Jones. (July 15, 8 PM, 17 New Scotland Ave., Albany, 432-6572)

Spinal Muscular Atrophy Benefit

Lark Tavern, Friday

If you were paying any attention to Live 8 at all you likely heard the rumors of backstage bitchery between the likes of Madonna and Mariah and then rolled your eyes in bored disgust. Even when ostensibly gathered to do something charitable, stars are still, by and large—as Geldof might put it—intolerably egotistical twats. But on Friday, the Lark Tavern will host a show far less likely to have any such catfighting. Rocky Velvet, Wreckloose and Nacirema will provide the musical entertainment during a Spinal Muscular Atrophy Benefit. Check your egos at the door, people. Do you know it’s Christmastime at all? (July 15, 9 PM, $5, 453 Madison Ave., Albany, 463-7875)

tegan and sara

Tegan and Sara

Northern Lights, Saturday

Twin Canadian knockouts Tegan and Sara Quin will bring their sophisticated emo-pop stylings to Clifton Park this weekend. The almost-25-year-old pair are still riding high off the success of last fall’s So Jealous, their follow-up offering to 2002’s If It Was You. Former Weezer bassist Matt Sharp lent his services to the project, which is full of love songs that the girls wrote while living on different coasts of Canada (they say that living apart helped their creative process by taking the pressure off writing together). The twins insist that their lyrics are universal and do not necessarily apply to their love lives and sexuality (both happen to be gay). Tegan and Sara have shared bills with the likes of Hot Hot Heat, the Killers, Ryan Adams, Ben Folds and Neil Young (they even scored a record deal with Young’s Vapor Records in 2000). Also on the bill: Oakland, Calif.’s Communique. (July 16, 7:30 PM, $14, 1208 Route 146, Clifton Park, 371-0012)

Sonny & Perley’s Bossambajazz

Troy’s Riverfront Park, Sunday

The Collar City Live Sunday concert series continues this weekend with Sonny & Perley’s Bossambajazz. What, you ask, is “Bossambajazz”? Exactly what the word suggests: A smooth blend of American jazz and Brazilian rhythms, courtesy of local duo Sonny Daye and Perley Rousseau. They released a first-rate album packed with examples of this particular musical confection a few years back (East of the Sun, 1997); light but not too sweet, with laid-back beats and Perley’s swingin’ singin’, it’s the perfect music for enjoying a mojito on a lazy summer evening. (We’re hoping they perform both “East of the Sun” and “Old Devil Moon,” the latter song covered on their 2004 disc Let It Happen.) While it’s unlikely you’ll be able to obtain a tropical drink at Troy’s Riverfront Park on Sunday night, a nice cool alternative beverage will do nicely. With special guest Peter Davis. (July 17, 7 PM, free, Riverfront Park, Troy, 274-5356)

Chicago, Earth Wind & Fire

Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Sunday

We typically would have ig nored the pairing of these two ’70s superbands. Sure, they had plenty of hits in their day, but Earth Wind & Fire have been reduced, thanks to some hyperactive licensing, to little more than the “Shining Star” band in recent years; as for Chicago, we’ll stand by the argument that they should have cashed in their chips long before Terry Kath last cleaned his gun. But it’s not the music that has us anticipating this two-headed nostalgia beast; it’s the fact that the two groups will actually perform together for select portions of the show, making for one big, happy, soft-rock family. (July 17, 7:30 PM, $15-$65, Saratoga Spa State Park, Route 9, Saratoga Springs, 476-1000)

Lightning Bolt

Flywheel Arts Collective, Monday

Professional Radiohead apes Muse have taken to covering the Lightning Bolt song “Dracula Mountain” in their live shows this year. These things shouldn’t mix, according to those who hold the Providence, R.I.-based Bolt near and dear: Muse are about pomp and posturing, arena rock without the arena; Lightning Bolt prefer primal, heavy rock music with few frills (hence the minimal bass-and-drums lineup). They make as much noise as they can with what they’ve got, as evidenced by their latest release, Wonderful Rainbow, which calls to mind intelligent thrashers like the Boredoms and Fantômas. So what business do those prissy Englanders (Muse) have putting their filthy paws all over our beloved indie-rock? They’re fans, that’s all. Let ’em be—there’s no accounting for taste, right? (July 18, 8 PM, $6, 2 Holyoke St., Easthampton, Mass., 413-527-9800)

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