Are you ready for some football?! Oh, sorry—wrong meeting. Howsabout some Swedish garage-rock instead? In that case, stock up on Glögg and head over to Valentine’s, where Swedish trio Masshysteri will spread the Scandinavian good cheer. The three members of Masshysteri last came through town a few years back as part of the Vicious; they’ve since changed direction, and language. The vocals on the band’s debut disc, V?r Del Av Stan, are entirely in their native Swedish. But don’t let that keep you from tonight’s show; their music has all the guitar-fueled punch that put their previous bands, like the (International) Noise Conspiracy, on the indie-rock map. (March 12, 8 PM, $7, 17 New Scotland Ave., Albany, 432-6572)

George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers

The Egg, Thursday

George Thorogood’s claim to wearing a cobra snake for a necktie was long ago disproven, but the clinical trials on his depth of badness are still out for review. We’re left to wonder: Is Thorogood, in fact, bad to the bone, or is it only skin deep? Is there an ointment or a suppository he can take to correct such a condition? It sounds painful. We’ve also noticed that he has a nasty case of blues-guitar pinky, in which the smallest finger on his left hand has permanently fused with a metal sheath, or “slide.” What’s most impressive is that Thorogood, nearing age 60, is still touring—the man and his band once famously played 50 shows in 50 states over 50 nights, yet they’re still working as hard as ever. (March 12, 8 PM, $39.50-$50, Empire State Plaza, Albany, 473-1845)

Líadan

Old Songs, Thursday

We already know what a lot of you have planned for this weekend. Have breakfast, drink, watch the parade, drink, go to the bar, drink, barf in parking lot, drink, barf in taxicab, drink, pass out on floor, wake up, drink again. It’s a fine tradition! But we recommend you postpone the heavy intake until after you take in the subtly intoxicating sounds of Líadan. The all-female sextet perform traditional Irish music alongside their own originals, and their sound has made them one of the hottest groups on the folk- and traditional-music circuits. But just because they’re in demand doesn’t mean they’ll play “Free Bird,” so please, save the Guinness for the after-party. (March 12, 8 PM, $20, 37 S. Main St., Voorheesville, 765-2815)

Max Creek, Raisinhead

Revolution Hall, Saturday

Few bands consciously embrace the jam-band moniker like Max Creek do, but then, very few deserve to. For more than 30 years, the band have been playing a style of psychedelic blues rock that most would associate with their imitators. Guitarist Scott Murawski, who just finished a stint in Phish bassist Mike Gordon’s solo band, has been doing this thing since he was 15. On Saturday night, two generations of tie-dye are represented when homegrown groovers Raisinhead open for Max Creek at Troy’s home of the jam, Revolution Hall. (March 14, 8 PM, $20, 425 River St., Troy, 274-0553)

Ozomatli, Chali 2na

Revolution Hall, Sunday

Well, he’s “the verbal Herman Munster, the word-enhancer, sick of phony mobsters controlling the dance floor,” that is, when deep-voiced rapper Chali 2na’s onstage with his steady gig Jurassic 5. We imagine he’s pretty much the same, though, with Ozomatli, a six-piece Latin/hip-hop band he cofounded in the early ‘90s. The two went their separate ways for a while, but are back in collaboration on Ozomatli’s uptempo, bilingual, horn-laden, hyphen-worthy material. (March 15, 7 PM, $20, 425 River St., Troy, 274-0553)