Concert Previews

The British DJ producer duo Simian Mobile Disco - consisting of James Ford and James Shaw - brings its over-the-top light show and hypnotic, hook-y, and highly energized house and techno Eurodance moves to Pure tonight as the marquee attraction at the latest edition of Dave Pianka's Making Time. As usual, there will be music happening on many levels at once - literally speaking, though perhaps metaphorically as well - and more DJs than you can shake a glowstick at, including Adam Sparkles, Julian S. Process, the Broadzilla DJs, and Dave P. himself.

- Dan DeLuca

You may wonder: What is it of late with Led Zeppelin members in creative cahoots with thrush-voiced, fiddle-playing, bluegrass-crossover gals? This month's self-titled solo debut by Nickel Creek's Sara Watkins was indeed produced by bassist John Paul Jones, who plays on the record. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, of course, famously collaborated on 2007's massively successful

Raising Sand

. But the Watkins disc is definitely the Sara show, with more than half the tunes her own and the rest being revealing, quality covers: Jimmie Rodgers, John Hartford, David Garza and fellow San Diego County product Tom Waits. Active before age 10 in the precocious Nickel Creek (with her brother Sean), the 27-year-old sounds confident with good reason. And for the record, Jones played with Watkins years before Plant first recorded with Krauss. Further, Krauss obviously inspired Watkins long before she produced a pair of Nickel Creek albums earlier this decade, one including a noteworthy cover of Pavement's "Spit on a Stranger."

- David R. Stampone

Dixie chickens and Tennessee lambs aren't only the province of Little Feat's best tune. Kings of Leon know all about that world, too. The once-bearded garage boogie band from Nashville went from making tiny, tinny, raw records (

Holy Roller Novocaine

) to atmospheric arena-rock things (

Because of the Times

) in the time it takes to fry up bacon. Followill brothers Caleb (guitar), Nathan (drums) and Jared (bass) with their cousin Matthew Followill (guitar) made that change without losing their greasy, vexing charms. Rather, they've added the rich luster of gospel's holy-rolling grandeur to their hog-headed Southern-sloppy choppiness and Caleb's laconic vocalizing on 2008's

Only by the Night

. The sharply angled rhythms of Leon's kingly past are still there, even if the whiskers are gone. But now those angles sound in league with Genesis at its '70s best, and Caleb's lyrical mind-set is directed toward elements beyond wine, women, and more wine.

Night

's texts and textures are more generous and applauding of the human condition - the soul, the planet's worth. That's a long way from a garage in Nashville. Good show.

- A.D. Amorosi

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