Bruce Kalberg, publisher of the '80s art-punk vanguard newspaper No Mag, died Sept. 17. There'll be a memorial for him this weekend; mail ewaw@pacbell.net for details.
Fri. Oct. 7 -- Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson. Few can tug your heart like these country legends, and I'll be there crying in my beer and yours too if you get too close. At the Greek Theater, 2700 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz 90027; 8pm; $41-$95; www.greektheatrela.com.
Sun. Oct. 9 -- Gerryck King, drummer for Joe Williams, Ray Brown, Ernestine Anderson and a lot more, died recently. Friends showing up to play their love at his memorial include Red Holloway, Bobby Rodriguez, Art Hillery, Larry Nash, Ryan Cross and a cast of hundreds. At Musicians Union Local 47, 813 Vine St., Hollywood 90038, noon-5pm, free but donations to King's family accepted.
Mon. Oct. 10 -- The incessant pulverizing mechanistic double-kick, the somehow organic riffs, the hopeless groans, the tragic backstory of youth destroyed: Poland's technical deathsters Decapitated, with Decrepit Birth, Fleshgod Apocalypse, five more. At the Whisky, 8901 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood 90069; doors 6pm; $20; all ages; www.whiskyagogo.com; (310) 652-4202.
Tues. Oct. 11 -- Brace yourself for a totally awesome event, as international avant stars Endangered Blood return to this intimate space. Talking about drummer Jim Black, saxist Chris Speed, bassist Trevor Dunn and windman Oscar Noriega, presenting loose grooves and attractive melodies that expand the jazz tradition without busting it. Buy their record. And cheep cover! At the Blue Whale on the third floor of Weller Court Plaza, south of East First Street between South Los Angeles Street and South San Pedro Street, Little Tokyo 90012; 9pm-midnight; $10; validated parking underneath off Second Street at the sign of the P in a circle; (213) 620-0908; www.bluewhalemusic.com.
Wed. Oct. 12 -- Two great trios anchored by abstract electrofunk bassist Steuart Liebig: Dromedary (with guitarist Ross Hammond and ultrasensitive drummer Alan Cook) and Tone Drift Trio (with undercover guitarist G.E. Stinson and plugged-in trumpeter Kris Tiner). And don't miss the eats here, which are fab (open for dinner Wednesdays). At Royal-T, 8910 Washington Blvd., Culver City 90232; 8pm; $10, $5 students; (310) 559-6300; www.royal-t.org.
Wed. Oct. 12 -- Dubapalooza rocks one of the year's hugest reggae nights. It's wayback classic dub from The Mad Professor, Euro dubstep soundsystem kings Mungo's Hi-Fi, wild femme MC Soom T, Ryan Moore a.k.a. Twilight Circus Dub (weightiest and most authentic of the modern-day dubsters) and a battle of guest and house DJs, worth the trip in itself. Jah's inbox gonna be full of praise. At the EchoPlex, 1154 Glendale Blvd., Echo Park 90026; doors around 8pm; $15, $10 before 10pm; www.attheecho.com.
Thurs. Oct. 13 -- Ain't no law against dancing here, and drummer Matt Slocum's funky groove with his downtown unit (keyboardist Danny Grissett and toppermost bassist Darek Oles) gonna move butts. It's a record-release party, which makes for extra jamz. At the Blue Whale on the third floor of Weller Court Plaza, south of East First Street between South Los Angeles Street and South San Pedro Street, Little Tokyo 90012; 9pm-midnight; $10; validated parking underneath off Second Street at the sign of the P in a circle; (213) 620-0908; www.bluewhalemusic.com.
Thurs.-Sun. Oct. 13-16 -- Renowned saxist James Carter gets serious about the goodtime blues with his new "At the Crossroads." Pretty perfect that he's fronting an organ trio. At Catalina Bar & Grill, 6725 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood 90028; 8 & 10pm; $22-$30; (323) 466-2210; www.catalinajazzclub.com.
Read Don Heckman’s jazz picks here and MoshKing's metal listings here. Read John Payne's plutonic Bluefat.com here.