Fri. Nov. 6 -- It's still close enough to Halloween to resonate with the makeup, shrieking and dark message of satanic Danish metal voxregent King Diamond, who'll be performing his whole 1987 classic, "Abigail." At the Wiltern, 3790 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 90010; 8pm; $29-$62; (213) 388-1400; www.livenation.com.
Fri. Nov. 6 -- On the occasion of their 20th anniversary, D.C. metalcore champs Darkest Hour perform their 2005 "Undoing Ruin" in its entirety. With Dead To Fall, Ass Life. At Complex, 806 E. Colorado St., Glendale 91205; 8pm; $20; 21+; full bar; www.complexla.com; (323) 642-7519.
Thurs. Nov. 5 -- Drummer-singer Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater), bassist Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big) and guitarist Richie Kotzen (Mr. Big, Poison) are Winery Dogs, a buncha well-traveled bluesy chopsmen. Madus and Kicking Harold open at 7:15pm; W.D. at 9pm. At the Canyon Club, 28912 Roadside Drive, Agoura Hills 91301; $38-$78; (818) 879-5016; www.canyonclub.net.
Fri.-Sat. Nov. 6-7 -- Thirty-plus noise-obsessed bands including Hirax, Dreaming Dead (Fri.), Demolition and Italian grinders Cripple Bastards (Sat.) celebrate late Napalm Death guitarist Jesse Pintado with the "Grindcore J.P." fest. At Ukrainian Cultural Center, 4315 Melrose Ave., East Hollywood 90029; Fri. 6pm-ish; Sat. noon; two-day pass $40 here.
Sat. Nov. 7 -- The last bastion of heavy mystery, Georgia's Kylesa (pictured), plows your bloodstream through riffy seas of reverberative wind; listen to the band's current "Exhausting Fire" here. Closing are technical prog-pounders The Fall of Troy (from tiny Mukilteo, Washington; I've been through there); opening is Powwers. At the Henry Fonda Music Box Theater, 6122 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 90028; 8pm; $25; (323) 464-0808; www.fondatheatre.com.
Sat. Nov. 7 -- Trade four-stringer jokes with Lemmy Kilmister, Robert Trujillo, Dug Pinnick and thousands more at the Bass Player Live! All-Star Concert and Awards Ceremony. At the Musicians Institute, 1655 N. McCadden Place, Hollywood 90028; 8pm; $40-$60 (the show and the Sat.-Sun. clinics at SIR); tickets here.
Sat. Nov. 7 -- Seen recently with Charles Lloyd, rising drummer Kendrick Scott presents his own post-traditional Oracle with pianist Taylor Eigsti, saxist Walter Smith III, guitarist Mike Moreno and bassist Joshua Crumbly. At the Blue Whale on the third level of Weller Court Plaza, south of East First Street between South Los Angeles Street and South San Pedro Street, Little Tokyo 90012; 9pm-midnight; $20; 21+; parking $5 underneath off Second Street at the sign of the P in a circle; (213) 620-0908; www.bluewhalemusic.com.
Sat. Nov. 7 -- The Los Angeles Jazz Society honors Alan & Marilyn Bergman and George Bohanon; Bohanon's Combo, The Julian Gomez Trio and the LAJS All-Star Big Band perform; Barbra Streisand (thass rite!) hosts. At the Montalban Theater, 1615 Vine St., Hollywood 90028; 7:30pm; $40-$200; tickets here.
Sat. Nov. 7 -- Multimedia conceptualist Marya Alford and keyboardist Ron McBain give your kids weird ideas about what it's okay to do as an artist. "Soundspark," a SASSAS presentation at the Children's Theater in West Hollywood Library, 625 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood 90069; noon; FREE; www.sassas.org.
Sun. Nov. 8 -- Can people jam with piles of electronic junk? SASSAS's Soundshoppe pro-am session dares you to deny it. At Center for the Arts, 2225 Colorado Blvd., Eagle Rock 90041; 1pm; FREE; www.sassas.org.
Sun. Nov. 8 -- The Gathering is Tapscott vet Jesse Sharps' continuation of the Afro-jazz tradition with a stageful of superb musicians including Phil Ranelin, Maia, Theo Saunders, Roberto Miranda, Fritz Wise, Derf Reklaw, Dwight Trible and poet Kamau Daáood. Damn. At the Mayme Clayton Museum, 4130 Overland Ave., Culver City 90230; Sharps interview 1pm, music 2pm; $20 tickets here; limited seating; (310) 202-1647.
Sun. Nov. 8 -- Since Laura Nyro did such an astounding job of imagining herself, I dunno how I feel about anybody "reimagining" her soulful melodic singer-songwriter magic, but I'll give ingenious pianist-composer Billy Childs and his cohorts (Becca Stevens, Alicia Olatuja, the Lyris String Quartet) the benefit of the doubt, especially with ultrasensitive pop-influenced piano abstractionist Brad Mehldau and trio mates Larry Grenadier (bass) and Jeff Ballard (drums) opening. At Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown 90012; 7:30pm; $54-$143; (323) 850-2000; www.laphil.org.
Mon. Nov. 9 -- Drummer-composer Scott Amendola has created a semi-orchestral masterwork with his current "Fade to Orange"; read my review here. Tonight he presents "Orange" in an all-star quintet version featuring guitarists Nels Cline & Jeff Parker, violinist Jenny Scheinman and bassist John Shifflett. Looks like Nels Cline is doing an opening set, too. A real good one; grab advance tix. At Largo in the historic Coronet Theater, 366 N. La Cienega Blvd., L.A. 90048; 8:30pm; $15; (310) 855-0350. www.largo-la.com.
Tues. Nov. 10 -- Pianist Vicki Ray joins the stringwomen of Eclipse Quartet in a nerve-twisting program of modern composers Donnacha Dennehy, Harold Meltzer, Tom Flaherty and Sean Helm. At Monk Space, 4414 W. Second St. near Western, Los Angeles 90004; 8pm; $20 ($10 students).
Thurs. Nov. 12 -- Ever-searching vibraphonist Nick Mancini offers his latest piano-duo concepts: exploring Horace Silver with John Beasley (first set) and flashing on the music of South America with old pal Otmaro Ruiz (second set). At the Blue Whale on the third level of Weller Court Plaza, south of East First Street between South Los Angeles Street and South San Pedro Street, Little Tokyo 90012; 9pm-midnight; $15; 21+; parking $5 underneath off Second Street at the sign of the P in a circle; (213) 620-0908; www.bluewhalemusic.com.
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Read Don Heckman’s jazz picks here. Read John Payne's plutonic Bluefat.com here.