Even with several sold-out shows this week, there are still some amazing concerts that you can get into and for fairly cheap ($10-26). Tonight Alice Smith, the sexy/sultry R&B/pop singer, will be headlining at Bottom of the Hill. We called her sound a mix between "Toby Lightman, a little Alicia Keys and a more sophisticated Amy Winehouse." She's definitely something to talk about. Boredoms, from Osaka, Japan, will be playing a very special show......

Yes, we are a bit late with the listings but that doesn't stop us from being excited for this week's music offerings. It's Noise Pop - something we've been talking about since December. Since there is so much going on this week, we are going to highlight some shows that we know you can still get tickets to. Let's start with tonight: Minipop, from San Francisco, will be headlining at Bottom of the Hill......

Each Tuesday we will feature new music that should (or whatever) be on your radar. Standouts: 1. Nada Surf - Lucky: Judging, merely on their live acoustic performance at Swedish American Music Hall, we have to say that we are gonna love this new album. We have to admit: we are new fans of Nada Surf (even though they been around since 1992). For whatever reason, we've completely missed out. Lucky for us, we had......

We headed to Cafe Du Nord last Friday to catch the sold-out early show by Emily Haines and The Soft Skeleton. By the 9pm showtime, the band was still soundchecking behind closed curtains and didn't start playing to the crowd until an hour later, but it was worth the wait. Haines crouched behind the keys, bird-skinny and soft-voiced, embodying the delicate yin to her animated Metric persona's yang. Eerie old black and white film clips......

We first heard of Rogue Wave when they opened for Spoon a few years ago, and though we liked them back then, we had no idea they'd make such gorgeous records. Descended Like Vultures, released last October, is a must-own and with airplay on MTV2, a deal with Sub Pop and tours with Nada Surf and The Shins, they're not our hometown secret anymore. Listen to "Publish My Love" or watch the video. Enter to......

March music madness is upon us, with SXSW happening in Austin mid-month (this SFist will be covering) and the Noise Pop Festival starting at the end of the month. Start your own music marathon this Saturday at the Rickshaw Stop when Mesh Magazine kicks off its third year with a party featuring The Herms, Tussle, The Ebb and Flow, DJs, artwork and more. We're giving away two tickets to the extravaganza. (We'll pick a winner......

Before anyone accuses us of having a soft spot in our hearts for bands from Texas, let us just go ahead and admit we do. That leads us to this week's giveaway featuring Pilotdrift, a band from Texarkana. Don't get any ideas about their sound from their hometown though. Their music is atmospheric, symphonic, theatrical, and the singer even sounds a bit like Bowie. Their debut album is out now on Good Records Recordings, owned......