FRIDAY 3/25
In Hot Springs, the Valley of the Vapors festival rolls on with manic two-piece Japanther and melodic, rambunctious New Zealanders Surf City, 8 p.m., $5.
Reno’s Argenta Cafe hosts a singer-songwriter night with two of the best in town: throwback folkie Michael Leonard Witham and country-western chanteuse Bonnie Montgomery, 9 p.m., $5.
Blues man Big John Miller takes the 12-bar guitar to Dugan’s Pub, 9 p.m.
Cool Shoes returns with a “Spring Break Edition” deejayed by Wolf-E-Wolf, Red Six, Jason D., Rysk and Cameron Holifield, 9 p.m., $7.
Maxine’s brings a triple-bill of metal from Iron Tongue, The Vail and From Which We Came, 8 p.m., $5 adv. , $7 d.o.s.
Phillip McMath’s Civil War drama “The Hanging of David O. Dodd” returns to The Weekend Theater for its penultimate performance, 7:30 p.m.
And the always-stellar Isaac Alexander plays White Water Tavern with J.R. Top, 10 p.m.
SATURDAY 3/26
Stickyz brings American Aquarium, the Last Chance Records alt-country act with a Wilco-referencing name, and Mandy McBryde & the Unholy Ghost, the stellar local country act with sweet Wilco-like effects pedals, 9 p.m., $7.
The “Independent Music Night” hip-hop showcase returns to Downtown Music Hall, 9 p.m., $5.
Red Dirt Country takes over Revolution when Wade Bowen takes the stage, 9 p.m., $10.
In the nightclub world, Discovery offers Michael Shane in the disco, VJ g-force doing his thing in the hip-hop room and modern rockers Third Degree holding down the live band slot, 10 p.m., $12.
And for the night owls, Ghost Town Blues Band takes it to Midtown Billiards, 12:30 a.m., $8 non-members.