Distortion, the new record by the Magnetic Fields, finds
Stephin Merritt’s witty and literate pop gems wrapped in an array of
screeching, fuzzy feedback, and it’s wonderful—think Psychocandy with something to say. Tonight’s Town
Hall show will be a quieter affair, with the recorded distortion
swapped for the string-heavy gorgeousness of the Magnetic Fields
touring band, who’ll be playing compositions from all chapters of
the Stephin Merritt songbook, from The House of Tomorrow to Showtunes. (Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, www.ticketmaster.com. 8 pm, $27.50,
all ages.)

David Schmader—former weed columnist and Stranger associate editor—is the author of the solo plays Straight and Letter to Axl, which he’s performed in Seattle and across the US. His latest...