SWAMP MEAT, NIXON TOOTH, LOYALTY IS BLUE

In describing her band, bassist Laura Seniow came up with this: Three punk kids die in a garage and emerge years later, oozing into your basement as "Swamp Meat." Life post-decomposition seems to be going pretty well—hardly skeletal in sound, they're producing some densely blues-pop songs, looking to dirty overalls (and fights with the missus) for inspiration. The local three-piece ultimately derives its sound from gutsy roots-folk, not unlike Nixon Tooth—alias of the man named Moh, also a former regular in the Bellingham house-show circuit. As he caterwauls with his hollow-bodied guitar, you might notice he's read Howl a few times—his songwriting takes notes from the greats of Beat poetry. Rounding out the night, Loyalty Is Blue push the soft-to-loud dynamic, depending on glittery imagery and gentle melodies to coddle you. Added bonus: This might be a surprise party for you. Seasick Halfshell Embassy, 8 pm, $5 donation.

FORREST FRIENDS, ZISKIS, LINDSEYS

Before you settle into your onesie (footies and butt flap included) for the holiday weekend, save some time for punk rock. You can take your great-aunt to the Black Lodge, where ggnzla's own garage thrashers Lindseys will be charging through sonic spheres to deliver fuzzy punk gems. After you teach your aunt how to avoid the "mash pit," you can hint to her about picking up new LP No Home—which reps mega jams like "Fone Secks," to encourage the moral development of your little brother. Then, courtesy of Debacle Records' Forrest Friends, some squirrels will do a thumbprint and wander around a mystic land of synthesizers right before your eyes. In this Forrest, the squirrels—now armed with toy instruments—are swept into a sea of kaleidoscopic noise, only to then drone away into a vortex of pedal oblivion. As if all of this weren't enough—I will be in the back of the room, throwing branches at you. Happy holidaze! Black Lodge, 9 pm.