ryan adams

8 p.m. wednesday, feb. 1. music hall.

Like the little girl who had a little curl, when Ryan Adams is good, he’s very good indeed. Songs like “To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High)” is a stone classic. Yet when he’s bad, he’s horrid. Adams’ muddled 2009 appearance in Kansas City was widely panned. Fans may be rolling the proverbial dice when they purchase tickets for next Wednesday’s show, but Adams’ most recent album, the subdued “Ashes & Fire,” showcases his formidable talent to good effect. Perhaps the wildly inconsistent bad boy of Americana will be on his best behavior at the Music Hall. Tickets are $36.50.

emilie autumn

8 p.m. wednesday. beaumont club.

Although she may seem like a fantasy fomented in the fevered imaginations of Beavis and Butthead, Emilie Autumn is an actual person. The goth rocker is everything the animated dolts most covet. She wears outlandish and often revealing costumes during her visually stimulating performances. As if that weren’t enough, she does a mean version of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Fans who choose to line up early to secure a spot near the Beaumont Club’s low-slung stage will be amply rewarded with a visual feast Wednesday evening. Tickets are $14.

anthrax, testament, death angel

7:30 p.m. thursday. the midland.

Subtlety has never been the strong suit of purveyors of thrash metal. Even a person who’d never heard the furious machine gun-style drumming, clamorous guitars or shrieking vocals could get a good idea of the genre’s sonic mayhem simply by perusing the bands’ song titles. Anthrax, one of thrash metal’s “Big Four” bands, is known for fierce anthems like “Antisocial” and “Caught in a Mosh.” The song titles of Testament’s “The Evil Has Landed” and “Killing Season” and Death Angel’s “Into the Arms of Righteous Anger” and “The Devil Incarnate” reveal a similarly hellbent sensibility. All three classic bands with origins in the ‘80s will bring the noise Thursday at the Midland.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 on the day of the show.

the lemonheads

9 p.m. friday. the granada.

The Lemonheads seemed to have it all in the ‘90s. A handsome frontman in Evan Dando, nifty songwriting and a sound that bridged the gap between pop, indie, country and grunge. Songs like “Into Your Arms” and “If I Could Talk I’d Tell You” are as ingratiating as any rock music of that era. The band’s momentum eventually ground to a virtual standstill. The group may have regained a bit of its old mojo and is touring on the 20th anniversary of the release of the breakthrough album, “It’s a Shame About Ray.” Meredith Sheldon and the Dead Girls open.

Tickets to the 9 p.m. show are $15 in advance.

anthony b

8 p.m. saturday. the granada.

More than 30 years after the death of Bob Marley, most American music fans have come to associate reggae with marijuana usage. The disheartening development would probably have disappointed the socially conscious reggae icon. For better or worse, Anthony B is one of the countless reggae artists who has been all too happy to record songs designed to please lovers of ganja. The Jamaican-born Rastafarian is best known stateside for material like “Smoke Weed Every Day.” Jamaican reggae acts Zamunda and Delly Ranx serve as Anthony B’s solid opening acts. Tickets to the 8:30 p.m. show are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

simone dinnerstein

8 p.m. saturday. yardley hall.

Fans of popular music adore the compelling narratives associated with their favorite artists. Justin Vernon supposedly consoled his broken heart by creating Bon Iver’s debut album in a Wisconsin cabin. Rihanna’s “Rated R” album was viewed as a response to a highly publicized domestic violence case. Simone Dinnerstein’s backstory is no less remarkable. After years of failing to gain traction in her career as a classical pianist, Dinnerstein self-financed a recording of her interpretation of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. It became a sensation. Although she’s hardly a dewy ingénue at 39, Dinnerstein is one of the hottest commodities in classical music today. Tickets to the 8 p.m. concert at the Johnson County Community College venue Yardley Hall are $25 and $35.