As a member of the influential ‘90s drone/folk group Pelt, Jack Rose is one of those responsible for furthering the genre coined “weird new Americana.” Now on his own and armed with acoustic guitar, Rose explores combinations of early rural blues and east-meets-west folk influences, with hints of Indian classical (listen to 2004’s Raag Manifestos) and the steel-string fingerstyling of John Fahey or Robbie Basho. The nimble-fingered Glenn Jones (of Boston post-rock instrumental group Cul-de-Sac, and a friend of Fahey’s before he died in 2001) joins Rose on this tour. Together they—like Fahey before them—push the boundaries of their instruments toward a complex and unconventional blend of traditional folk elements gleaned from either hemisphere. Rose and Jones come to Soundlab on Saturday (Sept. 29) for a 9pm show.

Inspired by B-movies and grotesque comics of the 1950s, the Koffin Kats are one of the main purveyors of the modern psychobilly scene. Blending Gene Vincent, the Cramps, the Misfits, and Buffalo legends the Quakes, they fit in comfortably with newer bands such as Nekromantix and Demented Are Go! Lead vocalist Vic Victor is a self confessed “gearhead” who croons like Dave Vanian and Glenn Danzig once did while he slaps his stand up bass like he has a hellhound on his trail. Filled with booze, broken hearts and a firmly intact horror image, the Koffin Kats serve up a blend of 1950s rock and roll with the spirit of 1977 punk. Fans of either genre will easily be impressed. The Koffin Kats perform at Mohawk Place on Saturday (Sept. 29) starting at 9pm. Opening is Matty B & the Dirty Pickles with Lower Town Trio.

David Sedaris, acclaimed humorist, author, and radio contributor, has lived life in a way that has propelled his books to the top of bestseller lists for over ten years. In his collections of essays Sedaris brilliantly recalls both the highs and comically rich lows of a life of general irreverence. His unique brand of expatriate humor has been popularized on National Public Radio’s “This American Life” and he was named Time magazine’s Humorist of the Year in 2001. In addition to his lecture, Sedaris will also be singing books following the event. So break out your copies of Naked and Me Talk Pretty One Day— most likely well worn as a result of their endlessly entertaining appeal—and bring them along to UB Center for the Arts on Wedneasday (Oct. 3), at 8pm, for what is sure to be a hilarious evening with one of the world’s most talented and popular social commentators.

On their fourth full-length, I’ll Follow You (Merge Records), Brooklyn collective Oakley Hall has done it right. Sinewy guitar lines tangle with indelible harmonies highlighted by the vocal trade-offs of Rachel Cox and Patrick Sullivan (formerly of avant-rockers Oneida). Oakley Hall has often been boxed by the hollow trendster/blog-geek label of “freak folk” but the six-piece band deserves better, pushing together no-wave and psych-fuzz textures with traditional folk forms and untethered C&W beauty and emotion. I’ll Follow You is a fantastic collection of songs featuring tight harmonies and buzzing sprawl on “No Dreams,” the gorgeously downbeat “Angela,” the chamber-folk of “First Frost” and the sprawling Crazy Horse-style rocker “Take My Hands, We’re Free.” Oakley Hall plays Mohawk Place next Thursday (Oct. 4) at 9pm. Support comes from Brian Wheat and the Found

Few among the recent crop of costumed bands have developed visual identities as emblematic of their music as electro-bounce duo Yip Yip, whose elegantly bizarre checkerboard jumpsuits merge basement space spectacle with the bold simplicity of 1980s fun. That’s not to say that the group—which regularly shares stages with the likes of Lightning Bolt, the Locust, Adult, Xiu Xiu and Mixel Pixel—is in any way nostalgic. A hint of menace pervades the group’s binary-blip instrumentals, and the arty play of vintage electronics and deliberately devolved imagery is redolent of today’s art-pop underground. Check them out next Thursday (Oct. 4) at Soundlab at 9pm.