SUFJAN STEVENS You could say that the indie folk singer-songwriter and banjoist Sufjan Stevens believes in state's rights. That is, this Detroit native and questing Christian, now living in Brooklyn, believes in every state's right to be the subject of a gentle, exhaustive album. His second offering in this monumental project, "Illinois" (Asthmatic Kitty), is a 22-song swing through Prairie State history. Of course, historical tidbits like the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, homesteader hardship and the relative debating talents of Lincoln and Douglas mostly provide a jump-off for self-reflection. A man of his times, the 30-year-old Mr. Stevens, above, is both a legitimate history buff and a Google tourist. He is imbued with an outward-looking, Copland-esque musical vision and a narcissistic idea of the surveyable self reminiscent of Walt Whitman, though his lyrics can have an emo overreach and his compositions tend to forge into the folksily baroque. But his quiet, assured voice and pained personal revelations keep things intimate. At his best, Mr. Stevens has our pleasure in mind, as when the humorously titled "Come on, Feel the Illinoise" slides out of its complex meter into a simpler rhythm. When Mr. Stevens's lyrical approach succeeds, as in his account of a friend's death from bone cancer, falling on Casimir Pulaski Day, it can be breathtaking. When it doesn't, it can be a trifle maddening, especially when the melody is indelible. An antifolk aria about John Wayne Gacy disingenuously turns a falsetto lament for the killer's victims into an inward-looking recrimination. But such indulgences are forgivable for an emotional cartographer who promises so much. (Tonight through Tuesday at 8 p.m., Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey Street, Lower East Side, (212) 533-2111; $15, sold out.) LAURA SINAGRA
AKRON/FAMILY, DAVID GRUBBS, WOODEN WAND AND THE VANISHING VOICE (Tomorrow) The East River Music Project's final summer show features Akron/Family, a quartet that explores the crannies and latent explosiveness of Americana. The experimental guitarist David Grubbs is in a jazz-folk mood as of late. Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice warp various genres. 2 p.m., East River Amphitheater, East River Park, Lower East Side, free. (Laura Sinagra)
ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND (Tuesday) The archetypal Southern rock band is still on the road. Gregg Allman, the band's keyboardist and main singer, is more than ever the band's center, since its co-founder Dickey Betts is estranged from the band. His replacement, Warren Haynes, shares the twin-guitar passages with Derek Trucks, the drummer Butch Trucks's nephew and a jam-band leader in his own right. 6:30 p.m., PNC Bank Arts Center, Exit 116 Garden State Parkway, Holmdel, N.J., (732) 335-0400, $20 to $65. (Sinagra)
TORI AMOS (Tonight) This piano-grinding sensualist spent the 1990's rendering stormy emotional experience via alt-rock drama. Her songs were pounded out on a well-worn Bösendorfer piano and sung in a shamanic, childlike voice. Lately, she's been seeking strong female archetypes in biblical lore and reflecting on the nuances of married sexuality. 7:30 p.m., PNC Bank Arts Center, Exit 116 Garden State Parkway, Holmdel, N.J., (732) 335-0400, $20 to $50. (Sinagra)
AMSTERJAM: RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, SNOOP DOGG, 311, GARBAGE, FAT JOE, WYCLEF JEAN (Tomorrow) This random collection of faded alt-rockers and tenaciously popular rap acts includes the resurging Snoop Dogg, who does his stoner-for-all-seasons rap thing, and Fat Joe (a k a Joey Crack), whose rump-shaking hit "Get it Poppin" is tasty New York radio candy. The funk-punk Chili Peppers, the enduring vixen Shirley Manson's Garbage, and slick ska-metal 311 forge on with alt-rock willfulness. The outspoken Caribbean folk-rapper Wyclef Jean will probably opine on Haiti's ongoing crises. 11 a.m., Randalls Island Golf Center, 1 Randalls Island, (212) 427-5689, $45. (Sinagra)
APSCI (Monday) This Brooklyn-based husband-and-wife duo, whose band name is short for "applied science," serves up beats that slide from synth-electro to glitch electronica. Raphael LaMotta raps with blasé indie savvy while Dana Diaz-Tutaan adds jazzy filigree. 8 p.m., Pianos, 158 Ludlow Street, Lower East Side, (212) 420-1466, $7. (Sinagra)
JOAN ARMATRADING (Thursday) With her deep, longing voice and songs about love and affection, Joan Armatrading was a beacon for songwriters in the 1970's and 1980's. Raul Midón opens. 8 p.m., Apollo Theater, 253 West 125th Street, Harlem, (212) 749-5838, $39 to $49. (Jon Pareles)
DICKEY BETTS & GREAT SOUTHERN (Tonight) Kicked out of a band that he founded, the Allman Brothers, the guitarist Dickey Betts wasted no time in going back on tour with his own group. His chiming, symmetrical guitar solos and the weary but amiable voice from songs like "Blue Skies" are intact, and he may even have something to prove. 8 and 10 p.m., B. B. King Blues Club and Grill, 237 West 42nd Street, (212) 997-4144, $35. (Pareles)
ERIC BURDON AND THE ANIMALS (Sunday) Eric Burdon translated American soul into British Invasion rock as the belter who led the Animals; then he came to the source, joining forces with an up-and-coming American band, War. 8 p.m., B. B. King Blues Club and Grill, 237 West 42nd Street, (212) 997-4144, $27, $30 at the door. (Pareles)
EDMAR CASTANEDA (Tonight) The Colombian harp was not often heard in a jazz context until the teenage prodigy Edmar Castaneda began nudging its limits in the mid-90's. 8 p.m., Satalla, 37 West 26th Street, Chelsea, (212) 576-1155, $15. (Sinagra)
RODNEY CROWELL (Tuesday) He has written songs for Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, the Oak Ridge Boys, Bob Seger, Tim McGraw, Lee Ann Womack and his ex-wife, Rosanne Cash. His own recent work tends toward raw, straightforward rockabilly. 8 p.m., B. B. King Blues Club and Grill, 237 West 42nd Street, (212) 997-4144, $20. (Sinagra)
NEIL DIAMOND (Tonight and tomorrow) After four decades, during which his folk-rock evolved into high-gloss Vegas pop, this singer-songwriter has recently been working with the rock-and-rap producer Rick Rubin, who famously helped Johnny Cash garner an alt-rock audience in the 90's. Spare new songs reportedly rely on acoustic guitar and aim for a lonesome vibe. 8 p.m., Madison Square Garden, 33rd Street and Seventh Avenue, (212) 465-6741, $70 to $100. (Sinagra)
THE DOUBLE (Wednesday) Like the Fiery Furnaces, this Brooklyn band ornaments its songs with kaleidoscopic experimentation. Former math-rockers, they've seemingly gone through a Brian Wilson phase, and now use all the tools at their lo-fi disposal in service of arty pop undercut with burbles, dark surges and twinges. 7 p.m., South Street Seaport, Pier 17, Lower Manhattan, free. (Sinagra)
50 CENT, LUDACRIS, LIL JON, MIKE JONES, CIARA (Tonight and tomorrow) Soon to have his life story captured on film, the multi-platinum rapper 50 Cent is joined here by the Southern rappers Ludacris and Lil Jon. Mike Jones gives cough-syrup haze an enticing menace, while Ciara rides molasses beats smoothly enough. Tonight at 7, Jones Beach Theater, 1000 Ocean Parkway, Wantagh, N.Y., (516) 221-1000, $30 to $61. Tomorrow at 7 p.m., PNC Bank Arts Center, Exit 116 Garden State Parkway, Holmdel, N.J., (732) 335-0400, $30 to $61. (Sinagra)
JULIANA HATFIELD (Tonight) Ms. Hatfield's voice, that of a weary but urgent ingénue, added charm to the music of the Blake Babies in the 80's and her own solo projects in the 90's. This singer-songwriter's mainstream profile dimmed, but she continues to release albums with a low-key, confessional spark. 8 p.m., Warsaw, 261 Driggs Avenue, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, (718) 387-0505, $16 in advance, $18. (Sinagra)
HOCKEY NIGHT (Tonight and tomorrow) This hard-riffing band from St. Paul plays jaunty noise pop with a fierce beat, courtesy of its two drummers. The singer Paul Sprangers has a dry delivery reminiscent of Pavement's Stephen Malkmus. Tonight at 7, South Street Seaport, Pier 17, at Fulton Street, Lower Manhattan, free. Tomorrow at 8 p.m., Mercury Lounge, 217 East Houston Street, at Ludlow Street, Lower East Side, (212) 260-4700, $10. (Sinagra)
CHRIS ISAAK (Tomorrow) Chris Isaak is a disciple of Roy Orbison, writing dolorous ballads that find their only consolation in his honeyed voice and finely turned guitar lines. On stage, he's a droll storyteller. 8 p.m., North Fork Theater at Westbury Music Fair, 960 Brush Hollow Road, Westbury, N.Y., (516) 334-0800, $47. (Pareles)
ISLAJA, LAU NAU, KUUPUU, PEKKO KÃPPI (Thursday) Representing a panoply of sounds from the band-hopping musicians who make up the Finnish psychedelic-folk scene, this bill promises ethereal spookiness from the icy Islaja, accomplished jouhikko fiddle from Pekko Käppi, a weave of vocal textures and acoustic drone from Kuupuu and more vocal experimentation from Lau Nau. 8 p.m., Tommy's Tavern, 1041 Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, (718) 383-9699, $5. (Sinagra)
I-WAYNE (Tuesday) Last year, the 25-year-old Jamaican singer Clifford Taylor's jumpy "Can't Satisfy Her," a smooth though insulting lament about a woman who won't retire from hooking, was one of the few roots-reggae songs spinning on Hot 97. In a high voice reminiscent of 60's pop crooners, Mr. Taylor (known as I-Wayne) avoids revolution slogans, calling instead for a kind of pastoral movement. 8 p.m., S.O.B.'s, 204 Varick Street, South Village, (212) 243-4940, $15. (Sinagra)
SLEEPY LABEEF (Sunday) Sleepy LaBeef is an unregenerate rockabilly singer and guitarist from Arkansas. He reels off one twangy tune after another, known and obscure, like a rockabilly jukebox come to life. 10 p.m., Rodeo Bar, 375 Third Avenue, at 27th Street, (212) 683-6500, free. (Pareles)
LEZ ZEPPELIN (Tomorrow) Strapping on the double-necked Gibson with attitude to burn, this all-girl quartet pays tribute to its swaggering namesake Led Zeppelin, ripping through the catalog with blazing accuracy. Of course, they also have their gender-bending way with macho metaphors about squeezed lemons and dripping honey. 8 p.m., B. B. King Blues Club and Grill, 237 West 42nd Street, (212) 997-4144, $17 in advance, $20. (Sinagra)
LIVING COLOUR (Tonight) The virtuoso guitarist and Black Rock Coalition co-founder Vernon Reid's most famous band's intelligent and at times groovy heavy metal took the group well beyond the small bar scene in the late-80's. They return to play snug CBGB's in this legendary dive's hour of need. 8 p.m., CBGB, 315 Bowery, East Village, (212) 982-4052, $35. (Sinagra)
MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO. (Tonight) The songwriter Jason Molina is a pessimist, and the music on his latest album of melancholy but gritty Chicago country-rock, "What Comes After the Blues" (Secretly Canadian), resembles that of a defeatist Neil Young. 11:30 p.m., Knitting Factory Main Space, 74 Leonard Street, TriBeCa, (212) 219-3006, $10 in advance, $12.
(Sinagra)
JESSE MALIN (Thursday) Jesse Malin led D Generation, the glam-rock kings of St. Mark's Place, and has gone on to a solo career that's considerably more earnest. 7:30 p.m., Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey Street, Lower East Side, (212) 533-2111, $15. (Pareles)
MEGADETH, DREAM THEATER (Tuesday) The Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine appeared recently in Metallica's "Some Kind of Monster" documentary, confessing lingering pain at his 1983 ejection from that band. His own precision thrash outfit was successful through the 90's despite grunge competition. An injury has silenced his speedy licks, but bandmates fill in on this tour with the metal technicians Dream Theater. 5 p.m., Jones Beach Theater, 1000 Ocean Parkway, Wantagh, N.Y., (516) 221-1000, $20 to $45. (Sinagra)
PALOMAR (Thursday) This local indie-pop quartet plays winsome songs that harken back to the 90's heyday of female-fronted guitar bands whose modest ambitions made them all the more likeable. With the Mosquitos. 8:30 p.m., Mercury Lounge, 217 East Houston Street, Lower East Side, (212) 260-4700, $12. (Sinagra)
AMY RIGBY (Tuesday) This singer-songwriter sings about romance and decline with biting wit. She gave Nashville a try, but she's back home in New York, where her brand of real-life feistiness has always found a better fit. 9 p.m., Lakeside Lounge, 162 Avenue B, Lower East Side, (212) 529-8463, free. (Sinagra)
THE RUB (Tomorrow) Continuing its hip mix of favela funk, reggaeton, dancehall, alt-rock, hip-hop, classic rock and pretty much anything else these sound-crazed smart-aleck D.J.'s can think of, this Brooklyn party celebrates its third anniversary. The point is to get the crowd chuckling and dancing at once. And it works. 11 p.m., Southpaw, 125 Fifth Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn, (718) 230-0236, $8. (Sinagra)
CHARLIE SEXTON (Tonight and Monday) This guitar prodigy made his first record at the age of 16, when he was hailed as a sort of new-wave roots rocker. Since then he's played with Bob Dylan and produced for Lucinda Williams, and this year prepares to tour with John Mayer. His own songs increasingly tend toward personal alt-country. Tonight at 7:30, Housing Works Used Book Cafe, 126 Crosby Street, SoHo, (212) 334-3324, $25. Monday at 7 p.m., Mercury Lounge, 217 East Houston Street, Lower East Side, (212) 260-4700, $15. (Sinagra)
SYSTEM OF A DOWN (Tuesday) Combining crushing heaviness with extreme-sports dexterity allows this Armenian-American band to smuggle blatant antiwar messages past some of its more mainstream fans. 7 p.m., Continental Airlines Arena, the Meadowlands, Route 120, East Rutherford, N.J., (201) 935-3900, $33 to $45. (Sinagra)
THE VANDALS (Tomorrow) Founded in 1980, this jokey punk-pop band, from Orange County, California, contributed to the bratty sound of younger bands like the Offspring and Blink-182. Tomorrow they play a benefit for CBGB. 8 p.m., CBGB, 315 Bowery, at Bleecker Street, East Village, (212) 982-4052, $25.
(Sinagra)