Def Leppard and Cheap Trick
DL is still rockin’ that “Rock of Ages,” and Cheap Trick know how to make us jump for those Rick Nielsen guitar picks. With Poison. Wed/2, 7 p.m., $36-$131. Shoreline Amphitheatre, 1 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View. (650) 541-0800.

Mike Donovan and Aerobics King
Work out -- don’t wear it out. Sic Alps mountaineer Donovan goes solo alongside his ex-Big Techno Werewolves cohort Eric Bauer. With Banaya Papaya. Wed/2, 9 p.m., $5. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. (415) 923-0923.

The Blind Boys of Alabama
Watch for the closed Bay Bridge (BART runs 24/7, FYI) - and catch these four-part harmony legends. Thurs/3-Fri/3, 8 p.m., $35. Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakl. (510) 238-9200.

Japanther
The bad mf’s bring the gravy – early – and on the brink of their Sept. 12’s Hoodstock at the Quarter Century Michael Jordan pad in Oakland. With Ninjasonik. Thurs/3, 6 p.m., $7. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. (415) 923-0923.

Invisible Ocean Gathering
Sounds like heady, nature-loving, camp-out fun, down at the farm. Loads of bands from here and away are here: the Blank Tapes, Casual Fog, Helene Renaut, Jeffrey Manson, Jel, the Mumlers, Odd Nosdam, Peggy Honeywell, Sean Smith, Tussle, and more. Also catch screenings of Dear and Yonder, a new doc about female surfers, and No Deposit No Return Blues, a film about Sandy Bull made by his daughter KC. Fri/4-Sat/5, all day, $25-$50. Old Mill Farm, near Mendocino. www.invisible-ocean.com

Mew
The Danish art-rock threesome lands on Sony and delivers perhaps the longest album title ever, No More Stories Are Told Today, I'm Sorry, They Washed Away, No More Stories, The World Is Grey, I'm Tired, Let's Wash Away, (with accompanying music) after staging a six-day “Mewseum” installation in El Lay. Fri/4, 9 p.m., $18. Independent, 628 Divisadero, SF. (415) 771-1422.

White Buffalo
Settling in for a semi-residency, the “hard touring, hard drinking” boyo visits with Hogtied Revisited. With JJ Schultz and Wolf Larsen. Fri/4, 9 p.m., $12. With Jeffrey Luck Lucas and James Finch Jr. Sat/5,9 p.m., $12. Hotel Utah, 500 Fourth St., SF. (415) 546-6300.

Outrageous Cherry and Devon Williams
The Detroit melody makers bring the psych love, while LA’s Williams trots out a jangling new-wavey 7-inch lovely for Slumberland, an appetizer in anticipation of a full-length for the label. With Thee Makeout Party. Fri/4, 9 p.m., $18. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. (415) 923-0923.

Cold Cave – "Love Comes Close" from Peter Jacobson on Vimeo.

Cold Cave
Art Fag San Diego wants you to paint your face and shake a leg to the Philly/NYC synthpop combo. With Crocodiles, Best Coast, and DJ Mario Orduno. Mon/7, 10 p.m., $5. Knockout, 3223 Mission, SF. (415) 550-6994.

Little Cow
From cute ‘n’ cuddly animation to “Cyber Boy” -- the ace Budapest folk-rock combo returns, sans Plastic People. Mon/7, 8 p.m., $10. Café du Nord, 2170 Market, SF. (415) 861-5016.

Karl Blau
After appearing at the Invisible Ocean Gathering, Anacortes, Wash.’s most renowned songwriter scans the sky for stars, sets his songs free, and carefully cultivates his Kelp Lunacy Advanced Plagiarism Society. With Neal Morgan and Casual Fog. Tues/8, 9 p.m., $6. Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, SF. (415) 923-0923.

The Knux
You know they got the fight. Tues/8, 9 p.m., $15. Independent, 628 Divisadero, SF. (415) 771-1422.