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• Melody Inn

Dropkick Murphys will play the Murat Egyptian Room March 11. (Submitted photo)

Red Light Driver will play Radio Radio March 8. (Submitted photo)

California Guitar Trio will perform at the Music Mill March 6. (Submitted photo)

The Dockers will play the Melody Inn on March 8. (Submitted photo)

Brian Vander Ark will perform March 6 at Radio Radio. (Submitted photo)

1. Dropkick Murphys w/ Big D & the Kids Table and Everybody Out!

7:30 p.m. March 11, Murat Egyptian Room, 502 N. New Jersey St., $24, (317) 239-5151.

Music fans wanting to get an early start on St. Patrick's Day festivities should pencil in this show by Boston's Dropkick Murphys. The group has built a reputation on creating music that blends punk rock, Celtic folk and rock with an unbreakable pride for its hometown. They're touring in support of 2007 album "The Meanest of Times." Fellow Bostonians Big D & the Kids Table and Everybody Out! open.

2. Red Light Driver w/ Small Arms Fire, 8-bit Revival, Aviary Ghost

9 p.m. March 8, Radio Radio, 1119 E. Prospect St., $5, (317) 251-6957.

With a sound inspired by such British alternative acts as Joy Division, The Church and The Cure, Indy's Red Light Driver has become one of the city's leading original rock acts. The group's been busy recording most of the winter but will emerge from the studio for this Saturday show. They're joined by fellow Indy rockers Small Arms Fire, along with Bloomington's Aviary Ghost and Dayton's 8-bit Revival.

3. California Guitar Trio

8:30 p.m., March 6, Music Mill, 3720 E. 82nd St., $18 in advance, $20 day of show, (317) 841-1850.

Fans of virtuoso musicianship should take note of this show. The members of the California Guitar Trio met up when they were all under the tutelage of guitar guru Robert Fripp. Now they work together, fusing a sound that's part classical guitar, blues, jazz and even surf music. This visit marks the first time the trio has been in Indianapolis since 2006.

4. CancerSlug, Order of the Black Hand, The Dockers

10 p.m. March 8, Melody Inn, 3826 N. Illinois St., $8, (317) 923-4707.

The weekly Punk Rock Night showcase takes a darker turn this week with a quartet of bands from the heavier side of punk rock. CancerSlug visits from Huntsville, Ala., with a goth punk sound influenced by Glenn Danzig and Black Flag. Indy acts Order of the Black Hand and The Dockers represent their hometown on the four-band bill.

5. Punch Brothers

8 p.m. March 6, Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington, $20, (812) 332-9257.

Chris Thile is best known as singer/songwriter/mandolin player for the popular modern bluegrass group Nickel Creek. With that group on what's being called an "indefinite hiatus," Thile has formed Punch Brothers. The five-member band carries on Nickel Creek's bluegrass-influenced sound. Its first album, "Punch," hit stores in late February and features Thile's 40-minute, four-movement suite.

6. Brian Vander Ark

9 p.m. March 6, Radio Radio, 1119 E. Prospect St., $8, (317) 251-6957.

Brian Vander Ark made his name as lead singer for The Verve Pipe. The band topped modern rock charts with its 1997 single "The Freshmen." He launched his solo career in 2003 with "Resurrection" and put out second album "Angel, Put Your Face On" in 2006. He also has acted in films.

7. Lord of the Yum-Yum and OTTO

9 p.m. March 7, Sam's Saloon, 1640 E. Prospect St., $5.

An eclectic night of music awaits visitors to Sam's Saloon on Friday. Lord of the Yum Yum returns to Indy and our list this week. The performer uses his own voice with the help of a few technology tricks to re-create classical pieces and update them with beatbox rhythms. Comedian/musician OTTO joins him on the bill.

8. Antoine DuFour, Craig D'Andrea, Peter Ciluzzi

9 p.m. March 7, Radio Radio, 1119 E. Prospect St., $10, (317) 251-6957.

It's a good week for fans of top-notch acoustic guitar performance. Thursday night brings the acclaimed California Guitar Trio to town. And this Friday show gathers a trio of award-winning guitarists. Both Antoine DuFour and Craig D'Andrea are recent winners of the Canadian Guitar Festival's Fingerstyle Guitar Championship. Peter Ciluzzi will be competing for the title at this year's festival, held in June.

9. Wayne "The Train" Hancock

9 p.m. March 8, Lafayette Brewing Co., 622 Main St., Lafayette, $17, (765) 742-2591.

Don't be surprised if you see a caravan of hot rods heading north on I-65 for this show featuring Wayne "The Train" Hancock. The artist is equally loved by country music traditionalists and rockabilly fans. Called "juke joint swing" by Hancock, his sound borrows heavily from the classic tracks of Hank Williams. J.B. Beverley and The Wayward Drifters open with their own take on classic country music.

10. New York Voices

8:30 and 10:30 p.m. March 8, Jazz Kitchen, 5377 N. College Ave., $25, (317) 253-4900.

Like other jazz vocal groups Manhattan Transfer and Take 6, New York Voices apply their four-part vocal arrangements to jazz classics along with pop, classical, Brazilian and R&B sounds. The Grammy winners got their start nearly two decades ago and have since released six albums and appeared as guests on many others. They currently tour as part of their celebration of 20 years together.