Polecat, Pitchfork Revolution at Domino

Bluegrassers! Whether you love the touring bluegrass bands or you have a soft spot for the locals, tonight at the Domino Room should be a good ol’ hoedown of a dance party.

Headlining will be regular Bend visitors Polecat, an eclectic string-band from Bellingham, Wash., whose ‘grass is spiced up with shots of rock ’n’ roll, country, Celtic and world music. Above all, the five folks in Polecat seem to value tight picking and terrific melodies, both of which permeate their songs. Hear ’em for yourself at www.polecatbluegrass.com.

Opening tonight’s show will be The Pitchfork Revolution, a popular band of local stringbenders who claim to be “Central Oregon’s Feistiest Acoustic Attack.” That may or may not be true, but one thing is certain: Locals eat up their nuanced take on traditional bluegrass, which is why they stay so busy with gigs.

Polecat, with The Pitchfork Revolution; 9 p.m. Saturday, doors open 8 p.m.; $10, plus fees in advance at www.bendticket.com, no fees at The Cosmic Depot (541-385-7478) in Bend; Domino Room, 51 N.W. Greenwood Ave., Bend; www.p44p.biz.

Buckle Rash celebrates release of new album

As a band, you know you’re going somewhere when other bands start to list your name under the “Sounds Like” section of their social-media sites.

The implication, of course, is: “Here are bands that we think are similar to us but that you might’ve actually heard of.” Bigger, better-known bands, in other words.

Bend’s own Larry and His Flask is listed as such — alongside Hank Williams III, no less — on the Reverbnation profile of Buckle Rash, an Ashland-based group that blends traditional honky-tonk and Southern rock, then kicks it all up a notch with some gnarly punk attitude. Buckle Rash shows are sort of famously hyper-kinetic, full-contact experiences, kind of like Flask shows, but more country than bluegrass in sound.

Anyway, Buckle Rash has been busy in its short time as a band, recording and releasing both an EP and its new album, which came out late last year. But since next week will bring the band to Bend for the first time since it was released, Wednesday’s Dojo gig will double as a CD-release show.

Buckle Rash; 9 p.m. Wednesday; free; Dojo, 852 N.W. Brooks St., Bend; www.dojobend.com or 541-706-9091.

Mbrascatu visits McMenamins

Now here’s a style of music you can’t go see every week in Bend: Italo-Americana.

I don’t even know if that’s a genre. I just made it up.

It should be, if Mbrascatu is any indication. The Portland-based band plays classic Americana music — acoustic guitars, banjo, fiddle, understated drums — but is led by Andrea Algieri, who moved to Oregon from Calabria, Italy. And if Algieri were singing in English about beers and women and horses, Mbrascatu would be just another rootsy band. But he sings in Italian, and the effect is disarming.

Mbrascatu’s name is a tribute to Algieri’s grandfather, who gave him his first guitar. The band has been around since the summer of 2010, slowly forming into the current quartet, which includes dudes who play in the Portland bands Glassbones, A Happy Death, Future Historians, plus a classically trained violinist.

Add it all up, and it works — quite nicely. You can hear the band’s debut album at www.andrea-algieri.bandcamp.com, and see ’em live Wednesday at McMenamins Old St. Francis School.

Mbrascatu; 7 p.m. Wednesday; free; McMenamins Old St. Francis School, 700 N.W. Bond St., Bend; www.mcmenamins.com.

Red Molly set to shine at Tower

Now is the time of year when a ray of musical sunshine could do us all some good.

Winter — at least Central Oregon’s winter — is just setting in, temperatures are dropping and despite the passage of the solstice, the days still feel short and dark.

Enter Red Molly, an East Coast trio of women whose music was so well-received at the 2011 Sisters Folk Festival, they were booked to lead off the same organization’s 2012 Winter Concert Series.

It’s easy to hear why: Red Molly’s specialty is beautiful, effervescent folk-pop highlighted by well-plucked tunes (on bass, banjo, Dobro and guitar), wonderful three-part harmonies and a thread of likeable sass that runs through the songs.

Click on over to www.redmolly.com and play the video for “Hello Goodbye” to hear an example of what these women do as well as anyone: Transport your ears and heart somewhere that’ll put a big grin on your face, at least for a while.

Opening Red Molly’s Saturday show in Bend will be another past Sisters Folk Festival fave, Anne and Pete Sibley, a California duo that also features irresistible harmony singing.

Red Molly; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, doors open 6:30 p.m.; $20-$25 plus fees, available through the venue; Tower Theatre, 835 N.W. Wall St., Bend; www.towertheatre.org or 541-317-0700.

Locals wake up from winter hibernation

As we stagger toward the middle of January, local bands and music venues are slowly but surely coming out of their holiday slumber. On Saturday night, there are a number of places to catch area musicians doing their thing. Here are some highlights!

• At portello winecafe (2754 N.W. Crossing Drive, Bend), singer-songwriter Laurel Brauns will set up shop and play her ethereal indie-folk-pop for the clinking-glass crowd. Brauns has been laying relatively low since she was hit by a car while riding her bike last July, so if you want to see her play, take the opportunity when you can. (And you should; Brauns has one of the best combos of voice and melodic sense in town.) 7 p.m. Free.

• Parrilla Grill (635 N.W. 14th St., Bend) will host two bands associated with Third Seven, the online record label run by Central Oregonian Billy Mickelson (who also plays his experimental cello music under the name Third Seven). The bill includes Portland psych-folk band Mangled Bohemians (which released music through Mickelson years ago) and Dela Project (Mickelson’s gothic folk duo with Casey Prather). Mmm … fish tacos and unnerving roots music, two great things that go great together. 7 p.m. Free.

• Meanwhile, Silver Moon Brewing (51 N.W. Greenwood Ave., Bend) will be the place to go if you want to dance. That’s because Chiringa! will be in the corner playing a mix of Latin favorites and originals. If you aren’t aware, Chiringa! is local world-pop singer-songwriter Shireen Amini backed by a powerhouse band. Plus, Andres Garcia will be on hand to conduct a bachata dance lesson before the music starts. 8:30 p.m. Free.

— Ben Salmon