Saturday, March 6, 9PM, The Continental, 212 Franklin St., 855-3938

Tribute shows are generally dicey endeavors, hampered as much as helped by the honoree’s prodigious talents. Local artists face a daunting task when they interpret familiar songs by their audience’s favorites; if they play it straight, they run the risk of paling in comparison with a relative legend, but if they stray too far from the original songs, they might lose the crowd altogether. But Tom Waits songs often lend themselves well to revision, in part because his gruff vocals and wild arrangements often rub uninitiated listeners the wrong way. Many musical lightweights out there prefer Rod Stewart’s VH1-ized version of "Downtown Train," or Springsteen’s "Jersey Girl," to Waits’ own brilliant recordings. If you’re one of these perhaps Alison Pipitone, Tommy and the Two Tones, or Salt Peter will bring newfound beauty to Waits’ manic rockers and beery dirges. But even if you’re a die-hard Waits fan, and will wince with every omitted nuance, you should check this show out. After all, Tom’s not coming to town anytime soon, and it kicks the shit out of enduring another Bob Dylan or John Lennon tribute at Nietzsche’s. Even adventurous newly arrived freshman can get into this eighteen-and-over show; plus it’s a five dollar cover, so you’ll have enough scratch left to get as drunk as Waits sounds on his early records.

Saturday, March 6, 10PM, Park West, 840 Center St., Lewiston, NY

Two up-and-coming Canadian rock bands will share the stage at Park West. The Trews were recently nominated for a Juno award, and their new disc can be heard on a host of stations in Canada. They’ve been touring with Nickelback, which is…good for them. By Divine Right have been plugging away on the alt-rock scene for years now, and have just returned from a tour in China. Local Faves Red Pen will open. Tickets are 8 dollars pre-sale (10 at the door) and can be found at New World, Home of the Hits, Favorites Pizza, and, in Niagara Falls, HoJo’s!

Wednesday, Mach 10, 8PM, Mowhawk Place, 47 E. Mowhawk St., 855-3931

Mohawk place serves up a steaming helping of hook-laden NYC college rock this Wednesday, livening your midweek with a peek at the future of pop.

New York City’s Sea Ray has shared the stage with the A-list of the college/indy scene, including such stellar acts as Interpol, Yo La Tengo, Mojave 3, American Analog Set, and The New Pornographers. Their new album, Stars at Noon, is smooth, deep, and pretty, and extremely well-produced. Guitar, keyboard, and cello have rarely coexisted so well on a recording. Their music is dense, sweet and catchy, reminding us of some of our favorite ‘80s and ‘90s new wave bands, but with a momentous sense of weight that belies their more modern influences. Lots of slow shoe-gazers, but they also know how to rock. Sea Ray’s live show is a multimedia assault; video imagery is projected at the stage as the band plays.

Say Hi To Your Mom is the brainchild of Eric Elbogan, a New York-based Californian who put together a band to perform his infectious, ear-pleasing analog synth-pop songs. Elbogan’s tunes don’t take themselves too seriously, a refreshing change from the typical self-important pomp of modern "underground" rock. The lyrics are clever and fun, containing more nerdy pop-culture references than you can shake an Atari game cartridge at. Say Hi’s van just got robbed in Seattle, so be nice to them. Both of these bands are currently burning up the college charts, so catch these guys now while you can still see them without giving cash to Ticketmaster. Local melodic chick-rockers The Broadcast Schedule will open the show.