For over 20 years, banjo wizard Tony Trischka has taken his instrument to many different musical places. With the brilliant and eclectic Breakfast Special in the ’70s, Trischka helped to anticipate the various “world” and “roots” fusions so common today. Since then, he’s played everything from traditional bluegrass to countryish folk rock and even recorded an album of Christmas songs joined by guests ranging from a children’s choir to a string quartet. Trischka’s latest project, the Tony Trischka Band, with which he recorded the just-released Bend, is his most contemporary and rock-oriented incarnation yet. Bend’s title track marries a bluegrasslike melody to rock’s electric energy. “Woodpecker,” even farther out there, is an 11-minute neopsychedelic opus that features several abrupt tempo changes and extended banjo, guitar, and sax solos. Trischka performs at 9 p.m. at Iota, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. $10. (703) 522-8340. (Ken Roseman)