JANUARY 28

I was curled up by the roaring fire (OK, the roaring radiator), with a toasty hot chocolate spiked with peppermint Schnapps (trust me, it’s really good), wrapped in a quilt handmade by an elderly aunt, letting the soft strains of Rex’s 3 settle in my ears. I had found the perfect soundtrack for these cold winter nights. Maybe it’s Rex’s penchant for writing songs in 3/4 that gets me every time, but I’ve been a sucker for its music ever since its EP The Waltz. The three members of the Brooklyn-based trio have not sat idle since recording and touring for last year’s delicately riveting album, C. The newly released 3 is every bit as homespun as its predecessor, relying on simply textured guitar work and subtle string arrangements of violin, cello, and the occasional bazouki to create soothing, folk-tinged songs with the barest trace of country roots, as exposed by Curtis Harvey’s lilting vocals. Drummer Doug Scharin’s understated percussion is calmer than his drumming with fellow rockers June of ’44, but the beats are no less precise. Rex opens for Those Bastard Souls, whose blues-inflected retro-rock owes much to the savvy skills of frontman Dave Shouse, also a member of the equally talented, rambling noise band from Memphis, the Grifters. At 8:30 p.m. at the Black Cat, 1831 14th St. NW. $7. (202) 667-7960. (Amy Domingues)