On the eve of Independence Day and a three-day weekend, the Black Cat hosts local rock acts that provide the soundtrack to your daydreams. The Sea Life headlines in support of its third release, Transitions, a four-song EP recorded, like their 2012 full-length In Basements, below ground with Tommy Sherrod of Full Glass Records. The shoegaze band plays light, breathy songs, and the title track from its new release deals with similarly ephemeral things, hazily recollecting seasons and memories. Read more >>> The Sea Life performs with Humble Fire and Sun Club at 8 p.m. at the Black Cat Backstage, 1811 14th St. NW. $10. (202) 667-4490. blackcatdc.com. (Chelsea Bryan)

EAT THIS

Pregame your Fourth of July festivities today at Jack Rose Dining Saloon’s Wet Hot SAMerican Summer party. The restaurant has teamed up with Sam Adams for a rooftop fete and tap takeover beginning at noon. The event will include 10 Sam Adams summer drafts for $4 from noon to 5 p.m. and $6 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Cans go for $3 from and $5 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Meanwhile, barman Trevor Frye will be serving up beer snow cones for $4. Jack Rose Dining Saloon, 2007 18th St. NW. (202) 588-7388. jackrosediningsaloon.com. (Jessica Sidman)

OH AND ALSO

Thursday: Tropicalia prepares for the Fourth of July with performances by bluesman Cody Brooks, eccentric rock group Black Masala, and DJ Crown Vic. 9 p.m. at 2001 14th St. NW. $10.

Thursday: Toronto punk band Fucked Up plays Rock & Roll Hotel with Vancouver grunge act Weed. 8 p.m. at 1353 H St. NE.

Thursday: Magician Max Majors reads minds and impresses audiences during two shows at Atlas Performing Arts Center. 7 p.m.and 9:30 p.m. at 1333 H St. NE. $32–$79.

Friday: Yo Gotti is the self-proclaimed “King of Memphis,” but the rapper has developed strong East Coast ties—including a loyal fanbase here in the District. He has a penchant for crafting trunk-rattlers that reference money made from cocaine-dealing, yet are charming and PC enough to still get radio spins. And now, he’s headlining WKYS’ Independence Day White Out at the Howard Theatre on the Fourth. Read more >>> Yo Gotti performs at 10:30 p.m. at the Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW. $60–$100. (202) 803-2899. thehowardtheatre.com. (Julian Kimble)

Friday: The National Portrait Gallery highlights the achievements of two Civil War titans in its latest exhibition, “One Life: Grant and Lee.” 11:30 a.m. at 8th and F streets NW. Free.

Friday: West End Cinema screens a restored print of the Beatles‘ first on-screen attempt, A Hard Day’s Night. 6:40 p.m. at 2301 M St. NW. $12.

Saturday: Comedian Dan St. Germain pulls his stand-up material from the light and heavy alike, from living in New York City and going through rehab to working as a security guard and writing jokes for musicians, all delivered in his signature high-and-low manic style. In addition to his stand-up work, St. Germain is developing a Comedy Central series based on his experiences as a seasonal bartender in Yellowstone National Park, so he might throw in a few jokes for those taking advantage of the club’s cheap PBR tallboys, too. Read more >>> Dan St. Germain performs with Evan Williams, Brian Duss, and Sean Joyce at 9 p.m. at Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. $10. (202) 667-4490. blackcatdc.com. (Chelsea Bryan)

Saturday: Burlesque performer Angie Pontani ventures south from New York to lead the Birchmere’s Star Spangled Revue. 7:30 p.m. at 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. $29.50.

Sunday: There are moments on Sea When Absent, the new album by A Sunny Day in Glasgow, that may actually give you a head rush—in part because of the hyperchromatic, pitch-shifty production by Jeff Zeigler, but mostly because the Philly-formed collective writes noisy, sugarache pop songs that seem to be constantly unmaking and remaking themselves. Sea When Absent isn’t A Sunny Day’s most ambitious record—hat-tip, 2009’s Ashes Grammar—but it feels like the band’s most fully formed, mining both its early experiments in cacophonous pop and the more immediate, less produced songwriting of the 2010 self-released albumAutumn, Again. Read more >>> A Sunny Day in Glasgow performs with Cigarette at 9 p.m. at DC9, 1940 9th St. NW. $10. (202) 483-5000. dcnine.com.

Sunday: As part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Kenyan vocalist and guitarist Winyo performs at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage. 6 p.m. at 2700 F St. NW. Free.

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