Best of Friday:

Dr. Dog with The Head and The Heart. $15. 8 p.m. doors. 9:30 Club. SOLD OUT.

With 10 years of recording and touring to its credit, Dr. Dog is not a band still in search its “sound.”  I mean, mull over this rather damning, back-handed compliment from a review of the band’s 2010 album, Shame Shame: “After five offerings that refused to play outside of the same clumsy shadow of 1960s rock fetishism, Dr. Dog proved to be one of the most stubbornly stuck-in-their-way bands of recent memory.”

As gatekeepers of mainstream-indie it factor, Pitchfork is pretty predictable in terms of what makes it shuck and jive. Sure, Dr. Dog’s breezy psych-pop jangle makes it susceptible to over-emoting, but it’s still managed to cultivate a loyal following.

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Best of Saturday:

Si*Sé with Sun Wolf. $18-$20. 9 p.m. doors. Black Cat.

Since 2000, Si*Sé has mined genres like dub, trip-hop, house, and Latin electronica to woo fans and win spots on shows like Sex and the City, CSI, and others. After a five year hiatus, the ensemble is back with a third release, Gold.  The album hasa smoothed-out, dancehall-tinged cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain,” while Singer/DJ Carol C’s voice is sophisticated and sensual in English and Spanish. It might be just enough to make you forget the week’s Thundersnow.

Oh, and if you wander over to Sun Wolf’s website, you’ll probably arrive at the conclusion featured in the artist bio:  “his riffs are boss and his beats are nice.”

Buddy Holly died in a plane crash in early February 1959, and rockabilly singer J.P. Mcdermott is paying tribute to Holly with a benefit show for Hungry for Music at the City of Takoma Park Auditorium. 8 pm. Advance tickets $15 at hungryformusic.com

Smalltown DJs: Jon H of Fort Knox Five. $10. 10 p.m. show. U Street Music Hall. 18+

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Best of Sunday:

Lissie. With Dylan LeBlanc. 8:00 p.m. doors.9:30 Club.

Christina Lee writes of the former YouTube cover star:

Lissie’s rough-hewn first single, “Little Lovin’,” distilled everything good about her debut EP Why You Runnin’, and fans were expecting more of the same from her debut album, Catching a Tiger. Instead, the 28-year-old ditched organic, powerful melodies for infectious, glistening pop songs—fine, in theory, but by sharpening her hooks and smoothing the edges of her sandpaper voice to a glossy finish, Tiger producers Jacquire King and Bill Reynolds did Lissie a serious disservice. Still, when the time comes for her to perform her rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” no amount of stage tricks will tarnish the glorious voice Lissie honed through singing lessons and grated through chain-smoking.

Dreamers of the Ghetto with Sleeper Agent! $8. 9 p.m. doors. Black Cat.

Need to relax? Are your Theta levels raging? Does anyone even know what that means? This family band from Bloomington, Ind., sometimes writes songs based off Schumann Resonance Theory. Still lost? I’ll translate further—-expect scary phantasia-inducing melodies with an anesthetizing effect.

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Rest of Friday:

J. Cole. The Park at 14th. Call for more information, (202) 737-7275.

Alma Tropicalia. Cane and The Sticks. Super Vacations. $8. 10:30 p.m. show. Comet Ping Pong. All ages.

The Moderate. Junior League Band. Oh So Peligroso. $10-$12. 9 p.m. doors. Black Cat.

Archivist. Fluorescent Sense. $10. 9 p.m. Rock & Roll Hotel.

Custer’s Last Stand. The Attic Ends. 10 p.m. show. $8. Velvet Lounge. 21+.

Super Vacations. Canes and The Sticks. $8. 10:30 p.m. show. Comet Ping Pong.

The Moondoggies. Quiet Life. $12. 9:00 p.m. Iota Club.

Rest of Saturday:

Deaf Dog and the Indictments. The Promissory Notes. $5. 8:00 p.m. show. $5. 21+. Velvet Lounge.

The Killer Balloons. Mercies. Presto Bando. $8. 9:30 p.m. show. The Red Palace.

Detox Retox. Loose Lips. Cobra Collective. Dead Heart Bloom. $10. 9:00 p.m. show Rock and Roll Hotel.

Rest of Sunday:

Dar Williams. With Ibis Chamber Music Society. $35. 4:30 p.m. Artisphere.

Roy Ayers. $37.50. 8:00 p.m. Blues Alley.

Grammy nomiated saxophonist Noah Getz. 8:00 & 10:00 p.m. Twins Jazz.