Sonic Circuits is still going on, and FreeFest is this Saturday. We’ll have more on both today on Arts Desk. As for other music this weekend, we recommend:

The Best of Friday:

Every now and then, an artist comes along who scares the shit out of you. Arrington de Dionyso (formerly of Old Time Relijun) is that kind of a fellow. He creates arresting sound spheres that are both spectral and primitive. As a performance artist and self-proclaimed shaman for the 21st century, he creates raw-earth music, music for communing and for anthropological contemplation. Tuvan-style throat-singing combine with Indonesian lyrics and haphazard translations of the poet William Blake on his debut Malaikat album. The hallucinogenic and ecstatic is interrupted with grunting belches and burps of the earth, vocalized by a sputtering clarinet. It makes your body hum. The $10 suggested donation (the show is a benefit for Transformer gallery) for a survey course in ethnomusicology is a  serious bargain. 10:30 p.m. All ages.Comet Ping Pong.

Phasefest: DC’s Queer Music Festival. Friday and Saturday. $15, $20. Phase 1. There’s something for everyone: See website for full lineup.

The Best of Saturday:

The Gershwin Project revisits the work of an American master who held iconic status in Soviet Russia as an emblem of American culture. With Russian pianists Genadi Zagor and Vakhtang Kodanashvili, the Russian Gershwin Post-Classical Ensemble performs Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue (with improvised solos), Three Preludes, Concerto in F and Cuban Overture. Preconcert presentation with Richard Crawford at 7 p.m., concert at 8 p.m. $42. Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

Bliss 10 Year Anniversary Party: Will Eastman, Brian Billion. $10. 10 p.m. show. 18+.

Curtis Fuller. $20 preshow, $25 doors,7:30 doors, 8:30 show. Friday and Saturday night. Bohemian Caverns.

The Best of Sunday:

The Flail. Call for Price. Saturday and Sunday 9pm and 11pm. Twins Jazz.

Head-Rock. AK Slaughter. Height. $10. 9 p.m. Black Cat.

The Rest of Friday:

  • Eels w/ Jesca Hoop $25. 7pm doors. 9:30 Club
  • Curtis Fuller. $20 pre-show, $25 doors,7:30 doors, 8:30 show. Bohemian Caverns. Friday and Saturday night.
  • Field Music, Bellman Barker, The Beanstalk Library. $10 pre-show, $12 day of. 8:30 doors, 9:30 show. Rock & Roll Hotel
  • Ben Sollee: Ditch the Van Tour. $15.  7:30pm. The Strathmore.
  • Joe Sample. $43. 8pm & 10pm. Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Blues Alley.
  • Surprise! At the Club!! Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros $25. 8pm doors. 9:30 Club
  • The Boxer Rebellion , Amusement Parks on Fire, Augustines $13 9pm. Black Cat
  • 500 Miles to Memphis. $8. 9pm.  The Red and the Black. 21+.
  • The Walkaways, w/ Brother Shamus and Memphis 59.  $12. 9pm. Iota Club
  • Cerca Trova. Iona Sound. All In Karma. Light Up The Sky $10, $13. 6pm. Jammin Java.
  • Dia + Mista Forty + Socz + Sonny Black. $13. 10 pm. Jammin Java
  • Swamp Keepers Band. Call for time and price. Zoo Bar
  • Loose Lips. Ravenous. Lenorable. Skelliton. $8. 9pm doors. 10pm show.Velvet Lounge. 21+.

The Rest of Saturday:

  • Tosin Aribisala. Free. 7 pm. Atlas Performing Arts Center.
  • Flat Foot Sam & The Educated Fools. Call for time and price. Zoo Bar
  • Cornel West Theory. Noon:30. Voids Moan. Thela Blu, Zebulun. $8. 10 p.m. Velvet Lounge. 21+.
  • Univers Zero & Miriodor 7pm. La Maison Francaise
  • Bullet for My Valentine w/Escape the Fate. Black Tide. Drive A. $30. 6pm doors. 9:30 Club
  • BSO: Mahler’s Seventh Symphony: $28- $88. 8 pm. The Strathmore.
  • Kinch. Overrun. Shortwave Communique. $8. The Red and the Black. 21+.
  • David Bazan + Band. Mynabirds, $15. Black Cat
  • Colourslide, w/ My Radio and w/ Jeff Himmelman $12. 9pm. Iota Club
  • X-MC. The Yachtsmen. Sleeper Agent. $5. 10:30 pm. All ages. Comet Ping Pong.
  • Caroline Herring. $12. 7pm. Jammin Java
  • 10:00PM Jason Reeves+ Trent Hancock. $10, $13. 10pm. Jammin Java
  • Twins of a Gazelle. BeatShark. Great Elk. $8. 830pm. DC9. 18+.
  • Basia Bulat & The Acorn, Sam Izdat. $10 pre-show, $12 doors.
  • Sugarland. $35.75-$65.75. 4pm. Jiffy Lube Live
  • Alice in Chains w/Deftones and Mastodon. $49.50-$59.50. 7 pm. Patriot Center.
  • Inaugural Asian and Pacific Islander American Talent Competition and Showcase. 7 p.m.  Lisner Auditorium
  • United States Navy Band:Sea Chanters Concert. Free. 7:30 pm. Washington National Cathedral
  • Jackopierce.  7:30 pm. $29.50. Birchmere.
  • Capital City Symphony with Charlie Barnett and Chaise Lounge Symphony Lounge. $20-$30. 8 pm. Atlas Performing Arts Center.
  • Invader. Julie Hall. The 6th Degree. The Blackshire. The More You Know.Suffer No Guilt. Just My Luck. Cyberstrike. Evereaux. Provence. $10 pre-show, $12 doors. 5:00pm doors, 5:15 show. All Ages. Jaxx.

The Rest of Sunday: