Courtesy photos

The Five Deadly Venoms

CORRECTION: Cover charge is $5 for the Matt Ramsey show tonight at Awful Arthur's. Due to incorrect information posted at Awful's MySpace.com page, the charge was listed incorrectly on today's Top Tickets page.

SATURDAY

The Five Deadly Venoms

Definition No. 1 for The Five Deadly Venoms: Late-1970s kung fu flick featuring five fighters named after venomous animals. Definition No. 2: A very fine Brooklyn, N.Y., bluegrass band that doesn't want to whup you, but instead wants you to come hear its picking and singing.

Details: 8 p.m. Saturday. Kirk Avenue Music Hall, Roanoke. $8. myspace.com/kirkavenuemusic, myspace.com/thefivedeadlyvenoms.

TUESDAY

Snarky Puppy

This Dallas act delivers instrumental jazz-funk that boils over. Snarky has been here a couple of times, but I haven't had a chance to make it out. No worries -- some of the best players in Roanoke tell me they've heard the band live, and it was 100 percent smoking. Look for a podcast before Tuesday at blogs.roanoke.com/cutnscratch.

Details: 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. Martin's Downtown Bar & Grill, Roanoke. $5. 985-6278, martinsdowntown.com, myspace.com/snarkypuppy.

TONIGHT

Charlie Hunter Duo

World-class guitarist plays the bass lines, too. Joining him is Deep Banana Blackout drummer Eric Kalb. Read more at roanoke.com/entertainment.

Details: 8 p.m. Thursday. Kirk Avenue Music Hall, Roanoke. $20; all ages. 745-6643, dlpconcerts.com, charliehunter.com.

FRIDAY

Matt Ramsey

Ramsey, a friend and songwriting buddy of Nashville hitmaker Phil Vassar, is a Botetourt County boy. He hits a stage near home on Friday to play such radio-friendly original tunes as "We Live," "I Want That Scar" and "Cooler Than I Am." This guy can tell a good story and write a good melody.

Details: 10 p.m. Friday. Awful Arthur's, Towers Shopping Center, Roanoke. $5. 777-0007, myspace.com/awfularthurs, myspace.com/mattramseymusic.

Whiskey N Waterbeds Showcase

With Prison Mattress and Casey & the Moonshine Band

Drunken podcasters throw a show. Acts include Prison Mattress, whose MySpace.com mp3 tunes reveal an act that might not make the cut on the John Boy & Billy Big Show, but Robert D. Raiford would love it -- unless the band is going for irony.

Details: 9 p.m. Friday. 460 West, Roanoke. $5. myspace.com/whiskeynwaterbeds, myspace.com/caseythemoonshineband, myspace.com/possumcrossin.

Blount Harvey

Neo-soul hip-hop group flows and flows. "Crunk Train" is a favorite from the band's MySpace.com page.

Details: 10 p.m. Friday. Awful Arthur's, Blacksburg. Cost: TBA. 443-9109, myspace.com/awfularthur39sblacksburg, myspace.com/blountharvey.

Half Moon

With The Lazy Man Dub Band

Adam Beason is so into playing, he's got both his bands on stage tonight. First set: reggae-fried. Second set: funky world vibes.

Details: 9 p.m. Friday. Martin's Downtown Bar & Grill, Roanoke. Free. 985-6278, martinsdowntown.com, myspace.com/thehalfmoonband.

Brooke Campbell

This ex-high school cheerleader began writing songs "kind of as a joke," she said on her online biography. Seven years later, she's still at it, and has a nice voice.

Details: Third Street Coffeehouse, Roanoke. Free; tips for musicians are encouraged. 309-4707, threecavrs@aol.com, brooke-campbell.com.

Harmonic Cellar

Guitarist Tommy Noland and singer Shana Saul bring their bluesy jazz all fine and mellow.

Details: 9 p.m. Friday. Fork in the Alley, Roanoke. Free. 982-3675, forkinthealley.com, myspace.com/harmoniccellar.

SATURDAY

The Blue Rhythm Boys

From Baltimore comes an act fusing the musical traditions of New Orleans, the Mississippi Delta and the Gypsy caravans of France. Guitarist/singer Tom Mitchell is a former sideman in Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks.

Details: 7 p.m. Saturday. Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke. $20; $18 for museum members. 204-4122, taubmanmuseum.org/calendar, myspace.com/thebluerhythmboys.

Uglyography

With Kid A and Billy Wallace

Uglyography is Matt Thomas, a multi-instrumentalist who got sick of working with a band and decided to do his pop-punk/rock mix as a one-man band.

Details: 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The Water Heater, Roanoke. $5. theh2oheater.com, myspace.com/uglyography, myspace.com/kida, myspace.com/billywallaceva

The Urban Sophisticates

Funky hip-hop from a Greensboro, N.C., act that has played recent shows with Flobots and Talib Kweli.

Details: 10 p.m. Saturday. Awful Arthur's, Towers Shopping Center, Roanoke. $5. 777-0007, myspace.com/awfularthurs, myspace.com/theurbansophisticates.

Electric Chameleon

Slowly but surely, this pop/rock/reggae act is stretching its boundaries, getting out on some road trips and playing bills with some other good bands. EC is also in the lineup for FloydFest in July.

Details: 10 p.m. Saturday. Martin's Downtown Bar & Grill, Roanoke. Free. 985-6278, martinsdowntown.com, myspace.com/electricchameleon.

HopeHop

Electrifying rap and soul music. If you don't know, check out the live video of "Let My People Go," on the band's MySpace page.

Details: 9 p.m. Saturday. Sharkey's, Radford. $2 for 21 and older; $5 for ages 18-21. 267-3434, sharkeyswingandribjoint.com, myspace.com/hopehopmusic.

Kerosene Willy

On-again, off-again Willy is on, with a list of shows through the summer so the band can spread the Dead vibes.

Details: 9:30 p.m. Saturday. Market Street Pub, Roanoke. $5. 982-6618, myspace.com/marketstpub, myspace.com/officialkerosenewilly.

Dailey & Vincent

These big winners at the 2008 International Bluegrass Music Association awards deliver the best harmonies in the genre.

Details: 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Fairview Ruritan Club, Galax. $20; general admission. (276) 236-0121, (276) 236-0499, tinyurl.com/cdd9c3, daileyvincent.musiccitynetworks.com.

The Pullouts

With Affliction Kid and The Flying Rugs

Get huge doses of loud, dirty rock 'n' roll music with smart lyrics from The Pullouts and Affliction Kid. I don't know about The Flying Rugs, but I like the name.

Details: 9 p.m. Saturday. The Coffee Pot, Roanoke. Free. 774-8256, myspace.com/coffeepotroadhouseinc, myspace.com/thepull0uts, myspace.com/afflictionkidonline.

Mike Wescott's Blues On Board

Wescott is a fiery blues/rock guitar player with a decent voice. He, two brothers and his father came down last summer from the D.C. area and won the Blue Ridge Blues Society's band contest.

Details: 9 p.m. Saturday. Blue 5 Restaurant, Roanoke. Free. 904-5338, blue5restaurant.com, bluesonboard.com.

SUNDAY

Fred Wesley

With Laura Reed and Deep Pocket

He took James Brown to the bridge countless times, and now the Godfather of Soul's trombonist/arranger is taking it to Sun Music Hall. Wesley and The New JBs will get on up, Godfather style. Laura Reed and her band, including Botetourt County's own Debrissa McKinney, will make this a super-funky double-bill. Read more in Friday's Extra.

Details: 7 p.m. Sunday. Sun Music Hall, Floyd. $22 in advance; $25 at the show. 745-6643, dlpconcerts.com, funkyfredwesley.com, laurareedanddeeppocket.com.

DJ Williams Projekt

Soulful singer, rocking guitarist and able songwriter Williams and his band can put on a killer show.

Details: 9:30 p.m. Sunday. The Lantern, Blacksburg. Cover charge TBA. 951-1019, thelanternblacksburg.com, www.myspace.com/djwmusic.

TUESDAY

Jonatha Brooke

You've probably heard Brooke's music on TV without knowing it. Her songs have been featured on MTV's "The Hills", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Dollhouse" (she co-wrote the theme song). But this veteran singer-songwriter recently did something way more interesting -- she went into the Woody Guthrie archives, found some really sweet verses and wrote songs to them. The result, her 2008 CD "The Works," is often gorgeous.

Details: 8 p.m. Tuesday. The Lyric Theatre, Blacksburg. $26; $23. thelyric.com, jonathabrooke.com.

WEDNESDAY

Pnuma Trio

With Damn Right

Experimental/electronica act Pnuma Trio, on the bill for this year's Rothbury festival, features keyboardist and onetime Roanoker Ben Hazlegrove.

Details: 9:30 p.m. The Lantern, Blacksburg. $10 advance; $12 at show. 951-1019, myspace.com/pnumatrio, thelanternblacksburg.com.