Rock Picks: Mulatu Astatke, The Soft Pack, Katy Perry, Merle Haggard

Also playing Wednesday:

EAGLES OF DEATH METAL at Henry Fonda Theater; OREN LAVIE at Largo at the Coronet; THE DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND, TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE at the Mint; AL DIMEOLA at the Roxy; MATT & KIM, THE MAE SHI, THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD TO CANDYLAND at the Troubadour; SOLANGE at the Viper Room.

Beat Killers: Quintessential garage-rockers

The band formerly known as the Muslims is now the Soft Pack.

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• Katy Perry
• The Viper Room
• Hal Blaine
• Punk Rock
• Underground Hip-Hop

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5

Hal Blaine’s 80th-Birthday Party at Baked Potato
Without Hal Blaine, there would literally be no kick to the Beach Boys’ “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” and there would be a lot less to talk about on Elvis’ “A Little Less Conversation.” Whether it was from inside Gold Star, Capitol or a host of other studios, the legendary drummer helped to build Phil Spector’s wall of sound, laying down more tracks than Union Pacific — and he’s got a joke for every one of them. His posse, the ubiquitous Wrecking Crew (featured in a recent documentary of the same name), have been the musicians behind the hits (40 No. 1’s) since 1962, and he’s still hitting the skins at 80. Keys man and fellow Crew alum Don Randi is inviting us to his Studio City club to celebrate Blaine’s birthday with this open jam/tribute (if you got what it takes, then come down with your ax of choice), and the proceeds will go toward a music scholarship for some lucky kid. (Daniel Siwek)

Merle Haggard at the Grove of Anaheim
Merle Haggard is one tough old okie. When the honky-tonk philosopher was admitted to a Bakersfield hospital last November to undergo surgery for a lung tumor, the press began circling like vultures, predicting at best that he would never sing again and, at worst, that his burial was a sure-fire coming attraction. Getting rid of the lemon-sized growth required the removal of his right lung’s upper lobe, but just two months later, the renowned singer-guitarist is back on the road, and not only that, he already has a new Obama-inspired song (“High Hopes”) in the set list. Such mad perseverance is typical Hag, though; after all, he’s the guy who spent his youth blending a tremendous creative streak with his irresistible criminal impulses, and the former only triumphed over the latter due to a hard stretch in San Quentin. In the time since, Haggard’s excruciatingly artful output has landed him on the top of the country charts 40 times, on the cover of jazz bible Downbeat magazine and in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Don’t write him off just yet, kiddies. (Jonny Whiteside)

NOFX, Youth Brigade, Channel 3, Sin 34 at Henry Fonda Theater
Has it already been a quarter century since NOFX started out as a struggling Bad Religion–influenced group here in Los Angeles? The fun-loving, heavy-drinking band have long since moved to San Francisco, where they’ve become something of a punk-pop institution. NOFX’s underground success unfortunately paved the way for such mainstream lightweights as Blink-182 and Green Day, but they’ve distinguished themselves from their empty-headed imitators with an irreverently silly blend of punk rock that deftly incorporates skate punk, pop-punk and ska. While they’re obviously a joke band (with such song titles as “Professional Procrastination” and “Hot Dog in a Hallway”), NOFX have managed to make some serious, nonpreachy points about racism and homophobia along the way. Founding members Fat Mike (a.k.a. singer-bassist Mike Burkett), guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin still lead the band, but several of NOFX’s past members will appear at this anniversary gig. Tonight’s bill is fully loaded with the venerable W.L.A. outfit Youth Brigade, the bratty hardcore rants of the recently reunited early-’80s Santa Monica punks Sin 34, and Cerritos’ still-fiery Channel 3, whose songwriting ranges from brutally profound examinations of the Japanese-American internment camps during World War II (“Manzanar”) to lighter stuff like the perils of modern romance (“You Make Me Feel Cheap”). (Falling James)

Also playing Thursday:

PILAR DIAZ, WAIT THINK FAST, LA SANTA CECILIA at the Bordello; JOHN MAYALL, CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE, LEE OSKAR at the Canyon; EMILY WELLS at the Hotel Café; NICO VEGA, THE YELLING, THE UNION LINE at the Roxy; ANDY FRIEDMAN & THE OTHER FAILURES at Silverlake Lounge; IGLU & HARTLEY at the Viper Room.