Wednesday

A Wilhelm Scream — This Bay State punk quintet takes its name from the famous-to-movie-geeks Wilhelm Scream, a stock television and movie sound effect that was first used in the 1951 film Distant Dreams and has since been used extensively by George Lucas; the story goes that Distant Dreams needed a something that sounded like a man being eaten by an alligator. Indeed, that’s also not a bad comparison for the band, which utilizes violently fast riffs and in-your-face vocals to drive home its brutal, bashing post-hardcore. 2007’s Career Suicide, the band’s latest, wasn’t; indeed, it’s the band’s most brilliantly brutal work to date. P. Wall
New Brookland Tavern: 7 p.m., $10 ($8 advance); 791-4413, newbrooklandtavern.com.

A Wilhelm Scream

Thursday

Guy Clark — Coming from Texas, Guy Clark is a contemporary of Jerry Jeff Walker and the late Townes Van Zandt, two figures whose work laid the foundation for the progressive country movement in places the likes of Austin. Clark’s “Desperados Waitin’ For a Train” and “L.A. Freeway” were covered by Walker, who made them into FM radio hits. A Nashville resident for the last 30 or so years, Clark has had songs cut by everyone from Johnny Cash to Ricky Skaggs (like Skaggs’ No. 1 hit “Heartbroke”) over the years, and he’s released a string of excellent folk-country albums of his own, including 2007’s Workbench Songs. K. Oliver
Newberry Opera House: 8 p.m., $35; 276-6264, newberryoperahouse.com.

Trust Company

Trust Company — Trust Company, much like Saliva (who you’ll recall played Headliners a few weeks ago), is another early-aughts nü-metal band whose career has been inexplicably kept alive by the wrestling and sports video games. When the group initially folded after it couldn’t match the smash success of “Downfall,” its music got picked up as theme music for pay-per-view WWE events and EA Sports’ MVP Baseball series. The Prattville, Ala., quartet reunited in 2007, and has since recorded new music; indeed, longtime Trust Company fans can score demos and unreleased material by purchasing merch at shows. Hey, like this one! P. Wall
Headliners: 7 p.m., $18 ($15 advance); 796-2333, headlinerscolumbia.com.

Friday

A Cursive Memory — How’s this for overnight success: While most of its SoCal peers were butchering Blink-182 covers, A Cursive Memory was packing up its gear and heading out for a stretch of Warped Tour dates. Not bad for a band that formed but two years ago; then again, a partnership with the music-management wing of Bunim/Murray productions — the folks responsible for The Simple Life and The Real World — will certainly take you places. But don’t be fooled; A Cursive Memory has the sunny, rousing pop-rock tunes to back up its padded resume. With Mercy Mercedes, The Urgency, Go Crash Audio. P. Wall
New Brookland Tavern: 6 p.m., $12 ($10 advance); 791-4413, newbrooklandtavern.com.
Columbia QuadSquad Halloween Bash — There’s all kinds of Halloween celebrations going on this year, especially since this horrible holiday falls on a Friday. So when trying to figure out where to go this year, ask yourself: “Does this place have derby girls?” Because New Brookland certainly has them; Columbia’s QuadSquad derby team hosts this year’s Halloween bash. (And they do mean “bash.”) Headlining the evening are equally tough rockers Shallow Palace, whose aggressive rock could lead to a fun pit experience. Just watch out — those girls throw a mean elbow. Cats and Cobras and Medicine Veteran also play. T. Baker
New Brookland Tavern: 7 p.m., $10; 791-4413, newbrooklandtavern.com.

Friday

Nine Inch Neils — No disrespect to AC/TweeC, Jah Division or Hall and Ass, but this Atlanta tribute act has one of the best names I’ve heard in a while. The object of its affection is, of course, none other than the Jewish Elvis himself: Neil Leslie Diamond. And unlike Jack Black, Jason Biggs and Steve Zahn, those “two-bit manchildren” from Saving Silverman (Diamonds in the Rough, anyone?), Nine Inch Neils really “Got the Feelin’” ... if you know what I mean. Headlining the Five Points Pub’s second Hollywood Halloween, amidst all the rhinestones, chest hair and chorus bum-bum-bums, there’s sure to be a “Cracklin’ Rose” or “Kentucky Woman” looking for a “Longfellow Serenade” to make her “A Woman Soon.” Pace yourself though. This good-time quartet would hate it if you were “Done Too Soon.” L. Young
Five Points Pub: 8 p.m., $7 ($5 students); 
253-7888, myspace.com/5pointspub.

The Thirsties — One glance at The Thirsties’ MySpace calendar, and it looks as if the band is spending five of its next six Saturdays in the studio putting the finishing touches on the follow-up to the Fake EP. The Thirsties have long worn influences like R.E.M. and Guided By Voices on their sleeves, but much of Fake takes its cues from Robyn Hitchcock and The Soft Boys. For this week’s gig, the band will be previewing the newer material while also working in a couple of “Halloweenesque” covers. K. Foster
Hunter-Gatherer: 11 p.m., $5; 748-0540, myspace.com/huntergathererbrewery.

Saturday

Cooter Scooters — After your candy-induced sugar rush from the previous night, it would probably be nice just to hang out with a beer and listen to some good rock ‘n’ roll. Luckily, Art Bar provides. Columbia’s Cooter Scooters peddle a unique version of indie rock that combines lettered lyrics with the bombastic nature of old garage rock. It’s kind of like if Jeff Mangum had listened to more Iggy Pop. The music sounds straight out of the late ‘70s, but the attitude is early ‘90s American underground. The Ghosts of FDR and Sons of Young open this post-Halloween hoopla. P. Wall
Art Bar: 9 p.m., $3; 929-0198, artbarsc.com

Cory Morrow — One of the new breed of country singer-songwriters coming out of Texas in recent years, this Austin native has been releasing albums for over a decade, including 2008’s Vagrants and Kings. Instead of focusing on the songwriting side and appealing to the folk community like fellow Texan Guy Clark, Morrow has followed the Pat Green model of playing to the barroom crowds associated with the northern Texas and Oklahoma Red Dirt Country scene, which includes bands such as Cross Canadian Ragweed. (Advance tickets available at Manifest, Loose Lucy’s, Five Points Pub and etix.com.) K. Oliver
Five Points Pub: 10 p.m., $12 ($10 advance); 253-7888, myspace.com/5pointspub.

Sunday

Bouncing Souls — The Bouncing Souls, of course, play classic, pre-mall-core pop-punk, in which hard-hitting verses are peppered by catchy, sing-along choruses that still retain the loud, fast, passionate feel of authentic, circa-’77 punk rock. More than 30 years after punk broke — and more than two decades after forming in New Brunswick, N.J. — The Bouncing Souls are still going strong. Tourmates Strike Anywhere ain’t from Jersey, but the band’s going stronger than ever; the politically charged melodicore quintet, still riding high off 2006’s stellar Dead FM, just returned from Japan and departs for an extensive European tour in February. P. Wall
New Brookland Tavern: 6 p.m., $16 ($14 advance); 791-4413, newbrooklandtavern.com.