Critics' Picks, April 27 - May 3

[ROCK] + THU., APRIL 27
Hold onto your butts — one of the best modern rock ‘n’ roll bands is coming to the Mr. Roboto Project tonight. The Coathangers, of Atlanta, have a grimy, raw energy you can’t turn away from. The band’s most recent single, “Captain’s Dead,” is a dark, ominous jaunt, a fitting follow-up to its 2016 album Nosebleed Weekend. Pittsburgh’s Hearken and Murder for Girls open. Meg Fair 7 p.m. 5106 Penn Ave., Bloomfield. $12. All ages. www.robotoproject.org

[ELECTRONIC] + FRI., APRIL 28
Queer. Electronic. DJs. That’s what’s happening in this first series of MESH tonight at Cattivo. The locally based queer dance party is teaming up with Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania for a night of good jams and drawing support for women’s reproductive health. KIERNAN LAVEAUX, a Cleveland-based DJ, will be spinning some avant-garde techno beats. Joining her is Pittsburgh’s very own ChadKid. Alona Williams 10 p.m. 146 44th St., Lawrenceville. 21 and over. $5-10 sliding donation. 412-687-2157 or www.cattivopgh.com

[GARAGE] + FRI., APRIL 28
The Cheater Slicks have been at it since 1987. Thirty years and nearly a dozen records later, the garage-punk trio is still out and about, spreading the fuzzy gospel with the fervor and energy present from the start. And what better place to become one with the garage-y grime than Gooski’s? Chicago punk outfit The Sueves, local indie-rock darlings The Gotobeds and Pittsburgh hardcore group Chiller join the party. MF 10 p.m. 3117 Brereton St., Polish Hill. $5. 412-681-1658

[INTERACTIVE HIP HOP] + SAT., APRIL 29
Track Meet, at the Get Down Gang HQ on the North Side, is a pure open mic. No list, just come out and do your thing. Out of the Beatbox, hosted by Reason, is an open mic that welcomes all art forms, from emcees and poets to dancers. The only rule: Show respect to the other artists in the event. DJs Spaed and Blacklisted are spinning back-to-back sets, followed by beatbox sets from PyurTek and Han Seoul O. AW 8 p.m. 915 Spring Garden Ave., North Side. $5. facebook.com ("track meet: out of the beatbox")

[JAZZ] + Sat., April 29
Trumpeter Terell Stafford plays his own compositions but has also recorded tributes to Pittsburgh’s Billy Strayhorn and Philadelphia’s Lee Morgan. The latter, best-known for the funky hard-bop hit “The Sidewinder,” was also a trumpet player who “gave 150 percent every time he would play the music. I always admired that about him,” Stafford says. The same can be said for Stafford’s muscular style, which he brings to town tonight. Mike Shanley 8 p.m. New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East, North Side. $30. 412-322-0292

[HXC] + SUN., APRIL 30
Few things in this world are as cool or bad-ass as heavy music from Japan, and 惡AI意 is no exception. Catch the band at The Shop tonight with Long Knife, Submachine and D.O.G. This gig is for fans of headbanging, studded/patched vests and being just a little sore the morning after a show. MF 7:30 p.m. 4214 Main St., Bloomfield. $10. All ages. 412-951-0622