Marnie Stern

Tue., March 10, 8 p.m., $10, with Satanized, Kungfu Necktie, 1248 N. Front St., 866-468-7619, r5productions.com.

by Atom Goren

rock/pop

To simply call Marnie Stern a "guitar whiz," as she has been many times, is nearly criminal. The term forces a brain to conjure up mental images of technically proficient but unendurable dude rockers like Joe Satriani, or bass master Billy Sheehan. Sure, Stern can fingertap and hammer-on your face off, but her songs are far from one-dimensional pointless trips into stupidtown. Her latest full-length This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That (Kill Rock Stars) — easily one of the top albums of 2008 — is full of guitar wizardry embedded in awesome songs. Neither you, nor anyone you know, could play these things, but everyone can and will sing along upon hearing them.

Tue., March 10, 8 p.m., $10, with Satanized, Kungfu Necktie, 1248 N. Front St., 866-468-7619, r5productions.com.