Turn it down

'Leather & Lace' Goth at The Avenue

Thursday, Jan. 14 @ The Avenue Café, 2021 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing. 21kknd, $3, 9 p.m.

For those looking to escape the perils of perky pop drivel, Leather & Lace, The Avenue Café’s monthly Goth night, is the gloomiest ticket in town. Aside from absinthe specials, DJs Loren Pudvay and Cattie Jensen deliver shadowy sets of spooky tunes. “There’s some post-punk, synth-pop, death rock and industrial,” Pudvay said. Expect to hear some Nick Cave, Depeche Mode, KMFDM, Skinny Puppy and Ministry. “The vibe is light and fun amid a dark, spooky atmosphere – and the dance floor is always crowded.” Pudvay said. “Put on some eyeliner and your finest funeral attire and get into the morbid spirit.” As for the crowd, Jensen said it’s diverse. “It’s a mix between locals who just want to dress up and dance to music rarely played at clubs,” she said, “and people in the Goth scene, coming as far away as Detroit and Muskegon.”

Bobby Knucklez at Mac's Bar

Saturday, Jan. 16 @ Mac’s Bar, 2700 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing. All ages, $15, $10 adv., 8 p.m.

Local rapper Bobby Knucklez headlines Saturday at Mac’s Bar, openers are Asylum Insane, Faultered Step and Amani Crush. The all-ages show is the annual fundraiser for Kick it Out Dance Studio. Knucklez kept busy in 2015, warming up stages for a string of big names. “Last year I did approximately 25 shows,” he said. “The highlights would definitely be opening for Tech N9ne, Snoop and Wale at Common Ground and performing at the 16th Annual Gathering of the Juggalos.” This year, fans can expect a few new releases. One is a new Off-Course Hooliganz LP, the record, “White Trash Famous,” is a joint project with Str8jaket. Another joint effort, this one with JR of BadInfluence, drops later this year. A solo Bobby Knucklez EP, “Keep ‘Em Hatin’/The Return of Mazerati” hits this summer.

Billy Strings & Don Julin at the Ten Pound Fiddle

Friday, Jan. 15 @ the Ten Pound Fiddle – Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbot Rd, East Lansing. $18, $15 members, $5 students. 7:30 p.m.

Billy Strings and Don Julin play their final East Lansing show as a duo Friday at the Ten Pound Fiddle concert series. The Traverse City-based folk/bluegrass duo, known for its intense brand of mountain music, announced in November that it’s parting ways after two years of rigorous touring – though they’re finishing out their last run of scheduled performances. Strings’ departure comes on the heels of his move to Nashville, where the lightening-fast guitarist will focus on his solo career. Julin, the mandolinist, will stay in Michigan and continue teaching mandolin and focusing on future projects. Strings (real name William Apostol) was praised by the Northern Express, which praised his ability to “sling hundreds of notes with razor-crisp precision at the speed of a machine gun.”