Turn it Down

Jarren Benton at the Loft

Friday, July 7 @ The Loft, 414 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing. 18kknd, $15, 9 p.m.

Known for his rapid-fire delivery of dark, yet humorous lyrics, Jarren Benton has steadily made a name for himself in his home state of Georgia and beyond since his debut with 2011’s “Huffin’ Glue With Hasselhoff.” Fans of Danny Brown or Earl Sweatshirt might want to also seek out Benton’s sophomore mixtape, 2012’s “Freebasing with Kevin Bacon,” or his critically acclaimed full-length, 2013’s “My Grandma’s Basement” LP. In 2015, his stop-gap “Slow Motion, Vol. 1” EP featured guest spots from fellow underground emcees like Dizzy Wright and SwizZz. A couple weeks ago, Benton dropped his latest effort, “The Mink Coat Killa,” which features the Wu-Tang-inspired “C.R.E.A.M. 17” and other heat-seeking tracks like “Again.” For hip-hop heads who want to see him perform live, Benton performs Friday at The Loft, opening the show are Caleb Brown and Bingx.

When Particles Collide at the Avenue Café

Friday, July 7 @ the Avenue Café, 2021 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing. 21kknd, FREE, 9 p.m.

When Particles Collide returns to Lansing for a free, Friday night show at the Avenue Café, openers are Hat Madder, Drinking Mercury, Birdhouse and No Skull. Now living in New Hampshire, Sasha Alcott (guitar/vocals) and drummer Chris Viner of When Particles Collide met in their native town of Bangor, Maine during a 2010 local production of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” – six months later the two were a band, three years later they were married. Their sound was praised by the Boston Herald, who described the duo as a “straightforward pop nugget that pulls from Motown, heavy metal and equal parts Joan Jett and Nancy Sinatra.” Since 2012, the road-warrior couple has independently toured the country relentlessly, playing nearly 100 shows each year, while self-releasing a stack of DIY records.

Jared & the Mill at Mac’s Bar

Thursday, July 6 @ Mac’s Bar, 2700 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing. All ages, $15, 6:30 p.m.

Phoenix-based indie-folk band Jared & the Mill headline an all-ages show Thursday at Mac’s Bar, openers are Canyon Spells, Fifth and Main and Far Away Places. Jared & the Mill, which formed in 2011, are a week into their coast-to-coast tour. The rustic, folk group is familiar with life on the road, having spent the past few years playing everything from dive bars to arenas. Led by songwriter Jared Kolesar (vocals/ guitar), the band debuted with 2013’s “Western Expansion” and was soon opening shows for the Killers, the War on Drugs and Zac Brown Band, to only name a few. Last year, the eclectic band dropped its latest release, the “Orme Dugas” EP. The five-track collection was produced in Nashville by Ryan Hewitt, a Grammy-winning producer known for his work with The Avett Brothers, Tom Petty and the Dixie