Turn it down

If you love poppy punk and football, you’re in luck — this show doubles as a Super Bowl Party. For the past five years, Way to Fall has been steadily gigging and recording its brand of pop-core, taking influence from their pop-punk forefathers. Along the way the trio has shared the stage with Bowling for Soup, Rookie of the Year and MC Lars. Speaking of sharing the stage, the big game will be shown on a huge projection screen and blasted through the PA system, with the music played before, after and at halftime of the game. Way to Fall, which formed in 2006, includes Seth Rentfrow (bass/vocals), Kevin Vermillion (guitar/vocals) and Alex Chelf (drums). Warming up the stage are Last Night Saved My Life and Fine Fine Titans.

Sun., Feb. 3, The Loft, 414 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, all ages, $8 adv., $10 door, 6:30 p.m.

Jahshua Smith at Mac´s

Just before he releases his new album on Feb. 6, Lansing hip-hop artist Jahshua Smith performs Wednesday at Mac’s Bar along with a special “secret” pick-up band, The Race Card. Sharing the bill are Green Skeem, Elliot Street Lunatic and Atoms and Ease. The new album, entitled “The Final Season,” is a follow-up to Smith’s “Black History Year” EPs. “There´s still heavy content about social issues, but not (limited) to the theme of black history,” Smith said. “That´s not to say all these elements aren’t found (on the album), but there’s way more on the palette musically this time around.”

Wed., Jan., 30, Mac´s Bar, 2700 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, 18 and over, $8 advance, $10 door, 7:30 p.m.

Mabus at Singing Fest

This is the landmark 10th year for the Mid-Winter Singing Festival, co-produced by the Ten Pound Fiddle and the City of East Lansing. Leading the audience through a list of gospel songs, Civil Rights anthems and classic folk songs are upstate New York’s Kim and Reggie Harris, Detroit’s Rev. Robert B. Jones and local folkie Joel Mabus. Lyric books are provided — all audiences need to do is sing along. The event is open to all skill levels and is spread across two days. On Friday, the Harrises, Jones and Mabus lead the sing. Then, on Saturday, Chouinard will perform a batch of songs. A free children´s concert starts at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Feb. 1-2, Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbot, East Lansing, 7:30 doors, $20 public, $15 members, $5 students.

Young Empires hit Lansing

The members of Young Empires have dubbed their sound “world beat haute rock” — the “world beat” referring to the band’s use of African and Latin American percussion. Saturday the band plays Mac’s Bar with openers Royal Teeth. Fans of The Killers, Arcade Fire and Cut Copy may dig the band’s polished pop sounds. Young Empires first got underway in August 2009 and by 2011, the band began getting spins on Canadian radio stations and were voted No. 6 on SiriusXM’s “Top 50 of 2011.” They’ve also charted well on the iTunes Canada Rock Charts. Their song “Rain of Gold” is featured on the “FIFA 13” soundtrack.

Sat., Feb. 2, Mac’s Bar, 2700 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, 18 and over, $8 advance, $10 door, 7:30 p.m.

Frontier Ruckus drop x2 LP

Following up the band’s last acclaimed record, “Deadmalls and Nightfalls,” Frontier Ruckus is getting set to drop its biggest record to date: “The Eternity of Dimming,” a 20-song double LP. The release show is Saturday at The Loft, and includes openers Lansing Unionized Vaudeville Spectacle and Wayne Szalinski. “(It) has a lot of shimmery, bright sounds,” said Matthew Milia, the band’s chief songwriter and front man about the new record. “There’s a lot more electric guitar, Wurlitzer and Hammond organs — kind of pulsating, ‘80s Casio keyboards. It’s all about over-abundance of memory and over-stimulation.”

Sat., Feb. 2, The Loft, 414 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, all ages, $12 advance, $15 door, 7 p.m.