Mayer Hawthorne & The County
7:30 p.m. at Subterranean; $17
With his confident onstage demeanor and smooth velvety voice, Andrew Cohen (aka Mayer Hawthorne), has quickly become one of Stones Throw’s most popular artists. Since his first performance in Chicago at the darkroom, Cohen has done a good job embracing the character of Hawthorne, which initially started out as a tongue-in-cheek way to impress close friends. His last performance at North Coast Music Festival was particularly impressive as he displayed a knack for controlling a large-scale crowd without compromising his laidback MO. At this point in his career it seems like fans are ready for Cohen to take things up a notch, and his performance at Sub-T will be a perfect place for him to do so. (J. Min)

Traces
2:30 and 8 p.m. at Broadway Playhouse; $33-$97
"Traces" features several boys and one girl performing acrobatic feats in a grungy faux loft while wearing pinstripe pants and white shirts, as if this is just what they do after they're done being paralegals. Watch out for the male pas-de-deux, which combines sweaty badassery with the kind of homo-eroticism that even straight people can enjoy.

Marshall Krenshaw
8 p.m. at SPACE; $17-$20
The makers of 1987's "La Bamba" were careful to get the music right in their film bio of Ritchie Valens, with Los Lobos supplying the playing for the title character and Marshall Crenshaw doing a spot-on take on Buddy Holly. Nearly 25 years later, Crenshaw remains one of the preeminent purveyors of buoyant, old-school pop with hooks that bury themselves in your head and wry wordplay. Talented local singer-songwriter Phil Angotti opens. (Mike Clark)