Saboteur, Dropsonic, The Hard Lessons

The best rock show of the week starts early at the Cavern, when Detroit's Hard Lessons open the night like a Pabst. Agostino Visocchi's guitars and howls are loud and foaming, but the synthesizers and cooing vocals from organ player Korin Cox make the trio's garage-infused bite go down smoothly. Afterward, Georgia's Dropsonic will mix Stooges-style urban plight with more progressive fare like Faith No More and Primus; lead shouter and guitarist Dan Dixon sounds like he's always at the losing end of a bar fight, and he doesn't have a lot to say, but he's got a damn ugly way of saying it--a threatening tone that fits the rhythm section's surprisingly groove-oriented assault. As if things couldn't get better, local boys Saboteur end the night with a set to celebrate the release of their cutthroat self-titled debut. If the EP's songs are any indication, this loud-as-hell night will end with everyone going home deaf--and happy.