GENTLEMAN JESSE AND HIS MEN

They burst out of the speakers like a jailbreak. Their bright melodies are nearly blinding, mining hook-laden Beatles-inspired territory while pulling big harmonies and sing-along choruses. And many of their punchy tunes emanate biting maximum-R&B bar-band rock vigor. Jesse Smith has been an Atlanta fixture since the late ‘90s, leading chunky indie rockers Paper Lions and playing bass in garage-punks the Carbonas. Gentleman Jesse and His Men began as a side project in 2008; Smith finally returns with his second album, Leaving Atlanta, inspired by some tough intervening years. True to form, he rallies to the challenge – check out the balls-out rockabilly rave-up “Rooting for the Underdog.” The LP has a definite arc and trajectory, from the opening survival paean “Eat Me Alive” to the strutting Replacements-like “We Got to Get Out of Here.” There’s a lot of Leaving Atlanta that sounds familiar, but it’s less derivative than timeless, delivered with the spirited and heedless fervor of true believers. With Barreracudas and Prisoners. 9 p.m. Tickets: $8.– Chris Parker