Saul Williams

MC, poet, and actor Saul Williams treads new territory with each of his albums, never settling in one place for too long. He launched his recording career with the 2001 rap-electro hybrid Amethyst Rock Star, which sported enough wordy pontificating to generate underground buzz. Rick Rubin's production certainly didn't hurt things. Rage Against the Machine's Zack de la Rocha and System of a Down's Serj Tankian showed up on Williams' next album, a self-titled record from 2004 that explored America’s troubled psyche. His third album, 2007's The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust!, featured production by Trent Reznor, who helped Williams consolidate all of the freewheeling and unhinged influences that floated around his previous records. His latest LP, last year's Volcanic Sun, begins with a densely worded meditation on mortality and life's restrictions before Williams falls into more pop-centric melodies. It's all part of his continued effort to frame his words in new sounds. With CX Kidtronik. 8:30 p.m. Tickets: $15. – Dave Cantor