Weird Science/Ma Holos

Despite being only one-fifteenth the size of Cleveland, the rural college town of Athens, Ohio is a miniature music Mecca. Just one of the many bands that has grown from its cow patty-fertilized soil, Weird Science has played dive bars across the Midwest for years and was recently voted the second best local band by Athens News readers. Their first release, 2012’s We Are Sick People…Pray for Us, fits soundly in the garage punk genre, mixing '60s garage rock with just a dusting of country twang. Tracks such as “Pig’s Ear Creek” and “This Page is Running Itself Dry” will be enjoyed by fans of the Black Lips, while the band ventures into prog rock territory on lengthier jams like “Appalachian Creeper.” After Party, the band’s 2016 follow-up album, is closer to pure punk, leaning hard on influences like Husker Du. The show will be opened by one of Cleveland’s most electric live performances, psychedelic-blues act Ma Holos; it’s a pairing you won’t want to miss. (Kaufman)