Shows of the Week: Duster Remains a Surprising Gen Z Obsession

THURSDAY, OCT. 26:

No one can quite agree on how a once-obscure San Jose, Calif., band named Duster became a touchstone among Gen Z indie rockers who weren’t even born when they issued their initial run of lonesome, spacey albums in the late ‘90s. Yet somehow they’ve persevered as one of a handful of older rock bands younger generations passionately, intensely care about, and it’s not hard to figure out why: Their sad, nebulous music should appeal to anyone who’s ever felt like a capsule losing contact. Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St. 8 pm. $59 and up. All ages.

FRIDAY, OCT. 27:

Daniel Villarreal cut his teeth as a drummer in the Panamanian punk scene in the ‘90s before learning to play literally everything—prog metal, salsa, reggaetón, cumbia—during his tutelage with legendary drummer Freddy Sobers. Now based in Chicago, Villarreal is a linchpin of the city’s forward-thinking jazz community, and his sound is as eclectic as you’d expect, from the Latin psych of last year’s Panamá 77 to the ambient sound washes on his new album Lados B (a collaboration with guitarist Jeff Parker and bassist Anna Butterss). Jack London Revue, 529 SW 4th Ave. 9 pm. $20. 21+.

TUESDAY, OCT. 31:

Baroness’ music is as stately as their art deco album sleeves and as thick and humid as a Southern swamp. Their music often resembles the most ambitious prog-rock compositions of the Allman Brothers or Pink Floyd, filtered through layers of amp fuzz and played with such brawniness that it’d be a surprise if lead singer John Baizley didn’t have an impressive lumberjack beard. Opening for their Hawthorne Theatre set are two other forward-thinking metal bands, Canada’s KEN mode and locals Hoaxed. Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE 39th Ave. 7 pm. $35. 21+.