Jimi Hendrix' Birthday Bash feat. Leon Hendrix, Goldy McJohn from Steppenwolf, Roger Fisher from Heart, and Randy Hansen at Club Broadway in Everett, 7 p.m., $10-$15

With drummer Mitch Mitchell's recent death, the physical legacy of the Jimi Hendrix Experience finally came to an end, 38 years after its leader's tragic, premature passing. But just because a rock icon is dead doesn't mean his baby brother can't throw him a rockin' birthday bash, which is essentially what this gig amounts to. Jimi's younger sibling is Leon, a 60-year-old former street hustler who didn't pick up a guitar until six years ago, at roughly the same time when it became apparent that his exhaustive legal efforts to regain a cut of his brother's lucrative estate would prove futile. But while critics will be apt to dismiss Leon and his backing band as a cheap imitation of the real thing, his prowess proves that playing electric guitar is hard-coded in the Hendrix DNA. While Leon's singing voice leaves something to be desired (the same was said of Jimi), he is a respectable axe wielder, even if an emergence from his brother's long shadow is virtually impossible at this point, if it was ever possible to begin with. MIKE SEELY

Over the Rhine, Jim Bianco at Triple Door, Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 p.m., $30 adv, $33 dos, all ages

Hawking original Christmas songs has never been the easiest commercial venture, but Ohio duo Over the Rhine renounced the pursuit of mainstream success long ago. Snow Angels, its 2006 collection of wistful holiday music, didn't reach far beyond the band's devoted following, but it might be the best soundtrack since A Charlie Brown Christmas for feeling melancholy and lovesick in December. Over the Rhine's annual holiday shows promise to draw from Snow Angels and the best of their earthy, dark-roasted catalogue. The band sells its own coffee online and the piano-driven music practically begs to be mused upon over one hot drink or another. Pianist/husband Linford Detweiler crafts songs with gorgeous open spaces, and vocalist/guitarist/wife Karin Bergquist fills them with an emotional range that makes sure the meditative music still flirts and surprises. JON HISKES