Tonight: The Wailers at Neumos, Sleepy Sun at Chop Suey

Steven Wittenberg

The Wailers. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. 8 p.m. $20. No name is as synonymous with the reggae genre than Bob Marley and no band is as closely associated with his legend as The Wailers, who went on to sell more than 250 million albums after forming in 1969. Though most of the original members (like Marley) have since passed, 63-year-old Aston "Family Man" Barrett--thought to be responsible for most of the bass lines in Marley's classic songs--soldiers on. Injecting new roots-reggae energy into tried-and-true hits, Barrett and the 8-piece band continue to take the Kingston Rastafarian musical message around the globe. And while the modern Wailers may not have the Marley family's blessing to continue touring, their multitude of fans demand otherwise. NICK FELDMAN

Sleepy Sun, with Sleepy Eyes of Death, Wilildlife. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8000. 8 p.m. $10. While Sleepy Sun's first release, Embrace, takes a revivalist approach to psychedelia, the San Francisco outfit's latest effort, Fever, steps out of the '60s and into the digital realm of the neo-psych movement. The hazy distortion, meandering guitar riffing and wailing vocals still prevail, but they are tempered by male/female harmonies and simply strummed guitars that make for a distinctly poppier sound. Comparisons to Black Mountain are apt -- Rachel Williams' tremulous howl is a ringer for Black Mountain's Amber Webber -- but Sleepy Sun's syrupy, lazy cadences often prove a more laid-back response to Black Mountain's thundering call to arms. SARA BRICKNER

Click to download "Open Eyes" from Fever..