Music Forecast September 29-October 5

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Wild Flag
The supergroup of the moment is a collection of riot grrrls from the ’90s: Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney, Mary Timony of Helium, and Rebecca Cole of the Minders. Now known together as Wild Flag, they just released their debut, a self-titled album of energetic indie-punk with echoes of ’60s garage-rock and ’80s new-wave bounce. It’s not as ambitious as Sleater-Kinney, but it’s full of fun riffs and hooks, which ought to make for a lively show.
Wednesday, October 5, at RecordBar (1020 Westport Road, 816-753-5207)

Enrique Iglesias, with Pitbull and Prince Royce
Have you checked in on Enrique Iglesias lately? It ain’t 2001 anymore, and he ain’t singing about being anybody’s hero or kissing away anybody’s pain. Pop music is a different ballgame in 2011, and Iglesias, God bless him, has adjusted his approach to keep up. One of his more recent hits is called “Tonight (I’m Fucking You).” Another, “I Like It,” includes the gem of a line Turn around, I’ll give you more. Pitbull contributes his focus-group-tested dance raps to the latter, and he also joins Iglesias on this bill.
Monday, October 3, at Sprint Center (1407 Grand, 816-949-7000)

Tech N9ne
Each year of the past decade has seemed like the biggest year of Tech N9ne’s career, at least for those of us here in Kansas City who have watched in awe as he has steadily amassed his staggeringly large fanbase. But 2011 has been especially big for the rapper and his label, Strange Music. His latest studio album, All 6’s and 7’s, debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Billboard rap charts, and included collaborations with heavyweights like Snoop Dogg, B.O.B., Twista, E-40 and Lil Wayne. The man is a bona fide international superstar. And he still reps his hometown. What, you’ve never had a KC Tea? Google it, son.
Thursday, September 29, at The Granada (1020 Massachusetts, in Lawrence, 785-842-1390)

Death Cab for Cutie, with Telekinesis
Death Cab for Cutie was one of the first early ’00s indie-rock bands to break through to the mainstream in a huge way, and its frontman, Ben Gibbard — he of the thick frames, confessional lyrics and earnest whine — will probably forever remain a poster boy for O.C-era emo. Scratch the surface of that (admittedly insufferable) supersensitive-young-man aesthetic, though, and you find some finely crafted rock songs. Telekinesis, Michael Lerner’s one-man band, just released a fine record of upbeat indie pop, produced by Death Cab’s Chris Walla.
Monday, October 3, at City Market (Fifth Street and Walnut, 800-745-3000)

The Last Crosstown Station Show of All Time
And so, after four years and many memorable evenings, we say goodbye to Crosstown Station. Soon, it will reportedly house a church of some kind, but this farewell show is unlikely to be mistaken for a Sunday Mass. Most churches do not deploy fog machines, like the one Thee Water MoccaSins are likely to unleash. Nor do places of worship typically serve alcohol, which will be readily available and also discounted at the show — the inventory must be disposed of somehow. Also slated to play: Be/Non, Giant’s Chair, Minden, Major Games, Olympic Size, Parts of Speech, Hermon Mehari’s Diverse, and more.
Saturday, October 1, at Crosstown Station (1522 McGee, 816-471-1522)

Grieves and Budo, with Prof, the MC Type and Approach
An emerging voice on Minneapolis’ Rhymesayers Entertainment is Grieves, a gangly white MC from Seattle, who of late has been working with a producer and instrumentalist called Budo. That the pair spent this summer working the Warped Tour circuit speaks to some of Grieves’ emo-rap leanings. But Grieves and Budo’s most recent collaboration, Together/Apart, with its jazz- and soul-accented beats, hints at a more adult, sophisticated hip-hop sound.
Monday, October 3, at the Jackpot Music Hall (943 Massachusetts, 785-832-1085).