Music Forecast 2.20-26: Gee Watts, Federation of Horsepower, Cash’d Out, and more

Federation of Horsepower, Drop a Grand, the Dead Girls, Scruffy and the Janitors

Leave it to the Midwest Music Foundation to handpick some of the juiciest apples in the orchard. To raise funds for the annual MidCoast Takeover, the nonprofit features an all-star local lineup Saturday at its SXSW showcase at the Riot Room. Local rock veterans Federation of Horsepower headline the evening with the always entertaining — and entertainingly dressed — Drop a Grand backing them up. Lawrence’s the Dead Girls — none of whom are girls, or dead — fill out the bill. And if you haven’t yet experienced the heavy, booze-drenched blues rock that is St. Joseph’s Scruffy and the Janitors, you’ve been missing out.

Saturday, February 22, at the Riot Room (4048 Broadway, 816-442-8179)

Cash’d Out

It’s an epic week for die-hard Johnny Cash fans. The Man in Black would have celebrated his 82nd birthday on Wednesday. To remember the man who gave us such immeasurably influential songs as “I Walk the Line,” “Ring of Fire” and “Folsom Prison Blues,” Knuckleheads is hosting one of the most in-demand Cash cover bands in the country: Cash’d Out, a quartet from San Diego that is wholly dedicated to re-creating the allure of its namesake. “They’re probably the best Johnny Cash cover band I’ve ever seen,” says Knuckleheads owner Frank Hicks, who has always had a keen eye for talent. Cash’d Out is a safe bet for your Monday-night blues.

Monday, February 24, at Knuckleheads Saloon (2715 Rochester, 816-483-1456)

Royal Teeth

If you like your pop music to be bright, shiny, sugary and carried along by the crystalline vocals of someone who burns with the audacious fire of youth, then meet Royal Teeth. The college-aged, six-member group from Lafayette, Louisiana, released its debut full-length, Glow, in September, and the album lives up to its word. Every song is an anthem — a brisk 8 a.m. wake-up call commanded by lead singer Gary Larsen and given wings by backup vocalist and harmonizer extraordinaire Nora Patterson. Swirl in the choruses filled with whoa, whoa, whoa and a variety of handclaps, and imagine Royal Teeth on a big summer-festival stage, which is probably where it’s heading.

Tuesday, February 25, at Czar (1531 Grand, 816-421-0300)

Gee Watts

It’s shaping up to be Gee Watts’ year. The up-and-coming MC already has about a dozen mixtapes to his name, and the rap world is salivating in anticipation of his full-length debut, 199x, due out sometime this month. Since Watts teamed up with national darling Kendrick Lamar for “Watts R.I.O.T.” last March, Watts has been tip-of-the-tongue when it comes to local hip-hop. He wisely has kept the details of 199x under wraps, building the drama and driving fans crazy. Watts might give us some answers Thursday at the Jackpot.

Thursday, February 20, at Jackpot Music Hall (943 Massachusetts, Lawrence, 785-832-1085)