Guitars

Tegan and Sara's "Heartthrob" presents a believably irregular vision of how love happens, and does it with an immediacy and a directness that feel new for these Canadian twin sisters, who have built a devoted following of indie-minded fans. In "Goodbye, Goodbye" and "Drove Me Wild," they trade homey folk-pop guitars for sparkling new-wave synths, while "How Come You Don't Want Me" rides an '80s-style drum-machine beat reminiscent of the Human League hit that almost shares its title. Club Nokia, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., L.A. 9 p.m. Fri. $39.50-$49.50.

This post has been updated. See note below for details. Four of the key bands from the 1960s British Invasion were represented Friday in Anaheim when the Who's lead guitarist and main songwriter, Pete Townshend, was given the Les Paul Award at the annual TEC Awards ceremony, part of the annual NAMM music products convention . Townshend was serenaded by Eric Burdon of the Animals, who sang “The Seeker,” while ex-Beatle Paul McCartney...

One of the liveliest aspects of the annual gathering in Anaheim of musical equipment and accessories makers and dealers known as the NAMM Convention is Deke Dickerson's Guitar Geek Festival, which takes place Friday and Saturday. It's the 10 th year for the event, and the final one, Dickerson says, at least in its current incarnation. He's lost money on it every year, but has continued to stage it as a labor of love, and it's clear in talking with Dickerson that that attitude hasn't flagged regardless of the financial picture.

Guitarist Wayne Kramer's loud, fast and stripped-down rock 'n' roll paved the way for the Ramones, the Sex Pistols and the Clash - before he was sentenced to four years in prison for dealing drugs. Throughout his time behind bars, a guitar was an uncomplaining companion of the former frontman for the Detroit band MC5. On Tuesday, Kramer, who now composes music for television and films, and a group of fellow musicians visited the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco to perform a Christmas concert and donate 14 new Fender acoustic guitars to inmates.

The British dance-punk band Bloc Party helped make club music safe for young rock fans in the 2000s. Yet Bloc Party shed most of its pioneering club influences on its new album, "Four," a fanged and heavy record that focuses on live musicianship and ferocious guitar work. The Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana. 8 p.m. Sat. $35. http://www.observatoryoc.com.

A series in Sunday Calendar about what Times writers and contributors are listening to right now... Two things are made clear in the opening moments of "Sorry to Bother You," the latest collection of hip-hop-centric missives from Bay Area agitators the Coup: The times will be tough, but no rebellion will go down without plenty of dancing in the streets. Opening number "The Magic Clap" acts as a three-minute overture for the album, roping in elements of brassy, psychedelic keyboards, badgering garage-rock guitars and a funky, foot-stomping beat that's militant in its precision.

Brian Fallon of the Gaslight Anthem couldn't have known about Superstorm Sandy when he wrote "National Anthem," the final song on this summer's "Handwritten. " Yet four months after the proudly New Jersey-based band released its major-label debut, "National Anthem" is sounding an awful lot like an elegy for the water-ravaged Garden State. "I can't stand the weather / No, I never liked the rain," Fallon sings over a plaintive guitar-and-strings arrangement full of his hero Bruce Springsteen.

Classic rock fans have an opportunity for a little more satisfaction with the new Rolling Stones Official App that is available for download free from iTunes starting Tuesday and initially exclusively for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. “We wanted to do something a bit special and innovative,” singer Mick Jagger said in statement. “An app that really connects with the user, lots of exclusive content, integration with social networks, and the ability to make a song request for the upcoming shows.” The content Jagger referred to includes previously unreleased interview footage and performances shot during preparation for upcoming Rolling Stones Live: 50 & Counting tour dates in London, Brooklyn and Newark, N.J. Users also will be able to vote for songs the band will play on the tour.

More than 100 guitars bearing the signatures of rock, pop and country stars including Eddie Van Halen, Slash, Tom Morello, the Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney will be auctioned Dec. 1 to benefit the Dio Cancer Fund established in memory of hard rock singer Ronnie James Dio. The instruments will be previewed Nov. 19 at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills, where they will be auctioned two weeks later. Other artists who have signed donated guitars include members of Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Metallica and the Alice Cooper Band.  The guitar signed by Van Halen is a prototype electric made for him. The auction also includes a custom hand-carved Ronnie James Dio memorial guitar made by DBZ Guitars and an acoustic-electric guitar signed by “Twilight” film series star Robert Pattinson.

SAN FRANCISCO - Jose Feliciano , introduced to the crowd as "the man who first stylized the national anthem," sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Sunday's game. In 1968, his jazz-infused version of the anthem at the World Series triggered a national uproar. "They wanted to deport me," he said. "How can you deport a Puerto Rican from the United States? "I opened the doors for people to express themselves. " On Sunday, Feliciano presented a guitar-driven interpretation of the anthem.