Pop Music

Chris Perez is staring at his 4-month-old daughter, Cassie, who at this moment rests in the arms of her smiling mother, Venessa Villanueva. Perez's bright and beaming face is nothing like it appears in the mournful publicity shots for "Resurrection," the debut rock album by his new group, the Chris Perez Band, due out on Hollywood Records on May 18. No. A grinning, affable new daddy just ain't what one would expect of the most famous 29-year-old widower in pop music.

POP MUSIC Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, Maroon 5 and Foster the People headline KIIS Wango Tango, a grab bag (but an ambitious one) of chart-toppers and contemporary pop royalty that suggests the kids' tastes are broad and genre-less these days. Home Depot Center, 18400 Avalon Blvd., Carson. 2 p.m. Sat. $35-$225. ticketmaster.com.

In 1985, Los Angeles rapper Toddy Tee released what could be considered West Coast hip-hop's opening salvo against police brutality in black neighborhoods. The electro-grooved "Batterram," named for the battering ram that then-LAPD Chief Daryl F. Gates used to smash into homes of suspected drug dealers, was a hit on local radio station KDAY-AM. The track went on to become a protest anthem in minority neighborhoods around the city where the device was often deployed against homes that were later proved drug-free: "You're mistakin' my pad for a rockhouse / Well, I know to you we all look the same / But I'm not the one slingin' caine / I work nine to five and ain't a damn thing changed …" rapped Toddy Tee. The L.A. riots of 1992 arrived with its soundtrack in place.

In 1985, Los Angeles rapper Toddy Tee released what could be considered West Coast hip-hop's opening salvo against police brutality in black neighborhoods. The electro-grooved "Batterram," named for the battering ram that then-LAPD Chief Daryl F. Gates used to smash into homes of suspected drug dealers, was a hit on local radio station KDAY-AM. The track went on to become a protest anthem in minority neighborhoods around the city where the device was often deployed against homes that were later proved drug-free: "You're mistakin' my pad for a rockhouse / Well, I know to you we all look the same / But I'm not the one slingin' caine / I work nine to five and ain't a damn thing changed …" rapped Toddy Tee. The L.A. riots of 1992 arrived with its soundtrack in place.

This Saturday at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio, the Mavericks will make their first bona-fide concert appearance in nearly seven years. The show by the revered and genre-defying band is being billed as a reunion and constitutes one of the marquee special facets of this year's festival in the desert. It's also a standout moment for the band, whose members are coming back together after a turbulent career run that began with a rewarding string of albums and singles in the '90s but ended in frustration when their label dropped them and the group disbanded.

SCOTT AMENDOLA Jazz drummer. Even if Scott Amendola's name doesn't immediately ring a bell, chances are pretty good jazz listeners have heard his work in recent years. Coming out of the adventurous San Francisco jazz scene of the mid-'90s, Amendola first gained notice as part of eight-string guitarist Charlie Hunter's band and the eclectic three-guitar jazz-funk group T.J. Kirk. Since then he's earned a reputation as one of the most inventive young drummers in the business, teaming with a diverse range of high-profile acts including Bill Frisell, Kelly Joe Phelps and Madeleine Peyroux.

POP MUSIC In support of its newest LP, "Tomorrow's World," synth-pop superstar Erasure takes its tour to the Palladium. Expect a lavish gothic set, sassy singers and flamboyant antics from frontman Andy Bell. Frankmusik and DJ Paul V. open. Hollywood Palladium, 6215 W. Sunset Blvd. 8 p.m. Sat. $58.85. livenation.com.

Mid-City's Tarfest is beginning to stake out a niche for bringing ace local indie rock to an unlikely setting of geologic importance. Everest, A House for Lions, Saint Motel and others play alongside a bevy of entertainment, art and food. Hancock Park area, 5801 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Noon Sun. Free. tarfest.com.

After a ravely reviewed Staples Center show earlier this week, Britney Spears' latest comeback tour seems to be off to a triumphant start. Fans have another chance to catch the pop princess onstage at the Honda Center, with Nicki Minaj, Jessie and the Toy Boys and Nervo opening. Honda Center, 2695 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim. 7 p.m. Fri. $25.50 and up. (714) 704-2400. http://www.hondacenter.com.

Janet Jackson will reprise her many chart-topping R&B hits for this retrospective tour, during which she'll try to reassert her place among today's young crop of party-nihilist divas. Santa Barbara Bowl, 1122 N. Milpas St., Santa Barbara. 7 p.m. Sat.-Sun. $47.50-$137.50. http://www.sbbowl.com

If your destination is Bratislava, be prepared for a few questions: Is that in Eastern Europe? (No, it's in Central Europe.) Capital of Slovenia, right? (Uh, no.) Where is that? (The last question courtesy of a Customs employee at LAX.) Until recently, my schooling on all things Bratislavan occurred during a 20-minute stop on a train traveling from Prague, Czech Republic, to Budapest, Hungary, almost a decade ago. Several travelers boarded; a few disembarked. Some of them flashed passports, suggesting that we had stopped in a different country, in a major European city about which I knew … nothing.

This Saturday at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio, the Mavericks will make their first bona-fide concert appearance in nearly seven years. The show by the revered and genre-defying band is being billed as a reunion and constitutes one of the marquee special facets of this year's festival in the desert. It's also a standout moment for the band, whose members are coming back together after a turbulent career run that began with a rewarding string of albums and singles in the '90s but ended in frustration when their label dropped them and the group disbanded.

Gabriel Kahane, best known as an indie singer-songwriter, was his own charismatic singer-songwriter Saturday night in the West Coast premiere of his affecting "Crane Palimpsest" at the Alex Theatre. As he does in a club, he used a microphone and wore jeans. He accompanied himself on guitar and piano. He also had the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra on hand, and he gratefully used everything at his disposal to merge pop and new music sensibilities naturally and unpretentiously. Composer-performers who write orchestral pieces for themselves as soloists can these days be anything they like.

Levon Helm is most widely known for the songs he sang that found their way onto the pop charts during his long tenure as drummer and singer for the Band: "Up On Cripple Creek," "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and "Don't Do It," earthy and infectious conglomerations of gospel, country, blues, folk and rock music. But the one that might crystallize his approach to music throughout his life was "The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show," an ode to the kind of freewheeling gatherings in which the musician, who died of cancer Thursday at 71 in New York, thoroughly reveled.

Anyone who's ever been to Coachella or any music festival understands the idea of "the moment," that magical, jewel-encrusted feeling you get when everything clicks -- the sound, the lights, the emotion, the music -- and you feel at one with the world. On Friday at this year's Coachella Music and Arts Festival, a chilly night where the clouds hung low after a day of rain, Mazzy Star induced one of those arm-tingling feelings when it performed its languid, drifting love song "Fade Into You" on the Outdoor Stage.

The Minnesota Timberwolves released their version of Britney Spears' hit song "Baby One More Time" on Thursday. Watching scruffy, muscular men attempt to sing the pop diva's song is beyond amusing. Michael Beasley seems to be uttering a secret language that only 2-year-olds from Jupiter can understand. Martell Webster throws in sultry head shakes during his performance. And Nikola Pekovic takes off his headphones in pure disgust when he hears Spears' voice. With this video, the Timberwolves are continuing their fun tradition of producing viral snippets, including " Where In The World Is Nikola Pekovic ?"

L.A. gets the rare treat of hosting the return of Yellow Magic Orchestra with its original members at "Big in Japan," a celebration of experimental Japanese pop. The beloved progressive act hasn't played in SoCal since 1979, and here it's joined by the similarly reunited and adventurous combo Cibo Matto, Yoko Ono and a host of taiko drummers and other acts. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., L.A. 7 p.m. Sun. $12-$134. http://www.hollywoodbowl.com.

Here are sample playlists put together from my own (admittedly limited) library, each one "arced" for a particular purpose. Then I asked a few folks who can really pick out a tune to share their sample lists. AMINA KHAN PICK-ME-UP: It's siesta time. I feel myself lapsing into food coma, eyelids drooping and motivation flagging. Flo Rida's sunny dance beats shake me awake, and LMFAO'sdriving base gets me going. Calvin Harris evens out the energy level, and Cypress Hill's vibrant melodies with Marc Anthony's soaring vocals send my spirits flying.

With the world watching as it mourned the loss of one of its most renowned singers, the performers at the 54th Grammy Awards faced a challenge: how to balance the grieving process brought on by the death on Saturday of Whitney Houston while still celebrating the ascendance of a new powerhouse, Adele. Simple: acknowledge her passing, allow individual performers to give their own private shoutouts in their own little ways, and understand that Houston's death would be on everyone's mind anyway, so there's no need to bang us over the head with it (go to CNN and HLN for that particular circus)