Tonight! Amadou & Mariam, Busdriver, and the Beginning of the Week-Long Hold Steady Onslaught

Amadou & Mariam are superstars everywhere else on the planet -- in 2006, the blind Malian couple co-wrote the official World Cup anthem. But transplant the pair to Manhattan and they can't even fill up Webster Hall... yet. Let's make it happen.

The Hold Steady, however, have already sold out every one of their five shows this week, a run that begins tonight at the Bowery Ballroom. Yes, these guys still make music about being young from the perspective of people who are middle-aged.

Glitchy Los Angeles MC Busdriver is the Frank Zappa of rap: savagely funny, technically dexterous, and borderline insane. He takes Mercury Lounge with Tim Fite and Nosaj Thing.

The Strange Shapes play disciplined, asymmetrical bliss-pop at Public Assembly.

Twelve-string maestro James Blackshaw updates John Fahey fingerpicking at the Issue Project Room.

Finally, David Byrne opens the Celebrate Brooklyn! summer season at Prospect Park.