We wish there was some sort of driving thematic rhyme or reason to the culmination of legends and new young hipster bands making a brief appearance this week, but alas, we have no explanations for you. As we eagerly await the almost semi-botched, but still sort of redeemed Outside Lands festival that is just upon the horizon, we plan to satisfy the tumultuous rumblings of our musical hunger with some of these acts. Check out our picks for the week:

Barcelona, Slim’s, 8/12: Quite honestly one of our favorite summer anthems right now belongs to these gentlemen. The vocals alone and deeply intrinsic personal nature of the content is soul-shuddering and inspirational. Down-home indie right where it belongs in The City, if you ask us.

Sila And The Afrofunk Experience, The Fillmore Center, 8/14: Pick up your dancing shoes and get ready to shake it to these Afrofunk dancebeats at this great addition to the amazing SF Summer Concert Series. Not to mention the best part, it’s FREE!!! Make sure you show up to The Fillmore Center at 1475 Fillmore not The Fillmore (where they will be completely puzzled by eager appearance).

Blowup featuring The Rapture, Rickshaw Stop, 8/14: Normally we leave the self-proclaimed, “Electro-Disco-Noir nightclub” that is Blowup to the PBR drinking hipsters that attend, but we cannot/refuse to look the other way when NY’s finest dance-punk/indie-funk maniacs, The Rapture will be doing a special DJ-set. Two words: get there.

N.A.S.A., The Independent, 8/15: Squeak E. Clean and DJ Zegan are at it again with their relatively new album The Spirit of Apollo meeting success and mass approval, these two are absolutely on fire. Expect their club-friendly rhythms with a little bit of a DJ Zegan’s Brazilian funk twist. To call their recent collabs with Kanye, Santigold, Steve Aoki, Lykke Li etc. impressive would be the understatement of the year. This is absolutely an essential place to be this week.

Method Man, Redman & Ghostface Killah, Mezzanine, 8/16: This is kind of the more classic hip-hop approach for the week. These 3 will no doubt kill it, and really, that’s all you need to know. If you haven’t seen them before (either separately or the Wu-Tang Clan in general), consider this your initiation. You know how the saying goes, Wu-Tang Clan ain’t nothin’ to f*** with.

Elvis Costello, Mountain Winery, 8/17:This man is an institution, rocking it since the 70s, his solo tour has been quite successful and what better place to see him than in beautiful wine country? Definitely worth the small road trip.