It’s a short list, the one that includes Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees who also have snagged a National Book Award.
Seemingly there is just a single name on it: Patti Smith.
The iconic rock star, who won the National Book Award for her memoir, “Just Kids,” will headline the Neptune Theatre at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Smith has always operated on the fringes of music’s mainstream. Her 1975 debut, “Horses,” is considered a classic, but didn’t result in any hit singles. She may be best known to popular audiences for a track she co-wrote with Bruce Springsteen, “Because the Night,” which became a top 20 hit.
Still, she has kept vital, releasing new albums — and yes, the occasional book — every few years. She is now touring behind her well-received 2012 record, “Banga.”
Tickets are $36 at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.
The Neptune will host some more rock royalty at 8 p.m. Sunday, as the venue welcomes Bob Marley’s famous backing band, the Wailers.
The group will play the controversial 1979 album, “Survival,” in its entirety. That record wasn’t known for its hit singles so much as it was its political statements, expressed on tracks like “So Much Trouble in the World” and “Babylon System.”
Vocal duties will fall to Jamaican singer Koolant, who joined the group nearly a decade ago.
The show will include a special presentation by Roger Steffens, considered one of the foremost historians of the famed group.
Tickets are $22.50 at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.
While Pennywise can’t brag of the same bona fides in the rock world as Patti Smith or the Wailers, the long-running skate punk group is still a touchstone in its genre.
The California-based band will headline a bill at the Showbox SoDo that also includes Lagwagon and Stick to Your Guns. Doors open at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Pennywise formed in 1988 and quickly moved to the forefront in the burgeoning California punk scene of the early 1990s. Its albums aren’t exactly No. 1 smashes, but its loyal following continually pushes the records onto the Billboard charts.
The group is touring behind its 2012 effort, “All or Nothing,” which hit No. 76 on the Billboard 200.
Tickets are $25 at showboxonline.com or 888-929-7849.
The electronic pop group STS9 — formerly Sound Tribe Sector 9 — will play the Showbox SoDo, hitting the venue at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
An adept live act, the instrumental group has been releasing each of its recent concert dates online for about $10 a pop.
Tickets to see the band in person, though, are $30 at showboxonline.com or 888-929-7849.
Like STS9, Galactic is known for its unique sound.
The jazz funk ensemble is headed to the Showbox at the Market alongside Corey Glover of Living Colour for a show at 8 p.m. Friday.
Tickets are $32 at showboxonline.com or 888-929-7849.
And finally, Seattle’s own Ivan &Alyosha will showcase their sunny take on indie rock during a hometown concert at the Showbox at the Market at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Tickets are $15 at showboxonline.com or 888-929-7849.
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