Militarie Gun
When covid-19 shut down touring in 2020, Ian Shelton — drummer and vocalist for sonic pugilists Regional Justice Center — had to regroup. He quickly refocused his energy in a new project called Militarie Gun, releasing a debut project with a title that captured the dead-end depression of the peak pandemic: “My Life Is Over.” On that EP and the album “All Roads Lead to the Gun,” Militarie Gun is an outlet for Shelton’s more melodic impulses as he shout-sings about fighting his way out of quotidian nihilism, drawing inspiration from bands that forged noise into song. As he told Stereogum: “I love melody more than I love aggression, but I really love when the two can come together.” March 20 at 8:30 p.m. at the Runaway, 3523 12th St. NE. therunawaydc.com. $16-$18.
Thouxanbanfauni
To paraphrase a once-great rapper, can you imagine locking yourself in a room and doing five beats a day for three summers? How about doing three albums a year for six years? That latter approach is the one favored by Thouxanbanfauni. The Chattanooga-born, Atlanta-based rapper-producer is a prolific proponent of the in-the-red rap that fermented on SoundCloud over the last decade. A collaborator with contemporaries including Playboi Carti and UnoTheActivist, Thouxanbanfauni shrugs out boasts and bon mots over beats that obliterate speakers, eardrums and reality itself. March 21 at 8 p.m. at Union Stage, 740 Water St. SW. unionstage.com. $20-$35.