GLOBAL, TIME-TESTED, AND COLORADO BORN: We adore a good bouzouki. And some spooky theremin action. And accordion is just pure bonus. Devotchka may hail from Denver, but the band sounds like they've traveled a much longer road to LA, and picked up a lot of instruments rarely heard in pop or alt or modern music along the way. And yay to that, we say. The Viper Room, 8852 W. Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood. 310-358-1881
NIGHTMARES ON WAX: DJ George Evelyn grew up in Leeds in the U.K., a city famous for birthing fresh trends in music (including, very recently, something akin to grunge, or something like it, but don't use that word, or so says The Guardian). So expect the DJ's outfit N.O.W. to deftly combine laidback grooves, hip-hop ambient and electronica of all flavors. Very happy and cool. The Echoplex, 1154 Glendale Boulevard, Los Angeles. 213-413-8200
OSCAR-NOMINATED DOC AT THE NEW BEV: While eyeing the Best Picture Nominees is a cinch in the days leading up to the Academy Awards, it can be trickier to find the documentaries, foreign films and shorts. They're around, though, which is positive news; "Trouble the Water," a film delving into the days surrounding Hurricane Katrina, is at the New Beverly through February 3. The nominee, which also won a Grand Jury prize at Sundance '08, is on a double-bill with "Up the Yangtze" by Yung Chang. 7165 W. Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles. 323-938-4038
