» Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW; Mon., March 22, 7:30 p.m., $15; 202-467-4600. (Foggy Bottom)

Photo by Michael Wilson

» Iota Club and Cafe, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; Tue., March 23, 8:30 p.m., $12; 703-522-8340. (Clarendon)

Photo by Jenne Wakani

JOHN BALDWIN GOURLEY of the band Portugal. The Man never wanted to make a concept album, but some things just can't be skirted.

"It definitely became a concept record in itself, which I always wanted to avoid," Gourley said of the psych-pop group's fifth LP, "American Ghetto."

"I have this really, really bad habit of writing lyrics all at the same time, so the themes end up carrying through, which is good, I think. It's always great to have consistency in the albums. We never put focus on one track over another — we're all about making albums."

IN LATE 2006, Fruit Bats leader Eric D. Johnson's musical career took on a much higher profile when he was asked to join the indie institution the Shins, just before the band's tour for its big-selling "Wincing the Night Away" CD. Playing in two bands might seem like a daunting task, but to hear Johnson tell it, the career move actually made his life easier.

"I've had a ton of time because I haven't really had to go back to a real day job," the Seattle-based singer-guitarist says. "I had made money off of [the popular Fruit Bats song] 'When You Love Somebody,' but I still had to augment. I had my own catering company. It was a flexible job because I was my own boss, but I still had to do it."

» Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW; Fri., March 19, 9 p.m., $15; 202-667-4490. (U St.-Cardozo)

» Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW; opens Sat., through April 3, $50-$300; 202-467-4600. (Foggy Bottom-GWU)

The real Bobby McFerrin, whose talent was obscured by an irritating megahit, is a master of polyphonic and percussive effects — a one-man vocal orchestra with a deep knowledge of jazz and multiple Grammys to his name.

» Birchmere, 3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria; Thu., March 18, 7:30 p.m., $65; 703-549-7500.

And yes, there will be birthday cake.

» Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington; Sat. and Sun., March 20 and 21, free; 703-820-9771.

Photo by Juana Arias/The Washington Post

Thirty dollars gets you an open bar and a night of crazy dancing at the National Postal Museum. French DJ duo Make the Girl Dance will be spinning, and you can find out if you speak French better when intoxicated.

» National Postal Museum, 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE; Fri., March 19, 9 p.m., $30; 202-633-3030. (Union Station)

Photo by Francois Berthier

THE FAB DOCUMENTARY "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" shined a celluloid spotlight on this Canadian metal band, which had been toiling in obscurity for 30 years. The movie was praised to no end, and the group's proto-speed-metal sound was given props by the likes of Slayer and Slash.

That Anvil is now touring with an all-female Metallica-tribute band might make it seem like the group's good fortune has come to an end — and yet it's just goofy enough to make sense, especially if you've seen the "Anvil!" film. The band's only mainstays, guitarist-singer Steve "Lips" Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner, are nothing if not funny — sometimes on purpose, though more often than not because of their lack of self-awareness. The duo is earnest almost to a fault, and you can almost hear them exclaim, "Hell, yeah!" when told they would be touring with Misstallica. (The tour hits 9:30 Club on March 20.)

The album "This Is Thirteen," which Anvil was recording during the documentary, was rereleased by VH1 last September, though in recent interviews the group has said it has 20 songs written for its next CD. But since Anvil is booked to tour through September, the band isn't sure when it will get to record the new tunes.

It's a problem Anvil has been dying to have since it began jamming in a Toronto garage in 1978.

After jump, a revisitation of our May 2009 interview with Lips Kudlow on the eve of the D.C. premiere of "Anvil! The Story of Anvil."