Clutch: Per last year's Earth Rockers, powerhouse D.C.-area veterans ask no quarter; give even less. (House of Blues, January 7)
Pong, Ed Hall: Keeping Austin weird (and Houston interested) for 20 years and counting now. (Continental Club, January 9)
Mineral: From Houston to Austin and then broken-hearted bedroom poets everywhere, the emo revival is real. (Fitzgerald's, January 9)
Gladys Knight: One of R&B's classic voices sings sparkling selections from her voluminous catalog, not limited to "Midnight Train to Georgia"; 1989 Bond theme "License to Kill"; "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and last year's gospel album Where My Heart Belongs. (Arena Theatre, January 16)
John Doe, Jesse Dayton: X co-founder comes to deliver some wild tales of the working class, solo-style, with hard-chargin' Jesse Dayton. (McGonigel's Mucky Duck, January 22)
The Suffers: Houston's white-hot (but oh-so-cool) ska/soul ensemble is already making some national noise with the upcoming Make Some Room EP. A must-see even for local fans who have already seen the Suffers dozens of times. (Fitzgerald's, January 24)
Fred Eaglesmith: Renegade Canadian folksinger is always worth dropping in on; his latest collection is 2013's wry-as-ever Tambourine. (McGonigel's Mucky Duck, January 27)
Kongos: Arizonans not afraid to flash their deep South African roots hit the big time with last year's infectious modern-rock smash "Come With Me Now," but they ain't no one hit-wonders. (Warehouse Live, January 31)
Chris Brown, Trey Songz: Say what you will, but the 21st century's answer to Bobby Brown (no relation) can't stay away from the charts; or is that vice versa? "Heart Attack" crooner Trey Songz makes an ideal albeit better-behaved touring companion. (Toyota Center, February 7)
Sunny Sweeney: Going Miranda Lambert one better, Houston-born country spitfire gave up the major-label life to release her best record yet, 2014's Kickstar-bred Provoked; Baytown native Breelan Angel of "Dirty Little Secret" fame opens. (Firehouse Saloon, February 13)
The Blasters: Hold on tight -- the Alvin brothers' nuclear rockabilly, as heard on last year's reunion album Common Ground, will still blow you through the back wall of the room. (Continental Club, February 14)
Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band: One of rock's few streaming holdouts (and more power to 'im), this proud son of the Motor City just keeps ramblin' and gamblin' on latest album Ride Out. Expect hits, and lots of them. (Toyota Center, February 14)
Quiet Company: Our neighbors from Central Texas, known to evoke heart-shredding rockers from Springsteen to Jimmy Eat World, introduce Houston fans to new LP Transgressor. (Fitzgerald's, February 20)
Winter Jam 2015: Skillet and founders NewSong headline the annual Christian-rock extravaganza; this year also features Jeremy Camp, Francesca Battistelli, Building 429, King & Country, Family Force Five and a "PreJam Party." (Toyota Center, February 28)
Arlo Guthrie: Baby Boomer alert: Woody's son is marking the 50th anniversary of "Alice's Restaurant" by performing the 18-minute opus in its entirety, plus more folkie favorites. (1894 Opera House, Galveston, March 1)
More shows on the next page.
