KC concerts Nov. 28-Dec. 4: Willie Clayton, Pigface, Carly Pearce, Kim Petras, K. Flay

The most cherished Thanksgiving tradition for generations of Kansas Citians has nothing to do with football, turkey or the lighting ceremony at the Country Club Plaza. Blues-oriented breakfast dances have jump-started the holidays for area music lovers since the 1950s. The Southern Blues Thanksgiving Dance is the most notable blowout this year. Willie Clayton, an old-school soul artist with salacious jukebox favorites like “Wiggle,” headlines the BYOB show. With Bigg Robb and Ms. Jody. 816-561-2277. Tickets are $45-$60 through eventbrite.com/event/78721128013.

After spending several hours with family immersed in Thanksgiving rituals, plenty of people may be in need of the violent catharsis on tap at RecordBar. The dissonant dance music of the industrial rock institution Pigface has provided an ear-splitting form of aural therapy since 1990. British drummer Martin Atkins, a former member of Public Image Ltd, leads the ensemble that includes musicians affiliated with like-minded bands My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult and Gaye Bykers on Acid. With I Ya Toyah and Gaelynn Lea. 816-753-5207. Tickets are $25 through therecordbar.com.

Before attaining international notoriety for the gruff form of traditional country music he performed as the bandleader of Rex Hobart and the Misery Boys, Scott Hobart created an entirely different sound when he was an angry young man. Hobart was the vocalist and guitarist for the frantic Kansas City-based post-punk trio Giants Chair. The band broke up in 1997. “Prefabylon,” Giants Chair’s first album since 1996, will be released Dec. 6. With the String & Return and WM. 816-421-1634. Cover charge $10. thebrickkc.com.

Matt Villinger has a split musical personality. As an elegant pianist, the Kansas Citian provides unobtrusive background music at restaurants and is an in-demand sideman in jazz ensembles. Villinger displays an entirely different aspect of his talent on his two solo albums. The music on 2015’s “All Night” and the recently released “All Day” is an invigorating blend of funk, R&B and jazz. Villinger will be joined by similarly adventurous saxophonist Logan Richardson, vibraphonist Peter Schlamb and drummer Zach Morrow. 816-474-8463. Cover charge $10. americanjazzmuseum.org.

Carly Pearce isn’t the headliner of radio station Q104’s’ Jingle Bell Bash — that distinction belongs to her husband, Michael Ray — but the Kentucky native is the most interesting act on the bill. Based on her engaging personality and the strength of songs like the frisky “Hide the Wine” and tender “Every Little Thing,” Pearce was nominated for the Country Music Association’s New Artist of the Year and the Academy of Country Music’s New Female Vocalist of the Year in 2019. With Hudson Drive. 816-283-9900. Tickets are $20 through arvestbanktheatre.com.

Kim Petras is an era-defining pop star. During a time when traditional notions about gender have been upended, the German-born artist acts as the face of sexual fluidity. After beginning hormone therapy when she was 12, Petras had a sex-reassignment operation when she was 16. Eleven years later, Petras creates conventional pop music that’s squarely in the tradition of Madonna, Katy Perry and Justin Bieber. She’s touring in support of her debut album, “Turn Off the Light.” With Alex Chapman. 816-205-8560. Tickets are $31.50 through thetrumankc.com.

Kristine Flaherty, an Illinois native who performs as K.Flay, straddles the nebulous line between hyper-literate rap and radio-ready indie-rock. The latter style dominates her new album, “Solutions.” Although the project underperformed her previous album on the charts, it is an artistic success. As might be expected of the musician who graduated from Stanford University with degrees in psychology and sociology, “Solutions” examines complicated relationships and unresolved aspirations with uncommon wit and intelligence. With Meg Myers, Hembree and Mess. 816-283-9900. Tickets are $29.65 through arvestbanktheatre.com.

Marketing continues to play an outsize role in the segmentation of music, even in an era of unprecedented access to a vast universe of recorded sounds. The songs of Joshua Karpeh, the Ohio native with the stage name Cautious Clay, are primarily pitched to fans of established adult pop artists like the Lumineers, Beck and Black Keys. Yet Karpeh’s compositions like “Cold War” more closely resemble the hits of the mainstream pop star Khalid, the 21-year-old behind the 2016 smash “Location.” 816-442-8179. Tickets are $20 through theriotroom.com.

This story was originally published November 26, 2019 at 7:00 AM with the headline "KC concerts Nov. 28-Dec. 4: Willie Clayton, Pigface, Carly Pearce, Kim Petras, K. Flay."