Kodo Drum Ensemble at Smith Center's Reynolds Hall

In Japanese, kodo means both “heartbeat” and “drum children”—and both ring true in this impressive convergence of song, dance, bamboo flutes, visual effects and, of course, drums, some weighing up to 600 pounds. The renowned Japanese taiko group is celebrating its 35th anniversary. January 31, 7:30 p.m. $29-$99. –C. Moon Reed

Elizabeth McCracken at The Writer's Block

Celebrated author Elizabeth McCracken will read from her quirky new novel, Bowlaway, at a literary discussion hosted by The Believer and Black Mountain Institute. January 31, 7 p.m., free. –C. Moon Reed

Showgirl Video at Bunkhouse Saloon

No, actual showgirls aren’t involved, but the visuals from sound and graphics designers Brett Bolton and Benton Corder are reason enough to attend. If experimental lighting effects and trippy audio is your thing, this debut could be a buffet for your senses. With The Rabbit Hole. February 1, 9 p.m., free. –Leslie Ventura

King Ibu at Winchester Dondero Cultural Center

Not only does the Senegal-to-Las Vegas singer/guitarist whip up a pulsating, uplifting mix of West African folk music, Afrobeat and modern pop flourishes, he sings in five different languages. February 2, 7 p.m., $12-$14. –Mike Prevatt

French Montana at Drai's

Recently a Marquee resident artist, Montana has slid over to hip-hop’s true home on the Strip at Drai’s. This year’s Super Bowl afterparty is up on the roof, and Montana will come from Atlanta to Vegas to set it off. February 3, 10:30 p.m., $40-$60. –Brock Radke

Flor De Toloache & Villalobos at Fifth Street School

Shake off your post-Super Bowl carb coma with these two accomplished acts and their singular updates of traditional Mexican folk music. 7:30 p.m., $25. –Mike Prevatt

The W. Kamau Bell Curve: Ending Racism in about an Hour

Sociopolitical comic W. Kamau Bell first performed this one-man show in 2007—before Black Lives Matter, before the white power rally in Charlottesville and before the election of Donald Trump laid America’s institutionalized racism absolutely bare. And he dove into one sensitive topic after another: black influence on popular culture (“Country music equals the blues minus slavery”); when it’s acceptable to touch a black person’s hair (“Never”); and even his own marriage, to a white woman (“We’re gonna make some more Obamas.”)

So, yeah. Bell has been trying to tell us about this ugliness for years. As for his latest iteration of the show—well, you probably only need look at the world around to guess at how he’s rewritten it to speak to America’s current, precarious cultural moment. Come down to UNLV and share his view of this slow-motion disaster—assuming, of course, that your sightlines aren’t blocked by old prejudices or a dumb concrete wall. February 5, 7:30 p.m., free, tickets required. Visit unlv.edu/pac/barrick for more information. –Geoff Carter

Pine Hill Haints at Backstage Bar & Billiards

The Alabama-bred sextet returns to Las Vegas to perform its robust, plucky and undeniably Southern take on American roots music. With Slow Motion Cowboys, The All-Togethers, The Unwieldies. February 6, 8 p.m., $10-$13. –Mike Prevatt