Tonight, Tonight: British Sea Power at The Loft, Emmitt-Nershi Band at the Granada, Collin Herring at Lochrann's and One Red Martian at the Prophet Bar

It's a fairly packed Thursday evening of music tonight -- one that features local, national and even international talent.

British Sea Power, A Classic Education and Colormusic at The Loft
Everything about British Sea Power screams '80s new wave: The band's members are gaunt and pale; their songs recycle themes and riffs from The Cure, The Psychedelic Furs and Joy Division; and their lyrics are a pretentious, romantic mess. That said, British Sea Power is pretty awesome. For nearly a decade, brothers Yan and Hamilton Wilkinson have led this impressive unit into interesting and uncharted waters. Known for their elaborate and sometimes chaotic live shows, British Sea Power may sound like they came from the '80s, but the attitude is definitely post-modern.

Emmitt-Nershi Band and Big Smith at the Granada Theater
Drew Emmitt once led the progressive bluegrass band Leftover Salmon, and Bill Nershi is a founding member of the String Cheese Incident. Together, these two pickers and grinners will take listeners to jam heaven. If only Jerry Garcia were alive today. Captain Trips would certainly enjoy this show.

Collin Herring and Hare on the Mountain at Lochrann's Irish Pub
A native of Fort Worth, but now a resident of Austin, Collin Herring does not do enough driving up I-35 to play his old stomping grounds. Perhaps Herring thought the locals were rather indifferent to his lively and emotional brand of alt-country? Lord knows that I caught Herring a couple of times in front of a small crowd and wondered why more folks weren't in attendance. Herring has made three albums and all have been excellent. His last effort, 2009's Ocho, was produced by Will Johnson and found Herring in a much darker frame of mind than on previous efforts. Hopefully, Herring is working on a follow-up. And let's hope his worldview has lightened considerably. Hare on the Mountain, the latest collaboration between RTB2's Ryan Thomas Becker and The Slow Burners' George Neal, opens.

One Red Martian, The Kinetix, Wolf at the Door and We Throw Cake at the Prophet Bar
Originally from upstate New York, but now a local act, One Red Martian are three brothers and a childhood friend who like to call their music "intensely lyrical ballad rock." I don't know what the hell that is, but I can say that songs such as "Terror," "Sly Dreamer" and "Demondroid" are catchy, pop ditties that showcase a band that is unafraid of being nothing more than what they are. Nothing indie or cerebral going on here; just pop rock played cleanly and clearly without much fuss.