Jenny Lewis Belly Up Tavern April 14, 9 p.m. $20
Best known as the vocalist for torch-indie quartet Rilo Kiley (or perhaps as a pinchable ’80s starlet), Jenny Lewis broke from premeditated, over-saturated pop last year with sophomore album Rabbit Fur Coat, an understated take on country twang and gospel ‘mdash; the kind of joyful vigor that translates well to any stage. (SM)
Rachael Yamagata House of Blues April 9, 8 p.m. $18
Japanese-American artist Rachael Yamagata lauched her solo career in 2002 with Happenstance ‘mdash; after six years writing for Chicago funk-fusion band Bumpus. And thank God she did ‘mdash; her latest, the pop-driven Elephants… Teeth Sinking Into Heart, layers woodwinds with crushing, complex lyrics, proving indisputably that this singer/songwriter can stand on her own. (SM)
‘Sugar’ Hillcrest Cinemas April 10 $10
After drumming up festival fandom at Sundance, ‘Sugar’ gleaned another round of applause when it drew elated reviews for managing to pump a sports film with electric sensitivity. Bent through the prism of Miguel ‘Sugar’ Santos’ life ‘- that of a pitcher from the Dominican Republic scaling socioeconomic rungs with his curveball ‘- Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (‘Half Nelson’) narrate one man’s struggles in the fiercely competitive world of baseball, painting an American landscape soiled with sweat, alienation and discrimination. (EG)