Immediately after exiting his post keeping time for the Mars Volta in late 2009, decorated drumming wunderkind Thomas Pridgen (who, at age 10, was the youngest player to be sponsored by Zildjian) turned right around and formed the Memorials. Made up entirely of former students from the Berklee College of Music with musical backgrounds that range widely from rock, punk, metal, hip-hop, soul and reggae, this Bay Area trio is an Afro-punk band whose sound is a thick, expansive affair that blends technical hard rock with R&B lustiness. And let’s be real: Rock bands with this much wallop and flavor simply don’t come along everyday. Supporting will be locals the Broken Inn and the Velaceras, whose huge Omar Rodríguez-López fetish makes them an obvious choice. – Bao Le-Huu (with the Velaceras, the Broken Inn; 8 p.m. at Back Booth, 37 W. Pine St.; $10; 407-999-2570; backbooth.com)
