Long Beach, CA guitarist Chris Schlarb has become a fixture on the national indie circuit for his heroic improv-based workouts and high-profile collaborations. His latest, Making the Saint, a quiet, largely acoustic outing made separately from his 12-piece group Psychic Temple, showcases Schlarb's impeccable compositional capacity. Its creator describes the record in no uncertain terms as "a spiritual retreat," and the album's warm, inviting sound does transmit an innerworldly sort of calm, while titles like "The Fear of Death is the Birth of God" suggest a skewed religiosity. Math-y, melodic rock group Hikes hails from Austin, TX, and fans of Don Cab would do well to check 'em out. Locals Mother's Arms and Hand Sand Hands provide two disparate but convincing examples of why you should be paying attention to Athens' exploding experimental scene.

9 p.m. $5. www.athenscine.com