Thurs, May 6, Flobots

Flobots opened for Matisyahu at the Warfield in San Francisco in 2008. They absolutely killed it at that show, injecting the activist spirit with flawless beats and a hypnotic viola. Don’t let the overplayed single “Handlebars” be your only contact with Flobots. That song is nothing compared to the rest of their politically active songs on 2007’s Fight With Tools or their latest album, Survival Story. The latter has more rock-influences, but the message is the same. Check out “Defend Atlantis”: “Fucking with the ice caps / We’ve gotta push the tide back / We can survive collapse if we don’t get sidetracked.” 9426 Greenback Lane in Orangevale; www.myspace.com/flobots.