The Houston Cassettes is a duo playing catchy, pop-rock, a la early Pavement and Guided by Voices. They create guitar pop with breezy melodies and humorous lyrics and remind us that songwriting can still be fun. A Wish for Fire, a trio of musicians with eclectic influences, creates what the band likes to call “romantic pop,” with tinges of blues, Motown, and of course, psychedelic rock. The band’s minimalist approach to music bares the songwriting underneath. International Pen Pal and The Casual Lean also perform. 9 p.m. Tickets $5; 18+. T.T. the Bear’s Place, 10 Brookline St. (MPL)

MUSIC | The Modifiers, The Jumblies, Slater and JMC

A birthday bash for the head of Intelligent Records Shilo McDonald, the show will feature four acts on that label. The Modifiers is a trio that plays punk that you can hum along to and pop that demands attention, and they have played venues as diverse as Lollapalooza and CBGB’s in New York. The Jumblies, a quintet formed four years ago, have generated some buzz in the Boston music scene with their two EPs. They cite influences as diverse as The Smith, My Bloody Valentine, Lou Reed and dub reggae. Slater and JMC also perform, with JMC contributing a spoken word set. 9 p.m. Tickets $8; 18+. The Middle East Upstairs, 472 Mass. Ave. (MPL)

wed., dec 10

FILM | Blade Runner

A futuristic, nightmarish view of Los Angeles in 2019, humans have created clones called replicants that serve human colonies outside Earth. Harrison Ford, as Deckard, is a blade runner—a policeman who specializes in terminating replicants. Deckard is brought out of retirement when five replicants escape from their colony and comes back to Earth. The gray and rainy vision of Los Angeles is but one of the film’s astounding visuals. 7 p.m. Tickets $8; $6 students. Harvard Film Archive. (MPL)

FILM | Wintersleeprs

Directed by Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run), this movie tells the story of four twenty-somethings—a film exhibitor, a nurse, a translator, and a ski instructor—are brought together in a small village in the Alps. Their lives interweave with two romantic relationships, and the birth and death of two children. The story is told against sweeping, gorgeous landscape panoramas of the snowy Alps, and Tykwer quotes from films like Hitchcock’s Spellbound and Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey to present his analysis of a confused, noncommittal generation. 9 p.m. Tickets $8; $6 students. Harvard Film Archives. (MPL)

MUSIC | Shawn McLaughlin & Smorgasbord / Cannibal Kings / Catapult CD Release

Shawn McLaughlin, a local musician who has worked with several bands, recently pulled together some twenty musicians to produce a CD of instrumental music that drew on the talents of individual contributors. McLaughlin leads his band Smorgasbord from behind the drum kit, and besides the traditional instruments, one can also expect horns, cellos, turntables, and even the odd guest vocalist. The music of the Cannibal Kings range from world beat to Latin, reggae to jazz funk, all centered around guitar rock and gritty lyrics. The Vancouver band Catapult will celebrate the release of their EP, and The Lingo also plays. 9 p.m. Tickets $5; 18+. T.T. the Bear’s Place, 10 Brookline St. (MPL)

MUSIC | Soul Position

Soul Position featuring RJD2 and Blueprint just released their CD 8,000,000 Stories on Rhymesayers, and the first single, “Jerry Springer Episode”, is a hilarious take on the misadventures of Blueprint with a temptress over a funky RJD2 track. DJ Przm and Illogical are supporting Soul Position on their tour, and will contribute sets of their own. 8 p.m. Tickets $12; 18+. The Middle East Downstairs, 472 Mass. Ave. (MPL)

LECTURE | The 2003 Boston Society of Architects Design Awards

Elizabeth Padjen, editor of Architecture Boston and consulting curator of architecture and design at the Peabody Essex Museum, will moderate a panel discussion on this year’s Boston Society of Architects Design Awards. Join a panel of leading Boston architects as they discuss recent award-winning buildings, what we choose to build, and why, revealing a great deal about our cultural and social values. 7 p.m. Tickets $13; $10 members. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. (MPL)

LECTURE | Art Encounters: An Invitation to Look and Think Aloud