Thurs. Oct. 25 

A Detroit shakedown? A motor city breakdown? Check in at T.T. the Bear's Thursday Oct. 25 for the Detroit Cobras, fronted by singer Rachel Nagy and powered by guitarist Mary Ramirez. Blues, soul, raunchy rock. Fast and slow. Sexy and tough. Nagy gets described as a "kitten with a whip" and even sings "Leave My Kitten Alone" from a mama cat's point of view:  "I love my little kitten like you stray dogs love your dog." (Unless, of course, that's a slightly veiled sexual reference.) They're touring behind their "Tied and True" CD (great title), their first in a couple of years. There's nothing overtly fancy about what the Cobras do. They're not re-inventing the wheel. It just seems like they could have existed at any point in time over the past 40 years and that's no knock at all. Starts at 9:30 with the Swinedells followed by Eli Reed and the True Loves. Tickets: $14.

10 Brookline St., Cambridge, 617-492-0082 www.ttthebears.com