Knitting Factory plans variety in coming weeks

The Knitting Factory Concert House is stitching together a colorful patchwork of shows over the coming week, covering a wide spectrum of genres including metal, rock, post-hardcore, indie, pop, Americana, country, blues, ska and reggae.

Among the highlights are veteran country blues singer Rory Block, popular rock band Blue October, and Nashville’s Ten out of Tenn music collective.

Here’s the lowdown. Tickets are available through TicketsWest outlets (509-325-SEAT, 800-325-SEAT, www.ticketswest.com) except where noted.

•Black Friday 2009 Molten Metal Showcase (tonight at 7) – Spokane heavy rock acts set up shop, including Christian hardcore crew This Is Dangerous! (spreading the word of Jesus Christ … through metal), father/son-led metal trio LS Diablo, the scathingly aggro A Pyrrhic Victory, and technical grindcore band Skies Burn Black.

Tickets: The show is free if you get tickets through the band, otherwise it’s $5 at the door

•Blue October, with Ours (Saturday, 8:30 p.m.) – Drawing comparisons to Peter Gabriel and U2, the band that inspired “Twilight” book series author Stephenie Meyer brings its melancholic rock to town with a new album in tow.

Released on Tuesday, Blue October’s fifth studio album, “Approaching Normal,” was produced by five-time Grammy winner Steve Lillywhite, who also made records for U2 and Peter Gabriel, among others.

The first single, “Dirt Room,” reached No. 12 on Billboard’s Modern Rock charts when it was released in January.

Ours, a five-piece outfit also produced by Lillywhite, is the brainchild of Jimmy Gnecco, who is often likened to Jeff Buckley in voice, style and even appearance.

Tickets: $24

•Rockstar Taste of Chaos Tour 2009 featuring Thursday, Cancer Bats, Pierce the Veil, Bring Me the Horizon, 4 Year Strong, and From Sword to Sunrise (Sunday, 6:30 p.m.) – Rockstar energy drink brings a host of bands comparable to a harder, smaller Warped Tour.

After signing with Epitaph Records, New Jersey’s Thursday released its seventh album last month, the socially conscious and politically charged “Common Existence.”

San Diego’s Pierce the Veil is getting in one last tour before recording its new album. Canada’s Cancer Bats mix hardcore, Southern metal and punk on their debut full release, “Birthing the Giant.”

The bushy-bearded boys in brutal Massachusetts metal band 4 Year Strong combine elements of melodic pop and punk into their hardcore sound. English deathcore quartet Bring Me the Horizon has a summer concert season packed with festivals, including Download Festival.

Spokane’s From Sword to Sunrise opens the show.

Tickets: $22.25

•Ten Out of Tenn Tour (Monday, 8 p.m.): A Night of Tennessee Songwriters featuring Erin McCarley, Butterfly Boucher, Matthew Perryman Jones, Griffin House, Tyler James, KS Rhoads, Katie Herzig, Jeremy Lister, Andy Davis and Trent Dabbs.

Appearing as a musical unit, Ten Out of Tenn, the indie supergroup sponsored by Paste magazine, is on tour in support of the sequel to its debut compilation album.

Individual members have been busy since the release of the first record.

Seattle-born indie-pop-folker James explored electronic music in a collaboration with DJ Morgan Page, the result being “Call My Name,” which reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers single charts last September.

Texas singer-songwriter McCarley released her full-length debut, “Love, Save the Empty,” at the beginning of the year. The album peaked at No. 5 on the iTunes Top Albums chart and reached No. 76 on Billboard’s Top 200.

Originally from Australia, Boucher is set to release her third album this year. The leadoff single, “A Bitter Song,” debuted on an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” and was released on iTunes last month.

Grammy-nominated artist Herzig released a new album last year and appeared in the independent documentary film “A Nashville State of Mind.”

Tickets: $11

•Rory Block (Tuesday, 8 p.m.) – The New York country-blues singer, a respected roots music preserver, continues to uphold blues tradition while taking it in new directions.

Block grew up amid the Greenwich Village folk music scene and left home at age 15 to pursue her passion for old Mississippi Delta blues.

She has released 28 albums, most recently, 2008’s “Blues Walkin’ Like a Man: A Tribute to Son House.”

Tickets: $15 in advance, $17 day of show

•The English Beat (Wednesday, 8 p.m.) – The late ’70s ska revivalist group added a new twist with punk-rapper Ranking Roger, producing a string of hit singles in the UK.

That later gave way to music with a stronger political message, slower tempo and heavier leanings toward reggae and pop, before a split in 1983 that led Ranking Roger and lead vocalist Dave Wakeling to form General Public while Andy Cox and David Steele went on to form Fine Young Cannibals.

Except for Cox and Steele, the band reunited in January for its 30th anniversary tour.

Tickets: $15