Sage Francis

The last time Sage Francis was in Lawrence, he caught a cup of ice in the face mid-set from a feisty crowd member. So he did what any on-point former Scribble Jam champ would do: He maintained his composure, dropped a couple of ridiculous off-the-cuff rhymes about the ice and moved on. Known as much for his strict DIY ethic as commanding stage presence and poetic wordplay, Francis is the kind of underground MC who commands respect from even the most finicky hip-hop heads. Francis performs with Sol Illaquists of Sound and Jared Pau, 9 p.m. today at The Granada, 1020 Mass.

Jesse Malin

Locals may remember Jesse Malin as the guy who opened for Ryan Adams last October at the Lied Center. Or not. He really wasn’t that memorable as a solo performer. At any rate, Malin fares much better with his band, where he can indulge his inner Springsteen and Westerberg fantasies and fall back on the capable chops of his hired hands. Malin performs 9 p.m. Sunday at The Bottleneck, 737 Mass.

Amy Martin

Amy Martin is a folk singer-songwriter activist from Missoula, Mont., who has drawn comparisons to Dar Williams and Indigo Girls for her easygoing and introspective style. Her songs are augmented by gentle fingerpicking, fiddle, cello and simple percussion, though Martin’s clear-throated voice is the centerpiece. She performs 8 p.m. today at Signs of Life, 722 Mass.

‘Fiddler on the Roof’

Based on the stories of Sholom Aleichem, “Fiddler on the Roof” is a family musical about the bonds that hold together husbands and wives, parents and children, in times of hardship and joy. The show tells the story of Tevye, a humble milkman from the Russian village of Anatevka, and achieved worldwide success in the 1960s and ’70s because it illustrated the universality of the generation gap, youthful dissent, revolutionary doctrine and oppression of minorities. Punctuated by a score that includes such numbers as “Sunrise, Sunset” and “If I Were a Rich Man,” the show plays 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Lied Center.

E.M.U. Theatre Double Bill

There’ll be knives, pie and pigs in the basement of the Lawrence Arts Center this weekend. Actually there will only be one pig — a very special pig — as E.M.U. Theatre continues its second weekend of a double bill that includes “Futz!” and “Self Torture and Strenuous Exercise.” The plays, both avant-garde in their sensibilities, challenge audiences’ expectations. Heck, Cyrus Futz is having a love affair with his pig. How much more challenging could it get? The one-acts will be staged at 8 p.m. today, Saturday and Sunday.