THE LIONS
9 p.m., Juanita’s. $7.
How do you know you’ve made it — or at least are on your way — in today’s increasingly fractured music industry? You score a plumb spot on a video game soundtrack. Better yet, if you’re a band that likes guitars, you end up on “Guitar Hero.” Fans of that title’s third installment will be poking primary colored buttons in their minds on Thursday when the Lions from Austin, Texas, launch into “Metal Heavy Lady,” the band’s paean to the brighter days of metal, when hooks actually mattered, hints of psychedelia snuck in here and there and you could actually make out a lyric or three. Which is not to say the Lions don’t come heavy. Their riffs are often described as Texas-sized. While I’m stridently opposed to using “Texas-sized” to describe anything, the spirit of the cliche is on point. Bring earplugs. Popular Conway-based singer/songwriter Mat Mahar opens with Gone Was Here. The show is open to ages 18 and older.