Tonight in L.A.: Murder ballads (with Frank Fairfield and more), Giant Drag, Edward Sharpe, HoneyHoney

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Top 5 local shows on a night of interesting local shows:

Frank Fairfield and Simon Stokes – along with members of Spindrift performing as Boy Scout Jamboree, Triple Chicken Foot, Vaud & the Villains, Amanda Jo Williams and Olentangy John (that’s his video of “O! Be Joyful,” above) – perform tonight at the Echoplex on a night devoted to “Murder Ballads.” Kind of a great Halloween-appropriate idea, and you don’t need to dress up. (Don’t bring any sharp objects, though.)
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros return for an almost-hometown show at the Grove of Anaheim.
Giant Drag, joined by Lonely Trees and Square on Square, resurfaces for a gig at the Bootleg Theater.
‣ Over west of the 405, HoneyHoney plays the Central in Santa Monica (with Lara Kincanon).
‣ And Mad Planet kicks off a tour behind its new album “All Elephants” at the Silverlake Lounge, with Ballerina Black opening.

Meanwhile …: Reigning Sound (with the Ettes and the Shirley Rolls) at the Echo; Thrones and Christian Mistress at Spaceland; Neon Trees (free) at Universal CityWalk; Never Shout Never at the Wiltern; Seabear and Grandchildren at the Troubadour; Selena Gomez’s charity concert for UNICEF at the Roxy; Eliza Doolittle at the Hotel Cafe; Billy McLaughlin at the House of Blues; the Hollabacks and Sleeping With Angels at the Viper Room; the Mormons at the Redwood Bar and James Lavell’s 7 p.m. in-store (DJ set) at Amoeba.