Thursday Happenings

Metal

Mastodon is the best-known metal band from Atlanta and has had 10 years to perfect its maximalist fusion of Dave Mustaine, Peter Gabriel, and English Ph.D. programs. The band's popularity has expanded with its new album, Crack the Skye, which we won't listen to until they omit the letter "e" from the title. With Kylesa and Intronaut. The band precedes its appearance in Boston with a stint at Hot Topic in Natick. Seriously. House of Blues, 15 Landsdowne St., 6:30 p.m. $20/$30.

Animation

The Coolidge celebrates heady animator duo the Quay Brothers today with a mid-afternoon screening of their work. (Surely people with jobs must like experimental animation, too, right?) It's followed by some sort of interactive interview with the duo; details, as they usually do on the Coolidge's Web site, remain murky. Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline, 3:30 p.m. $15/$12 and 7 p.m. $15/$12.

Mod, Mod Montreal

Montreal band King Khan & the Shrines evoke the soul-drenched garage rock of yesteryear. King Khan himself swears fealty to Sun Ra and George Clinton, but if you visit the band's Myspace page and close your eyes, you might think you have found the third installment of the Nuggets compilation. Paradise Rock Club, 967 Comm. Ave., 8 p.m.

Drag Bingo

The callers, not the players, get to switch up their attire at Drag Bingo, but you probably won't get kicked out if you follow suit. Drag Bingo is just like regular bingo except the dudes look like women. Featuring the Hat Sisters, Mizery, and Trampolina. Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, 85 W. Newton St., 7:00pm. $25.