Al Bell Founder of Stax Records will be at the Rock Hall.

Every year, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum devotes February - Black History Month - to a genre or aspect of black music. This year it's paying tribute to the sound of Stax Records, the Memphis-based label which provided a gritty Southern counterpoint to Motown in the '60s with artists like Otis Redding and Sam and Dave. Its month of programs starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6 with a lecture, "Telling the Stax Story," by Rob Bowman and Deanie Parker at Case Western Reserve's Clark Building, room 309. At 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 11 in the Rock Hall's 4th Floor Theater, there'll be a screening of the documentary Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story. Former Stax head honcho Al Bell will participate in a From Songwriters to Soundmen: The People Behind the Hits interview at 7 p.m. Feb. 20 in the 4th Floor Theatre. And at 7 p.m. Feb. 27, again in the 4th Floor Theater, the Rock Hall's monthly Rock and Roll Night School will focus on Stax's classic albums. All events are free; call 216.515.8426 or email edu@rockhall.org for reservations and info. - Anastasia Pantsios

Salt the Wound CD Release Show

Six-year-old Cleveland metalcore band Salt the Wound is releasing a new CD titled Carnal Repercussions, its debut release for Los Angeles-based Rotten Records. It celebrates the event at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1 at Peabody's (2083 E. 21st St., 216.776.9999). Admission: $10, or free with the purchase of a CD. Immediately after the show, the group hits the road for yet another of its cross-country tours starting the following night in Wheeling, West Virginia and taking it from the East Coast to California, through the deep South back up the Eastern seaboard before it returns home at the end of March. Guitarist Vince Stropki and Jake Scott, bassist Brian Martinez and drummer Rob Walters will be joined by new vocalist Matt Tanner, replacing Kevin Schaefer who quit in December after discovering that he didn't like touring. Get more info at myspace.com/saltthewound.- AP

Kassaba Debuts New Music

Kassaba (kassaba.com), the hard-to-define, percussion-heavy, classical-influenced, jazzy instrumental quartet, which performed in France and New York last year and had its latest CD, Dark Eye, played on over 100 radio stations, performs its first show of the year at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2 at the Heights Arts Studio (2340 Lee Rd.) in the Cleveland Heights Main Library complex. The group, which includes three Cleveland Institute of Music graduates and a Berklee College of Music grad, promises new music as well as old, including a revamped Red Hot Chili Peppers tune. Tickets: $12 adults, $10 18 and under. For reservations (suggested because of limited seating), call 216.371.3457. - AP

High School Rock Off Finals

The final round, aka "The Final Exam," of the High School Rock Off takes place Saturday, Feb. 2 at the House of Blues (308 Euclid Ave., 216.241.5555). This is the round where 18 young bands, picked during six semi-finals, vie for the top prize, including equipment, cash and performance opportunities. Doors are at 2 p.m., performances at 3 p.m. Tickets $8 advance, $10 at door. Go to cleveland.com/rockoff for info. - AP