If you’ve been outside this month and looked up at the local mountains, then you know winter was over less than a month after it began. That means it’s safe to leave the house without falling into a tree well or being hit by a snowplow. The following concerts should be all the added impetus you need to get out and do something while you wait for spring. After all—barring a freak change in weather patterns—it’s not like you’re going skiing.

Sam Smith

(February 4 at Rogers Arena)

In the spotlight: Talk about taking the express route to the top. Two years ago, if you’d asked people who England’s Sam Smith was, the response would have been “that guy from Tadcaster who makes the beer”. Today’s a different story. The most famous blue-eyed soul singer to roar out of the U.K. since Rick Astley, Smith has gone from a velvet-piped nobody to a hockey-rink headliner.

Why you need to go: Begrudge him all you want for not paying his dues with at least one dive-y club tour, but don’t deny that Smith can sing. If you don’t get chills from the gospel-tinged “Stay With Me” you’re deader inside than Mitt Romney.

Logic

(February 6 at the Rio Theatre)

In the spotlight: Don’t believe what your parents, guidance counsellor, and probation officer tell you—sometimes getting kicked out of school is a blessing. That’s definitely true in the case of Logic, who, upon getting the punt, suddenly had endless hours to work on crafting mix tapes. His reward? That would include—and this is only to date—an XXL cover, a deal with Def Jam, and network appearances on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.

Why you need to go: Partly because Logic is one of the most fascinating characters to come out of the rap game in years (name another MC as enamoured with Frank Sinatra as he is the Wu-Tang Clan), but mostly because this is the last time you’ll be able to catch him in the intimate confines of a place like the Rio.

The Tragically Hip

(February 6 at Rogers Arena)

In the spotlight: All great bands go through some dry spells, this certainly holding true for the Tragically Hip, whose last Vancouver appearance (at the Orpheum in 2013) was constantly derailed by new songs that failed to connect with old fans. Perhaps realizing that things aren’t working as well as they used to on the songwriting front, Gord Downie and company have decided to revisit the past, their return to hockey rinks featuring 1992’s classic Fully Completely in its entirety.

Why you need to go: Fully Completely didn’t go diamond in Canada by accident. As a bonus, for the first time in 20 years, your fellow concertgoers won’t have to stand there listening to you screech “Play ‘Locked in the Trunk of a Car’ ” until your voice gives out.

Trans American Sounds

(February 6 at the Fox Cabaret)

In the spotlight: As anyone with more stamps in their passport than dollars in their bank account will back up, the best thing in the world you can do is travel. Unfortunately, that costs a lot of money. Should you find yourself a little skint this post-Christmas season, let Trans American Sounds take you on a journey that won’t destroy what’s left of the bottom line.

Why you need to go: Spread out over two floors at the Fox, Trans American Sounds features DJs and live electronic wizardry from talent drawn from across Canada, the States, and Mexico. Expect deep house, noise, cinematic soundscapes, and, best of all, a temporary escape from West Coast winter blahs.

Get Together 2015

(February 8 at the Pacific Coliseum)

In the spotlight: Six months ago, Gareth Emery was playing the Commodore, riding a wave of hype for a forward-thinking strain of dance music called trouse. (As much as that sounds like something kids get in their hair in elementary school, think a mashup of trance and house.) Now he’s headlining the Coliseum. Should you have a child who wants to learn guitar, for God’s sake suggest he study DJing instead.

Why you need to go: At the rate he’s going, Emery will be presiding over B.C. Place this fall. Oh, and the undercard (Myon & Shane 54, Will Sparks, Ilan Bluestone, and Jaytech) is filled with talent who might just become the next Skrillex. Or Gareth Emery.

Ariel Pink

(February 11 at the Rickshaw)

In the spotlight: The refreshingly out-there Ariel Pink deserves respect on numerous fronts, including his love of ’80s cassette tapes before they became hip, and the fact that he’s been known to rock haircuts that suggest Bobby Conn dipped in Kool-Aid Pink Lemonade crystals. He’s also, for the first time in his career, going it alone with his latest, pom pom—his long-time backing band Haunted Graffiti nowhere to be seen.

Why you need to go: Songs on the positively reviewed pom pom include “Plastic Raincoats in the Pig Parade” and “Nude Beach A Go-Go”. Do you really need another reason?

Cannibal Corpse/Behemoth

(February 11 at the Commodore)

In the spotlight: The darkness and gloom one normally associates with Halloween come early this year with a double bill of two heavy-music legends. On the American side of the pond, Cannibal Corpse weighs in with death-metal delicacies such as “Meat Hook Sodomy” and the delicately titled “Entrails Ripped From a Virgin’s Cunt”. Black metallers Behemoth, meanwhile, are the underground pride of Poland thanks to numbers like “Spellcraft and Heathendom” and “Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel”. Note: if street cred is important to you, this is not the place to wear your Steel Panther headband.

Why you need to go: Where else are you going to find all the Sunday-school dropouts you haven’t seen since 1983 in one place?

Meghan Trainor

(February 11 at the Vogue Theatre)

In the spotlight: Despite what her newly minted fans might think, Meghan Trainor didn’t burst out of nowhere with her ubiquitous single “All About That Bass”. Before taking YouTube by storm, she released two go-nowhere acoustic albums while moonlighting as a songwriter for the likes of Rascal Flatts. And then came that retro-bubblegum jam you couldn’t get away from last year, the irony being that Trainor originally wasn’t supposed to sing it, instead offering it to Beyoncé and Adele. As much of a mess as your life is, it’s nice to know things sometimes actually work out for others.

Why you need to go: Don’t pretend otherwise—you’re more than a little curious what she’s going to play live, other than punk-rock, salsa, and hip-hop versions of “All About That Bass”.

Billy Idol

(February 12 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre)

In the spotlight: William Michael Albert Broad certainly is a survivor, this evidenced by the fact he’s headlining soft-seaters while his former peers haven’t been heard from since Sid Vicious overdosed. Formerly of pioneering punks Generation X, Billy Idol became one of the biggest rock stars on the planet thanks to ’80s MTV. And even if he’s only coasting on past glories as he creeps up on 60, that’s not going to matter one bit to his fans, who haven’t been to a show since the Spoons last hit town.

Why you need to go: To remind yourself there was a time when you didn’t live in the suburbs, singing along to “Rebel Yell” while piloting a Dodge minivan to Costco.

Lucinda Williams

(February 12 at the Vogue Theatre)

In the spotlight: That 1998’s Car Wheels on a Gravel Road didn’t instantly make Lucinda Williams the biggest country star on the planet sums up everything that’s wrong with the American music industry. Her classic work did, however, cement her status as a cult favourite among those who appreciate 24-karat Americana. Williams’s latest, Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone, has been hailed as another golden addition to a stellar catalogue. As if anyone expected anything less.

Why you need to go: Remember how Williams was named “America’s Best Songwriter” by Time back in 2002? That, arguably, still holds true.

Smokey Robinson

(February 13 at the River Rock Casino Resort)

In the spotlight: Witness a legitimate R&B legend in Smokey Robinson, who—incredibly—is now in his seventh decade as one of America’s foremost soul singers. If you’ve always wanted to see a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame up close, this is your chance. Same goes for a Motown founder and the voice behind the immortal classic “The Tears of a Clown”.

Why you need to go: Even though he’s retired once or twice over the years, Robinson has never lost his musical mojo; instead of heading straight for the cutout bins, last year’s Smokey & Friends landed at No. 12 on the Billboard charts.

Africa Fete

(February 13 to 15 at Performance Works)

In the spotlight: Stop and think, for a second, what modern music would be like if it hadn’t been for Africa. The continent has given us primal rock ’n’ roll, jazz, hip-hop, the blues, and too many spinoffs to list here. The three-day Africa Fête goes back to the source, artists ranging from the West African–indebted all-star ensemble Sohoyini to Vancouver’s Zimbamoto.

Why you need to go: Africa Fête includes daytime showcases, drum and dance workshops, and artists who follow the music of Africa into Brazil, Haiti, Peru, and more. How often can you broaden your horizons while getting your groove on?

Ben Howard

(February 14 at Thunderbird Arena)

In the spotlight: Where “modern folk” used to conjure up unpleasant images of James Taylor and Jewel, it’s somehow become one of pop’s most shit-hot genres over the past couple of years. For proof, consider that England’s Ben Howard will be singing sensitive-saddo numbers like “I Forget Where We Were” at Thunderbird Arena rather than the Naam.

Why you need to go: Considering how many times your other half has agreed to rent “something loud and stupid starring Bruce Willis” on movie night, it’s time some goodwill went the other way.

Hozier

(February 15 at the Orpheum)

In the spotlight: Along with Macklemore, the similarly mono-monikered Hozier deserves an award for trying to make the world a better place. It’s brilliant that the soaring “Take Me to Church” has moved a million copies, and even better that the song slams religion for being obsessed with what people choose to do in their bedrooms.

Why you need to go: Hozier’s inspirational blend of preacher-man vocals and heavenly guitars is enough. The fact that he might have changed a mind or two last year on the issue of gay rights is a beautiful bonus.

Winterruption

(February 19 to 22 at Performance Works)

In the spotlight: Now that we think about it, it’s increasingly possible that Winterruption is responsible for the unseasonably warm weather over the past couple of years. We’ll forgive one of the city’s most adventurous festivals, however, with this year’s attractions including giant murals, films, and can’t-miss musical acts like Celso Machado, the Ballantynes, Miss Quincy and the Showdown, and Willa with DJ Blondtron.

Why you need to go: Despite what Netflix would have you believe, winter isn’t for sitting around watching movies where you might actually see snow (The Shining, 30 Days of Night, and, um, Jack Frost). The frenetic soul of the Ballantynes alone is guaranteed to pull you out of hibernation.

Cro-Mags

(February 20 at the Rickshaw)

In the spotlight: There were popular hardcore bands during the golden early years of North American punk rock, with Black Flag, D.O.A., and the Circle Jerks among them. Few first-wavers, however, were as brutal and scary as New York’s Cro-Mags. If you’re planning to do time in the pit at the Rickshaw, make sure you’re wearing a mouthguard.

Why you need to go: No less than Henry Rollins has praised the Cro-Mags for their sheer thuggish power. If that’s not an endorsement, consider that the band has been together since ’81, yet has never—unless we’re grotesquely mistaken—played Vancouver. With four decades of pent-up anticipation, this one is guaranteed to be a powder keg looking for a match.

Festival du Bois

(February 26 to March 1 at Mackin Park, Coquitlam)

In the spotlight: If you live in Vancouver, chances are you only end up in Coquitlam when it’s time for an IKEA run. Except, that is, during the much-loved annual Festival du Bois, which this year includes traditionalists Bal à l’Huile, DIY mashup crew Les Chercheurs d’Or, and folk minimalists Bardefou. And that’s just the shortlist.

Why you need to go: If the weather holds, get ready for the next-best thing to springtime in Paris—which is to say that Festival du Bois is also the envy of those who’ll be spending March in Montreal.

Leighton Meester

(March 1 at the Rio)

In the spotlight: Leighton Meester isn’t the first actor to decide she’d rather be moonlighting with a microphone than standing in front of a camera. But unlike Bruce Willis, Russell Crowe, Jared Leto, and Eddie Murphy, the pop-minded glam folkie is arguably better at her hobby than at the discipline that made her famous.

Why you need to go: Even if she falls flat on her famous face, Meester is guaranteed to acquit herself better than Bruce Willis, Jared Leto, Eddie Murphy, and Russell Crowe.

CelticFest

(March 6 to 17 at the Vogue Theatre)

In the spotlight: The greenest festival in town once again rolls out a lineup guaranteed to please anyone who dreams of sheep-dotted hills and quaint pubs where the Guinness flows in dark rivers. This year’s CelticFest features talent that includes Alan Doyle, C.R. Avery, Pat Chessell, Shane’s Teeth, Vagabonds, the Whiskeydicks, Delhi 2 Dublin, April Verch, and Elsay.

Why you need to go: Think of the cool points you’ll score with that Pogues 1982 tour T-shirt you just discovered in your dad’s closet.