Speaking of Canada, there’s another native son from that land coming through the
Thing (833 H St.) in Arcata tonight at 7 p.m. Shane Koyczan is a spoken word poet who has done the (near) impossible and cracked open a touring career out of his poetry, built largely on the back of his breakthrough piece “To This Day,” which is easy to check out on YouTube. If you aren’t too keen on Arts Arcata or Downtown Ball over at Arcata Theatre Lounge, check this guy out ($25, $20 advance). If you’re in the mood for something noisier in the same zip code and lighter on the wallet, head over to the Miniplex by 9 p.m. for a metal show headlined by Portland sludge band Diositopes. Local support will be provided by Boat Cop, Malicious Algorithm and Mystery Meat ($8).