A couple of interesting non-mainstream musical opportunities present themselves in January. On Tuesday 8 January the ‘multimedia avant-rock collective’ Nonstop Tango will be at Oxford’s Old Fire Station, and then on Saturday 12 January there’s An Evening Of John Cage at the Port Mahon in Oxford. The latter, put together by Fixers frontman Jack Goldstein, will include a number of Cage works performed by Goldstein and Roo Bhasin (also of Fixers) along with Max Levy – aka King Of Cats – and Ian Staples of 1970s improv avant-garde band Red Square. There will also be a very limited edition cassette release to mark the occasion, available at the gig and put out by Oxford microlabel Fourier Transform.

The day before at the Port Mahon – Friday 11 January – there’s some cracking local talent performing in this up-close-and-personal venue; the Pixies-esque Von Braun will be supported by edgy songwriter Matt Midgley and the Americana-tinged Toliesel.

Make your own music using nothing more than your voice on Tuesday 15 January – then and on every subsequent Tuesday night, New Road Baptist Church in central Oxford hosts a singing session run by the Oxford Sacred Harp Singers. Sacred Harp singing is “an American choral tradition of singing unaccompanied four-part harmony” – for these singing get-togethers, no prior experience is required!

2013’s first Upstairs in association with BBC Introducing in Oxford gig takes place on Saturday 19 January, and they’ve put together a corker of a line-up. The O2 Academy 2 in Oxford sees the majestic post-post-rock noisemerchants Tall Ships headlining, and there’s a tasting menu of fine Oxford talent supporting, with Listing Ships, My Grey Horse, Robots With Souls and The Sea The Sea.

Full details of these and loads more gigs can be found in the events calendar.

Tell us about gigs you’ll be checking out in the next two weeks in the comments!