Thursday 6
The Casbah kicks off its 22 years of whirled infamy this week with local indie-rock acts A Scribe Amidst the Lions, Black Hondo, and the Mashtis. Solid sounds coming down for seven bucks.... Eleven will turn out some keys-drenched, ’70s-soaked rawk from L.A. quartet the Black Beverly Heels. Dude plays one of them superfly keytars. Check ’em out: theblackbeverlyheels.com. Our own electro-rock trio the Displaced will set it up.... Hillcrest hideaway Ruby Room will play host to some avant-rocking with electro-jazz experimentalists Fractophone and proggy leftovers Schmaltz.

Friday 7
Randy Randall and Dean Spunt are noize-pop duo No Age and two of the artists that put L.A.’s Smell into the indie atmosphere. Since my intro with the hyper-excellent Weirdo Rippers, I’ve heard their artsy, static punk shaped into some semblance of songcraft that does a body good. Give a listen to “Glitter” (myspace.com/nonoage) from this year’s Sub Pop offering Everything in Between and catch them Friday night at the Ché Café with Protect Me, Rene Hell, and Heavy Hawaii.... Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Free Downloads. The other gig to get to would be Long Beach hardcores TSOL at Bay Park bar Brick by Brick. Started in 1979, True Sounds of Liberty (don’t call them that, though) were an integral part of the OC skate-punk scene and still enjoy a nod now and then in game and film soundtracks. Back to recording and touring, Grisham, Emory, and Roche are keeping the TSOL brand alive. Hollyweird trio Youth Brigade and our own Rats Eyes will set the pit in motion.... The other other gig to get to would be FMLY Fest at Tin Can Ale House. A bunch of L.A. indie kids — household names such as Birthdays, Truman Peyote, Emily Reo, Jeans Wilder, Kevin Costner Saves the World, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman (the band, not the man) — invade Banker’s Hill. This one starts earlyish.... Dizzy’s Culy Warehouse space will be graced by the jazzy world beats of the In Motion Trio and Zongo Junction.... While Casbah loads up the loud, with the Long and Short of It, Retox, Grand Tarantula, Scales, and Drug Wars.... SoCal Fender shredder and onetime Bluesbreaker Coco Montoya visits Humphreys Backstage behind his latest, last year’s I Want It All Back.

Saturday 8
L.A. heavy-metal merchants Fear Factory set up shop at Brick by Brick behind their seventh studio set, Mechanize. Featuring founding guitarist Dino Cazares back in the mix, Mechanize has been a critical and commercial comeuppance for the 22-year-old band. Buncha headbanging to be had with Pinhed, Helsott, Achronica, Big Vinny, and Under the Stone on the bill.... The locals-only shows at Casbah continue as Family Wagon rolls in behind Midnight Rivals and Lord Howler for a night of unbridled barroom rock and swagger. Lots and lots of swagger. Just read the reviews on the new Rivals record.... Georgia boys Drivin’ N Cryin’ will play 4th&B behind last year’s Great American Bubble Factory, a Southern rocker that was 12 years in the making. I saw these guys open for R.E.M. a million years ago. All I remember is the name.... Else: the Pete Escovedo Orchestra brings the Latin beats to Anthology...Rastafari Anthony B. hits the beach at Sound Wave...it’ll be borderland alt-rock acts Bagdad and Days of Anomie at Ruby Room...and the Tin Can Ale House fills an indie-pop bill with Bay Area bands Man/Miracle, Jake Mann, and the Spires.

Sunday 9
Good night to get out as former Sleeping Peep Kenseth Thibideau lays out his Temporary Residence debut, Repetition. The atmospherics continue at Casbah with Primitive Noyes and slo-fi trio Little White Teeth.... From Brooklyn, NYC, ska sextet the Slackers will be up at Belly Up behind last year’s Great Rocksteady Swindle.... Todd Day Wait’s Pigpen will dust up some acoustic rock at Ruby Room.... And Orange City electro-pop trio Wonder Wheel rolls into Tin Can Ale House behind Tan Dollar and Ghost Animal. Great, big sound coming out of Portland duo Ghost Animal. Go get some: myspace.com/ghostanimal.

Monday 10
More signal, less noise? Pinback’s Rob and Zach will set up at Casbah for a coupla nights. On Monday, they’ll play their This Is a Pinback Record front to back. On Tuesday, Blue Screen Life. Performance artist JP Inc (Pleaseeasaur) will set the stage at both shows.

Tuesday 11
From Seattle, indie-rock/trip-hop trio Champagne Champagne pops at Soda Bar. I’m an unabashed Why? fan, so the Champagnes’ aesthetic really appeals here — strummy, propulsive, lyrical, lotta verse little chorus, and song titles such as “Molly Ringwald” and “Hollywood Shampoo.” Need more? Sip this: myspace.com/champagnechampagne. Mad Rad and Young Olmos go first.... L.A. beardos Everest loom at Belly Up. The classic-sounding pop-rock act has heavy friends in high places — Neil Young, MMJ, Wilco — for reasons that are (heir) apparent, listening to the quintet’s sophomore set On Approach. With local faves Writer and Maren Parusel setting the Solana Beach stage, this’d be a good gig to get to — y’know, if yer in the neighborhood.... Former Grand Ole Partier John Paul Labno’s Vegetarian Werewolf will do Impressions of Man at Tin Can Ale House. Anyone who goes gets a free CD. Night Rockers set that up.... And L.A. emos 30 Seconds to Mars land at House of Blues for two nights. For more on the B-star band, flip or click to this week’s “Of Note.”

Wednesday 12
Hello Seahorse! is an alt-pop act from Mexico City out to tout last year’s Lejos. No Tan Lejos. That’s Far. Not So Far, I think. According to Paste, “HS! has crafted one of those marvelous albums where common language is not necessary for emotional connection.” Si. Muy bien. Pop language lessons at Casbah.... Two-time Grammy-winning jazz singer Diane Schurr will be up around the bend at Anthology for two nights. Deedles’s last one, 2008’s Some Other Time, is an education in jazz standards, if you’re lacking.... Udderwise: “Calzone rock outta New Haven!” Estrogen Highs hit Soda Bar with Fuck Yeah and Stalins of Sound...and Mark Hummel’s Harmonica Blowout comes to Belly Up and features Rod and Honey Piazza — the family that blows together...
— Barnaby Monk