Thursday 18
Miami’s mad-rappin’ Clarence Reid, aka Blowfly, rolls up on Radio Room. The 64-year-old is the self-described original nasty rapper and claims to have written and recorded the first rap song ever, “Rapp Dirty”: “This is Blowfly, the master of class/ And I’m here to sock some soul to your ass.” You get the picture. With like-minded locals the Homeless Sexuals, fun-n-funky Tighten Ups, and L.A.’s glam goofs Rebel Rebel, this is one Tickle-Me-Elmo bill for the hipster hangout.... Texas troubadour Michelle Shocked puts a charge into Belly Up tonight. The nu-grass folkie is a singer-songwriter of the Joni Mitchell school of cool. Shocked has added a batch of rockers to her repertoire with last year’s Soul of My Soul, which features the tongue-twisting “Ballad of the Battle of the Ballot and the Bullet.” Say that five times fast.... Aussie alt-rock trio Sick Puppies visit their latest disorder, Tri-Polar, on House of Blues. Janus and Young Goodman go first.... Else: local barroom-rockers Screamin’ YeeHaws ride on O.B. hot spot Winstons...while French “concrete” trio Gunslingers set their sights on Soda Bar, where Electric Jellyfish and Electric Children plug in first. What’re the electric odds?

Friday 19
SoCal originals Bad Religion pitch their tent at House of Blues for three nights of punk-rock revivals. Thirty years strong, Greg Graffin et al. have an untitled 15th disc in the works that’s due to drop this year. On Friday night, Jakked Rabbits and Agent Orange share the stage. Saturday it’s CH3 with North County kids the BombPops. The Adolescents do the honors on Sunday.... Since we’re in the neighborhood, around some bends downtown you got Atlanta’s Southern-rap master Big Boi taking the stage at 4th&B behind his new joint, Freaknik: The Musical...jazz and pop cat Steve Tyrell settles in at Anthology for two nights...and Casbah’s caught that elusive traveling troubadour the White Buffalo, whose acoustic croons will cut you to the quick.... Reggae great Junior Reid takes the stage at Belly Up. The former Black Uhuru front man is out to tout his new one The Living Legend, which features guest vox by Lil Wayne, Fat Joe, Cool and Dre, and Snoop D-o-double-g.... Remember P.B. buzz band 3against1? Reunionin’, the quartet’ll surf into 710 Beach Club with Mower’s chugging alter ego Slower. Jay caught up with 3-v-1 guitarist Arnaud. Check the interview in this week’s “Blurt”.... Uptown: Whistle Stop exhumes super-cool Social Spit. These guys were punking SD’s Halls when we were eating paste. Leighton got the goods on them this week. Rat’s Eyes open.... Syndicate and the Fascination will tart up Bar Pink with their nu-wave ways.... And 91X’s Loudspeaker stages ...students, Italian Japanese, and FMera at Hillcrest hideaway Ruby Room.

Saturday 20
Coupla covers acts at the clubs Saturday night, as Rio and Still Ill ape their faves at Casbah and Wild Child does the Doors at Belly Up.... London-bred blues-rock guitarist Kim Simmonds and his current crew will emulate Savoy Brown at Humphrey’s Backstage. Simmonds and Savoy brought U.K. blues to the States in the late ‘60s with standout tracks such as “I’m Tired” and “Train to Nowhere”.... Beauty Bar books dub duo Chill Clinton with top-ranking skankers the Fabulous Rudies and the Lifters.... Long Beach trio Ugly Duckling drift into Ruby Room after afterschoolspecial, Concrete Project, the KneeHighs, and Rare Form Live! for one hefty hip-hop trip. Check the jazzy beats and trip-hop talk on the Ducklings’ latest, Audacity. De La delicious.

Sunday 21
Asteroid Galaxy Tour crashes into Casbah Sunday night with Wallpaper and White Apple Tree. AGT is a Danish duo that grows to a sextet when you add stage lights. The alt-pop takes off of debut Fruit taste at first like radio-ready pabulum, but let it sit a bit...it’s like the Star Wars cantina scene on Tatooine.... The Stephen Stills show sold out Belly Up, but if you’re up that way, there’s a fun one at the Ché Café, featuring Crawler faves Da Bears, with Watercolor Paintings, Sani, Team Awesome, and Jehovas Fitness.... For you NINers, Ruby Room’s going to host “The Gift Official Screening + The Vegas Show.” I’ve no idea what any of that means. Reznor gives me the heebies.

Monday 22
Tinnitus unite us — Acid Mother’s Temple and Over-Gain Optimal Death (OGOD) will be performing sonic colonics at Casbah this Anti-Monday evening. If you’ve never felt (yes, felt) Kawabata Makoto play, you’re missing the sixth sense, yo. OGOD’s an L.A. act with the same supersonic sensibilities, so plug ‘em up.... From the other end of the dB scale (what audiologists call the Judy Collins end), Judy Collins will settle into AMSD’s Normal Heights site for two nights of folkie fare.... After that, if you need a blues-rock goose, go check a set at U-31, where Lady Dottie and her Diamonds hold forth on Monday nights.... And Soda Bar fills a four-dollar bill with psych-rock sets by Ape Machine, Kabbs, Roxy Jones, Earl’s Son, and Melted Cassettes.

Tuesday 23
NYC quartet and “Best New Music” earners by the experts at Pitchfork Cymbals Eat Guitars will chomp on Casbah Tuesday with Bear in Heaven and Freelance Whales. CEG’s debut Why There Are Mountains does do its pop-rock right, licking the envelope just enough to seal the deal, y’know? “Indiana” is the new choice cut at the Crawler house, but you might start with “And the Hazy Sea.” They’re both on their Space page.... New Zealand’s experimental instrumental three-piece Kerretta is in town for two this week, playing the Soda with Kata on Tuesday and Bar Pink on Wednesday with Pierced Arrows and Lullabye Arkestra.... Chicago’s Loneliest Monk plugs in at Radio Room with Roosevelt. Stop me if you know this one: during the '92 campaigns, MTV twink Tabitha Soren asked Bill Clinton who his favorite musician was. Big Bill tells her Thelonious Monk. Miss Soren’s reply: “Who’s the loneliest monk?” Rock the Vote! Yeah!

Wednesday 24
I’m out of words, but all of these shows shred: Black Moth Super dude Tobacco rolls one at Casbah with Hood Internet and Nice Nice.... SanFran art-punk band Tartufi joins local indie kids Writer and Swim Party at the Ché.... Country skrunk Hank III and Assjack hit 4th&B.... While House of Blues hosts a show of the 25-year anniversary tour of German thrash-metal akt Kreator. Kataklysm and Lazarus A.D. set the downtown stage.
— Barnaby Monk