GIANT SAND, BROKEBACK, MATT WARD
(Crocodile) Howe Gelb and Co. are back on the road to show off songs from Chore of Enchantment, Giant Sand's first album in six years. Like their previous efforts, it takes the road less traveled -- winding through dusty desert backroads and slithering through sunbaked sand dunes to embed itself in your subconscious. It's charming and affecting in a slightly loopy sort of way, but whether that magic translates live is always a hit-or-miss proposition due to Gelb's bizarre brand of genius. Still, isn't it worth risking another night of reruns for a potentially transcendent experience? BARBARA MITCHELL

PHO BANG
(Foxes Lounge & Cabaret) It's about time Seattle learned to loosen up and have a good time. Pho Bang is my idea of nightlife utopia -- a delightfully fun nocturnal paradise where drag queens and indie kids frolic in perfect harmony, and where the music is great and the door people are actually really nice. A place where you can experience drag contests, live bands (this week: Vandemonium) -- and a refreshing lack of attitude. Nirvana! BARBARA MITCHELL

POLECAT, WUSSY BEAT UP THE JOCKS, PLASTIQ PHANTOM
(I-Spy) Polecat has a new CD they're supporting these days, High Pressure System, and it's very energetic and filled with songs about relationships that are in trouble. They've played EndFest and the old WARPED tour, and are very intense and lively. Wussy Beat up the Jocks are a sorrowful, slow band, in which the singer spends a lot of time explaining his fucked-up behavior. Their music is sparse and emotional -- also pretty intense, but in a quieter way than Polecat. JUAN-CARLOS RODRIGUEZ

THE REVEREND HORTON HEAT, LOS STRAITJACKETS

(Showbox) Yes, friends, for more years than anyone can remember, the Reverend Horton Heat has been twangin' and shakin' his way across the good old USA, bringing joy to the rockabilly peoples. Tonight, he and his boys will show Seattle, once again, how rockabilly should be done. As anyone knows, there will be cool old cars, lots of leather jackets, hair grease, and Wayfarer sunglasses. This is going to be a show where ladies without tans and guys with more grease than hair can rule. Come ready to dance. JUAN-CARLOS RODRIGUEZ

PATTI SMITH
(Moore Theatre) Call her a punk poetess, a high priestess, or even a goddess and you won't be exaggerating. See Stranger Suggests, page 36. BARBARA MITCHELL

FCS NORTH, VERMILLION, DOLOUR, YOSSARIAN
(Old Redmond Firehouse) FCS North use no lyrics to augment their music: They put all their effort into the instrumentation, and it is very interesting to hear. They are sharp as a tack and determined to rock. Dolour is another Seattle band, and judging by their recordings, they like feedback-rich, solid-sounding rock. And they do have a singer. This show is open to all ages, even one-year-olds, so long as they don't cry. JUAN-CARLOS RODRIGUEZ

GUNGA DIN
(Graceland) Sleaze gets a bad rap. When it's in the right hands -- like those of Gunga Din -- the wrong side of the tracks can look more alluring than a suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel, and just as elegant. That could have something to do with the detached cool of singer Siobhan Duffy, or the fact that these New Yorkers have spent time in such similarly minded outfits as Nick Cave's Bad Seeds and the Swans. Their Jet Set debut, Glitterati, is seductive enough to lure even Luke Skywalker himself over to the Dark Side. It's deliciously, delightfully debauched. Beware. BARBARA MITCHELL

SHIRO
(Breakroom) Like David Bowie -- with whom he shares more than a passing resemblance -- Shiro frontman Josh White is a musical chameleon. Or at least he has been until this point. White led glam-tinged mood-rockers Man Ray to local prominence, then retired that band to join forces in the short-lived, thunderous supergroup Medicate. Late last year he pulled a 180 by releasing an acoustic-based album of sentimental love songs. His latest incarnation promises to meld those disparate elements into a powerful and cohesive whole -- partly because he's recruited members of both Man Ray and Medicate to bring that vision to life. BARBARA MITCHELL

FAIRGROVE
(Paradox) Maybe the closing of the Velvet Elvis and RKCNDY wasn't such a bad thing after all. Since those venerable institutions shut their doors, the local all-ages scene seems to have exploded -- offering local young 'uns far more opportunities to experience live music than in the past. That seems to be particularly true when it comes to bands residing around these parts. Fairgrove leads the pack of promising up and comers, which makes this a great show, whether you're too young to buy cigarettes or old enough to qualify for the senior citizens' discount at Denny's. BARBARA MITCHELL

THE HANSON BROTHERS, LOPEZ
(Graceland) They've ice skated here all the way from the frosty Great White North -- it's the least you can do to go and see them! The Hanson Brothers are actually some of the guys from Nomeansno, and they play fast, poppy punk tunes. They love hockey and the Ramones, just to give you a small idea of their personality. Lopez is a five-piece punk rock outfit from Portland by way of Wenatchee. I heard the Hanson Brothers actually play electric hockey sticks live, and the drummer plays helmets. JUAN-CARLOS RODRIGUEZ

SOULS OF MISCHIEF
(Showbox) Del the Funkee Homosapien was just here a while ago, and lucky us, the Souls of Mischief are right behind him. They've got a new single, "Medication b/w Acupuncture," that's going to be on their new album, Trilogy: Conflict, Climax, Resolution. You know you can't wait to hear the latest rhymes and beats from the fantastic four, so just go! Be sure to get to the Showbox extra early, though -- show starts at 6:00 pm, and it's ALL AGES, kids! They'll have copies of the single and maybe the album, and tons of other cool Hieroglyphics shit, so don't forget your fat-ass wallet, either. JUAN-CARLOS RODRIGUEZ

MOUSE ON MARS, IQU
(I-Spy) Calling all genre benders... this is the show for you. Direct from Deutschland you have Mouse on Mars, following in the big footsteps of other German experimental electronic pioneers like Can and Neu. And if that wasn't enough, you have one of the Northwest's very own representatives in the nebulous electronica category, IQU. Mouse on Mars' latest album strays all over the place stylistically: There are swingbeats and jungle, and just plain weird beats. Mouse on Mars don't hesitate to use organic sounds like horns and guitars, as well as loops and samples. All told, it's a concoction of obvious and experimental sounds that no doubt will be bent and stirred and made to challenge the listener live. JUAN-CARLOS RODRIGUEZ

SEAN NELSON, ROBB BENSON, JOHN RODERICK, HERMAN JOLLY
(Showbox) The Showbox continues its Sunday night showcase of fine Northwest songwriters. While previous nights have focused on folks who normally (or semi-regularly) face the world solo, this evening offers the opportunity to see the singers of some of the region's more prominent bands go it alone. Harvey Danger's Sean Nelson showed off a surprisingly pure and beautiful voice last month when he joined Grant Lee Phillips on stage; tonight you can see what he, the Nevada Bachelors' Robb Benson, Sunset Valley's Herman Jolly, and former Western State Hurricanes frontman John Roderick have to offer when you strip away the walls of sound that normally surround them. BARBARA MITCHELL

FEVER
(Call 760-7660 or 877-337-7660 for venue) There's about four million DJs (an all-boys club, it looks like), but here are the highlights: San Francisco's own DJ Dan -- who's doing double-duty tonight at the Showbox as well -- and a whole load of East Coast sounds, including Chicago's Terry Mullen and Scott Henry out of D.C. Not to be outshone, many of our own will be there as well, including usual hometown suspects Maxx, Nitsuj, and Zacharia. I can already smell the testosterone. LEAH GREENBLATT

VERSUS
(I-Spy) Now that most indie rock seems to have gone the way of the dinosaurs, it's great to see that Versus are still among the land of the living. Like many of their peers in the Great Alternative Revolution of the '90s, this critically lauded NYC group has always combined intelligent lyrics with a keen sense of melody and a healthy sense of dissonance. What sets this band apart, however -- besides the lovely interplay between Fontaine Toups and Richard Baluyat -- is the fact that there seems to be a real heart beating under that ultra cool indie demeanor. BARBARA MITCHELL

RAYGUNOMICS
(I-Spy) '80s fiends, fear not. From the ashes of the dear-departed Lovecats rises an all-new night of years-old music; Raygunomics gets points for the name, and for the presence of DJs like NAHA, who is always a pleasure. If the Romulans can tear themselves away from the latest cool-kid hangout, Foxes, they'll surely enjoy rocking their narrow little hips down at I-Spy for a night of irony-laden but irresistible nostalgia. LEAH GREENBLATT

THE VOGUE
(Hi*Score Arcade) There's a lot of pressure in being dubbed "the next big thing," and it will be interesting to see how the Vogue respond. These fresh-faced youngsters hit the stage tonight right on the heels of recording their full-length debut. Unlike many of their earnest, eye-squinting, emo-core peers, the Vogue have no problem letting you know they're too cool for school. There's a healthy sense of adolescent electricity, a heady overdose of self-confidence, and a barely contained sexual energy that makes this band stand out from the pack. BARBARA MITCHELL

BOUNCE
(Showbox) The peewee version of Dedicated is here -- all the music and none of the liquor for our fair city's event-deprived minors. Ten bucks seems a little steep for a Wednesday night, but to kids willing to pay $40 for a spot on the dance floor of some West Seattle warehouse, it's probably chump change. This week features good old-fashioned Left Coast house from Eric Davenport -- he of Black Licorice Recordings and Bassex -- and fans of that sound should be thoroughly satisfied, sticky, and sweaty by the time they have to make it back for curfew. LEAH GREENBLATT

MACHA
(Crocodile) If the phrase "world music" usually conjures up images of Peter Gabriel, hacky sack, and bad hemp clothing, Macha are here to alter that image -- and maybe even your mind, while they're at it. This Atlanta band has released two stellar albums of trippy, far-Eastern-infused music that's so good it makes the use of descriptions like "far out" and "groovy" both dead-on and excusable. It's the kind of stuff that truly comes to life in a live setting, so put your preconceptions behind you and -- as the title of their last offering would say -- come "see things another way." BARBARA MITCHELL

ERIC WOOD
(Gordon Biersch) NYC's Eric Wood comes highly recommended by a friend with discriminating tastes in singer-songwriters. A regular of the Big Apple's Bottom Line (a hotbed for that kind of talent), Wood is making his second appearance at the Gordon Biersch. If the mention of "Jeff Buckley-meets-jazz vocals" and his receiving high marks from the U.K.'s Mojo magazine aren't enough to lure you out to see what he's all about, consider this: It's FREE. What have you got to lose? BARBARA MITCHELL