MUSIC

EVANGELINE--This band gets alt-country, somehow sounding right up-to-date while still mining the precedent set by the great Gram Parsons: elegant sadness, an angel-voiced woman, and lyrics both smart and direct. Northwest Airlines Blues Stage, Noon-1 pm. EMILY HALL

BONFIRE MADIGAN--Madigan's cello is a thing of beauty, and her voice lets out a nervy, guttural siren song. In performances that are equal parts heartbroken and terroristic, she entreats her audience both as prim sonic aesthete and haunted bard of psychosexual exploration. PCC Northwest Court Stage, 1:30-2:30 pm. JEFF DeROCHE

RUSTED ROOT--Here's one for the hippies. Percussion-heavy Rusted Root draws from African, Latin, soul, and rock traditions to create a tribal-based pop sound entirely its own (as with the 1994 hit "Send Me on My Way"). Real Mainstage, 1:45-3 pm. Amy Jenniges

DANIEL JOHNSTON--You must attend this show. See Stranger music section pg. 37. PCC Northwest Court Stage, 3-4 pm.

DJ LOGIC--As Charles Mudede once wrote in this paper, DJ Logic has misnamed himself. He is anything but logical. He is impressionistic, experimental, and "filled with errors," Mudede wrote, "which is a good thing." It is this basis in jazz improvisation that makes Logic such an engaging performer. Flag Pavilion, 3-4:30 pm. brian goedde

MxPx--The locals in MxPx have not only done well for themselves, but they put their hometown on the map with the video hit "Move to Bremerton," which featured ferry scenes and a hooky refrain that was catchier and more insistent than scabies. DMX MUSIC Boombox, 4-5:15 pm. JEFF DeROCHE

SLANTOOTH--This drum and bass DJ has been appearing at I-Spy/Nation and all-ages events all around town, with regular appearances at Inevitable Kaos. Cool. He also made an appearance at EndFest--decide for yourself whether that's cool or not. Flag Pavilion, 4:30-6 pm. GENEVIEVE WILLIAMS

OLD 97's--The Old 97's are back, after their packed Satellite Rides tour stop at the Showbox in May. These Texans--with their pop-catchy country-rock sound, and sexy frontman Rhett Miller--will get everyone tapping their toes (cowboy boots optional). Northwest Airlines Blues Stage, 5-6:15 pm. AMY JENNIGES

MATT CORWINE--Whether he's out playing under his alias, Lo Phat Hi Fi, or under his given name, when you're looking to soothe your more intelligent tech-house itch, Corwine is your man. He's spun at clubs all over the city, and releases records on various labels all over the world. Flag Pavilion, 6-7:30 pm. FRANK NIETO

CRITTERS BUGGIN WITH BACHIR & MUSTAPHA ATTAR--Critters Buggin helped liberate Seattle from the tyranny of grunge music with intelligent, international, vibrant music that wasn't heavy on guitars and melancholy. Tonight the band will perform with Bachir and Mustapha Attar, master musicians from Morocco. I don't know anything about Mustapha, but Bachir is a very handsome man who'd make an excellent local celebrity if he were to move here. The Funky Kingston Rhythm Stage, 7-10:30 pm. CHARLES MUDEDE

MOUNTAIN CON--With The MC Stands for Revolution, Mountain Con delivered nothing revolutionary--just bright, uptempo pop songs with a touch of twang and slide guitar. The band has a pleasant enough sound, like a fairer cousin of Sanford Arms or a less ragged Radio Nationals. BumberClub, 7:30-8:15 pm. JEFF DeROCHE

RICHARD BUCKNER--Coming from an excellent school of Texas musicians that includes the likes of Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Buckner writes mature alt-country songs that mine ashen emotional depths and ache for beauty and redemption. PCC Northwest Court Stage, 7:45- 9 pm. JEFF DeROCHE

JOHN HAMMOND'S WICKED GRIN--Hammond has been releasing accomplished straight blues albums for three decades, so his decision to record Wicked Grin, an album of Tom Waits covers, would seem curious. The result is a stellar steeping of Waits' warped Americana in swamp stomps and blues rockers. Live, Hammond will play an impassioned mix of obscure blues and the Wicked Grin material. Northwest Airlines Blues Stage, 8:30-10 pm. NATE LIPPENS

THE REVEREND HORTON HEAT--The Reverend Horton Heat puts on one hell of a show. When this band takes the stage, the rockabilly starts flying and not one ass in the place goes unshaken. Wear good shoes to this one, because dancing is unavoidable. DMX MUSIC Boombox, 8:30-10 pm. MEGAN SELING

FCS NORTH--See Bio Box, pg.15. BumberClub, 8:45-9:45 pm.

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT--Even a lot of the gay men I know seem to want to distance themselves from Rufus Wainwright's swooning balladry. Coming from a man, this kind of lush, vulnerable expression, mixed with a sweet whimsy, makes people uncomfortable. Let the exquisite acoustics of the Opera House carry his weedy tenor to your ears, and surrender. Opera House, 9-10:30 pm. BRET FETZER

HERBERT--Herbert's recent release, Bodily Functions, is a mixed bag of new sounds fronting on old styles--'40s standards, folk, jazz, and house--to create a body of sound that encompasses piano, strings, and acoustic bass, all amid a plethora of ambient noise. Flag Pavilion, 9:15-11 pm. FRANK NIETO

NEBULA--Ex-Fu Manchu members Eddie Glass and Ruben Romano take stoner rock to the extreme, in that Nebula is totally lacking in the esoteric. Rather, this stoner rock is of the "Wow, dude" variety--big, dumb, full of fuzz and metal and the occasional "sensitive" moment. BumberClub, 10:15-11 pm. KATHLEEN WILSON

READINGS by Charles Mudede

CHARLES R. CROSS--Writing a book about Kurt Cobain is much like writing about a sports team or a particular airline: Everyone has an opinion on the subject. I'm sure at some dramatic point in this reading, someone who was once very close to the dead rock star will passionately discredit Cross and his findings. This has to happen. Starbucks Literary Stage, 2:15-3:15 pm.

DAVID MELTZER--Though I'm not big into poetry readings, particularly during loud rock carnivals, I have a very soft spot for jazz poets. David Meltzer has edited anthologies titled Reading Jazz and Writing Jazz. Both occupations represent excellent ways to spend a lifetime. Bagley Wright Theatre, 2:30-4 pm.

M. L. LIEBLER & THE MAGIC POETRY BAND--Okay, this performance will probably bore me to bits with its "surreal rock & roll poetry." Why would I attend? To see just one thing: Is M. L. Liebler really "The Mayakovsky of Motown," as the Bumbershoot press release claims? Starbucks Literary Stage, 8:15-9:30 pm.

FILM by Sean Nelson

(all films are screened at the Intiman Theatre)

HOME ALONE IV: RETRIBUTION--Latchkey kids get some payback: Abuela's Revolt, A Night on the Town, Super Jesus. Noon-12:45 pm.

IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD--Madness, perversity, and Rebecca Gayheart: My Chorus, Doppelganger, Thursday Afternoon. 4-4:45 pm.

ANIMATION NATION #2--Horses on Mars, Repetition Compulsion, Window, Moving Illustrations of Machines, Drink, Lint People. 5-5:45 pm.

MISS COMMUNICATION--Three shorts dealing with lovers' spats: (Dot Dot Dot), Sweet, and Peter Riegert's Oscar-nominated By Courier. 7-7:45 pm.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: NORTHWEST SHORTS--Milk, Measure, Not Waving but Drowning, and A Problem with Sharks. 8-9:45 pm.

EXPERIMENTS IN THE DARK: KARL KROGSTAD--Party Line, the Gazebo trailer (never before screened), and Krogstad's Rolling Stones music video. 9:30-11 pm.

DANCE/THEATER by Bret Fetzer

PROJECT BANDALOOP--Last year, this troupe actually performed on (or more accurately, off) the Space Needle. This year, its members are in more staid confines, but they'll be hanging from the rigging and god knows what else. Dance fused with mountaineering. Bagley Wright Theatre, Noon-12:30 pm.

21 DOG YEARS: DOING TIME @ AMAZON.COM--Mike Daisey is one lucky bastard. His solo monologue opened within days of Amazon.com's massive layoffs, right on the crest of the dot-com crash. Almost overnight, Daisey became the commentator on Internet commerce, talked about in everything from Entertainment Weekly to Fortune. It would all be hype if Daisey didn't back it up with smart, funny observations and skilled storytelling. Bagley Wright Theatre, 9:30-11 pm.