Jimmy Eat World, Dave Matthews Band, Linda Ronstadt & Dredg

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Sun. Sept. 30, 9pm VooDoo 14 S. Second St., San Jose 408.286.VODO $7 GUEST LIST Hiphop Showcase feat. Z Man CUTTING EDGE: Z Man of Gurp City and One Block Radius headlines VooDoo's hip-hop showcase, a show dedicated to putting established Bay Area artists together with up-and-coming hip-hoppers. The result is a series of interesting and fresh shows that strengthen the NorCal rap scene. Z Man has also been associated with Hieroglyphics-$7 is a crazy deal to see a show featuring an MC with so many credits. If that isn't enough, Thunderhut, Dirt Bag Dan with Ichy the Killer, Lucky Lucianni and Mean Ol' Lion join Z Man in this cutting edge hiphop-fest.

Wed. Sept. 26, 9pm The Blank Club 44 S. Almaden Ave., San Jose 408.292.5265 $2

Databass WHATEVER: The Blank Club describes the event as "indie trash and whatever," but we think they can do better. San Jose DJs Basura and Disaster will be spinning everything from indie music to electronica, putting together a solid night of danceable grooves. No Top 40 hip-hop here, as the Blank Club hosts the 21-and-up party. Get there before 10pm and you'll get in free with a one-drink minimum.

Thu. Sept. 27, 10pm Angels Ultra Lounge & Cabaret 440 S. First St., San Jose 408.885.9588 Usual Cover

Z-Trip TRIP OUT: Hands down, this is one of the biggest events of the year at Angels Ultra Lounge and Caberet. Why? Because the godfather of the mash-up movement himself, DJ Z-Trip, is making his first-ever appearance in San Jose, and for Bay Area clubbers, that's a big freakin' deal. A master turntablist with a handful of chart-topping albums, Z-Trip is one of the most sought after DJs on the planet. Experience the OG party popper firsthand this Thursday at Angels Ultra Lounge.

Thu. Sept. 27, 7pm The Catalyst 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz 831.423.1336 $17 BUY TICKETS

Dredg ULTRA DREDG: The Los Gatos-based band Dredg created an interesting niche for itself, aiming the chaotic energy of prog rock inward and downward, resulting in a heavy, slogging churn of atmospherics and pyrotechnics that sounded like few other bands. Their latest release, Catch Without Arms, has abandoned that niche, and a significant part of the fan base. Probably a necessary step, as not many but the severely depressed can spend an entire career dredging the depths of their psyche without finding something a bit more poppy and melodic down there, even if it does sound a lot more like what a lot of emo bands find when they plumb their preciously tragic depths.

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Fri. Sept. 28, 9pm The Blank Club 44 S. Almaden Ave., San Jose 408.292.5265 $8 BUY TICKETS Neil Hamburger ANTI-COMEDIAN: Two guys walk into a bar...and one of them is Neil Hamburger! Ha, what a zany name. I mean, it's like something a priest would tell his lunch! "Kneel, hamburger!" I know, I'm a regular Robin Williams, here, but the funnyman I'd really like to plug is the one and only assistant viceroy of mirth, the so-called "World's Funnyman," who is hauling a wagonload of merriment to the Blank Club. I gather he's been down in Australia, polishing his material (rimshot!); recent recordings include "That's Not Gold, That's Dung!" and "Left for Dead in Malaysia." Travel must be broadening, for on MySpace he's written a beautiful Japanese-style haiku for his dozens of fans: "A failed career/ the laughter dried no one's tears/ fate has kept me poor." Always leave 'em laughing, Neil!

Fri. Sept. 28, 9:30pm-2am Taste Ultra Lounge 87 N. San Pedro St., San Jose 408.885.1016 Usual Cover

Red Light District PUT ON THE RED LIGHT: Every fourth Friday, Taste Ultra Lounge hosts Red Light District, a sultry party presented by Nite Life Entertainment and Double R Entertainment. This month's installment features DJs Don Lynch and Nasty Nick spinning hip-hop, dance, old school, mash-ups and house for the dance-hungry masses.

Fri. Sept. 28, 7pm-3am Vault Ultra Lounge 81 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose 408.298.1112 $20 GUEST LIST

White Out Bash POST LABOR DAY: Bleach and iron your best whites for this ninth annual party from the masterminds at BarcelonaSF. The ultra-bright evening gets started early at 7pm and doesn't stop until the last song ends at 3am. Keep things light with DJs Armann the BrainChild and David Savior in the main room while DJs Andrew MD, Thomas Phan and Hanna man the decks in the global bazaar.

Fri. Sept. 28, 8pm Johnny V's 31 E. Santa Clara St., San Jose 408.947.8470 $5

Seed, the Bane, Mary Axe CALI-GROWN: Though you may not think it, Bakersfield, Calif., is home to more than just cow pastures, avocado fields and really, really hot weather. The Central Valley town is also home to reggae-rockers Seed, one of a handful of bands rising in Sublime's smoke-filled wake. Seed seems to be growing strong in the warm Bakersfield sun, landing gigs with fellow rasta-rock groups like Pepper, as well as reggae icon Eek-a-Mouse. Also appearing tonight at Johnny V's are San Jose alt-rock band The Bane and Campbell's own Mary Axe.

Fri. Sept. 28, 8pm Paramount Theatre 2025 Broadway, Oakland 408.998.TIXS $45 BUY TICKETS

Widespread Panic NEO-HIPPIES: For those still unconvinced of the impact the Grateful Dead had on music, look no further than the young crop of neohippie jam bands that have sprung up in the Dead's absence. One of those groups to pick up where Jerry left off is Widespread Panic. Adding a Southern rock element to the funky jazz-rock that characterized their predecessors was a natural step for the Athens, Ga., outfit, and the band's popularity throughout the '90s proved the sound was a hit. Tragedy struck the band in 2002 when founding guitarist Mike Houser succumbed to cancer, but on his wish, Widespread Panic lived on, touring and recording a handful of noteworthy albums including 2006's Earth To America.

Sat. Sept. 29, 9pm Vivid Nightclub 8 S. First St., San Jose 408.279.4444 Usual Cover

Halloween Fashion Show LIONS AND TIGERS AND BUNNIES, OH MY: Vivid starts off Halloween a little early with this naughty night of dress-up. Bridget Marquardt of The Girls Next Door hosts this Halloween fashion show, complete with the Playboy Fashion Collection, donned by guests including Playboy cover girl Taryn Terrell, Playboy cyber girl Cristal Camden and three members of Danity Kane. The first 100 costumed women will be eligible to win the grand prize of the evening.

Sat. Sept. 29, 11:30am-6:30pm Arena Green 438 Coleman Ave., San Jose 408.998.TIXS $5

Ozomatli YA SE FUE: Ain't no party like an Ozomatli party, and this Saturday at the Arena Green, the Latin funk and rap collective bring their urban musical gumbo to downtown San Jose for a Latin-alternative twist to the S.J. Mariachi Festival. Made up of a unique blend of personalities, Ozomatli showcase a diverse, dance-happy musical offering on their latest album, Don't Mess With the Dragon. It's fun but serious with themes that address many of today's social ills. Ozomatli formed at a sit-in protest where musicians got together to jam for the cause of jobs at a youth center in Los Angeles back in the early 1990s. Since then, the Grammy-winning ensemble have created controversy with huge processions at shows in their hometown and in Austin, Texas. Their fans call themselves Ozo Heads, and will hold a convention in San Francisco from Nov. 29 to Dec. 2. Twelve years together and the band named after the Aztec god of dance continues forging ahead, making new fans around the world with new millennium music, the mission of which is to speak truth to power. Also performing at this two-stage, all-day event are Incendio, Kaweh, Maraca, Los Mocosos, the Iguanas, Los Pinguos and Diego's Umbrella.

Sat. Sept. 29, 8pm 2007 Mariachi Festival San Jose State Event Center 290 S. Seventh St, San Jose 408.998.TIXS $40-$125 BUY TICKETS

Linda Ronstadt MARIACHI FESTIVAL: Country-folk diva Linda Ronstadt takes center stage at this year's San Jose Mariachi Festival Gala with two sets of music that should leave her fans in awe. Joining her for a trad-Mex set of selections from her landmark mariachi album, Canciones De Mi Padre, will be the Mariachi Cobre. She then joins Los Angeles rockers Los Lobos for a blast-from-the-past set of her oldies. Born in Tucson, Ariz., on July 15, 1946, of German-Mexican descent, Ronstadt has a crystalline contralto voice that has graced American pop radio with platinum and gold hits, like her 1989 rendering of "Blue Bayou." Not to be missed, the finale is expected to include a rock-mariachi tour-de-force jam on "La Bamba."

Sat. Sept. 29, 7pm Shoreline Amphitheatre 1 Amphitheatre Pkwy., Mountain View 408.998.TIXS $40-$65 BUY TICKETS

Dave Matthews Band CRANK THE A/C: When the Dave Matthews Band opened for the Grateful Dead in 1994, it wasn't exactly clear why. At the time, the noodly jazz-jam band Phish was already assuming the mantle of the second coming of the Dead, even before the Dead were gone. About the only thing DMB shared with the Dead or Phish was an open-door policy for bootleggers, who were freely allowed to record and trade their shows. These days, the Dave Matthews Band is known for its impressive live shows and enjoys a hearty following of fans of adult contemporary music, compared to which they do sound pretty far out.

Sun. Sept. 30, 7:30pm HP Pavilion 525 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose 408.998.TIXS $55-$90 BUY TICKETS

Marco Antonio Solis HE'S A LOVER: Latin pop singer Marco Antonio Solis rose to prominence in the early 1970s with Los Bukis, the hit-making grupo (band) that he formed with his brothers in the Mexican city of Michoacan, Jalisco. After a long string of hits, he departed for a solo career in the 1990s and has since risen to superstar status through his association with Fonovisa Records and hits like "Por Amor De Mi Pueblo" ("For the Love of My People"). Known for a spectacular stage show, he always includes mariachis in his presentations, but this Sunday at the HP Pavilion he presents a rare, largely mariachi concert with the superb Mariachi Sol De Mexico de Jose Hernandez.

Sun. Sept. 30, 1-5pm Triton Museum of Art 1505 Warburton Ave., Santa Clara 408.247.3754 $10-$40

Blues Bash ELECTRIC BLUES: After all the changes and transformations rock & roll has undergone in the last 40 years, sometimes it's nice to recall the good ol' days of the electric blues renaissance. B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix--these are the guys that exemplify rock & roll's timeless beauty. And believe it or not, there's still a handful of guitar players who take pride in honoring the tradition of hot licks and bluesy riffs. One such honoree is Ike Cosse. A veteran of the Bay Area music scene, Cosse's hot-hand on the six-string has scorched local joints since the mid-'80s, earning him a reputation as one of the West Coast's hottest bluesmen. Catch the heat at the fourth annual Blues Bash held in the Sculpture Garden at Santa Clara's Triton Museum of Art. Also performing at the benefit concert are Vinny Peterson and Mumblefinger.

Sun. Sep 30, 6:30pm Sleep Train Pavilion 2000 Kirker Pass Road, Concord 408.998.TIXS $27.50-$65

Heaven & Hell SABBATH, SANS OZZY: What do get when you take heavy metal gurus Black Sabbath, subtract Ozzy and add Ronny James Dio? No, it's not a rock & roll retirement party, it's Heaven and Hell. The group first joined forces back in 1980 under the Sabbath name, releasing an album called, unsurprisingly, Heaven and Hell. The band's first post-Ozzy release was a smash in the United States and Britain, and after a 15-year hiatus, the veteran rockers are back on tour to support the 2006 release of Black Sabbath, The Dio Years. Joining Heaven and Hell at the Concord Pavilion is another metal icon aged to perfection, Alice Cooper, as well as '90s prog-rockers Queensryche.

Mon. Oct. 1, 7:30pm Bottom of the Hill 1233 17th St., San Francisco 415.621.4455 $16

Saves the Day POWER POP: If the new breed of power-pop rock seeping over the airwaves owes its existence to any one band, that band has got to be Saves the Day. And if you've ever wondered how the emo crew sounds without the aid of electric guitars and effects pedals, here's a chance to get a glimpse as the New Jersey natives play an exclusively acoustic show at San Francisco's Bottom of the Hill. There's no denying the intimate quality of unplugged rock & roll, and surely the boisterous tunes of Saves the Day will gain some subtle elegance at Monday night's show. Whether the elegance is fitting of the pop-punk rockers, well, you can be the judge of that. Sharing the bill with Saves the Day is indie trio Single File and Illinois' Dr. Manhattan.

Tue. Oct. 2, 7pm The Catalyst 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz 831.423.1336 $20-$22 BUY TICKETS

Jimmy Eat World WARPED APPEAL: One of the first emo bands to burst out of the post-hardcore Warped Tour circuit, Jimmy Eat World crossed over from the underground and became the favorites of an MTV-watching generation of mall punks with the success of the band's ubiquitous 2001 single "The Middle." The band took a lot of flak at the time, but in retrospect it's difficult to begrudge Jimmy Eat World's success. The introspective aesthetic of early emo has been twisted into borderline misogynistic parody by the likes of Fall Out Boy, which owe more to hip-hop's bling culture than prototypical emo. By comparison, Jimmy Eat World's bright-eyed, heart-on-your-sleeve emotionalism seems as quaint as it does refreshing. The groups it paved the way for have eclipsed Jimmy Eat World's prominence, but the band's upcoming album, Chase This Light, shows the group in top form, highlighting its keen melodic gifts and shattered-heart idealism. Jimmy Eat World also performs at The Blank Club on Monday, October 1, presented for free (yes--a Jimmy Eat World show free of charge) by Live 105.

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Tue. Oct 9, 8pm HP Pavilion 525 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose 408.998.TIXS $57.50-$227.50 BUY TICKETS

Genesis FAREWELL: While it may have been a tough road to travel, Genesis' path to rock & roll stardom eventually took them all the way to the top, as the English lads became one of the most successful bands through the '70s, '80s and '90s. Led by the Peter Gabriel/Phil Collins power duo, Genesis developed a progressive rock sound heard 'round the world, earning them a total of 14 Billboard hits and countless album awards. Though the original lineup has since gone its separate ways, Phil Collins and company are reuniting for a final North American farewell tour. Don't miss your last chance to see one of the biggest rock acts in history this October at the HP Pavilion.

Thu. Nov. 29, 7pm San Jose State Events Center 290 S. Seventh St., San Jose 408.998.TIXS $30 BUY TICKETS

Fall Out Boy THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES: You saw them at this year's MTV Video Music Awards, now get ready to see Fall Out Boy live and in the flesh this November at the San Jose Events Center. The pop-punk sensations are currently touring in support of their latest album, Infinity on High, though the support is hardly needed--the record already climbed to numero uno on the pop charts and went platinum in less than a month. Still, Fall Out Boy is on the road, satisfying emo-kids across the nation with their best-selling brand of rock & roll.

--This week's newsletter by: RO, MC, CT, GW, SP PD, JJ & DB

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