Carlos Mencia, Flogging Molly, John Mayer & Calendar Girls

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UPCOMING

Thu. Sep. 28, 10pm 1015 Folsom 1015 Folsom, San Francisco 415.431.1200 $20		DJ Q-Bert BETTER THAN THE GAME: DJ Q-Bert can be held almost solely responsible for reintroducing and reestablishing the DJ as a major force in the rap game. Determined to take turntablism into the future, DJ Q-Bert, along with his group the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, concerned themselves with technique and musicianship. Q-Bert himself branched out on a mission to basically teach the world to scratch, crossing genres to preach the gospel of the turntable. DJ Q-Bert, legend of the scratch and master of the breakbeat, hits 1015 for a little science lesson.

Wed. Sep. 27, 9pm The Blank Club 44 S. Almaden Ave., San Jose 408.292.5265 Free

The Roaring 20's VALLEY GIRLS: Local girls with a helping hand from a stick man from the backwoods of Tennessee, The Roaring 20's set up garage band style at the Blank tonight for an indie throwdown with a full blend of old school punk, a little blues and straight ahead rock. Although not playing as a three piece for very long, The Roaring 20's have such a tight sound, steadfast direction and solidly inspired musicianship that you'd swear they've been plugging in their amps together since the cradle days. Odds are the 20's won't be hitting just the local club circuit much longer so cruise down and raise a glass so you can say with conviction; "I saw them when..."

Wed. Sep. 27, 7:30pm Mountain Winery 14831 Pierce Rd., Saratoga 408.998.TIXS $35 - $55 BUY TICKETS

Peter Frampton THE TALKING GUITAR: The one time record holder for best selling live arena rock album of all time until he was arguably usurped by The Boss, Peter Frampton is best known for Frampton Comes Alive that catapulted the lad from Kent from near obscurity to an international superstar seemingly overnight. Frampton's ability to do things most musicians only dreamed about with his guitar has always kept him in the critic's eyes even when he faded from the public's through a string of albums that never quite captured the magic of his live shows. Ask your parents; Frampton is probably one of the best guitarists today and the best through his '70s heydays, catching him live would be like a living rock history lesson.

Wed. Sep. 27, 8pm The Fillmore 1805 Geary, San Francisco 408.998.TIXS $20 BUY TICKETS

Good Charlotte ALMOST BROKE IT: In a time awash with the black eyeliner of the corporate alternative post-post-pop-punk emo movement, it's good to know that there's a band out there that can crank the amps when it countsÑeven if it's only a decibel or two over the chained down monkeys attached to the organ grinding record giants collective leashes. Good Charlotte takes its cues from the harder rocking punk outfits of yore, but, since the days of renegade music and anarchy labels has since passed to be a viable monetary outlet for bands, GC plays the game producing slightly subversive punk tinged anthems for the Hot Topic generation.

Thu. Sep. 28, Dusk St. James Park First & St. James Sts., San Jose 408.279.1775 Free

Madagascar @ Cinema St. James THE GREAT ANIMATED ESCAPE: Riding the coattails of and following in the footsteps of the recent slate of animated blockbusters, Madagascar pretty much follows the unsuspecting friends caught in an unexpected adventure line with predictable results. The movie works well, though, the jokes are timed and--as is becoming increasingly more popular with animated movies--there's plenty of insiders for adults. Needless to say the kids will love the mishaps of Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria--all too domesticated escapees from the Central Park Zoo--and adults will get a few laughs while relishing in the fact that there are still free things to do in San Jose.

Thu. Sep. 28, 7pm The Warfield 982 Market St., San Francisco 408.998.TIXS $20 - $22.50 BUY TICKETS

Flogging Molly SEISUN PUNK: Combining traditional Irish folk music with West Coast punk, Flogging Molly puts on one of the best live shows ever full of whisky, blazing guitar and mandolin riffs, beer, sweat, accordions and mosh pits. Unique in the fact that they're based out of LA--while most American trad-Irish punkers claim Boston as home--Flogging Molly are tireless tourers, almost as rowdy on stage as the drunken crowds that love 'em are off. They headline the Side One Dummy College Tour--which moved to The Warfield from its original San Jo Civ location--with Bedouin Soundclash, Zox and The Whitest Kids U'Know.

Thu. Sep. 28, 9pm Scores Sports Bar 417 S. First St., San Jose 408.971.6647 Usual Cover

Girls Arm Wrestling @ Scores WHERE'S THE THEME SONG: Scores is looking for a few good girls to put on an arm wrestling show that's already sounding better than that cheesy Stallone flick, Over The Top, although Sly's one-liners will probably be better. Hosted by St. John from 94.9 and doling out $300 to the girl that beats the rest, Scores will be rocking with a slate of local DJs and 2 for 1 drink specials. Our money is on the chick that shows up driving a big rig with the backward trucker hat.

Thu. Sep. 28, 8pm Red Devil Lounge 1695 Polk St., San Francisco 415.921.1695 $18 - $20

Cherry Poppin' Daddies STILL SWINGING: Formed before the second coming of swing, the Cherry Poppin' Daddies wallowed around in the Pac Northwest at a time when grunge ruled the land until those self same alt-rock Gen-Xers discovered the quality of previously neglected musical styles and the retro-swing movement was born. Most notably remembered for '97s Zoot Suit Riot, Cherry Poppin' Daddies are still hitting it eight strong and introducing more influences--like ska, big band and jazz--into their already deep musical lexicon.

Thu. Sep. 28, 7:30pm Mountain Winery 14831 Pierce Rd., Saratoga 408.998.TIXS $45 - $57.50 BUY TICKETS

George Thorogood and the Destroyers BAR STOOL ANTHEMS: George Thorogood has always taken his cues from the gritty sound of 1950s Chicago blues and rocked them for an audience beyond those of blues purists. His classics with The Destroyers like "Move It On Over" and "Bad to the Bone" still appeal to a harder edged rock crowd that, in the early '80s, was slowly splintering between prog, glam and hair metal. If you want some good rock oriented bluesy drinking songs, just pop in some Thorogood and raise several glasses to such bar anthems as "I Drink Alone" and "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer," but how that will play at the Mountain Winery is anyone's guess.

Fri. Sep. 29, 9pm Ruby Skye 420 Mason St., San Francisco 415.693.0777 $20 BUY TICKETS

The Crystal Method RAVERS RETURN: A force in the LA underground dance scene, The Crystal Method are still pumping out the rave inspired tracks that cemented the duo as America's answer to the Chemical Brothers. After the waning of the LA rave scene that was hampered by overbearing police pressure, completely out of style random violence and a price hike in MDMA, The Crystal Method did what any self-respecting techno, big beat, dance party directors would doÑtook the show on the road. Ruby Skye presents them in their natural habitat, a late-night, four-hour set.

Fri. Sep. 29, 9pm First Billiards 420 S. First St., San Jose 408.294.7800 Free

Tekpot w/ T9 FREE 408 RAP: In the last edition of First Billiards' Expansion free jam concert series local rapper Tekpot headlines the show with more than enough support lent by another local fave T9. Also included on the all local bill are Red Agenda, the United MC's with work on the turntables contributed by the Expansion main deck commanders, the Metal Mouth DJs Ruben R, Destro and Cali. Heck, you'll even be able to grab some cheap hourly pool rates, drink specials and catch local artists doing their thing.

Fri. Sep. 29, 8:30pm The Hedley Club 233 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose 408.286.1000 Free

The Pimpsticks HEP CATS: Locally grown jazz, blues swingsters The Pimpsticks bring their unique retro sounds to the swanky Hedley Club for a dirty night of juke joint riffs and copious amounts of booze--these guys would feel right at home kicking it with Dino, Sinatra and the boys. The Pimpsticks have been playing together and in other local bands for years, their sound is tight and when these fellas get together for a jam session, rest assured the joint is gonna be jumpin'.

Fri. Sep. 29, 9pm Angels Ultra Lounge 400 S. First St., San Jose 408.885.9588 Usual Cover

Angels Swimsuit Calendar Search DON'T PACK 'EM YET: Angels Ultra Lounge is hosting their search for some ladies that want to be an integral part of their upcoming '07 swimsuit calendar on Friday night, so swing by for some gratuitous eye candy. The Angels drink slingers will be pouring out the specials with the beats provided courtesy of 94.9's Leslie Perez.

Fri. Sep. 29, 8pm The Warfield 982 Market St., San Francisco 408.998.TIXS $29.50 - $35 BUY TICKETS

Scissor Sisters ART HOUSE DANCE: Inspired by the New York burlesque, drag queen and glam rock scenes, the Scissor Sisters produce a genre and gender defying mix of dance floor anthems, rock, pop and performance art into their legendary live shows. More of a household name in Europe where their first single, a neon rainbow remake of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb," catapulted the Scissor Sisters from the NY gay club scene to near superstardom. Their second full-length offering, Ta-Dah was just released to rave reviews on the UK circuit, so prepare for a grandiose theatrical live show.

Fri. Sep. 29, 9pm Agenda Lounge 399 S. First St., San Jose 408.287.3991 Free

VIP Friday @ Agenda VIP APPRECIATION: There's something wholly unprecedented going on at one of the SoFA originals tonight. Agenda Lounge is throwing their VIP party where, just for showing up, you'll receive their VIP card that gets you unlimited access to the club and, to show Agenda's appreciation for all of you that have helped make it one of San Jo's best venues, their rocking $1 drinks--anything behind the bar--to kick off the night. Take note kids; that's a dollar for the good stuff, not the usual college party, rot gut action.

Sat. Sep. 30, 7 & 10:30pm San Jose Civic Auditorium 135 W. San Carlos St., San Jose 408.277.5277 $39.50 - $42.50 BUY TICKETS

Carlos Mencia ROAD SHOW: Since the departure from the airwaves of Dave Chapelle, Carlos Mencia now holds the title of funniest guy on television, but stand up has always been his bread and butter because of the grateful absence of FCC regulations. His show, Mind of Mencia, while pushing the envelope can only go so far and to see Carlos in all his full in your face, dismantling of stereotypes, hilarious glory; catch him live. Carlos Mencia brings his 2006 The Punisher Tour for two shows at the San Jo Civ tonight, if it isn't sold out, try to catch the later one...trust us.

Sat. Sep. 30, 2pm Shoreline Amphitheatre 1 Amphitheatre Pkwy., Mountain View 408.998.TIXS $29.50 - $49.50 BUY TICKETS

The Download Festival PLUGGING IN: The Download Festival returns for a second turn at Shoreline today and the name alone speaks volumes about the hard drive driven modern music industry. Following the established alternative music festival formula that pits big name acts on the same stage as up and comers, Beck headlines with the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs and The Shins taking care of the other household name slots with prog-rockers Coheed and Cambria, and jazz fusionists TV on the Radio rounding out the bill. Also, for all you MySpacers, the social networking giant will go decidedly Luddite with a real world tent where cyber soul mates can finally connect without the help of bandwidth.

Sat. Sep. 30, 7pm The Greek Theatre UC Berkeley Campus 408.998.TIXS $41 BUY TICKETS

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers RAN DOWN THE DREAM: Venerable Americana roots rockers, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, swing by the Greek tonight for a show full of Petty's signature nasal drawling about the tribulations of common middle class heroes and losers with the tight and versatile backing of the Heartbreakers. Even though Tom Petty has run the gamut from solo career to super-band-oleer while in The Traveling Wilburys, he's always worked best with the Heartbreakers and on their latest, Highway Companion, the near precog powers of kicking out jams together for over 30 years is fully evidenced.

Sat. Sep. 30, 8pm The Catalyst 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz 831.423.1336 $16 BUY TICKETS

Hell's Belles WE SALUTE YOU: The full blown rocker chick AC/ DC tribute band, Hell's Belles, invade The Catalyst tonight for a guitar laced, amped up, hard driving show. These girls seriously know how to rock and, being that The Catalyst is one of their favorite venues to perform in, you can bet that this show is going to be a drunken, rowdy, ear-splitting one that'll make even the most diehard AC/ DC fans proud--and even if you're not into AC/ DC (but really, who doesn't like 'em?), seeing these girls tear it up is just freakin' awesome.

Sun. Oct. 1, 6:30pm Shoreline Amphitheatre 1 Amphitheatre Pkwy., Mountain View 408.998.TIXS $30.50 - $76 BUY TICKETS

John Mayer w/ Sheryl Crow ACOUSTIC RECOVERY: Well, let's all hope that this match up works better than the previous two for these guitar stars. John Mayer, after leaving the vapid blondie can now get back to writing and performing soul, rock and pop laden tunes with phenomenal guitar work that make the young girls scream at the top of their petite lungs. While Sheryl Crow can leave the cheering squad behind and concentrate rather on the music that made her a household name in the '90s. Acoustic pop rock enthusiasts everywhere will welcome them both back with open arms.

Sun. Oct. 1, 8pm The Fillmore 1805 Geary, San Francisco 408.998.TIXS $25 BUY TICKETS

Sonic Youth TEENAGE RIOT: Accessibility and mainstream rock has never been Sonic Youth's strong suits, in fact, the very terms to these experimental pioneers are completely foreign. For over 25 years these avant-garde noisemakers have been synonymous with shredding guitar licks and distortion that transition from hauntingly melodious to amped ear blowing punk in a single chord change. The quartet's new album, Rather Ripped, melds classic Sonic Youth musical deconstructionism with '70s rock...strange, but true and these guys are probably the only band that could pull it off.

Sun. Oct. 1, 7pm Sleep Train Pavilion 2000 Kirker Pass Rd., Concord 408.998.TIXS $25 - $49.50

Godsmack STANDING ALONE: Alternative metal heads, Godsmack bring their heavy bass lines and blazing guitar riffs to Concord tonight for a show that's sure to bring out all of the black clad and devil-horned finger-saluting denizens to the Sleep Train Pavilion. After getting their start on the all-metal, all-day Ozzfest tour in 1999 and propelling the hype of The Rock's forgettable acting debut in The Scorpion King, Godsmack is now awarded the privileges of being the premiere amped up headliners. Death rocker Rob Zombie and Shinedown do the honors of opening.

Mon. Oct. 2, 8pm Oakland Arena 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland 408.998.TIXS $39.50 - $129.50 BUY TICKETS

Mariah Carey BACK TO FORM: The original spoiled and out of her skull, meltdown diva herself, Mariah Carey heads to Oakland tonight and, supposedly, has left those days behind her. Who could possibly forget the spectacular flop of Glitter or her off the deep end public showings of the early 2000s? But, with the release of '05s chart topper, The Emancipation of Mimi, Carey seems to have gotten back to her old form, selling out the largest stadiums, moving seamlessly between hip-hop and dance club anthems and giving up the sole T-shirt look for something a little more, um, appropriate.

Mon. Oct. 2, 7pm The Fillmore 1805 Geary, San Francisco 408.998.TIXS $20 BUY TICKETS

We Are Scientists ELEMENTARY: Cerebral indie rockers, We Are Scientists, make their way to The Fillmore from their usual Brooklyn digs for a singular show that's sure to involve some quirky songs and experimental musicianship from the trio. Known for their live shows around NY and for never answering a reviewers question straight, instead riffing aimlessly on about the pertinent ramifications of the muskrat's introduction to mainland Europe, We Are Scientists produce that intelligent, indie style of tunage that's severely lacking in a lot of the cookie cutter record company lap dog recording artists that always seem to clog up our airwaves--much like, according to WAS, the muskrat is clogging up the levees and dykes in The Netherlands.

Tue. Oct. 3, 9pm The Cardiff Lounge 260 E. Campbell Ave., Campbell 408.374.7477 Free

Mondodrama @ The Cardiff Lounge EASY COCKTAIL RHYTHMS: Mondodrama at the Cardiff Lounge recalls the '60s heydays of kitschy afro-funk and Latin mambo action of the likes of classic Martin Denny, Les Baxter and Yma Sumac with some new breakbeat twists and jazz. Resident spinners Mark Johns, Kat and Bird blend the funky rhythms perfectly with the Cardiff's chill atmosphere to present a hip little Tuesday night drinking spot.

coming up

Sat. Oct. 7, 9pm The Vault Ultra Lounge 81 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose 408.298.1112 Usual Cover

Steve Smooth & JJ Flores CHICAGO SPIN: The Vault is bringing in a Windy City double house throwdown featuring two of Chi-town's hottest spinners, Steve Smooth and JJ Flores. The two turntablists will be cracking heads for the first time and all you house music fans know, the Chicago house scene is definitely on par with the one in The City, so deep booty shaking grooves should not be a problem. Local spin-heads Roger Moorehouse, Mario Dubbz and Kyle Chase round out the bill.

Fri. Oct. 13, 9pm The Blank Club 44 S. Almaden Ave., San Jose 408.292.5265 $10

Kung Fu Vampire CREATURE OF THE NIGHT: Hip-hop, jazz, rap, goth, orchestral fusion may sound like we were just spewing out a laundry list of musical styles, but we're actually talking about Kung Fu Vampire, one of the most inspired bands to ever come out of the Bay Area scene. With an on stage presence 10-strong encompassing strings, a keyboardist, a visualist, guitar and beats, KFV drops street poignant lyrics over a beat heavy, but totally smooth and dark loungey sound that kicks like a Frankenstein amalgamation of Dino, Dizzy and Mos Def.

--This week's newsletter by: RO, DS, CT & AR

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