WED/20
DARK MEAT, ONEIDA, DIRTY FACES, JAH DIVISION ELECTRONIC SOUND SYSTEM Athens' psych/improv freak-rock big band Dark Meat returns to tear it up as a co-headliner with Oneida on this packed bill. Pittsburgh six-piece Dirty Faces plays terse, dark and cerebral art-punk jams. Brooklyn's Jah Division crafts a gimmicky but cool hybrid of deep-space dub covers of Joy Division songs. $10. 9 p.m. The Drunken Unicorn. 404-870-0575. www.thedrunkenunicorn.net. -- Chad Radford
RANDALL BRAMBLETT BAND This "lifestyle fusion boutique" is an unusual venue for Athens-based journeyman/multi-instrumentalist Bramblett to preview his just-released album, but the acoustic set should whet your appetite for his upcoming electric shows. His salty voice is the perfect vehicle for introspective, jazz-inflected singer/songwriter fare that boasts hummable, intricate tunes that mesh picturesque lyrics with haunting melodies that also rock. He's a class act who has been marginalized supporting Steve Winwood in the past, but is starting to be recognized as a superior frontman with his own impressive catalog. Free. 9 p.m. 1*Five*0. 404-474-4102. www.150atlanta.com. -- Hal Horowitz
THURS/21
BONERAMA Funk, rock, jazz, second line and the most outrageous guitarist you're likely to hear outside of a Frank Zappa tribute combine with a four-trombone frontline and tuba bass for one helluva wild ride. Bonerama finds the funk in everything, including respectful yet wildly creative Led Zeppelin, Beatles and Hendrix covers. Along with its own genre-hopping originals and a strong Meters fixation, the band members deliver the sweat-soaked goods like the New Orleans professionals they are. All three of their albums were recorded live with no overdubs and these guys can flat-out burn. $12. 8 p.m. Smith's Olde Bar. 404-875-1522. www.smithsoldebar.com. -- HH
DAVID LINDLEY As Jackson Browne, Ry Cooder and other pros with whom Lindley has worked can attest, if it has strings, Lindley can and does play it, which makes every gig a trip around the musical universe. From avant-garde experimentalism to world beat, Tex-Mex, folk, bluegrass, classical and rock, Lindley has always followed his own muse, completely detached from commercial concerns. Even though you're never sure what you'll get at his gigs, it's guaranteed to be an enlightening experience that will widen your musical horizons in surprising but always captivating ways. $20-$100. 8 p.m. Eddie's Attic. 404-377-4976. www.eddiesattic.com. -- HH
FRI/22
COLONEL BRUCE HAMPTON AND THE QUARK ALLIANCE There are some of us old enough to remember being teen musicians in the late '60s and early '70s, frolicking on music's edge, who would speak the names Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart and Hampton all in the same breath. A local musical icon who somehow missed big national acclaim, "The Colonel" has nevertheless been a powerful Zambifying influence on other musicians who achieved national traction, such as Bobby Lee Rodgers, John Bell and Derek Trucks. $12-$15. 8 p.m. Smith's Olde Bar. 404-875-1522. www.smithsoldebar.com. -- Mark Gresham
THOMAS FUNCTION, OMINOUS CASTLE, BOBBY AND THE SOFT SPOTS, LA CHANSONS Huntsville's Thomas Function takes the best parts of classic soul, R&B, garage rock, punk and gospel music and wraps them into one great big, dirty Southern jam. Local electro-pop act Le Chanson and more rocking locals Ominous Castle and Bobby & the Soft Spots open. This is an early show that's followed by an "aerobics dance party." $5. 9 p.m. Lenny's. www.lennysbar.com. 404-577-7721. -- CR
G. LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE, JOHN BUTLER TRIO There's little better than grooving to the frisky jazz, blues, pop and hip-hop of Philly's G. Love under the stars, especially when he's promoting a pretty terrific new album that screams "summer." Add in Aussie-based Butler's eclectic but always rubbery acoustic-based vibe and incredible guitar work and this turns into a festive combination that will satiate the jam crowd along with anyone else who enjoys upbeat, danceable roots rocking devoid of pretentious overtones. $29. 6:30 p.m. Chastain Park Amphitheater. 404-733-5000. www.classicchastain.com. -- HH
TIGER! TIGER!, GHOSTFINGER, AMERICAN BANG Tiger! Tiger! plays a dark and sultry sound that melds elements of garage rock, new wave and Southern punk shivers into sharp and antagonistic grooves. Nashville's Ghostfinger crafts a cool and murky blend of fast/slow post-punk anthems. Fellow Nashvillains American Bang churn out winding and dynamic power-pop and Southern punk-rock jams that are smooth and introspective while maintaining swift velocity. $10. 9 p.m. The Star Bar. 404-681-5740. www.starbar.net. -- CR
SAT/23
BILLY CURRINGTON, TELLURIDE After a little time away from the grind to sort out some personal issues, Georgia-born pretty boy Currington returns to the stage with more of his generic, soft new country sound. Nothing offensive or daring here, just plain ol' vanilla pop music for mamas and starstruck tweeners. Telluride opens with more of the same. $25-$32. 8 p.m. Georgia Mountain Center, Gainesville. 770-534-8420. www.georgiamountainscenter.com. -- James Kelly
THE CUTE LEPERS Formed from the ashes of punk-poppers the Briefs, frontman Steve E. Nix and bassist Stevie Kicks decamped in more of a power-pop direction, while still maintaining allegiance to first-wave British punkers like Buzzcocks and the Undertones. Their debut, Can't Stand Modern Music, bristles with barbed hooks that won't let go, while bouncing off the walls like kindergartners after a sugar fix. Big backing harmonies contribute to the bright, ringing sound with some great guitar playing submerged by the boisterous rush of it all. $8-$10. 8 p.m. Masquerade. 404-577-8178. www.masq.com. -- Chris Parker
LORETTA LYNN The reigning Queen Mother of country music returns to the area to once again sing her iconic songs. She gave Jack White's career a rub on her Van Lear Rose album, but her star always shines brighter than anyone around her. Lynn is a true legend, and even though she's not as powerful a vocalist as she once was, a real fan of the real deal should be there for this one. $36.50-$74. 7:30 p.m. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. 770-916-2800. www.cobbenergycentre.com. -- JK
SUN/24
LOVE AS LAUGHTER, OXFORD COLLAPSE Openers Oxford Collapse's chunky, amped attitude recalls late '80s underground acts like Dinosaur Jr. and Hüsker Dü, with catchy melodies swathed in distortion over insistent rhythmic thunder. While muscular with a touch of post-punk angularity, it's the urgent energy of the melodies that's most striking. Headliner Love as Laughter's dozen-year career has taken it from its early garage racket through ringing guitar rock and onto balladeering Northwestern American indie-pop. It shaves the sonic shag for its middling major-label debut, Holy, losing some of the scruffy charm in the process. $8-$10. 9 p.m. Drunken Unicorn. 404-870-0575. www.thedrunkenunicorn.net. -- CP
BYRON STRIPLING AND THE KSU JAZZ ENSEMBLE A trumpeter and singer in the manner of the late, great Louis Armstrong, minus the vocal gravel, Stripling drew national attention playing Armstrong in the musical Satchmo. Stripling played in the Count Basie Orchestra, and has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Woody Herman and Dave Brubeck. He's also heard on TV in the theme to ABC's news magazine "20/20." Gates open at 6 p.m. Lawn chairs and nonalcoholic picnic items OK. $5-$50. 7:30 p.m. Legacy Gazebo Amphitheater, Kennesaw State University. 770-423-6650. www.kennesaw.edu/arts. -- MG
Bands/performers/venues wishing to be included in Sound Menu's noted-acts boxes may send recordings, press material and schedules two weeks in advance to Creative Loafing c/o Rodney Carmichael, 384 Northyards Blvd., Suite 600, Atlanta, GA 30313, or e-mail information to: rodney.carmichael@creativeloafing.com. To be included in the listings only, e-mail venue and band schedules by Thursday at noon (for the issue that comes out the following Wednesday) to soundboard@creativeloafing.com.
