WED/10
THE N.E.C., ALL THE SAINTS, ADVENTURE Local rockers the N.E.C. continue their monthlong residency at the Star Bar with a show of psych-damaged garage punk. All the Saints applies the psychedelic approach to a sound that's rooted much more deeply in a surreal pop terrain as the group crafts arching walls of dense resonance that blur the lines between goth, metal, noise and an emotionally charged dirge of rhythm and feedback. Adventure opens. $3. 9 p.m. Star Bar. 404-681-9018. www.starbaratlanta.com. -- Chad Radford
THE WHIGS, TOKYO POLICE CLUB Athens trio the Whigs slalom through their catchy indie rock like Wile E. Coyote strapped to an Acme rocket, beaming power-pop ebullience and anxious, shifty winsomeness. Their second album, Mission Control, ambles from laconic rock waltzes ("Sleep Sunshine") to jagged dance-punk ("Production City"), reprising a bevy of styles without missing a step. Ontario's Tokyo Police Club plays energetic indie pop keyed by swirling keyboards and punchy, danceable rhythms. The colorful, caffeinated abandon of their new album, Elephant Shell, is as infectious as a room of snotty first graders. $15. 9 p.m. 40 Watt Club, Athens. 706-549-7871. www.40watt.com. -- Chris Parker
THURS/11
TOBY KEITH, MONTGOMERY GENTRY It's testosterone time at Lakewood, where country music's top tough guys share the stage. Keith is an enigma -- a lifelong Democrat who had the biggest pro-Iraq war anthem on the charts. I don't get it. Montgomery Gentry has had its curtain pulled back a bit, as if shooting pet bears in cages proves you have nads. Add three unknown opening acts? I'm staying home. $29.75-$59.75. 7:30 p.m. Lakewood Amphitheatre. 404-443-5090. www.livenation.com. -- James Kelly
MR. GNOME Drawing on a visceral blend of contrasting textures -- light/dark, soft/loud -- local duo Nicole Barille and Sam Meister recast the epic menace of bands such as Red Sparowes, Isis and Pelican. Barille's ethereal vocals add a feminine element missing from the aforementioned combos, heightening the contrasts. At times their languid drift suggests a sadcore band, then Meister starts pounding his kit like an abusive alcoholic and Barille loosens the throttle on her guitar, sending crashing sheets of distortion from her amp. They're supporting their full-length debut, Deliver This Creature. $6-$7. 10 p.m. Caledonia Lounge, Athens. 706-549-5577. www.caledonialounge.com. -- CP
ROBIN ROGERS After getting clean from various addictions in 1989, relocating to North Carolina and marrying guitarist Tony Rogers, blues-jazz vocalist/harpist Robin made a name for herself, tirelessly touring the Eastern Seaboard and gaining fans one blues joint at a time. She graduated to the major leagues when national blues label Blind Pig recently released her new album, a winning set of '40s-influenced, predominantly original tunes that doesn't sound a bit retro. Her husky, soulful voice, similar to that of Maria Muldaur, and classic approach to American musical styles combine with stunning vocal power and room-shaking confidence for a dynamic, even explosive combination. $8. 9 p.m. Blind Willie's. 404-873-2583. www.blindwilliesblues.com. -- Hal Horowitz
WILD SWEET ORANGE, WHAT MADE MILWAUKEE FAMOUS, THE GOLDEST Birmingham, Ala., country surrealists Wild Sweet Orange blend the imagery from the best part of rural Americana and the creepiest elements of suburbia in the vein of David Lynch's Blue Velvet to concoct a truly beautiful and outsider indie-rock sound. Think Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot meets "Twin Peaks." Austin, Texas's WMMF creates a dynamic indie-pop sound. Atlanta's Beatles-esque pop foursome the Goldest opens. $10. 9 p.m. The Earl. www.badearl.com. -- CR
FRI/12
MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK, DEAR AND THE HEADLIGHTS, MARGOT AND THE NUCLEAR SO-AND-SO'S A triple bill of fine pop-tinged rock acts. MCS comprises elder statesmen with nine years and three albums of harmony-rich punk-pop. Despite faint echoes of early '90s post-punk and alt-rock, they're mostly hook-heavy balladeers reminiscent of Fall Out Boy. Phoenix's Dear and the Headlights prefer swooning, melodious midtempo shuffles that flirt with Britpop and Saddle Creek's melodramatic angst. On Margot's debut, The Dust of Retreat, the Indianapolis octet balances careening, string- and horn-fueled arrangements with sweet, melodious broken-hearted odes, threading the needle between the Arcade Fire's vibrant, unpredictable art rock and K Records' navel-gazing twee. $13. 8 p.m. 40 Watt Club, Athens. 706-549-7871. www.40watt.com. -- CP
OTHERSOUND FESTIVAL Tonight's event features a slew of the most diverse acts in the city, with no real discernable thread of continuity other than they like to play loud and have fun. Pink Police, Attractive '80s Women, Warm in the Wake, the Preakness, Icecaps, Grand Prize Winners, Calabi Yau fill the long bill. Consider it a time trial for Atlantis. $12. 9 p.m. Star Bar. 404-681-9018. www.starbar.net. -- JK
TOUBAB KREWE, JOSH PHILLIPS FOLK FESTIVAL Those North Carolinians sure do sound like they just stepped out of the Soweto backbush, capturing the rich Afropop style with plenty of authenticity and commitment. Phillips is the former leader of Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band, and is taking his music in a new and different direction. $15. 8 p.m. Smith's Olde Bar. 404-875-1522. www.smithsoldebar.com. -- JK
SAT/13
INDIGO GIRLS Twenty years ago, the year after they independently released their first full-length album, Strange Fire, Epic Records signed the dynamic Decatur duo. Their subsequent self-titled album hit No. 22 on the Billboard 200 chart. Today, after leaving Epic, followed by a one-album bout with Hollywood Records, the folk-grown revolutionaries are freshly indie again, with a new album readied for release in February '09. Sometimes liberation is a matter of coming full circle. $30-$55. 8 p.m. Chastain Amphitheater. 404-733-4800. www.classicchastain.com. -- Mark Gresham
SILVER JEWS, MONOTONIX Like fire and ice, this double bill offers both garage-punk fury delivered with zealous passion and heartbreaking sorrow mined with dark wit and wry, whimsical wisdom. Israeli openers Monotonix are a feral bloozy trio whose kinetic, boundaryless shows are fueled by a grimy, rut-forging pulse as momentous as stoner metal, but delivered like an attention-addled adolescent, spinning off in a dozen different directions. The Silver Jews' David Berman embarks on only his second extended tour ever, supporting Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea, his sixth wonderful, lyrically brilliant album in a 15-plus year career. $15. 8:30 p.m. Variety Playhouse. 404 524-7354. www.variety-playhouse.com. -- CP
WITCHCRAFT, TK WEBB & THE VISIONS Riff-heavy metalers who subsist on three squares a day of Ozzy-era Black Sabbath are not just relegated to U.S., U.K. or German bands content to wallow in the past. Witness Sweden-based Witchcraft, a derivative yet enjoyable offshoot of '70s stoner rock with strong psychedelic overtones that culminate in the 15-minute title track of its recent The Alchemist release. Webb's murky blues rock is melodic, glam-infused and grungy in equal measures, eerily reminiscent of a '70s T. Rex/Alice Cooper combination, only without the humor. Graveyard also appears. $12-$15. 9 p.m. Drunken Unicorn. www.thedrunkenunicorn.net. -- HH
SUN/14
LAURIE ANDERSON An icon of American performance art, Anderson blends downtown Manhattan experimental avant-garde aesthetics of the '60s-'70s with art-rock styles. The show is part of her long-running "Homeland" tour, featuring an array of songs that embody her reflections about contemporary America, in anticipation of her forthcoming Homeland album on Nonesuch. Pop-culture factoid: This past April, Anderson married longtime companion Lou Reed (of "Walk on the Wild Side" fame). $34-$44. 5 p.m. Ferst Center. 404-365-1052. wwwferstcenter.org. -- MG
TUE/16
MAHARLIKA TRIO Taking its moniker from a Tagalog (Filipino) word meaning "noble" or "great," this trio from Valdosta is an unusual combination for chamber music: saxophone (Joren Cain), trombone (David Springfield) and piano (Maila Gutierrez Springfield). The group's influences range from classical to jazz and much in between. They'll perform "Primavera Porteña" by Astor Piazzola, plus 21st-century works by Patrick Long, Chuck Israels, David Springfield and Atlanta composer Chris Arrell. Free. 7:30 p.m. Spivey Hall. 678-466-4200. www.spiveyhall.org. -- MG
WED/17
VOICES & ORGANS, MOM, GHOSTS PROJECT Lead by Per Lindmark, Voices and Organs explores the art of storytelling through intimate sonic textures and dramatic melodies that find balance in a web of songwriting and impressionism. Mom creates a warm sonic blanket by layering the scraps of sound from music boxes, guitars, shortwave radios, tape machines and water, among other things. Ghosts Project is a local improv ensemble that merges elements of classical music, opera and haunting drones. $7. 9 p.m. Eyedrum. 404-522-0655. www.eyedrum.org. -- CR
WRECKLESS ERIC & AMY RIGBY, GENTLEMAN JESSE & HIS MEN Known to his mom as Eric Goulden, Wreckless was one of the first on the Stiff Records roster during the late '70s punk explosion. Now 54, his new album shares billing with wife Rigby, an edgy under-the-radar singer/songwriter with her own critically acclaimed catalog. It's an engaging, stripped-down yet mesmerizing project that paints them as the adenoidal Johnny and disaffected June of the post-folk-punk generation, and not just because of they do a Cash cover. Gentleman Jesse's power pop is at least partially indebted to Wreckless' old style and makes a sympathetic opener. The N.E.C. also appears. $8. 9 p.m. Star Bar. 404-681-9018. www.starbar.net. -- HH
Check out our website at atlanta.creativeloafing.com. Click the Music category for a full selection of Soundboard events. CL online provides the address, a map and directions from your location.
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.
