THURSDAY 10/14
Blood Brothers (Lo-Fi Café); Bang Sugar Bang (Starry Nights, Provo); Switchfoot (Spectrum Arena, Logan).
FRIDAY 10/15
FLOWMOTION
No need for illicit substances or even a Budweiser when it comes to Seattle supa-funk quintet Flowmotion: Their primal stew of rock, groove, bluegrass, Latin and African-drum jam-ology provides its own psychedelics, whether they bring along their custom light show or not. “It’s good, positive music,” singer Josh Clauson told Spokane Press. “It creates a vibe that no matter where you’re at or what you do, you can catch onto it.” Halo, 60 E. 800 South, 9 p.m. Info: 363-4522.
Also Friday: General Public (Velvet Room); The Rodeo Boys (Urban Lounge); Starmy (Todd’s Bar & Grill); The Street CD Release (Phat Tire Saloon); Sunfall Festival CD Release (Muse Music, Provo).
SATURDAY 10/16
BADLY DRAWN BOY
Why should Astralwerks send a copy of Badly Drawn Boy’s (aka Damon Gough) new One Plus One Is One when they can send a stack of press from other publications extolling another work of singer-songwriter genius? Sez everyone else, One falls somewhere between the pop concision of About a Boy and the production saturation of Have You Fed the Fish?, but it still ain’t The Hour of Bewilderbeast. Live, you never know what you’re going to get. In the Venue, 579 W. 200 South, 7 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: 800-888-8499.
HARMONICA BLOW-OUT
Not a sale on Hohners: It’s the second annual SLC showcase for blues-harmonica players onstage in front of a band—one including legendary guitar hotshot Junior Watson, no less. “It’s rare that people get a chance to see great live blues of this caliber, all in one night,” says organizer and Uptown Hustlers harp-man Chris Condie, who’ll perform alongside the likes of John Nemeth and Rick Anderson. “This is going to be a big party.” Hog Wallow Pub, 3200 Big Cottonwood Canyon Rd., 9 p.m. Info: 733-5567.
EMBER SWIFT
Toronto’s Ember Swift is a singer-songwriter and a band—and the versatility doesn’t end there. On her own or backed by bass and drums, Swift runs charged politics through the musical wringer of folk, rock, funk, jazz, reggae and more; if you’re thinking “Canadian Ani DiFranco,” bingo. Her eighth and latest disc, Disarming (EmberSwift.com), could be the one to finally click on this side of the border—you know, since folks seem to be interested in politics again down here. Mo Diggity’s, 3424 S. State, 9 p.m. Info: 832-9000.
n Also Saturday: Annelise Lechimart CD Release (Kilby Court); Cruxshadows (Area 51); DJ Irene (Vortex); Hamell on Trial (Halo); Remedy Motel (Port O’ Call).
MONDAY 10/18
DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS
After coasting down a mountain of critical raves for 2001’s Southern Rock Opera, Alabama’s Drive-By Truckers followed up with not one, but two equally excellent albums: Last year’s Decoration Day and the new Dirty South (New West), effectively stomping any suggestions of fluke success. As for explaining Southerners to Yankees, they’re still working on it. “There’s the way the South is perceived,” frontman Jason Isbell says, “and then there’s the way it actually is.” Suede, 1612 Ute Blvd. (Kimball Junction), Park City, 9 p.m. Info: 435-658-2665.
n Also Monday: Ari Hest (Halo); Converge, Cave-In (In the Venue); Floater (Liquid Joe’s); Low Skies (Sugar Beats).
TUESDAY 10/19
BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE
The Sundance docu-flick Dig! chronicling the strained hipster relationship between the Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre, hasn’t yet arrived in Salt Lake City—but the BJM have. Always the better band, the psychedelic guitar tsunami of Anton Newcombe’s Massacre is as consistently indescribable as the Dandies’ pop is simply “cute.” Naturally, his latest, And This Is Our Music (TeePee), doesn’t disappoint—but he’d rather you skip Dig! Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 9:30 p.m. Info: 746-0558 (with Nate Padley).
Also Tuesday: PJ Harvey (In the Venue); Emerson Drive (McKay Event Center, Orem).
WEDNESDAY 10/20
EQUAL VISION TOUR
Equal Vision is a hardcore label, no doubt about it, but Denver’s Vaux (who recently signed to EV and released the brutal Plague Music EP) see no boundaries. “We’ve done a pretty good job of being able to win over a fan of just about any kind of music,” bassist Ryder Robison says. “We’ve got a hell of a lot of ambition.” Also on the ambitious bill: Fear Before the March of Flames, Code 7 and Before Today. Lo-Fi Café, 127 S. West Temple, 7 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: 800-888-8499.
Also Wednesday: Thamusemeant (Halo); Karl Denson, Stockholm Syndrome (Suede).
COMING UP
Les Claypool (Velvet Room, Oct. 21). The Cramps (Sound, Oct. 24). Legendary Shack Shakers (Halo, Oct. 26). RJD2 (Egos, Oct. 27). Coheed & Cambria (In the Venue, Oct. 27). Jimmy Eat World (McKay Events Center, Oct. 27). Metal Church (Burt’s Tiki Lounge, Oct. 29). Helmet (In the Venue, Nov. 1). And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead (Urban Lounge, Nov. 2). Good Charlotte, Sum 41 (McKay Event Center, Nov. 3). Junior Brown (Egos, Nov. 4). Social Distortion (In the Venue, Nov. 6). Kittie, Otep (The Ritz, Nov. 6). Dresden Dolls (Sound, Nov. 9). Le Tigre (Liquid Joe’s, Nov. 10).
