THURSDAY 9/8

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DAVID DONDERO, BUILT LIKE ALASKA

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People were surprised when Conor Oberst performed “When the President Talks to God” on The Tonight Show. But he’s certainly not the first artist to openly criticize the Bush administration, and he’s definitely not the last. David Dondero, makes his case against a senseless war with “Pre-Invasion Jitters,” a biting number on which he warbles, “Don’t you know that I’m a pacifist/ Shooting in the dark at a terrorist?” Meanwhile, despite the band’s probable aversion to easy comparisons, Built Like Alaska’s Autumnland is very much like Grandaddy and/or Built to Spill. The Modesto-based group creates sweet, melodic indie rock'perfect for days when paint fumes permeate the office. We are getting sleepy. Very sleepy. Dreaming of BLA. Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, 7:30 p.m. All-ages. Info: 320-9887, KilbyCourt.com (with Glacial).

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Also Thursday: Endland (Monk’s), Canned Heat (Star Bar, Park City)

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FRIDAY 9/9

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BLUES & BREWS FESTIVAL

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Break with tradition at Salt Lake City’s annual Blues & Brews Festival. The two-day celebration of music and libation introduces Pabst devotees to the world of lagers, pilsners and stouts. Sold on St. Provo Girl? Why not sample Redrock’s Nut Brown Ale or Squatter’s Chasing Tail Golden Ale? The world is your oyster, and nothing pairs better with oysters than kick-ass blues. This year, get blitzed to the sounds of Smokin’ Joe Kubek & B’nois King, Magic Slim & the Teardrops, Studebaker John & the Hawks, Bad Luck Blues Band, Legendary Porch Pounders, Alberta Adams & the Bluesuiters and W.C. Clark Blues Revue. Chances are, you won’t remember most of their names on Monday, so keep this for future reference. Gallivan Center, 239 S. Main, 5-10 p.m. Saturday, 2-10 p.m. All-ages. Info: 535-6110.

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Also Friday: Don McLean (Utah State Fair); The American Plague (Burt’s Tiki Lounge); MindState (Monk’s); SLUG Localized (Urban Lounge)

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SATURDAY 9/10

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POWER STRUGGLE

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Breaking up is hard to do, but heartache is such a reliable muse. When former Oddjobs emcee Noni crossed coasts for a woman, just to have her break his heart, he cried himself a river'then waxed prolific on the mic. Everything else flowed like butta. The Minnesota native recruited DJ Deetalx, formed Power Struggle and kicked out Arson at the Petting Factory. Noni’s clearly working out some issues, but the rage unfolds against a playful backdrop. Standout track: “Another Working Class Drinker,” a frantic tirade skating across a new-wave drum machine. Bourbon Street, 372 S. State, 10 p.m. Info: 596-3183.

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Also Saturday: Minus the Bear, These Arms Are Snakes (In the Venue); Audio Adrenaline (Utah State Fair); Red Bennies, The C'ted (Todd’s Bar & Grill); The Wolfs, Vile Blue Shades (Urban Lounge); Stan Ridgway (Tracks, Tooele)

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SUNDAY 9/11

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Red Cross Benefit: 20 Bands (Egos); Seether, Dark New Day (Utah State Fair); Byzantine, Thine Eyes Bleed (Combat Academy)

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MONDAY 9/12

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WOODEN WAND & THE VANISHING VOICE

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We know where the voodoo children go, dancing through woods on a fantasy island, clutching sacred instruments, channeling spirits with strange, eerie sounds. We also know their atonal instrumentals will drive your co-workers crazy. Wooden Wand & the Vanishing Voice isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, that’s for certain, although Buck Dharma goes down smoother with a bit of Yerba Mate. Wooden Wand, aka James Toth, counts Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom as his contemporaries, meaning he makes freak-folk from an isolated island completely severed from our mad, mad world. This stuff will put you in a trance. Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, 7:30 p.m. All-ages. Info: 320-9887, KilbyCourt.com (with Alasdair Roberts).

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Also Monday: Interpol (Kingsbury Hall'see Music); Western Underground (Utah State Fair); Voodoo Organist (Burt’s Tiki Lounge)

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TUESDAY 9/13

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LOGGINS & MESSINA

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“After chasing sunsets/ One of life’s simple joys/ Is playing with the boys,” sings Kenny Loggins on “Playing With the Boys.” While not as popular as Top Gun’s “Danger Zone,” the song showcases Loggins songwriting abilities'skills he once wisely combined with Jim Messina’s star power and technical prowess. The result was nothing less than stunning. That is, if you dig camp like we do! Now, years after parting ways to get footloose and fancy free, respectively, Loggins & Messina are back. They’ve reunited and'like chasing sunsets'it feels so good. McKay Events Center, 800 W. University Parkway, Orem, 8 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: 800-888-8499, SmithsTix.com.

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THE VIBRATORS

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Iggy Pop is not coming to town'and if he were, he probably wouldn’t be crawling and twitching all over your neighborhood watering hole. Don’t worry. The Vibrators, who supported Pop in 1977, will gladly pick up the slack. The U.K. rockers spent nearly three decades standing in the shadows of legends, releasing a quiet stream of semi-hits and shifting lineups faster than the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Talented in their own right, The Vibrators’ current crew still has what it takes to amp up a crowd. Burt’s Tiki Lounge, 726 S. State, 9:30 p.m. Info: 521-0572 (with Salt City Bandits and Charlie Don’t Surf).

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Also Tuesday: Mofro (Egos); Scary Kids Scaring Kids (Lo-Fi Cafe); Natalie Cole (Abravanel Hall)

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WEDNESDAY 9/14

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LUCINDA WILLIAMS

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You can’t help but wonder what Lucinda Williams is thinking right now. The Louisiana native centers much lyrical content on Southern landscapes, most notably New Orleans. Of course, the 30-year country-music veteran also mines heartache for Grammy-award-winning material, referencing failed romances and now, perhaps, lost cities. Her latest album, Live at the Fillmore, a collection of concert tracks, gives audiences something to remember. Sometimes, memories are all we have left. Kingsbury Hall, University of Utah, 7:30 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: 800-888-8499, SmithsTix.com.

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Also Wednesday: Hoobastank (Utah State Fair); Streetlight Manifesto (Lo-Fi Cafe)

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COMING UP

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Aqualung (Lo-Fi Cafe, Sept. 15). Styx, REO Speedwagon (Utah State Fairpark, Sept. 15). Keith Urban (E Center, Sept. 16). Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (In the Venue, Sept. 16). Green Day (Delta Center, Sept. 21). Dramarama (Velvet Room, Sept. 23). Local H (Urban Lounge, Sept. 23). X96 Big Ass Show (Utah State Fairpark, Sept. 24). Franz Ferdinand (Saltair, Sept. 28). Dr. Know (Burt’s Tiki Lounge, Sept. 28). Every Time I Die (Lo-Fi Cafe, Sept. 30). Heavenly States (Urban Lounge, Oct. 3). Nine Inch Nails (E Center, Oct. 4). North Mississippi Allstars (Suede, Oct. 4). My Chemical Romance (McKay Events Center, Oct. 5). Acid Mother’s Temple (Egos, Oct. 6). Death Cab for Cutie (In the Venue, Oct. 7).