Gravy Train!!!!

Ever imagine that L'Trimm's late-'80s classic "Cars with the Boom" could be a loud 'n' proud, porn-tastic celebration of all things slit- and clit-related? The three hags and a fag in Gravy Train!!!! have, and ever since the release of The "Menz" (S.P.A.M.) last fall, Chunx, Funx, Drunx, and Hunx have claimed the rudimentary Casio-rap, pussy-playin' field all for themselves. On that debut EP, the funniest and filthiest disc released in years, the East Bay-based cunning linguists pump out old-school humpty dances while eloquently rhyming such beguiling bon mots as "vagina" and "mankind-a." It's onstage that these chipmunk-chirpin' MCs truly shine, however, transforming themselves into a rough 'n' tumble dance troupe whose unsynchronized dirty dancin' and ass-slappin' shenanigans teeter on the brink of in(s)anity. The group have more than enough rude, crude 'tude to go around, too: few can resist a come-on like "Hella Nervous," wherein Chunx – while Funx and Drunx perform comically X-rated dance routines run amok – tells a teeny-wienie lad who's "long in the back, short in the wiener [to] suck on my muff like a vacuum cleaner." So get up and get off, 'cause there's a party in Gravy Train!!!!'s pants, and everyone's invited. Gravy Train!!!! performs with Bratmobile, Penny Arcade, Bangs, Sisterz of the Underground, Nazelah Jamison, Disposable Boy Toys, Daphne Gottlieb, and Half-Seas-Over. Fri/26, 8 p.m., Mission High School. $14. (Jimmy Draper)

Erase Errata

Given how often Oakland's premier girl-gang of four get described with such arty, difficult-to-decipher terms as "no wave" and "now wave," it might be a little surprising that Erase Errata's pomo punk ruckus sticks in the cerebrum as easily as anything in today's Top 40. It's not that the ladies' defiantly fame-retardant rock even exists in the same realm of accessibility as, say, the Backstreets' latest banality – it's just that most bozo journos fail to note, amid all their arcane hyperbole, that Erase Errata ultimately make off-kilter but catchy let's-go-schizo dance music à la Devo's "Jocko Homo." After all, the band have described their sound as "organized chaos with a beat." On their breakneck-paced debut LP, last fall's Other Animals (Troubleman Unlimited), the foursome manage to capture the fun, frayed-nerve neurosis of their cacophonous live shows, barreling through 26 manic minutes with hyperventilated vox, twitch-inducing time signatures, and tense 'n' taut instrumentation that recall Delta 5 and LiLiPUT/Kleenex. So, sure, the album is avant-something-or-other, but more important, it's a reason to dance your mess around. Which is to say that, quite simply, the women in Erase Errata whip it, whip it good. Erase Errata performs with Lynn Breedlove, Fabulous Disaster, Sini Anderson, the Pre-Teens, Kings of Hearts, Cindy Wonderful, Jennifer Blowdryer, Rusty Hips, and MCs Quality Bad. Sun/28, 1 p.m., Mission High School. $9. (Draper)

Bratmobile

Have the sinking feeling lately that it's the early '90s all over again? With another bumbling, brain-dead Bush in office, another ill-defined war turning the masses into frighteningly fanatical flag-wavers, and he-man machismo once again running rampant atop the pops, it's easy to feel like all the progress of the past decade was for naught. Feminist-minded music lovers can take heart, though: the three D.C.- and East Bay-based rabble rousers in Bratmobile remain as refreshingly and staunchly political as they were back during riot grrrl's heyday. On the trio's recent girl-rock rallying cry Girls Get Busy (Lookout!), singer-shit talker Allison Wolfe takes on everything from post-terrorist patriotism to music-industry sexism, and drummer-professional gum smacker Molly Neuman and guitarist-pop culture vulture Erin Smith churn out the same-but-smarter surf punk that's made them living legends for the past decade and more. "You're not allowed to say a thing at all," Wolfe seethes on "Shop for America." "But, hey man, if I know one thing / I won't buy your fuckin' war!" And at a time when so many people insist that any political dissent is treason and that discussing sexism is inappropriate while our government fights the elusive "war on terror," it's inspiring to know that Bratmobile are still willing to tell it like it is. Bratmobile perform Fri/26, 8 p.m., Mission High School. $14. (Draper)

The Gossip

Does it matter whether Emma Goldman actually said, "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution"? No one wants to be misquoted in the history books, of course, but it's a manifesto the feminist-anarchist certainly wouldn't have argued with – especially not after hearing the Gossip's hip-whipping Arkansas Heat EP (Kill Rock Stars). On the Arkansas-via-Olympia blues trio's latest rock 'n' soul release, gut-busting bellower Beth Ditto announces that she's "playing with the powers that be," then rips Southern small-town mentality a new a-hole as Kathy Mendonca's bare-bones backbeat and Nathan Howdeshell's cranky geetar stylings lip-lock for one of today's down 'n' dirtiest dance-floor boogies. The uninitiated should immediately track down the trio's recordings, but it's the Gossip's gripping performances that have rightfully earned the band a reputation as one of today's greatest live acts. Onstage, Ditto's rarely not lost in the heat of the moment, often stripping down to her bra and panties, marching through the crowd, and dropping to her knees as she urges the crowd to "take back the revolution." Which is actually what the Gossip are doing – one dancing body at a time. The Gossip perform with the Donnas, Inga Muscio, Boy Wonder, Michelle Tea, Tribe 8, Jymini, Mr. V and Rocco, Squab, and MCs Quality Bad. Sat/27, 8 p.m., Mission High School. $14. (Draper)

Half-Seas-Over

"Dear Kathleen Hanna, thanks for the idea," a catty, crossed-armed hipster sniped when Half-Seas-Over staged a rousing, midset dance intermission at a recent house party. Not that anyone paid the creep any mind: all the other people in the cramped, overheated living room were too busy going absolutely apeshit, throwing their hands in the air as the three Louisville ladies – dual guitarist-vocalists Aubree and Kristina, Molly with the hella hot hair on keyboards – launched into cheerleading squad-style choreography before wildly go-going and pogoing through the room to their drum-machine beats. A few move-inducing numbers later, including a Need-influenced ode to riding Harleys with a bearded woman wearing an eye-patch ("Lesbianthem") and a fan-interactive chant extolling the joys of jean jackets with inside pockets ("Inside Pocket"), Half-Seas-Over still had the entire crowd – this time including the aforementioned hipster – jumpin' and bumpin' on the hardwood floor when they encored with a hilariously lip-synched boom box version of Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out for a Hero." Then it ended, sweat-drenched twentysomethings disbursed to go buy more malt liquor, and that crossed-armed critic made a beeline for the band's merch booth. Fri/26, 8 p.m., Mission High. $14. (Draper)