Will York

In spite of himself, comedian Neil Hamburger is always entertaining, but his opening act for Sept. 25 at the Hemlock Tavern, musical comedy duo Canned Hamm, deserves special mention. The Canadians' disturbing set at Kimo's four years ago dropped jaws, mixing old-fashioned sing-alongs like "Shortenin' Bread" with depressing love ballads, skimpy costumes, and excessive body hair.

Trevor Dunn's Trio Convulsant, a surrealist jazz-metal combo featuring local drumming phenom Ches Smith, hit the Great American Music Hall Oct. 16 along with the unstoppable Melvins. The ex-Mr. Bungle bassist, once a regular on the Bay Area jazz scene, has been AWOL since moving to New York a few years ago.

You never know what to expect from a Sun City Girls concert – their performances at Bottom of the Hill two years ago were certainly rusty – but followers of the legendary, reclusive trio know the risk of an off night is worth taking. The Bay Area's top Thai and Cambodian pop cover band, Neung Phak, open when the Girls return to the Bottom of the Hill Oct. 29.

Ken Taylor

Toronto has always had a knack for being cool without really knowing it. In its isolation, it's become one of those places where underground buzz bubbles for years and then relentlessly explodes in the United States. For Junior Boys and the Hidden Cameras, who actually hail from Toronto's western outskirts of Hamilton (think: Martinez) and Mississauga (think: Walnut Creek), respectively, the lonely pop pedigree has served them quite nicely. Before either band was signed, they attracted major underground attention via MP3 blogs and word of mouth – so much so that British critics were reviewing the bands' rough-hewn demos before labels would even give them the time of day. Things have since changed considerably: The Cameras – a sextet who are probably best known for queer, folky church songs about golden showers – now reside on Rough Trade and their album, Mississauga, Goddam, comes out Sept. 28. Junior Boys – three bedroom producers who match blue-eyed soul à la Hall and Oates with Neptunes-styled techno and garridge beats – are recent signees to Domino; their Last Exit is released Sept. 21. Junior Boys perform Oct. 6. with Mouse on Mars at the Independent.

Lee Hildebrand

He just turned 80, but Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown shows no sign of slowing down on Timeless, his debut for Oakland label HighTone. The Houston hotshot bounces between blues, jazz, and country tunes on the CD, which hits stores Sept. 14.

Clarinetist-saxophonist Don Byron, pianist Jason Moran, and drummer Jack DeJohnette give a very modern slant to music cut in 1946 by Lester Young, Nat Cole, and Buddy Rich on Ivey-Divey, Byron's new Blue Note disk (out Sept. 21), and in person at Herbst Theatre Oct. 17.

Mark Murphy applies his craggy tenor pipes to material associated with Miles Davis on Bop for Miles, his latest HighNote Records release. The veteran vocalist plays Yoshi's Sept. 28 and 29. He's followed Oct. 1 through 3 by fast-rising singer-pianist Karrin Allyson, who tackles tunes by Melissa Manchester, Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, and other '70s popsters on Wild for You (Concord Jazz).

Juan Pablo

Lil Jon, title TBA (TVT). WHAT?! Lil Jon's back like he left something. WHAT?! I said, Lil Jon's back. WHAT?! Lil Jon! He's back! OKAAAY!

T.I., title TBA (Grand Hustle Entertainment). With T.I.'s now famous beef with Ludacris on the lips of every mixtape collector, this CD might be the deciding factor in who wins the "King of the South" title.

Bone Crusher, Fight Music (So So Def). With a title like Fight Music, you just know Bone Crusher's got some riot-inciting music up his ham hock-size sleeves.

Chingy, Power Ballin' (Capitol). The boy wonder of DTP (disturbing tha peace) is back to show some growth. Hopefully it isn't just his head that grew.

AZ, Final Call (Koch). The once again lyrical AZ tries to live down the nickname "Nas Lite" with his sixth offering.

Ja Rule, R.U.L.E. (The Inc.). Could this be "The Last At-tempt-ation"? It will be if Jeffrey doesn't start moving some units.

Xzibit, Weapons of Mass Destruction (Sony). X to the Z gives pimping rides a break to release his fifth LP. Let's hope West Coast Customs won't have to install some wings to get the album to fly up the charts.

John Lombardo

Brother Danielson, Deerhoof, Half-Handed Cloud (Sept. 18, Bottom of the Hill). After weeks holed-up in their Yosemite hideaway recording as the backup band to Brother Danielson, their new patron saint of Christian folklore, Deerhoof debut their newest collaboration.

Holy Kiss, Year Future (Oct. 13, Bottom of the Hill). Holy Kiss's Matty Rue Morgue channels the grit and grace of Tom Waits through the body of a modern-day Lestat.

Q and Not U, Erase Errata, El Guapo (Oct. 30, Bottom of the Hill). Slapped with a spit shine and a new haircut, Erase Errata return with a new frontperson, sporting a refined, redefined sound. D.C.'s Q and Not U headline with sing-along, fractured dance-punk.

OOIOO (Nov. 5, Bottom of the Hill). Noisy, pop freak out-core stars members of the Boredoms. I've seen this band bring Japanese fans to tears!