Feb. 22

Oranger, Metal Circus Pure pop with a citrus twist – yummy. That's the Oranger, joined by Hüsker Dü tribute combo Metal Circus, featuring double-dipping Oranger and Overwhelming Colorfast members. Kingdom First also play; the opening reception includes a Noise Pop photo and poster show. 9 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $7. (415) 474-0365. (Kimberly Chun)

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists It's been about eight years and five albums since Ted Leo left Chisel to go solo. Since then, he's garnered support from music critics and fans for his punk-pop sound. Songs from his 2004 album, Shake the Sheets (Lookout!), probably won't resonate as much to Bay Area antiwar listeners as Thin Lizzy's "Soldier of Fortune" and Bob Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom." That said, Noise Poppers can certainly appreciate the effort put into songs critiquing moderate politicians and lax gun control laws. Communique, the Joggers, and the Herms also perform. 8 p.m., Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell, S.F. $14. (415) 885-0750. (Yenie Ra),

Feb. 23

Enorchestra Waycross's Doug Hilsinger has made good with his past: as an eight-year-old, he first got turned on to art rockers like Brian Eno and King Crimson by an older college-bound hockey-playing buddy. Ever since, Hilsinger has been trying to hip other kids in the playground to the joys of prog – today he's succeeding as the brain behind Enorchestra, a tribute band of sorts to Eno's solo works, spurred by his re-recording with bandmate Caroleen Beatty of the ex-Roxy Music man's Taking Tiger Mountain (by Strategy). The ensemble (which includes members of Dirty Power, the Quails, and Knife and Fork) was assembled to play the album live – and now it's completely out of control, taking on the greatest pop hits from Eno's first four, pre-ambient solo albums. "The good thing about it is it's making music for the pure joy of it, the fun of it," Hilsinger says. "There's a different vibe when you're playing songs that you already know as opposed to standing up there and saying, 'Check out my pain.' " And contrary to tales of a "very grumpy" avant godfather, Hilsinger says Eno got such a kick out of the renditions of songs he once though odd and cold that he wrote the liner notes to the CD. "He said, 'Thanks for reawakening me to … my work!' And I said, 'Thank you!' " Hilsinger recalls. Devotchka, Our Lady of the Highway, and the Ebb and Flow also play. 8 p.m., Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, S.F. $8. (415) 861-5016. (Chun)

Mates of State While husband-and-wife teams have always been staples in the music industry, it seems rare to find a married act sans the Ike and Tina drama. Mates of State's Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel keep it joyfully simple with a spunky organ, bouncy drum set, and buckets of loud, brazen vocals. Like a hyperactive indie-rock love child, the Mates' sound is a synthesis of impish harmonies and playful tempos that have a tendency to run amok. No dressing-room brawls, no broken guitars – the pair are still on a rocking honeymoon. Aqueduct, Smoosh, and Still Flyin' also play. 8 p.m., Slim's, 333 11th St., S.F. $12. (415) 255-0333. (Elisa Jacobs)

Phenomenauts O-town's space-age rockabilly wackos, the Phenomenauts, are a certified blast. You have to admire the gumption of a band that can zoom in, set up shop, don nutty headgear, trot out pyrotechnics, and play guerrilla-style at, say, the Warped tour. But hey, I saw nothing. And don't call them Devo. Big D and the Kid's Table, River City Rebels, and Teenage Harlets also play. 9 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $8-$10. (415) 474-0365. (Chun)

Feb. 24


Built Like Alaska photo by Lezlie Jackson
Built Like Alaska Bringing a rural perspective to sturdy rock songs, Built Like Alaska's sarcastically simple drumbeats drive the beautifully melancholy wash of chords and the atmospheric production, capturing the spectrum of emotional grays of modern life in a provincial town. Though BLA are three-year veterans of Noise Pop, 2005 finds them on an upswing, with new label Future Farmer releasing their new album, Autumnland. The band are excited to be on the bill with Portastatic, remarking via e-mail, "Mac McCaughan is sort of a patriarch in the indie rock world, so it will be cool seeing him live." One year BLA shared a guitarist with another band who got a little sauced at his first show and barely made it through BLA's set. "At one point during our sound check, he almost fell over trying to turn a knob on his amp," drummer Matt Candelario writes. "The good thing is, I really don't think people even noticed – I think?" BLA, Heavenly States, and Papercuts open for Portastatic. 9 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $12. (415) 621-4455. (Keith Axline)


Mall, Louis XIV Fitting more depth, intensity, and atmosphere into a minute and a half than many bands can fit into an entire album, the Mall rock the house with their swift changes and belligerent style of playing – and their rapid-fire songs fit with their hyper stage performances. Occasionally sounding like a cross between the Ataris and the Murder City Devils, the Mall are one of the most exciting San Francisco bands to form in the past two years. The group's rallying power segues perfectly into the lusty strut of their showmates Louis XIV, who've hit the scene hard and fast by touring with Hot Hot Heat (who headline). "A party just isn't a party without me to start it," Louis XIV singer Jason Hill announces on "The Grand Apartment" with a theatrical confidence that pervades the rest of their self-titled release on Pineapple Recording Group. Louis XIV are developing an aesthetic all their own; one that lies somewhere between old burlesque shows and New York glam. 8 p.m., Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell, S.F. $16. (415) 885-0750. (Axline)

Polyphonic Spree White-robed musicians who sing and dance and a long-haired lead singer who could moonlight in passion plays – the Polyphonic Spree could be the saviors of pop rock. But pop rock seems like a poor genre choice for the Spree, as the 23-piece band is more of a rock orchestra that composes bubbly, symphonic pop opuses. With a stage presence that lolls on the grassy knoll between hippie commune and Andrew Lloyd Webber, these Texans have been sharing their music with the world since 2000, the year Tim DeLaughter decided to start a musical "family." From Bubblegum to Sky, Knife and Fork, and Toshio Hirano also perform. 8 p.m., Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus, S.F. $18. (415) 474-0365. (Jacobs)

Feb. 25

Bettie Serveert What ever happened to Amsterdam's sweet poppers? Palomine (Matador, 1992), with Carol van Dijk's febrile but feisty vocals and pleasantly propulsive alt-rock, followed a parallel path alongside stateside types like Superchunk and predated whimsical kin like the Cardigans. Apparently a pep talk was in order – hence the jazzy, beat-dappled, slick sounds emanating from their new album, Attagirl (Minty Fresh). Ditty Bops and Nik Freitas also play. 9 p.m., Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, S.F. $15. (415) 861-5016. (Chun)

Les Georges Leningrad For those who find things like accessibility and discernible social messages a little gauche but want to rock out just the same, Les Georges Leningrad have one hell of an artsy-fartsy bone to pick with you. Their signature "petrochemical rock" builds a maelstrom of electro-post art-punk that comes together with shouted, possibly French lyrics in a chaotic, dadaistic stage show focused, above all, on spectacle. Sophomore effort Sur les Traces de Black Eskimo (Alien 8) sounds a bit like Le Tigre, albeit if the Quebecois trio chomped enough crystal meth to drag Kathleen Hanna and her posse back in time to Cabaret Voltaire and string them up as human marionettes. Add the Flying Luttenbachers to the mix, and it makes for a night of all-out mayhem. 9 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $10. (415) 621-4455. (Leah Freeman)

Nada Surf, Velvet Teen, Golden Republic My first exposure to the lush dreamscapes of the Velvet Teen came two years back, when their opening spot upstaged Cursive and climaxed with frontperson Judah Nagler taking a stage dive – straight to the floor of Bottom of the Hill. He crawled back onstage and sat calmly at the keyboard, bleeding from an eye but losing no dignity. This is the very stuff rock gods are made of. Nagler and company seamlessly alternate between contemplative piano ballads and dizzy up-tempo explosions, all sung in an angelic falsetto. Also opening for Nada Surf are the Golden Republic. The Kansas City, Mo., quartet number among the few remaining bastions of the lost art of good, old-fashioned rock 'n' roll. Their new self-titled debut (Astralwerks) marries smirking glam-rock grindiness and balls-out sincerity over exuberant guitar-laden melodies. 8:30 p.m., Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell, S.F. $15. (415) 885-0750. (Freeman)

Robbers on High Street Were the Strokes robbed? Only a little – the New York combo flex a kind of driving, muscular rock that's perfect for cranking on the car player. Von Iva and Ringside also play. 5:30 p.m., Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, S.F. $8. (415) 861-5016. (Chun)

Roots of Orchis Santa Cruz music alchemists Roots of Orchis have bottled the tension of their hometown's deceiving beachside simplicity. They bring their melodic laboratory to the stage, concocting a brew of dual-bass hip-hop instrumentals and sampled rock grooves before your eyes. Their half-science, half-art approach outshines easy genre labels and allows them more room to grow as musicians and experiment with different techniques. Following acts like the Album Leaf, the band eschew lyrics and a frontperson and create an understated, engaging dynamic in their live performances. Employing all the danceable and melodic aspects of turntables, guitar, and keys, as well as a thick rhythm section, Roots of Orchis complement billmates Tussle's and Amon Tobin's abilities to get your hips moving like windshield wipers in a storm. Tussle don't leave low-end to chance, employing two drum kits to kick out the grooves. Since emerging from the Mission District in 2001, they've earned rave reviews for their new album, King Klang (Troubleman Unlimited). Tobin caps the night of beautiful beats with a surgically precise DJ set. Telephonejimjesus also play. 8 p.m., Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus, S.F. $18. (415) 474-0365. (Axline)

Two Gallants Briefly returning home to San Francisco for Noise Pop before packing their bags for the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, Two Gallants are appreciative of the opportunities they're getting but weary of life on the road. "It would be nice to be home for a while," singer Adam Stephens remarks. "It's hard to work on new stuff when you're on tour." In January Two Gallants and Rogue Wave embarked on the latest leg of what seems like an endless amount of touring. Now headlining their Noise Pop appearance, Two Gallants like the step up from last year when they opened an afternoon show at Cafe du Nord and were, in Stephens's words, "just stuffed in there like an hors d'oeuvre." Devil Makes Three, Conspiracy of Beards, and Trainwreck Riders open. 9 p.m., Independent, 628 Divisadero, S.F. $10. (415) 771-1421. (Axline)

Feb. 26

Comas Of all the people who've crushed out on Michelle Williams – and if Nielsen Ratings are any indication, there have been quite a few – only one can claim to have used an actual romance with the Dawson's Creek star as inspiration for an entire album. That would be singer-guitarist Andy Herod, the 29-year-old North Carolinian who turned the Comas' third album, Conductor (Yep Roc), into an infectious, space-pop exploration of his two-year relationship's demise. The result is a collection of fuzzed-out, infinitely hummable laments that aren't only lovely enough to soothe even the heaviest of heartaches, but are also packed with all the teary-eyed regret, loneliness, and bitchiness required of a perfect breakup album. In other words, Herod knows breaking up is hard to do, but he's also learned it can make for music that's as wonderfully melodramatic and engaging as any story line you'll find on the WB. Rogue Wave, Irving, and Minipop also play. 8:30 p.m., Slim's, 333 11th St., S.F. $12. (415) 255-0333. (Jimmy Draper)

Damon and Naomi The original gorgeous slowcore crew are back. It's been a long time coming since their fifth CD/DVD, Song to the Siren (Sub Pop, 2002), but the soft, drawn-out wait is over with the release of The Earth Is Blue on the group's own 20/20/20 label. Vetiver, the Zincs, and Micah P. Hinson also perform. 9 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $10-$12. (415) 474-0365. (Chun)

Earlimart With a population of little less than 7,000, the Central Valley town of Earlimart can't exactly be called a sleepy farm burg. But supposing for a hypothetical moment it was, Aaron Espinoza and his bandmates in the town's namesake group would have been those sleepy-eyed kids loitering in the convenience store parking lot, throwing back beers, and looking hip in plaid shirts. The combo are the musical equivalent of a small, untouched town – their music ebbs with raw, natural beauty. Like the trompe l'oeil homemade sewing sampler that graces the cover of their fourth album, Treble and Tremble (Palm Pictures), Earlimart's appeal lies in their rustic charm as they pleasantly knit together rough vocals, grating guitars, and dusty beats. Parchman Farm, Giant Drag, and Henry Miller Sextet also play. 2 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $10. (415) 621-4455. (Jacobs)

Bob Mould No mold forming on Bob – who has been updating his blog regularly about issues like a mutating HIV virus, giving a shout to young reckless types from his throne as punk's "old fart" – who happens to be gay, happens to have laid down the blueprint for a punk-pop melodicism, happens to have worked as a writer and producer for the World Wrestling Federation, and happens to continue to resist the urge to reunify Hüsker Dü. David Dondero also comes out to play, and Vietnam works that power-twosome bone but good. 9 p.m., Independent, 628 Divisadero, S.F. $20. (Chun)

Alexi Murdoch, A Girl Called Eddy When Nick Drake's Pink Moon found its way into living rooms via a 2000 Volkswagon ad campaign, it seemed to formally announce to the world that guitar-driven folk was hip once more. One of these tranquil powerhouses is singer-songwriter Alexi Murdoch. Although his full-length album is still unreleased, the British bard has already played to sold-out crowds and contributed to the Garden State soundtrack. Considering his delicate, twanging guitar and subtly poignant lyrics, it's not hard to imagine why. Playing with Murdoch is Erin Moran, a.k.a. A Girl Called Eddy, who proves herself to be a talented musician and songstress. Embellished with Moran's deep, plush voice and polished string, horn, and percussion arrangements, her debut, A Girl Called Eddy (Anti), is slightly jazzy, slightly folksy, but mostly full of grace. Keren Ann and Howie Statland of NYCSmoke also perform. 9:30 p.m., Swedish American Music Hall, 2174 Market, S.F. $12. (415) 431-7578. (Jacobs)

Kelley Stoltz "As a kid growing up in my house, my stepdad listened to blues and my mom listened to Gordon Lightfoot, and so I figure I'm probably in the middle of those two," Kelley Stoltz told me over tea and fruit on a sun-swept fall day at the Studio That Time Forgot, where he was mixing his as-yet-untitled follow-up to 2002's Antique Glow with bandmate Kevin Ink. The album still isn't quite finished, but as of press time the recording's release on a major indie (if that isn't a contradiction in terms) was in the works, which will give Stoltz a chance to bust out his mutable vision of ye olde classic psych and garage rock big-time. Expect some new numbers that will firmly wedge themselves into your noggin; Sweden's Jens Lekman continues the "tender little love ballad" vibe on his first full tour of the United States, alongside Impossible Shapes. Fayvor Love also perform. 8:30 p.m., Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, S.F. $10. (415) 861-5016. (Chun)

Feb. 27

Helio Sequence, Thermals They've come for your soul. Spunky Portland, Ore., duo Helio Sequence went for the gut with their last album of quasi-psych and feverish pop, Love and Distance (Sub Pop). Here to crash the joint are noisome, all-fun Sub Pop labelmates the Thermals. The Hold Steady and the Yellow Press also play. Feb. 27, 2 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $12. (415) 474-0365. (Chun)

Walkmen Making a record is no stroll in the park for the Walkmen. Speaking from New York City, literate, chess-playing vocalist Hamilton Leithauser said the band are planning to finish their next record in 2005 – last year touring got in the way. These days, he added, the repertoire of the Walkmen is markedly different from that of his old bands. "The Walkmen's songs are a lot better than the Recoys' and Jonathan Fire*Eater's. With the Recoys, I had one fan – Walt [Martin, the Walkmen's organ player] – and my mom." 7:30 p.m., Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus, S.F. $20. (415) 474-0365. (Ra)