DEADBOY AND THE ELEPHANTMENNo, they're not a black-and-white duo that's read all over, like the White Stripes: Dax Riggs wears floppy T-shirts, emotes vocally, and thrashes away at the guitar. Tessie Brunet bashes the drums. Together they have slain critics throughout the land. Ex-Boyfriends, Rum Diary, and Stephen Fretwell also perform. 9 p.m. Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, SF. $10. (415) 861-5016. (Kimberly Chun) FEISTFeist's lilting hit "Mushaboom" (from 2004's Let It Die) has been stuck in my head for days. It's easy to see why — her quietly understated and versatile voice suggests a Natalie Imbruglia with more lasting power, a less annoying Nelly Furtado, or a softer PJ Harvey. Tonight she headlines, with John Vanderslice, Youth Group, and the Botticellis on the bill. 7:30 p.m,. Bimbo's 365 Club, 1025 Columbus, SF. $18. (415) 474-0365. (Eliana Fiore) ISISSomber-minded headbangers of the Bay Area unite. Isis is about to reach the SF shoreline. The LA quintet conjures up stoner sludge and monstrous ambience swarms, somewhat analogous to the Melvins' Houdini dry-humping the My Bloody Valentine anthology. Panopticon (Ipecac, 2004) suggests vocalist Aaron Turner and the rest of the group will leave Noise Pop–ers stunned and numb with a thirst for more — that is, if their throats aren't swollen shut from the deafening pandemonium. Zombi and These Arms Are Snakes also perform. 8 p.m. Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell, SF. $15. (415) 885-0750. (Chris Sabbath) MARCH 29 CURUMINCurumin creates colorful dub-inflected tunes with samba, bossa nova, and reggae elements. A founding member of the '70's Brazilian funk band Zomba, he recently released his solo debut album, Achados E Perdidos (Quannum Projects). Check him out tonight, with the Tommy Guerrero Band headlining and Honeycut and Bing Ji Ling also performing. 9 p.m. Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, SF. $10. (415) 861-5016. (Fiore) LAURA VEIRSAsk any number of singer-songwriters and they will tell you that it is a singer-eat-songwriter world out there. Laura Veirs distinguishes herself with a sound and style so original that the public can't help but take notice. Sometimes organic and sometimes electric, her music is always innovative and captivating. Britt Daniel of Spoon, Martyn Leaper of the Minders, and Meric Long also play. 7 p.m. Swedish American Hall, 2170 Market, SF. $15. (415) 861-5016. (Jenny Miyasaki) MARCH 30 HER SPACE HOLIDAYThe Past Presents the Future (Wichita) makes you want to dance almost as much as it makes you want to quietly break down, and it is precisely this disparity that keeps Marc Bianchi's work compelling. Having begun recording in 1996, Bianchi has since released several EPs and five LPs under the Her Space Holiday moniker and also remixed Bright Eyes, Boom Bib, Kid 606, and American Analog Set. His laptop savvy, melded with an earnestness that even the softest of shoe-gazers might admire, makes listening to Her Space Holiday a little like eavesdropping on some teenage genius recording his audio diary in the basement of his parents' house. You feel for the guy, you really do. +/-, Loquat, and Pants Pants Pants also play. 8 p.m. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., SF. $12. (415) 621-4455. (Miyasaki) HUTSNatedawgg (who's also responsible for the electronics in Tussle) and Tomo (of Hey Willpower) experiment with analog synthesizers, samples and loops, cassettes, calculator keyboards, and video projections. Kieran Hebden of Four Tet and legendary jazz drummer Steve Reid headline, with Kid 606 and Mattson 2 also on the bill. 8 p.m. Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell, SF. $16–$18. (415) 885-0750. (Fiore) MINUS THE BEARMy first exposure to this band: a friend who described them as "the next Huey Lewis and the News." I too couldn't help but notice an eerie connection listening to the Seattle quintet's debut EP, This Is What I Know about Being Gigantic (Suicide Squeeze) — love anthems with catchy-as-hell choruses sung and executed as sprightly numbers or subdued ballads. Vocalist Jake Snider and the band tour in support of their new album, Menos el Oso (Suicide Squeeze), and tonight's showcase with East Coast emocore outfit Thursday should prove to be a "beary" good time for all. The Number 12 Looks Like You and We're All Broken open. 8 p.m. Slim's, 333 11th St., SF. $18–$21. (415) 255-0333. (Sabbath) NOUS NON PLUSI liken this project's sugary pop hooks to the supersweet goodness of the crepes that are sold on every Parisian street corner, with vocalist Celine Dijon's campy sex appeal oozing Nutella-style from the paper-thin sides. Got a problem with that? Hey, neither do I. Hey Willpower also performs. 9 p.m. Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, SF. $10. (415) 861-5016. (Fiore) SAM PREKOPWhenever I listen to Who's Your New Professor (Thrill Jockey), I'm whisked off to the beaches of Saint Thomas, where breezy melodies blow through my hair and comfy textures are sucked from the straw of a spritzer, all while I dodge bird shit from the occasional hovering seagull. The buoyant funkiness and computerized gusto of Prekop's main squeeze, the Sea and Cake, takes a backseat to a tranquil mesh of jazz-pop, African rhythms, and soul-infected harmonies. S&C buddy Archer Prewitt will appear with Prekop, as well as Pedro the Lion's prime feline, Dave Bazan. Elvis Perkins and the Czars open. 7:30 p.m., Swedish American Hall, 2170 Market, SF. $15. (415) 861-5016. (Sabbath) TALKDEMONICOn this Portland, Ore., duo's sophomore album, Beat Romantic (Arena Rock), Kevin O'Connor's precise hip-hop beats contrast with and complement Lisa Molinaro's strong and undulating viola harmonies. The resulting songs traverse a diverse musical landscape, with bits of Deerhoof-like experimentalism added in the form of Molinaro's occasional glissando harmonics and scratchy textures. The National, Mark Eitzel, and Division Day also perform. 8 p.m. The Independent, 628 Divisadero, SF. $14. (415) 771-1421. (Fiore) WHY? AND ASOBI SEKSURaising questions more than answering them, Why? synthesizes rock, pop, and hip-hop into an eccentric sound that is altogether danceable, shoutable, laughable, and cryable. While the dissonance of mastermind Yoni Wolf's vocals may at times conjure the Mountain Goats' John Darnielle, the layering of synthesizers and hip-hop beats pulls the rug out from under any further comparison. Dreamy Japanese pop outfit Asobi Seksu performs as well, giving us a preview of their upcoming album. Dirty Projectors and Black Fiction also play. 8 p.m. Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell, SF. $10. (415) 861-2011. (Miyasaki) MARCH 31 FILM SCHOOL AND THE CLOUD ROOMFilm School's van was recently stolen out of the locked and guarded parking lot of a Philadelphia hotel, and with the success they've been experiencing since the release of their self-titled album on Beggars Banquet, it would almost be inappropriate for the good fortune of San Francisco's best brooders not to be undermined by some cataclysmic event. In true triumph-of-the-underdog style, they've soldiered on to honor tour dates by borrowing gear from anyone willing to loan it. NYC's the Cloud Room also performs, still harnessing the lightning bolt of an exceedingly catchy debut album on Gigantic Music, the first single being that "Hey Now Now" song that indie kids just can't stop humming. With Birdmonster and Send for Help. 8 p.m. Slim's, 333 11th St., SF. $12. (415) 255-0333. (Miyasaki) APRIL 1 MINIPOPOne listen to the Bay Area's Minipop will have you asking one of two questions: (1) How did I manage to land smack-dab in the middle of a breakup scene on The OC? or (2) Can pop music be made any more perfectly than this? In many ways Minipop is the very definition of "guilty pleasure," but you have to admit there is something undeniably brilliant about composing music so addictive that quitting it might actually give you the shakes. The Velvet Teen and Xiu Xiu coheadline; Polar Bears also perform. 8 p.m. Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell, SF. $15. (415) 885-0750 (Miyasaki) SCISSORS FOR LEFTYMy personal Scissors for Lefty experience most often takes place in a semicrowded lounge room lit only by red and green fluorescent lava lamps oozing up white walls made even more blindingly white by omnipresent black lights. One or two go-go drag queens with short skirts, long boots, and beehive hairdos shake ass madly in solitary corners. Out of nowhere it seems, SFL vocalist Ben Garza comes slinking into the room wearing a black shirt and a thin white tie. Twirling a microphone by the cord and bobbing his head to drummer James Krimmel's syncopated beats, Garza eases suavely — hips first — into "More Than the Summer," one of my favorite SFL songs. Okay, so in reality this isn't exactly how it all goes down, but I do pretty much relive this same fantasy every time I listen to Scissors for Lefty. To be honest, their live shows are not that different. With Every Move a Picture, Communiqué, and Push to Talk. 8 p.m. Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St, SF. $18. (415) 621-4455. (Miyasaki) APRIL 2 VETIVERAndy Cabic and company's strong melodies, clear fingerpicking guitar work, and warm string harmonies help you escape the foggy fumes of a fast city. Brightblack Morning Light, Neil Halstead, and Peggy Honeywell also perform. 8 p.m. Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell, SF. $13–$15. (415) 885-0750. (Fiore)
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