The Stills Stills here? Montreal's rock "it" boys linger in town, after opening for Interpol, and push the shimmering-guitar action and languid-vocal poses at Popscene. The hyped-before-their-time foursome's upcoming debut, Logic Will Break Your Heart (Vice), heads in a less itchy-and-scratchy, antsy direction than the music by their New York City gen – they're not afraid to let their love of Morrissey and all things '80s Britpop show. 330 Ritch, S.F. Call for time and price. (415) 541-9574.

Oct. 3, 5, and 6

Old Crow Medicine Show Nashville-by-way-of-upstate-New-York's Old Crow Medicine Show have the raw, string-band-style cure for the modern ills that ail ya. Jug bands, kazoo gurus, and "guitjo" slingers also play a role in the Show, who recently recorded with producer David Rawlings. With Railroad Earth and Hackensaw Boys Fri/3, 9 p.m., Great American Music Hall, 859 O'Farrell, S.F. $13-$15. (415) 885-0750. At Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 3 Sun/5, Golden Gate Park, Speedway Meadow, near Fulton and 25th Ave., S.F. Free. www.strictlybluegrass.com. Also Mon/6, 9 p.m., Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, S.F. $8. (415) 552-7788.

Oct. 4

Enon Crooklyn trio Enon make the magic happen on their latest Touch and Go album, Hocus-Pocus, surgically stitching together the whimsical electropop quirks of onetime Blonde Redhead member Toko Yasuda and the more serious hard rock of ex-Brainiac brain John Schmersal. The sutures are almost invisible – and the monster they've created rocks something loud and fierce, as last year's excursion to Bottom of the Hill proved. Irving and Gogogo Airheart also play. 9 p.m., Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, S.F. $10. (415) 861-5016.

Oct. 5

Emmylou Harris and Willie Nelson at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 3 Country's first down-home beauty queen, Emmylou Harris, never needed to write feisty, soccer mom anthems of the I'm-going-to-lock-that-man-right-out-of-the-condo-and-toss-the-keys-to-his-SUV ilk. She's always simultaneously kept it, um, real, and floated happily off in her angel-voiced ether – pushing her art and keeping the torches burning for friends like Gram Parsons. Harris joins the jaw-dropping lineup at this year's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass for a second year, along with, for the first time, the still astonishingly vital Willie Nelson. Last sighted at a recent, multiple-encore Bay Area performance, the red-haired stranger ended the show by walking back and forth interminably along the Fillmore stage, shaking hands and signing autographs. We all know Nelson's still going to be standing, latte in hand, long after we're dead. Gillian Welch, Greg Brown, Steve Earle and the Bluegrass Dukes, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Old Crow Medicine Show, and a cast too large to mention here join them for what's become the finest free music fest in the area. Emmylou Harris and Willie Nelson play Sun/5, Golden Gate Park, Speedway Meadow, near Fulton and 25th Ave., S.F. Free. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 3 runs Fri/3-Sun/5. For times and complete schedule go to www.strictlybluegrass.com.

Oct. 7

Dressy Bessy Tambourines, songs about lipstick and old-time movies, hand claps – all we're missing are the straw hats and that lazy, hazy, crazy daze of summer, indie style. Denver's gentlest, Dressy Bessy, get an infusion of tender feelings from Tammy Ealom, who provides the vocals, and a dappling of finger-snapping '60s pop flavoring from Ealom's boo, John Hill of the Apples in Stereo. Little Music: Singles 1997-2002 (Kindercore) gives a surprisingly rocking overview. Luke Top and Trace also play. 9 p.m., Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market, S.F. $10. (415) 861-5016.

Jackie Ryan After dealing with the endless array of perpetual teens and nubile contenders on the pop circuit, I find it so refreshing to hear Bay Area jazz gem Jackie Ryan. She's all woman, and she has so many vets singing her praises that it's a puzzle why she isn't as massive as, oh, Jane Monheit. Smoky and sensual in sound, and multilingual to boot, Ryan swings all ways, singing Spanish ballads, bebop, blues, and Brazilian bossa nova and getting help on her new CD, This Heart of Mine (OpenArt), from Toots Thielemans and Ernie Watts. 8 and 10 p.m., Yoshi's, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakl. $12. (510) 238-9200.

Lake Trout From the land of John Waters and Frank Zappa swim Lake Trout, leaving, in their wake, comparisons to U.K. trip rockers like Radiohead, the Beta Band, and Doves, as well as to jam bands, psych combos, IDM gameboys, garden-variety shoegazers, and drone units. Don't let the bucolic, "fishin' musician"-esque moniker fool you – they try to make a habit of recreating live the spiraling loops on their RX/Palm debut, Another One Lost. In the works for this tour: "ambient shows" comprising improvised instrumentals and visuals that fans will create. The Decemberists, Mellowdrone, and Willpower also perform. 8 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $8-$10. (415) 474-0365.

Oct. 9

Ape San Francisco tiki-philes will likely go ape when the city's six-piece come bearing various nuggets of exotica, Hawaiiana, and calypso. Venerable luau faves like "Hawaiian War Chant" and classic surf tuneage like "Miserlou" all get the Ape treatment on the group's new album, Jungle Gems (Simian). What sends the lot boogie-boarding straight over the top: vocalist Crazy Al's penchant for carving tikis along with the music. A gang hula-hoop wriggle, spins by Tiki News' DJ Otto, and free, ahem, Ape shit cap this CD-release party. 9 p.m., Make-Out Room, 3225 22nd St., S.F. $10. (415) 647-2888.

Oct. 11

Mr. Airplane Man Howlin' Wolf obsessives and Mark Sandman protégées Margaret Garrett and Tara McManus keep moving further from the street to the stage – popping up in the Bay Area once more with a new album, C'mon DJ (Sympathy for the Record Industry). Grave Brothers Deluxe and the Rock 'n' Roll Adventure Kids also play. 10 p.m., Parkside, 1600 17th St., S.F. Call for price. (415) 503-0393.

Oct. 12

Mark Mallman He's the great Mallman of the Americas. Twin Cities piano man Mark Mallman makes it all OK. That is, he redeems all the darkest, deepest, most embarrassing and overwrought possessions in your '70s rock collection – be it Billy Joel, Elton John, Queen, or Meatloaf. The bombast sounds fresh and new on albums such as 2002's Red Bedroom (Guilt Ridden Pop) and on the latest, Live from First Avenue, Minneapolis (Susstones), by the former Odd man. Tracker also play. 10 p.m., Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk, S.F. $5. (415) 923-0923.

Oct. 13

Black Lips Thought it was my headset, but nah, it was gen-u-wine, cranked-to-11, trebly noise dripping from the self-titled Bomp! debut by the Atlanta-bred Black Lips. They're the type of skewed blues-garage punk foursome that will happily bedeck their CD with pics of their guitarist's lily-white rump, bare all their deepest thoughts with songs like "Everybody Loves a Cocksucker," and then redeem themselves with the demented caterwaul and bent strings of a tune like "Fad." Obviously grade-A baby-sitting material. Killer's Kiss and Deathbred also perform. 9 p.m., Parkside, 1600 17th St., S.F. Call for price. (415) 503-0393.

Oct. 17

Mark Gardener and Goldrush Ex-Ride guy Mark Gardener gets an energy boost from vibrant Oxfordshire dream rock combo Goldrush, his recording partners of late. Meanwhile, Goldrush are still coasting on the rush of praise they received for their recent Extended Play EP (Truck), which was recorded in the thick of the shire with Flaming Lips producer Dave Fridmann and Music knob-fondler Lenny Franchi. Word up: half of Goldrush join Gardner for his set to play their collaborative tune-a-roonis in addition to some Ride numbers. Stratford 4 also play. 10 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $12. (415) 474-0365.

Saves the Day The sweet-faced Princeton, N.J., combo suffer from the nice-band syndrome: the vocals are too winsome, the pop punk more wistful than feisty, more George Harrison and Omaha, Neb., than Green Day and L.A. So help out these poor boys on the brink – if they weren't slapped with that darn emo tag, you might even look kindly on the spit-shined pop of their latest CD, In Reverie (Dreamworks). Taking Back Sunday and Moneen also play. 8 p.m., Warfield, 982 Market, S.F. $18.50. (415) 775-7722.

Oct. 18

Papa M Nineties post-rock most valuable player and Papa M mastermind David Pajo was last sighted at the Warfield, dutifully contributing to Zwan's triple-guitar fury and positioned advantageously near the entire room's focus: Paz Lenchantin's perpetually rockin' gym shorts. Quite a spectacle – and never quite out of bald man Billy Corrigan's controlling hand, though Pitchfork recently reported Zwan has since busted up. Those guys are such kidders! Regardless, this time Pajo is free to indulge in a generally higher quality of sonics, as evidenced by the offhand enjoyment of his last CD, 2001's Whatever, Mortal (Drag City). BrightBlack and Blanket also play. 10 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $8-$10. (415) 474-0365.

Oct. 20

Soul Position, Blueprint, RJD2 Underground MC Soul Position goes Jerry Springer on us at Slim's with Blueprint and RJD2 – all for the sake of the parties' upcoming debut, 8 Million Stories (Fatbeats). Illogic and DJ PRZM also perform. 9 p.m., Slim's, 333 11th St., S.F. $15. (415) 522-0333.

Oct. 29