Wolfmother, Pep Love, The Forgotten, NSSN & Homicidal Lovers

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Fri. Dec. 8, 8pm Avalon Nightclub 777 Lawrence Expwy., Santa Clara 408.241.0777 $15 BUY TICKETS Fishbone @ PAC Collabo 4 AND COUNTING: Pacific Art Collective has never been afraid to smash together big name musical acts with local up and comers putting the whole musical mash up into the creative blender with a healthy dose of socially poignant live art productions and pouring the unsuspecting public a full tilt and mind-bending nouveau bohemian shake. Friday, December 8 will see the PAC Collabo four-year anniversary of music, art and life on the cutting edge by these local vanguards featuring a band that's the living embodiment of the PAC mantra, those frenetic heavy alt-ska rockers Fishbone performing live. Also plugging in and on stage for PAC's 4th birthday will be Bay Area futuro-rockers The Phenomenauts along with one of the best ska-funk-reggae-punk bands blowing amps on the local scene, FTB, the voodoo funk of Trikk Baby and the Oakland Faders.

Wed. Dec. 6, 9:30pm VooDoo Lounge 14 S. Second St., San Jose 408.286.8636 Usual Cover

Love Lies Bleeding SCREAMING ALT: Four-strong out of Santa Cruz and laying down rock that lies somewhere between alternative and screamo, Love Lies Bleeding rip into the VooDoo Lounge tonight headlining a four band roster that includes One Dying Secret, Broken Iris and Once Over. Love Lies Bleeding play a tight, harmonized rock that kicks hard while the vocals of Jazz range from a seductive, throaty whisper to a screaming angst that threatens to shut down your physical defenses so your aural self can wholly take the beating.

Wed. Dec. 6, 8pm The Fillmore 1805 Geary, San Francisco 408.998.TIXS $25.50 BUY TICKETS

Wolfmother IS THAT YOU MOWGLI: Still riding high on the Rolling Stone bestowment of being a 2006 band to watch, Australian hard rockers Wolfmother have certainly held up their end of the bargain. Starting in '04 in Sydney, guitarist/ vocalist Andrew Stockdale, bassist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett caught break after break tearing up several high profile music festivals Down Under and in Europe before hitting LA in early '05 to begin their systematic hard rock takeover of the US. For anyone that's been living under a rock for the past two years, Wolfmother kicks out a driving sound that's the musical scion of the glory days of rock citing such influential psychedelic/ hard rock bands as The Jimi Hendrix experience, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and The Who as inspiration.

Wed. Dec. 6, 8pm The Warfield 982 Market St., San Francisco 408.998.TIXS $27.50 - $32.50 BUY TICKETS

Black Label Society METAL PEDIGREE: Ripping out a loud sonic blend of heavy metal and Southern rock, Black Label Society--and lead singer/ guitarist Zakk Wylde--has more than enough musical pedigree to rightfully take their place atop the metal thrash heap. Tutored in the ways of metal by The Prince of Darkness himself, Black Label Society is fresh off headlining the second stage at this year's Ozzfest and is hitting the Warfield tonight before heading Down Under to aurally assault the Aussies. In a serendipitous choice for likeminded openers, Black Stone Cherry get the nod.

Thu. Dec. 7, 8pm Slim's 333 11th St., San Francisco 415.522.0333 $16 BUY TICKETS

The Aquabats AVERTING MUSICAL EVILS: Straight from their secret superhero base in So-Cal and on a mission to fight evil with a 5-strong ska and punk surf attack, The Aquabats land at Slim's tonight bringing hilarious joy to the Bay Area's Aquacadet Faction. The latest Aquabat weapon to combat their rogues gallery of supervillains, Charge!, sees our intrepid heroes moving into a more synth laden new wave style with plenty of punk rock sonics for their longtime fans. The Lashes and Army of Fishermen pull opening sidekick duties.

Thu. Dec. 7, 8pm VooDoo Lounge 14 S. Second St., San Jose 208.286.8636 $10

Monkey w/ 880 South & others SKA-FUNK FEST '06: It's a full-blown funky ska fest at The VooDoo Lounge tonight getting you amped up (okay, and boozed up) for the weekend. South Bay ska legends, Monkey, who have been at the forefront of both the ska and live music scenes in San Jose for well over a decade kick in some kick off duties with their upbeat, rockin' dub, six-strong sonic blast full of deep bass lines, blasting horns, crushing vocal medleys and guitar rips all driven by an intense keyboard full of dope beats, liquor and love for fellow local skasters 880 South's CD release party. Local ska funk-punks The Starving Millionairs lend a helping hand, but not a cent of their well-used bar tab, to get the crowds swaying along with the always killer Whiskey Avengers--all four, ripping it up and throwing it down in a show of punk-tinged ska force.

Thu. Dec. 7, 7:30pm Paramount Theatre 2025 Broadway, Oakland 408.998.TIXS $30 - $125 BUY TICKETS

Death Cab for Cutie SONGS WITH CHORDS: Indie rockers Death Cab For Cutie hit Oakland's Paramount Theatre tonight laying down straight indie licks that have a certain tendency to take up residence in your skull. Since moving to Atlantic from the Seattle based indie label Barsuk, Death Cab For Cutie's fan base has exploded seeing them play sell out dates across the globe. Their latest offering, 2005's Plans, presents the band in their best light yet due in no small part than finally landing a solid drummer complimenting the lilting, introspective vocals of front man Ben Gibbard.

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Fri. Dec. 8, 7pm Bill Graham Civic Auditorium 99 Grove St., San Francisco 408.998.TIXS $45.50 - $95 BUY TICKETS Live 105 Not So Silent Night THOSE BELLS RING LOUD: Now, word on the streets is that Live 105's Not So Silent Night is sold out, but we here at Metroactive think that any enterprising concert-goer can find tickets to any event if they employ a little ingenuity (like finding the "Buy Tickets" link) and a little elbow grease (like clicking on the "Buy Tickets" link). Okay, we're not promising anything, but if you want to catch bands like The Killers, Modest Mouse, The Rancatours, The Shins, The Silversun Pickups and winners of the local band contest, Thriving Ivory, then you gotta be willing to go the extra mile, as it were, and get a little dirty...And, if they really are sold out even after a tireless search on the good ol' internet, there's always scalpers.

Fri. Dec. 8, 9pm Blue Lagoon 923 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz 831.423.7117 $5

The Forgotten LOCAL PUNK VETS: San Jose's best known punk band, The Forgotten, rip it up over the hill tonight at the Blue Lagoon as a quick primer--not that this tight outfit of local veterans of punk and old-school statesmen of the original hardcore wave really need any form of primer--before tearing up their downtown home base later this month with shows at The Blank. For the past year, The Forgotten have been laying down new studio cuts, so some fresh material may show up in the set list, but ya'll know it'll still kick with the amped up sounds of truly blazing punk rock fury. The Johns, Highway Murderers and Jonny Manak & The Depressives round out the bill.

Fri. Dec. 8, 9pm Taste Ultra Lounge 87 N. San Pedro St., San Jose 408.885.1016 Usual Cover

Ladies' Night @ Taste ABOUT TIME: The usual Promiscuous Friday party at Taste Ultra Lounge takes a fairer sex twist tonight with a swank night dedicated to the ladies. Local fave DJs Leslie Perez and Don Lynch take care of the beats and taste is rolling out a full spread meant to pamper from 9pm to 11pm that includes a male revue show with the Men of Exotica...so, ladies, if you're a little fed up with the sometimes misogynistic nightclub scene in downtown, hit Taste and gives the boys back a little of their own medicine.

Fri. Dec. 8, 8pm C & J's Sports Bar 1550 Lafayette St., Santa Clara 408.247.4027 No Cover

NVS & Relapse SUBURBAN SUBVERSIVES: Alt-punk straight from the angst-ridden wastelands of Valley suburbia, NVS hit Tres Gringos tonight to kick a renewed San Jose live music scene in the ass. NVS play that witty, fast, irreverent and smart music that sticks in your head and refuses to leave like an aural squatter claiming eminent domain. The show tonight is a double bill of solid rock chops with local Valley rock brethren Relapse throwing their two amps into the ring giving added bolster to C & J's bid at becoming a viable alternative to the downtown scene.

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Sat. Dec. 9, 9pm Vault Ultra Lounge 81 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose 408.298.1112 Usual Cover BUY TICKETS Paparazzi @ Vault INQUIRE WITHIN: The Vault Ultra Lounge goes one step beyond its usually high mark on the swank-o-meter by hitting with the second installment of the Paparazzi party tonight, but there has yet to be any word what lurid photogs from exactly which libelous celeb rags will be in attendance with shutters flying. However, it is confirmed that DJ Devious Dave and DJ Vinyl will be manning the decks in the Main Room with a direct from LA set from Shawn V while the Back Room belongs to the turntable stylings of DJ Mein. Grab your favorite shades, put your hand up to block the camera lens and hit the party...not the photographer.

Sat. Dec. 9, 9pm C & J's Sports Bar 1550 Lafayette St., Santa Clara 408.247.4027 No Cover

Luxury Sweets IT'S NEW, IT'S CALLED RETRO: The Luxury Sweets cut a retro-rock swath straight through the eyelinered bubblegum pop scene kicking out punk tinged rock that would've been right at home rubbing elbows with the rock n' roll harbingers of the '50s mashed together with the original British Invasion. The Luxury Sweets play it loud, fast and melodic with the witty lyrical style and unmatched musical chops that are rarely heard outta 5 regular Joes plugging in at your local watering hole. Catch the Luxury Sweets tonight at C & J's Sports Bar with The Basics and Mystery Lights opening.

Sat. Dec. 9, 9pm The Blank Club 44 S. Almaden Ave., San Jose 408.292.5265 $8

Devil Doll IF THIS IS HELL: Devil Doll is a femme fatale retro throwback to the speakeasy lounge days of the '40s with a razor sharp edge marinated in the whiskey waters of punk and rockabilly. Sexy and dangerous, sultry to the point of agony, with a heapin' pile of sorrow and broken dreams, Devil Doll kicks out a different blend of retro rock, one that skirts a flirtatious line with swing and Golden Age jazz, hitting the lounge culture so much more than those Gen-X zoot suited hipsters that used to front the scene. Devil Doll mesmerizes with her first breath before the band kicks it into gear and you're blown away, Tommy Gun style, by the amped up sounds of old, she and her souped up machine hit The Blank tonight with Bay Area rockabilly rebels Sik Luv opening and the ever-sultry Sparkly Devil burlesque show.

Sat. Dec. 9, 9pm Angels Ultra Lounge 400 S. First St., San Jose 408.885.9588 Usual Cover

Fame @ Angels WINTER WONDERLAND: The Holiday edition of the Fame party rolls out the red carpet tonight at Angels Ultra Lounge sporting a candy cane-esque red and white theme, but be careful of partaking in too many random peppermint shots...trust us, the aftermath is not good. Premier West Coast DJ, Mr. Choc, hits up the main room at Fame with local turntable science dropped by the deck triumvirate of DJs Nasty Nick, Reckid and David Q spinning hip-hop and dance club tracks.

Sat. Dec. 9, 9pm Poleng Lounge 1751 Fulton St., San Francisco 415.555.1751 $8

Pep Love SURFACED UNDERGROUND: Pep Love rose to his current high-speed word-bending prime with the legendary Hieroglyphics crew through sheer force of will and the fact that audience's never failed to shout it out for Pep and his preternatural rhyming chops. Keeping with his forged underground ties and sensibilities, Pep keeps things fresh, fast and furious--in true old-school Heiro style--thus ripping it up at the Pelong Lounge rather than going for the bling, bling flash of a stadium tour for his upcoming release, The Reconstruction. Resident DJs B-Cause, Satva and Big G lend their collective skills on the decks.

Sat. Dec. 9, 9pm Ruby Skye 420 Mason St., San Francisco 415.693.0777 $15 BUY TICKETS

Richard Vission HOW TO BUILD A HOUSE: Straight from LA where he's got the house community in his hip pocket through his nearly unparalleled skills mixing dope beats on the decks, Richard Vission is hitting an exclusive engagement tonight as part of the Diabolique Clothing Fashion Show at Ruby Skye. Vission is widely known for putting the LA house scene on the dance club map through his mind-blowing style on Power 106's Power Tools sets 14 years running and for dishing up some of the hottest remixes for dang near every celeb pop star on the freakin' planet. Catch Richard Vission ripping up the RS turntables tonight with up and comer house DJ phenom, David Garcia, getting things started.

Sun. Dec. 10, 7pm Bottom of the Hill 1233 17th St., San Francisco 415.621.4455 $13

RX Bandits DRUGSTORE COWBOYS: If jam bands played the same ska-punk-prog rock and dub fusion style that marks the Rx Bandits' live shows then we'd probably attend more jam band concerts. Straight from Seal Beach, the Rx Bandits throw down high-energy shows that kick loud and fast in the characteristic punk vein, yet, due to their love affair with jamming on stage, the noise is more orchestrated rather than the raw sonics of hardcore. They hit Bottom of the Hill tonight in support of their latest release, ...And the Battle Begun, with an all-ages show.

Sun. Dec. 10, 7pm The Fillmore 1805 Geary, San Francisco 408.998.TIXS $42.50 BUY TICKETS

The New Cars EXTENDED WARRANTY: Ya just gotta love that new car smell, everyone does, but you don't necessarily have to love The New Cars--we mean, you can give 'em a try, certainly--especially because resident lead singer/ weirdo Ric Okasek is no longer in the driver's seat. In fact, only guitarist Elliot Easton and keyboardist Greg Hawkes remain from the original groundbreaking proto new wave lineup, but they did pick up former Tubes drummer Prairie Prince, so, we suppose, after letting these Cars kick back in the garage for 17 years (the last time The Cars in any incarnation toured), we can take 'em out, kick the tires and see if the creative engine still has some life.

Mon. Dec. 11, 8pm Blue Monkey Lounge 1 E. San Fernando, San Jose 408.275.6600 No cover

Monday Night Live @ Blue Monkey IT AIN'T OVER YET: Upstairs hipster lounge, The Blue Monkey has your Monday night house fix with their Monday Night Live dance party featuring drink specials all night long and resident spinners DJs Ernesto Cruz and The Face. Why not extend that weekend vibe just one day longer? Come on, nothing ever happens at work during the beginning of the week anyway.

Mon. Dec. 11, 9pm The Cardiff Lounge 260 E. Campbell Ave., Campbell 408.374.7477 No Cover

Fractology @ The Cardiff Lounge SCIENCE OF SOUND: Fractology in new age medicine terms is the "science" of awareness of esoteric healing by re-patterning your underlying energetic structure. Fractology here means a down tempo chill night of hip-hop and dance with an independent flavor at the Cardiff Lounge to help wash away the sometimes repetitive aural wash that clubbers can often find themselves in on the weekends.

Tue. Dec. 12, 7pm The Fillmore 1805 Geary, San Francisco 408.998.TIXS $23.50 BUY TICKETS

(+44) A BETTER LEMONADE: When former blink-182 frontman Tom Delonge traded in his t-shirts, Chucks and ripped jeans for collared shirts and emo, bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer/ pornstar husband Travis Barker still felt the glorious pull of punk in their veins and decided keep cranking the amps as (+44). After chopping it up with Graig Fairbaugh from local San Jo gutter punks The Forgotten (who incidentally play in Santa Cruz Friday) and lead guitarist Shane Gallagher of The Nervous Return, the lineup was set and (+44) started hitting the club circuit hitting aggressive chords in true punk style. Their first album, When Your Heart Stops Beating, just hit the shelves and this plug in at The Fillmore marks Hoppus and Barker's reinsertion into the punk scene.

Tue. Dec. 12, 7:30pm Slim's 333 11th St., San Francisco 415.522.0333 $15 BUY TICKETS

Kill Hannah BAD BREAKUP, GOOD BAND: A strange breakup with a girlfriend is as good a reason as any to start a band, but giving that band her name with a homicidal preface is a little odder...what if she "accidentally" turned up as worm food one day under less than kosher circumstances; wouldn't you be on the short-list of suspects? Well, so far frontman Mat Devine hasn't been visited by any CSI wannabes yet, so we'll just assume that he ain't got the murder streak in him. Kill Hannah has seen the opening side of the tour circuit for a few years and are now getting their alt-rock due with headlining slots leading the Pink Spiders, Love Arcade and Action Reaction into Slim's tonight in support of their second release, Until there's Nothing Left of Us.

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Fri. Dec. 15, 9pm VooDoo Lounge 14 S. Second St., San Jose 408.286.8636 $20

LA Guns IF THE PANTS FIT: The ongoing duality saga of LA Guns continues with this show at VooDoo being played by the "original" LA Guns led by Tracii Guns even though the other LA Guns led by Phil Lewis still plays under the moniker. Sometimes they play together--the latest being a concert in early October at the Cathouse in Hollywood--sometimes they play apart; it's a strange twisted saga that only an '80s sleaze/ glam hard rock band could possibly produce. Regardless of which lineup hits the stage--for this one it's vocalist Paul Black, guitarist Tracii Guns, bassist Jeremy Guns and drummer Nickey "Beat" Alexander--you can bet the LA Guns will play loud, fast and dangerous. The Bullet Boys, Antidote, Diamond Lane and American Heartbreak open.

Sat. Dec. 16, 8pm The Catalyst 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz 831.423.1336 $15 BUY TICKETS

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes PLAYED MY BRIS: Punk Rock supergroup and cover band extraordinaire, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes bring their chops and schlock to The Catalyst and--as anyone who's seen Me First in concert, probably not the Pittsburgh Pirate fans or Jonny the Bar Mitzvah boy, can attest--it's gonna be a boozy night full of loud and fast punk rock hilarity. The Gimme Gimmes latest release of amped up covers, Love Their Country (a compilation of country and western tunes) was just released and covers tracks by the Dixie Chicks, Garth Brooks and the Man in Black.

Fri. Dec. 22, 9pm Slim's 333 11th St., San Francisco 415.522.0333 $16 BUY TICKETS

The Vandals THOSE DARN PUNKS: OC punk veterans The Vandals are coming and, since they only tour about once every three years or so, get off the couch and score some tickets because The Vandals are absolute legends in the punk scene, their live shows f**cking rock and they're, personally, one of our favorite bands. Instead of hitting political bends in their witty, fast and loud songs, The Vandals rock straight comical nerd punk with cuts about lying that your girlfriends dead, mullets, hot chicks at Hotdog on a Stick, fourteen year old girls, anarchy in a deli, soccer moms, the plight of tuna and are responsible for the best Christmas album ever made. Damn, they're good.

--This week's newsletter by: RO, AR & AL

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