Music Menu 

Carolina Reggae Fest - Roots-reggae queen Marcia Griffiths and reggae crooner Beres Hammond headline this Jamaican fest with youngsters Wayne Wonder and Jimmy Cozier opening. See story in Music section. Oasis Shrine Auditorium (Shukla)

Tarbox Ramblers - The Ramblers' 45-inch stagecoach rims churn the dark Delta blues soil, digging through the collected slide guitar peat laid by Blind Willie Johnson, Mississippi Fred McDowell and R.L. Burnside. Backed by fiddle, stand-up bass and drums, singer/guitarist Michael Tarbox's approach is more traditional than the Black Keys or White Stripes, and the band makes diversions into rootsy folk-driven blues. A terrific live act. Double Door Inn (Parker)

THURSDAY 6.16

The Grande Mothers Re:invented - As a rule, CL ignores the tribute thing, and hearing Frank Zappa's music without the maestro's presence in some capacity (playing or conducting) would appear at first glance to have that icky CCR Revisited feel. But the Mothers were an integral component of Zappa's brilliantly twisted vision, and this lineup includes enough key members (Napoleon Murphy Brock, Roy Estrada, Don Preston) to suggest the Grand Wazoo would approve. This is one of those "Evening With" events, so there's no opening act. Neighborhood Theatre (Schacht)

Leadfoot/Southern Bitch/Mic Harrison - Prepare for a hot-blooded night of guitar rock that runs the gamut. Athens' Southern Bitch is countrified Southern rock in the vein of neighbors Drive By Truckers with a dash of Neil Young. Leadfoot is the Truckers if that band worshipped at the altar of Sabbath. Opener Mic Harrison provided great roots/power pop backing to the V-Roys and Superdrag before going solo. Milestone (Parker)

Marah - Rare among their indie-rock peers, Bielanko brothers Dave and Serge write with an honest romanticism that recalls Bruce Springsteen. (See lead music story this issue.) Exploring street characters and the stark urban landscape of their Philly home on their most recent album, 20,000 Streets Under the Sky, Marah creates a powerful emotional undercurrent in its soulful roots rock. Visulite Theatre (Parker)

FRIDAY 6.17

Byzantine - This hard-core West Virginia quartet claims to get as much influence from Chet Atkins and Lynyrd Skynyrd as it does Slayer and Overkill. Their debut, The Fundamental Component, tackles topics including religion, extraterrestrial life and Southern history, while attempting to walk the fine line between chaos and melody. Guitarist/singer Chris Ojeda nicely describes it as "The warthog chasing the butterfly." With the Zimmerman Note, Destroy All Planets and the Killing. Milestone (Schacht)

DJ Sasha - Alexander "Sasha" Coe was already a big DJ in England when he met and teamed with John Digweed. They released a series of popular mix CDs and held down a residency at New York's Twilo : Ground Zero for dance music in America. The duo brought in big names and spun on weekends, riding and propelling the scene until Twilo closed in 2001. Sasha's currently supporting Fundacion, created entirely with a new DJ tool, Ableton, which allows easier/greater track manipulation. Menage Ultra Lounge (Parker)

Lou Ford - The classic Edwards/Lynch four-wheel model has reunited, just because, they say, it "feels so good." The vehicle's a bit rusty out of the garage perhaps, but it brandishes as much enthusiasm as its slightly more hirsute and svelter younger self. You'll hear plenty of Lou Ford standards (consider this a shout-out for "Ride On"), along with a slew of new rockers that add a harder, more swinging bite to the band's sound. One bar of those pitch-perfect Edwards Bros.' harmonies should remind you what all the hubbub was about in the first place. How does it feel? Pretty damn good, from this seat. Double Door Inn (Schacht)

SATURDAY 6.18

Anthony Gomes - This Canadian bluesman has called Chicago home for many years. The storied history of blues in the Windy City has helped tune Gomes' sensitivity to tradition while he also incorporates the gospel, R&B and rock of his own musical story. Gomes plays modern blues with a contemporary, youthful inflection wherein the guitar is always a bit funky. And his acoustic blues will knock you out. Double Door Inn (Shukla)

Jucifer - This Athens duo predates that red-and-white, color-coded Detroit pair : and Jucifer reverses the quotient, with singer/guitarist Amber Valentine dropping the bluesy guitar power bombs to hubby Ed Livengood's steady time. Like the Melvins if that band got caught in a bear trap and began gnawing through its collective legs to escape. It's an intense, nasty, bloody mess, but oddly compelling to witness. Milestone (Parker)

Magic Mike - A revolutionary bass producer, Magic Mike continued the legacy of 2 Live Crew in the late 80s, upholding the booty music sound until Lil Jon and the Ying Yang Twins capitalized on it, taking it to the top of the charts. A talented turntablist as well as a versatile producer, Mike's time certainly seems to have come. Amos' Southend (Parker)

SUNDAY 6.19

M.O.D. - Howler Billy Milano, a punk/thrash icon and quasi-conservative blowhard, leads M.O.D.'s incessant assaults on the senses. Milano's 2-minute thrashes began with his first band S.O.D. (Stormtroopers of Death) and its infamous recording Speak English or Die back in the 80s. The bombast has continued ever since. Just back off if the large-framed Milano decides to stage dive into a pit of "liberal weenies" and "femi-nazis." With Crisis. Milestone (Shukla)