Jason Lytle, Thursday, June 4: While most of you already know that former Grandaddy frontman Jason Lytle will be performing as Neko CaseaE™s opener at the Paramount tonight, heaE™ll also be making an appearance at Herman JollyaE™s Acoustic Coalmine, a monthly unplugged showcase at the Mars Bar in which both local and touring artists strip five of their songs down to the bare bones. Usually the showcase doesnaE™t feature such well-known artists, but the Acoustic Coalmine provides the perfect setting for an artist like Lytle, whose songs, while they sound nice augmented with all the instrumental accents, donaE™t require all those fancy accoutrements to captivate an audience. HeaE™s an artist whoaE™s solid on the fundamentals, and thataE™s what this showcase is meant to do: peel away a songaE™s flesh and reveal the structure that holds it together. Though Grandaddy fans will surely be hoping to hear some old hits, LytleaE™s more likely to compile a set list of songs from his brand-new solo record, Yours Truly, the Commuter. With Herman Jolly, Rusty Miller, Hazelwood Motel. CafAc Venus/Mars Bar, 609 Eastlake Ave. E. 624-4516. 9 p.m. $10. Note by SARA BRICKNER

Far, Thursday, June 4: In the heyday of melodic post-hardcore aE” back in the late 1990s aE” Far was the protoype for mainstream and critical success. The Sacramento bandaE™s first release on a major label, 1996 album Tin Cans With Strings to You, is a combination of chug-chugging guitars, double bass pedals, and lead singer Jonah Matranga’s guttural screams. The music and vocals were much calmer on the Far’s next release, Water and Solutions: Songs like Really Here are slowed down, near-ballads that paved the way for Biffy Clyro and nearly every other emo band that emerged in the past decade. The band disbanded in 1999 and aE” after Matranga’s successful solo career of heartbreaking, semi-acoustic songs aE” reunited last year. Now, Far is recording a new album on a much smaller label (Vagrant) and touring the U.S. after releasing only one single: A hardcore-influenced cover of Ginuine’s 1996 single, Pony. Matranga’s vocals even employs Kanye West-style Autotune on the chorus. While the song is undoubtedly different than anything else Far has created, Pony demonstrates that the band, to some extent, is still stuck in the 1990s aE” which is more promising for a reunion tour than for the creation of a new album. With 1939 Ensemble, By Sunlight, Colonies. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St. 709-9467. 7 p.m. $15 adv. Note by PAIGE RICHMOND

Jens Lekman, Thursday, June 4 and Friday, June 5: Before Lykke Li swooped in to steal our undeserving hearts, we were all plenty busy being smitten with fellow Swedish import Jens Lekman, who sang about psychologically unstable women, his friend LisaaE™s birthday, a tram that goes all the way to heaven, and well, wanting to be your dog. Comparisons to Jonathan Richman and Belle & Sebastian rightfully abounded, and Lekman followed up the gorgeous When I Said I Wanted To Be Your Dog with the winning singles collection Oh YouaE™re So Silent Jens and the more ambitious crossover success Night Falls Over Kortedala. Just as Lykke Li fuses pop, folk, and electronics until we no longer notice the overlap, Lekman enlists crackling samples in a way thataE™s just as wistfully romantic as the angelic strings, coy-boy singing, and poised, yet stinging lyrics that populate his records. According to one song, heaE™ll hold your hair while you vomit, help brush your teeth, and even kiss your stomach afterwards. A total keeper, then. With Tig Notaro. The Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-7416. 8 p.m. $15 adv. Note by DOUG WALLEN

Cephalic Carnage, Friday, June 5: Easily one of the most tripped-out acts in the history of grindcore, Cephalic Carnage taps the terrifying depths of real-life conspiracies and unexplained supernatural phenomena with a suitably mind-warping approach. The bandmembersaE™ avid enthusiasm for the high-grade weed that proliferates in their native Rocky Mountain region shows in both the rigorous technicality of the music and the underlying paranoia that fuels frontman LenzigaE™s lyrics. On the other hand, few — if any — bands could make subjects such as government experimentfun, but thataE™s exactly what Cephalic Carnage manages to do, strangely enough. And, where so many grind acts turn their music into a flat, droning blur onstage, CephalicaE™s unbridled enthusiasm, kick-ass musicianship, and laugh-out-loud goofiness ensures a live show with an intensity matched only by the likes of the Dillinger Escape Plan. Infamous black metalers Mayhem are also on the bill, so itaE™ll be interesting to see if Cephalic performs its hilarious black metal parody number in full costume. Keep your fingers crossed… With Mayhem, Marduk, Cattle Decapitation, Ceremonial Castings, Withered, Inquinok. Studio Seven, 110 S. Horton St. 286-1312. 5:30 p.m. $25 adv., $28 dos. All ages. Note by SABY REYES-KULKARNI

Hopewell, Friday, June 5: Like an artist dipping his brush into various colors and making delicate strokes with each, Hopwell leader and Mercury Rev alum Jason Russo is somehow able to draw from space rock, art rock, psychedelia, heavy rock, etc. without sounding quite like any of those things. At times, Russo weds melody with heaviness so seamlessly that one wonders why anyone ever bothered to make emo when they could have done something like this instead. Even if someone had, however, RussoaE™s work would stand out. Like so many before him (and so many of his contemporaries today), Russo attempts to synthesize existing forms, but his subtle touch and distinct approach qualifies him as a true visionary. Hopewell albums are filled with nuance, and as such they reveal their treasures over time even as the reference points may be somewhat apparent right off the bat. Majestic harmonies, finely crafted production, and songs that swerve gracefully from style to style are just a few of the methods this band uses to guarantee satisfaction and freshness over repeated listens. With Voyager One, Drug Purse, This Blinding Light. Comet Tavern, 922 E. Pike St., 323-9853. 9 p.m. $8. Note by SABY REYES-KULKARNI

Patrick Wolf, Friday, June 5: Even with all of his flamboyance, charisma, ability, and sexual ambiguity, American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert is Dave Matthews-bland compared to outrageous aE“ and outrageously talented — 25-year-old British singer/multi-instrumentalist Patrick Wolf. A part-time model, full-time musician, and 24/7 glam-goth provocateur, WolfaE™s aiming to usurp vintage Bowie and Madonna as the ultimate pansexual pop chameleon. Armed with a never-ending supply of hair dye and makeup, and a wardrobe stuffed with feathers, leather, cloaks, capes, glitter, sequins, and more, his look changes nearly every time he steps in front of a camera or out on a stage. Proficient on violin, viola, ukulele, theremin, guitar, all sorts of electronic gizmos, and more, Wolf romps through a multitude of musical styles, from baroque chamber-pop to industrial-tinged electro to traditional acoustic-folk to old-school Depeche mode S&M synth-pop. Already massive in the U.K., itaE™s hard to say whether or not heaE™ll become an American idol, too aE“ youaE™ll be able to vote yea or nay tonight. With Living Things, Plasticines, Jaguar Love. El Corazon, 109 Eastlake Ave. E. 381-3094. 7 p.m. $15. All ages. Note by MICHAEL ALAN GOLDBERG

Billy Ray Cyrus, Saturday, June 6: ItaE™s bad enough to have your career derailed because of the fickle nature of a cross-genre fan base who only ever liked you for one song. But to have that same career resurrected by the success of your underage daughteraE™s career as a Disney-pop sensationaE¦ actually, IaE™m guessing Billy RayaE™s pretty ok with that turn of events. See, even at his chart-topping best, Cyrus was never much more than a novelty act. After all, it wasnaE™t his relatively straightforward take on dusty country-rock and traditional country revivalism that brought Billy Ray to the masses. His biggest selling points were his hunky, urban cowboy appeal and his undeniable ability to craft a two-stepping party anthem. Really, Cyrus and daughter are just two generationally-separated sides of the same coin. Now that heaE™s ridden MileyaE™s miniature coat-tails back into the limelight, heaE™s got a ready-made audience waiting for him in his erstwhile female fans, whoaE™ve grown up into the soccer moms who spawned MileyaE™s tween worshipers.A Emerald Queen Casino, 2102 Alexander,Tacoma. 253-594-7777. 8 p.m. $35-$70. Note by NICHOLAS HALL

Redwood Plan, Sunday, June 7: The Cha Cha on Capitol Hill is typically thought of as a cavernous, hipster hellhole, and not a place where one would willingly go to see a band. But itaE™s not fair to write off the Mexi-kitsch-laden watering hole entirely, given the fact that See Me River frontman Kerry Zettel (the handsome, tattooed fellow most likely pouring your drink upstairs) isnaE™t just one of the nicest, most talented musicians in the city, but also a bona fide local music fan and the man who thoughtfully books the Cha ChaaE™s occasional live shows. Tonight itaE™s the Redwood Plan, Lesli WoodaE™s smashingly successful new pop-punk configuration, and Hostas, the promising, bass-heavy trio featuring Visqueen drummer Ben Hooker. Besides, itaE™s a Sunday night: the douchebag quotient will undoubtedly be markedly lower. Cha Cha Lounge, 1013 E. Pike St. 322-0703. 9 p.m. $TK. Note by HANNAH LEVIN

The Slants, Sunday, June 7: Sure, itaE™s easy to dismiss The Slants as a novelty act. Simon Young (formerly of the Stivs), formed the band by posting ads that called for Asian musicians in ethnic supermarkets across Portland. Once the lineup was completed, the band began playing gigs ataE”where elseaE”anime conventions. The approach earned them a devoted fanbase of Asians, Asiaphiles, and geeks galore. And itaE™s actually well deserved, given the quality of their music. The Slants create synthesizer-driven songs drenched in sexy beats, erratic guitar rifts, and the occasional plucking of a koto. Their 2007 demo album Slanted Eyes, Slanted HeartsaE”reworked and re-released last yearaE”is a dark dance album comparable to records by electro-rock bands like The Faint and Depeche Mode. Many of the songs grapple with race relations, but even non-Asians can relate to their pain when they sing about loneliness and feeling like outsiders. With the New Up, Klover Jane. Nectar Lounge, 412 N. 36th St. 632-2020. 8 p.m. $6. Note by ERIKA HOBART

Still FlyinaE™ and Love Is All, Monday, June 8: If your next bromance needs a soundtrack, look into Still FlyinaE™s aEœForever Dudes.aE And hey, itaE™s not gender exclusive; anyone is welcome to join the San Francisco party bandaE™s friends-forever jam. Gestating over a pair of shaggy EPs and including up to 20 members, Still FlyinaE™ brought its overstuffed, reggae-scrambled pop to joyful fruition on the recent album Never Gonna Touch the Ground. Formerly a driving force behind the breathy Masters of the Hemisphere, leader Sean Rawls spins his weed-stoked daydreams into lackadaisical sing-a-longs about haunted houses and Aerosmith. In their way, the results are every bit as nervy and erratic as the songs of tour mates Love is All, who thrive on trebly squeals, shouts, and clatter. With two great albums behind them, the post-punk-y Swedes knock around like kids in an inflatable castle and like to cover Prince, A Flock of Seagulls, and Faith No More live. Melancholy-voiced singer Josephine Olausson holds together the tumult, and the band lives to jitter and veer another day. With TacocaT. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. 8 p.m. $12. Note by DOUG WALLEN

B-Real, Tuesday, June 9: Cypress Hill stands as one of the most important hip-hop groups of the aE™90s. Powered by lyricist B-RealaE™s pinched-nasal delivery and DJ MuggsaE™ dark, hyperactive production, the L.A.-based foursome fired-up the culture with paeans to bong hits and black comedy riffs about being pushed to kill a man. That they were the countryaE™s premiere Latin group only added to their importanceaE”and mystique. Then, in February, nearly 20 years after Cypress Hill emerged on the scene, B-Real released his long-awaited solo debut, Smoke N Mirrors. Featuring guest spots by other West Coast rappers from the same era, including Snoop Dogg and Kurput, the disc finds B-Real cruising down familiar palm tree-lined lanes, from spitting odes to herb to warning of the perils of street life. Conspicuously missing from the disc are his Cypress Hill cohorts, especially DJ MuggsaE™ beatsaE”hard-driving hallucinations that gelled perfectly with B-Rea laE™s twisted clown falsetto. Guess weaE™ll just have to wait for the upcoming reunion album, set for release sometime this year. With Bizzy Bone, Bruce ILLest, Jay Barz, Sadistik, DIV. Studio Seven, 110 S. Horton St. 286-1312. 8 p.m. $20 adv, $25 dos. All ages. Note by KEVIN CAPP