The first time I saw Tool, it was on the second stage at Lollapalooza in Ogden circa 1993, and I thought the L.A. quartet was about the gnarliest thing I'd ever heard on a major label. Thirteen years and about 8,000 wannabe Tools later, the band is still one of the more interesting acts in the new generation of prog-metal, even if the songs get a bit repetitive on the new album "10,000 Days." Live, Tool is still something to behold, thanks to the combination of pummeling riffs and the walking, talking one-man freak show that is singer Maynard James Keenan. Tuesday at 8 p.m., Tool plays a sold-out show at West Valley City's E Center. Young Los Angeles metal quintet Isis opens, supporting its new album "Panopticon."
Bad to the bone: It would be hard to find someone more ignorant of dance-DJ culture than I, but I know what I like, and when I went to Coachella a few years back and happened to wander into a tent where Bad Boy Bill was spinning, I was blown away. Some call his style "hard-house," but whatever you call it, Bill is clearly influenced by hip-hop's legendary beat-makers, and his dance sets are furiously funky and booming with bass. Tonight at 9, Bad Boy Bill spins at The Hotel, 155 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $10 at Smith's Tix outlets and the door.
Party people, high as hell: As if you needed more reason to visit the Urban Lounge Saturday than the Vile Blue Shades' release party for the monster-size collective's new CD, "We're Here, We're High," allow me to pimp the one band on the bill unknown to Salt Lake audiences. Not only will Saturday's show feature the VBS and fellow local faves Starmy and the Tolchok Trio, it also will include a set by the Montana-based Oblio Joes, an excellent indie-pop crew that's been together for more than a decade. I saw Oblio Joes dozens of times when I lived in Missoula and they always put on a worthy show. Saturday's show at the Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City, starts at 9 p.m. Cover TBA.
What, no Reflex? Rarely will you hear me sing the praises of an '80s-focused package tour, but the one happening down Utah County way this weekend is one I can get on board with. You have your ABC, one of the suavest bands of the British blue-eyed soul movement, boasting hits like "Poison Arrow" and "Be Near Me," a song I still love a good 20 years after it charted. You have English Beat, which is essentially singer/guitarist Dave Wakeling and whatever crew of guys he takes on the road, delivering a relentlessly catchy set of rock and ska. And you have Naked Eyes, a one-hit wonder who happened to have two hits ("Always Something There to Remind Me" and "Promises, Promises"). Taken together, that's one serious blast from the past going down at Springville's Acres Park on Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 at Smith's Tix outlets and the venue.
A grand finale: You'd have a hard time coming up with many better female country songwriters than Rosanne Cash if you were trying to make a list. Her latest album, "Black Cadillac," is her first since the death of her three parents - dad Johnny Cash, mom Vivian Cash and stepmom June Carter - and emotion-filled tracks like the title cut and "House on the Lake" are some of the best of a long career that's included 11 No. 1 singles and widespread critical acclaim. Joining Cash for the finale of this summer's Red Butte Garden Concert Series is opener Jerry Douglas, dobro master and member of Alison Krauss' Union Station. The show is Sunday at 7 p.m.; tickets are $34 in advance, $36 day of show and $18 for kids 3 to 12, available at Ticketmaster outlets and the door.
Sam he is: Among a certain sector of the bluegrass community, Sam Bush is better known as "King Sam," an honorific based on the mandolin master's unquestioned influence on tons of young mando players. The three-time Grammy winner truly spreads his wings in concert, where he and his band delve into everything from rock and country to Afro-beat, jazz and reggae. Monday at 8 p.m., Bush stops at The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City, for a headlining show. Tickets are $20 in advance, $22 day of show, at all Smith's Tix outlets and the venue.
Great name, so-so band: Some people might worry about MySpace helping pedophiles prey on small children. I worry about MySpace helping far too many half-baked "screamo" bands find an audience, in turn helping them land major-label deals - bands like The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, a decent combo from Florida clearly raised on metal, emo, pop and punk. Its major-label debut, "Don't You Fake It," is currently, inexplicably, climbing the charts. See why when the band plays Monday at 7:30 p.m. at the Avalon Theater, 3605 S. State, South Salt Lake, along with openers Monty Are I, Lorene Drive and Take the Fall. Tickets are $8 in advance, $10 day of show, at Smith's Tix outlets and the door.
Bring your kneepads: So you're all bummed out that the Salt City Derby Girls don't have a public bout this month. Have no fear! You can still party down with some lovely wheeled athletes at the squad's anniversary party Tuesday at 9 p.m. at Area 51, 348 W. 500 South, Salt Lake City. Raffles and a chance to "brawl with your local derby girls" are promised on the flier. $5.
Ants twirling: You know you're a pretty low-profile superstar when the most recent thing anyone can remember about you is that your tour bus dumped a load of human waste from a Chicago bridge onto the deck of a tourist boat passing below a couple years back. But the Dave Matthews Band continues to be one of the music industry's touring juggernauts, packing stadiums and amphitheaters every summer for a couple of hours of jam-pop hits and deep album cuts. Wednesday at 7 p.m., Dave and the boys are headlining West Valley City's Usana Amphitheater, 5400 S. 6200 West, and you won't want to be late or stuck in traffic for opening act Robert Randolph and The Family Band, a jaw-dropping musical experience whenever Randolph goes off on his steel guitar. Tickets are $38 and $59.50 at Smith's Tix outlets and the venue.
It's, like, boom! You might not think you know Frank Caliendo, and that's a testament to the comedian/impressionist's skills. A veteran of "Mad TV" and familiar to millions as the guy who does the best John Madden impression in the world, Caliendo is also a touring standup comic, something he'll prove Wednesday at West Valley City's Wiseguys, 3500 S. 2200 West, at 7 and 9 p.m. Tickets are $20 at all Smith's Tix outlets and the door.
If it ain't broke: Of all the synth-heavy British pop bands that filled MTV's programming in its early years, The Fixx seemed to be the one without a sense of humor; I remember singer Cy Curnin slagging Duran Duran in the press all the time, while the Durannies were outselling his band by about 10 to 1. But the band did have plenty of hooks and a decent run of popularity for a couple of years, thanks to songs like "One Things Leads to Another" and "Red Skies at Night." Wednesday at 8 p.m., The Fixx and Simple People play at The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. Tickets are $16 in advance, $18 day of show, at Smith's Tix outlets and the venue.
