Sebadoh
@ THE 400 BAR

Although not quite causing the same ruckus as the Pixies reunion (I guess that’s what you get for only waiting five years to reunite instead of 10), the return of Jason Lowenstein and Lou Barlow performing as Sebadoh is equally exciting news for devotees of lo-fi indie-rock. Although Lowenstein and Barlow have both continued cranking out the tunes since the group’s disbanding (following 1999’s lukewarmly received The Sebadoh) neither has managed to garner the accolades they easily score when working in tandem. Long story short—we should have seen this reunion coming. This run across the U.S. is being dubbed “turbo acoustic tour 2004,” and if it follows the same format as the previous reunion outing the duo fronted in April, it should feature all acoustic instrumentation with the occasional cheap rhythmic doo-hickey providing backing. No word yet on whether the reformation of the ‘Doh is permanent, but here’s hoping the boys huddle up around the tape recorder together and crank out another mid-fi charmer in ‘05, my copy of Harmacy is scratched to shit! With Tom Heinl. 9 p.m. $12. 21+. 400 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls. 612-338-8388. ROB VAN ALSTYNE

The Matador of the 1st and 1st
@ PILLSBURY HOUSE THEATRE

Pillsbury House Theatre presents Oliver Lake performing his solo piece “The Matador of 1st and 1st.” Musician, composer, poet, painter and performance artist, Lake is at PHT as the 2003 McKnight Visiting Composer with the American Composers Forum. He has collaborated with Ntozake Shange, Mos Def, Amiri Baraka and Anna Devere Smith and did the music for Carlyle Brown’s “Talking Masks” at PHT earlier this year. “The Matador of First and First” has garnered strong praise before coming to the Twin Cities, hailed as “a captivating work that travels between poetry, funky rhythms, free-jazz dissonance, rapping and insightful social commentary.” (Across the Hudson). And it was named one of the top 10 jazz shows of the 2003 Earshot Jazz Festival Seattle. 7:30 p.m. $10. 3501 Chicago Ave. S., Mpls. 612-825-0459. DWIGHT HOBBES

Vox Vermillion and the Harmony Army
@ THE MN MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART

Vox Vermillion craft an elegant brand of sophisticated pop that sounds poised enough to provide the ideal backing for a modern dance troupe —and how do I know, you may very well ask? Well, maybe because the Vox’ers are slated to provide the ideal tuneage for local dance troupe the Harmony Army (led by local choreographer Elizabeth McVay Greene) during what should be a genre-blending and unforgettable night for the MMAA’s incredibly successful patio night series (how successful you ask? The series original run has been doubled and will now be extending into October). What better way to spend a night proving your high-browness than perusing modern art, kicking back to modern indie-pop tunes and reveling in the joys of modern dance. Vox V are still hard at work with production ace Knol Tate (Ela, Askeleton) on their forthcoming sophomore record, so now is as good a time as any to see what they’ve been cooking up in his St. Paul studio. 8 p.m. $5. All Ages. 50 W. Kellogg Blvd. (at Market St.), St. Paul. 651-292-4355. nathan DEAN

Belfast Cowboys
@ THE FINE LINE MUSIC CAFE

Van Morrison is one of the more reclusive characters among legendary classic rockers, a man not prone to giving interviews or letting those outside of his inner circle get a bead on his thoughts. Yeah, he does a tour every so often, but that’s about as close as most can get to him. So, it’s hard to know what Morrison would think of a band like the Belfast Cowboys, a group devoted solely to covering his music. I’d like to think he’d feel at least a little proud. The Cowboys are the perfect kind of tribute band, performing all the Morrison classics and more than admirably led by bandleader/vocalist Terry Walsh and a number of other established local vets. Morrison classicists to the core, and so devoutly caught up in his Irish-ness that they performed their first gig on St. Patty’s day, the Cowboys’ initially small following of hardcore Van fan’s has already begun to blossom as word spreads of the group’s emulation prowess. With Ali Gray. 8 p.m. $6. 21+. 318 First Ave. N., Mpls. 612-338-8100. Louis ENZMEIER

Emma
@ LOADING DOCK THEATRE

Chances are, you never learned about Emma Goldman in your grade school history classes. As a Jewish immigrant to the United States from Russia in the 1900s, Goldman found that America’s promise was not all it seemed to be. Living in the slums and working in sweatshops, she became an activist who fought for unionization, free love, birth control and anti-capitalism. Being a true revolutionaryof her time, she was eventually deported for her opposition to World War I. In “Emma,” an anti-war play by Howard Zinn, the story of Goldman’s life is told by Theatre Pro Rata. Purposely produced close to the upcoming elections, the play’s themes seem especially parallel to the U.S.’s current socio-political situation. Aug. 20 - Sept. 5. Thu. - Sat. 7:30 p.m.; Sun. 2 p.m. $15. 509 Sibley St., St. Paul. 612-873-9321. KATIE BODIN

The Rakes
@ THE TURF CLUB

Shit kickin’ rock done right, the Rakes are celebrating the release of their eagerly awaited sophomore platter, Automatic Volume, produced with appropriately non-fussy aplomb by Mike Wisti, the man behind the boards of seemingly every top flight Turf Clubby record dropping these days. The Rakes practice a brand of lithe power-pop with just enough herky-jerky new wave quirk to blow its chances of usurping Cheap Trick’s heinous take on Big Star’s “In the Street” as the theme song to “That 70’s Show.” All of which is a long-winded way of saying that these guys manage to take a classic sound and make it all their own. With The Rank Strangers and Missile. 9 p.m. $5. 21+. The Corner of University and Snelling Avenues, St. Paul. 651-647-0486. VAN ALSTYNE

Two Turntables and a Saxophone!
@ THE TRIPLE ROCK SOCIAL CLUB

Andrew Broder continues to busy himself with an array of intriguing side projects intent on breaking down musical barriers while the world awaits the latest from Fog. His latest side project is no different. Broder has brought together fellow avant garde artists George Cartwright (of local outfits Curlew and Gloryland Ponycat—and the man bringing the saxophone) and Christian Marclay (a legend in the field of trippy turntablism) for a night of one-off magic, and the end result of this three-headed sound improv monster will surely be intriguing and difficult to classify. Cartwright and Broder just finished work on a collaborative LP for Roaratorio records (which I guess makes this the official release show)—it’s a vinyl only joint so for those of you who aren’t record collecting geeks (shame on you!), this could be the only chance for you to hear what you’ll be missing out on — if the show is anything like the record expect lots of ambient squiggling and free jazz sax noodling. With special guests Cepia, Dosh. 9 p.m. $8 ($4 at the door for Walker Members). 21+. 629 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls. 612-333-7399. VAN ALYSTYNE

The Velvet Teen, Statistics
@ THE DINKYTOWNER CAFE

The Velvet Teen’s 2002 debut, the Chris Walla produced Out of the Fierce Parade, was a slick and gorgeous record full of operatic Yorke-ian swooning from vocalist Judah Nagler and just shy of being truly stunning. On the rare moments when everything came together, as on the poppy, piano driven “The Prize Fighter,” VT nearly sounded like the future of rock; elsewhere they just seemed lost. Their new effort, the self-produced epic Elysium, is even more grand and sweeping in its ambition than its starry-eyed predecessor. Thankfully, this time around they appear to have the songs to back it up (although they could apparently only muster up seven of them). Swelling strings and grand pianos are the order of the day, and those who like their indie-rock with more than a bit of melodramatic grandeur will surely be in heaven when the band tears through tracks like the nearly 13-minute “Chimera Obscurant.” Also on the bill are Omaha rock royalty Statistics, fronted by former Desaparecidos-guitarist-but-Conor-buddy-4-life Denver Dalley. Still touring off their ecstatically received debut Leave Your Name, Dalley’s solo vehicle crafts a much more meditative and keyboard heavy sound than the Superchunk-inspired racket he used to crank out with Oberst, but still throws in enough huge hooks to keep the kids dancing. With Rescue, End Transmission. 6 p.m. $6. All Ages. 412 ½ 14th Ave. SE., Mpls. 612-362-0427. VAN ALSTYNE

Lonesome Dan Kase and the Crush Collision Trio
@ THE KITTY CAT KLUB

Lonesome Dan Kase and his ace band of roots classicists the Crush Collision Trio are releasing a new record this week, Cold In Hand, although one could easily be duped into thinking they’re actually just reissuing some undiscovered outtakes from Harry Smith’s Folk Anthology. In an experiment that mirrors Uncle Tupelo’s classic March 16-20, 1992 (but with a fuck of a lot more dirt on its boots), the whole of Cold In Hand is split between Kase originals and covers of classic folk material. A spare live recording, Kase’s gritty gruff voice finds perfect companionship in the folksy plunk of his band mates Matt Yetter (mandolin) and Mikkel Beckmen (on the motherfucking washboard — respect!). Bluesy, ragged and beautiful, Kase and his crew are making me long for the days of the phonograph. With Valet performing an acoustic set. 9 p.m. Free. 21+. 315 14th Ave. SE, Mpls. 612-331-9800. Dean

Blue Eyed Son
@ THE 400 BAR

Andrew Heilpern used to be a punk-rocker, with So. Cal mainstays 40 Watt Doman, but aims for more mellow terrain in his new solo folk-rock outfit, Blue Eyed Son. Admittedly his debut for the oh-so-cutely titled Eenie Meenie record label West of Lincoln falls well short of pulling a bon a fide Elliott Smith maneuver in terms of being the punk rocker hiding acoustic genius, but it’s still a laudable effort. Things get a bit too chummy-strummy and painfully rhyme-heavy on occasion, but Heilpern has an accessible and memorable voice that works particularly well on the bouncier Beatles-esque pop numbers, a nice low-key achievement that bodes well for future efforts. With TBA. 9 p.m. $5. 21+. 400 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls. 612-332-2903. Dean