Rock Picks: Ice Cube, Bob Dylan, Dog and Pony Show

 
The Melvins, Big Business at the Troubadour

There’s no doubting that the Melvins have done enough to secure their legacy in both the alt-rock and heavy-metal record books; that these dudes somehow turned Kurt Cobain’s admiration into an improbable mid-’90s deal with Atlantic is reason alone to bestow them with lifelong props in my estimation. Regardless, the band — currently including old-timers Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover, as well as bassist Jared Warren and second drummer Coady Willis — keep releasing excellent records as if they still have something to prove. Nude With Boots, their latest for Mike Patton’s Ipecac label, is noisy, funny and surprisingly catchy; it’s even got a few numbers the Atlantic suits might not have regretted releasing. Warren and Willis open the show under the guise of their avant-boogie duo Big Business. Also Sun. (Mikael Wood)

Also playing Saturday:

OXFORD COLLAPSE and LOVE AS LAUGHTER at Spaceland; GRANT LEE PHILLIPS at Largo; FELIX DA HOUSECAT at Avalon Hollywood.

 
SUNDAY, AUGUST 31

 
F Yeah Fest Scavenger Hunt at Echo Park Lake

This weekend’s F Yeah Fest is so chock-full of goodies that we couldn’t fit it all in one space, and want to honor Sunday’s nutty and insanely great lineup with its own recommendation. The day begins at Echo Park Lake with a scavenger hunt that will stretch across Los Angeles and feature teams of between two and five people chasing clues and oddball items for points. Last year, points were accrued through accomplishment of such astounding feats as teams getting cornrows and extendo-nails; finding a pre-1987 gay porno magazine and a life-size cutout of Eazy E; getting your picture taken kissing a stranger on the lips (50 extra points if he/she is a senior citizen). Teams are encouraged to don costumes and come up with a good team moniker. Prizes include cash, a radio slot on KXLU, free CDs and a jumbo bottle of whiskey (or a keg of Crystal Clear Pepsi for the underagers). The day is capped with performances by Dan Deacon, Trans Am and Polvo (see below). (Randall Roberts) 

 
Trans Am and Polvo at the Echo

The first time I saw Trans Am was at CMJ 1998, just before the release of the band’s fourth album. A kind of Tron rock ruled the stage, with frantic drums, man-machine vocals and propulsive synth lines combining to create the soundtrack for a dystopian Futureworld. In the decade that has followed, Trans Am never stopped to repeat itself. With 2002’s TA, the band nodded toward Daft Punk, or at least to similar influences, before it was fashionable. Two years later, they released the stark, politically charged Liberation. Most recently, Trans Am dropped the vocoders for Sex Change. Through it all, though, the trio have remained a live force not to be missed. (Liz Ohanesian) 

Although they have veered from math to experimental rock and bravely beyond, Polvo have repped Chapel Hill’s continually underrated scene for nearly 20 years. Through a series of hypnotic efforts that merged Eastern drone and crunchy Western arpeggios, the guitar band bubbled under the radar like lava waiting to blow. And though they never did, classics like Cor-Crane Secret, Exploded Drawing and Shapes mark Polvo as that rare secret pleasure that drives deep-cut collectors into sonic nirvana. A blessing, in sum, not a curse. (Scott Thill)

Also playing Sunday:

STEEL PULSE at House of Blues; JACK JOHNSON, PAULA FUGA, CULVER CITY DUB COLLECTIVE and ROGUE WAVE at UCLA.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

 
Ice Cube at House of Blues

By his own admission, Ice Cube was “the nigga ya love to hate.” In all fairness, he said that before he became the star of Are We There Yet? Many people dump on the rapper and label him a sellout for some of his more recent Hollywood roles, but the man’s gotta earn a living, right? Besides, his new record, Raw Footage, is as ferocious as one could expect from a guy with boatloads of money. Cube tackles the perils of the Iraq war and selling drugs on “Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It” and gives a voice to victims of senseless violence on “Why Me?” The idea might contradict “taking a life or two/that’s what the hell I do/you don’t like how I’m living/well fuck you” from N.W.A’s “Gangsta Gangsta,” but rhyming about the same shit he did in his teens would be a much larger letdown than starring in the action film xXx: State of the Union. (Ryan Ritchie)

 
C.W. Stoneking at the Redwood Bar & Grill

Cliché though it might be, nevertheless, it must be said that when old-time delta blues man C.W. Stoneking sings, you can hear the crackles on the ancient vinyl 78 you’re spinning. The only thing is, C.W. Stoneking didn’t make this recording, King Hokum (Level Two Music), 80 years ago. Why, this music is brand spanking new. In fact, turns out C.W. hails from the delta region of northwest Australia, where the mannish boy honed and polished then roughed up his singular brew of 1920s whorehouse piano stylings, plank-plank hillbilly acoustic guitar and sandpapery vocal delivery. It’s almost shocking to hear this guy pull off this hybrid of revered American roots musics with such authenticity; you could even say it’s some real scholarly stuff, except that’d make it sound stiff and cold. Nope — while C.W.’s artful approach is not the “real deal,” it’s way far from any jive-ass white-boy blues corn, and in its sly-toned, humorous way is quite respectful of its sources, but not too respectful. Stoneking performs a residency at the Redwood from September 1 through September 8. (John Payne)