This weekend in LA: music.

FRIDAY

Three Mile Pilot was one of the oddest avant-punk bands of the 1990s, a San Diego outift whose members went on to gig with Pinback and the Black Heart Procession. They've reunited, and are performing at the Echoplex with Optigonally Yours, which features Rob Crow of Pinback.

You could argue that without Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey, there would be no R.E.M. The pair, who co-founded the legendary dBs in Athens, Georgia, are one of the most influential guitar bands of the early-80s indie guitar movement. They perform at McCabe's.

You know Sleepy Brown as the vocalist on the Outkast's “The Way You Move.” He sings the hook, a fact that has no doubt bedded many friendly ladies. All he's gotta do is sing the chorus a few times, and bam. His new solo work has a great Isaac Hayes Hot Buttered Soul feel to it. He gigs the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana.

Tori Amos probably didn't appreciate our suggestion that women would sleep with Sleepy merely after singing a chorus. She might be right, and will tell you all the self-respecting-woman reasons at at the Greek Theatre;

Nite Jewel makes bedroom opium disco. Part of the LA-based Human Ear Collective, she's awesome, and performs at Space 15 Twenty.

SATURDAY

The best Malian duo currently going is Amadou & Miriam, whose two recent releases on Nonesuch are fantastic; the latter of which was produced by Blur/Gorillaz kingpin Damon Albern, Welcome to Mali, and is one of the year's best albums. They open for Coldplay at the Honda Center.

So Many Dynamos, of St. Louis, brings their frantic noise pop punk to Spaceland with Cast Spells and Kinch.

Think Buddyhead and Travis Keller are geniuses, or full of shit? Check out Buddyhead, Mach II's first signing, Dios, at the Troubadour;

Devendra Banhart, Adam Tullie and Greg Rogove perform at Space 15 Twenty tonight.

Definitive Jux recording artist Cage performs at El Rey.

Sunday:

Unfortunately, the B-52s seldom play songs from their two underrated classics, the David Byrne produced Mesopotamia ep, and the brilliant but overlooked synth-rock album, Whammy! That's a minor quibble; anyone who's seen the band in the past few years know they still bring the party.

Alice Peacock and Alissa Moreno play McCabe's Guitar Shop.

Syd Straw will always have place in our heart for her work with the Golden Palominos, the Skeletons and solo. She performs as part of the Grand Ole Echo at the Echo at 5 p.m.

Wanna hear some classic LA pop punk? All, which features members of the Descendants, do it hooky at House of Blues with Big Drill Car.

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