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Empty Out Your Wallet

By Julene McCoy in Arts & Entertainment on May 18, 2007 3:00PM

2007_05_Sanjayahair.jpgSanjaya’s coming! Sanjaya’s coming! Time to let your freak flag fly with some help from bobby pins, of course. And, a few more shows that aren’t so mainstream to pass the time until your favorite Idols come to town.

Modern Finnish psychedelia - a genre that we have to admit has never crossed our minds - comes to town. Avarus’ sound has been mysteriously likened in several reviews to the feeling of being in the woods, or in a forest of noise, or lost in a sonic wilderness. Avarus is not a band, but more of a collective with an inner core of ten musicians ala Broken Social Scene.
July 8, Hideout, $8, 21+, on sale now

Fans of The L Word have heard the Cliks rock and know about their androgynous fashion sense and they like it. Margaret Cho is a fan, too. So, it’s no surprise that they are part of the True Colors tour coming through town a couple weeks before this solo show at Martyrs. Their EPK suggests playing their latest album, Snakehouse, loudly in order to grasp the rawness and intensity reminiscent of early Pretenders.
June 25, Martyrs, $10, 21+, on sale Saturday at 10:00 a.m.

2007_05_sanjaya.jpgOkay, we have nothing to say about the American Idols Live concert. Mainly because we honestly don’t know what any of these people sound like, nor do we want to. AI is one of those shows that just grates on our nerves and would probably put us in the loony bin much more quickly if we tuned in. We do know what Sanjaya looks like, though. Does that count? Oh, and that Melinda was voted off much to Simon’s chagrin. Thanks, RedEye.
August 7, Allstate Arena, $42.50-$72.50, all ages, on sale Saturday at 10:00 a.m.

It looks like the next to the last weekend in June is going to be one of those weekends where we run from the Continental’s Switchyard Festival up to the Belmont Arts & Music Festival, and then down the street to Cans Music Fest. Totally kidding – we are not going to catch Digital Underground and Tommy Tutone – no matter how many large Fosters are promised to us. Well, maybe if the only song we have to hear is “867-5309/Jenny”. The BA&MF has scored the Redwalls, Bob Mould, and the Wrens. Not a shabby line-up for a street fair.