Turf Club: Monday, May 12 – 9:00 $8 21+

In preparation for the band’s forthcoming sophomore release, Animal!, Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s will be taking the stage at St. Paul’s Turf Club as apart of the band’s West of the Mississippi Tour. Continuing the tour through the end of the month each of the band’s eight members, notably mentioned recently as one of Spin’s Who’s Next in 2008, will also be playing this summer’s Lollapalooza in Chicago. [Chris DeLine]

Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)
Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s “Skeleton Key” (mp3)
Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s “Vampires in Blue Dresses” (mp3)
Cameron Gill: (Official) (MySpace)
The Parlour Suite: (MySpace)

Orpheum Theatre: Tuesday, May 13 – 8:00 $35 SOLD OUT

If the time-stopping device that I am currently working on in my lab was fully operational, I would pause the Clinic show at the 7th Street Entry while I ran over to the Orpheum to see my guys. Simply put, Jemaine and Bret from Flight of the Conchords are my big time crushes right now. Their “Comedy Rock” forces a perma-smile onto my face long after the song ends. The combination of their voices, subsequent harmonies and chameleon-like music styles are straight-up awesome. Add that to: funny, clever, off-the-wall songwriting, and I’ll admit – major eye candy…I couldn’t ask for more. Then again, some help in the field of short-distance time travel would be nice. [preview by guest contributor Jen Paulson]

Flight of the Conchords: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)
Flight of the Conchords “Business Time” (mp3)
Flight of the Conchords “Ladies of the World” (mp3)
Arj Barker: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)

The Cabooze: Friday, May 16 – 10:00 18+ $17

This is a sleeper pick, since the biggest hip hop show in town this night is the El-P/Dizzee Rascal show at the Triple Rock, but for those who prefer soulful honesty to apocalyptic dissonance (it’s really a toss-up for me), this could be the show for you. Kentucky’s Nappy Roots had two underrated albums in the early ’00s that mixed southern-fried deliveries, working-class subject matter and rootsy, dirty production; the end result brings to mind a more down-to-earth Outkast or Goodie Mob. Come early to catch Minneapolis’ own Black Blondie, whose trip hop soul is one of the Twin Cities’ most engaging sounds. [Kyle "El Guante" Myhre]

Nappy Roots: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)
Black Blondie: (MySpace)
Colfax: (MySpace)

Grumpys (NE): Saturday, May 17 – 1:00 doors

The annual Art-A-Whirl in Nordeastern Minneapolis presents a lot of opportunities for great music. On May 17th I plan to make my place at Grumpy’s to enjoy a stellar lineup of local bands. I will probably be sober enough to fully appreciate Black Audience’s early afternoon gospel and soul (always a treat) though with any luck I’ll have a good buzz going though for the evening set. Highlights: The Blind Shake’s face melting punk/psychedelic riffs. The Awesome Snakes’ snappy snake-centric punk. Chooglin’s let the good times roll attitude. Should be more fun than summer camp. [Jon Behm]

Awesome Snakes: (MySpace)
Black Audience: (MySpace)
The Blind Shake: (Official) (MySpace)
The Blind Shake “Calling All Horses” (mp3)
The Blind Shake “Midnight Scream” (mp3)
Chooglin: (Official) (MySpace)