Music Picks 

Thursday 5.17
ttRoyal Bliss (In the Venue); Drew Grow (Kilby Court); Slum Village (Suede, Park City)

Friday 5.18
ttI Am The Ocean CD Release (The New Vortex'see Music, p. 64); School of Rock: Prog Rock (The Circuit); Hot Hot Heat (In the Venue); 676 (Club Karamba); The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash (Tracks Brewing Co., Tooele); Cracker (Suede, Park City)

Saturday 5.19
ttRED ROCK RONDO
ttWhile Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson does his part to save the environment by surpassing the Kyoto goals in municipal operations, former Springville Mayor Phillip Bimstein seeks to preserve Zion National Park with a cycle of songs celebrating his beloved landmark and its neighboring communities. Bimstein, who also performs in the chamber folk ensemble Blue Haiku, brings his mini-opera to life with a supporting cast of storied musicians including Kate MacLeod, Hal Cannon, Harold Carr, Flavia Cerviño-Wood and Charlotte Bell playing guitars, fiddle, mandocello, button accordion and other instruments that in congress sound like someone shouting “Hey man, don’t tread on me.” Emma Jones Conservatory, Westminster College, 1840 S. 1300 East, 7:30 p.m. All-ages. Info: 718-3682

Also Saturday: Pedal Pusher Film Fest: Tolchock Trio, Lapsed, Nonnon (The Depot); Slippery Kittens Fund-raiser (Bar Deluxe); Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash (Port O’ Call); Sherwood, The Fold (Country Club Theater, Ogden); Cunninglinguist (Suede, Park City); Silent Envy (Starry Night, Provo); Journey’s Backyard BBQ Tour: Meg & Dia (South Towne Expo Center); War (Peppermill Concert Hall, Wendover, Nev.)

Sunday 5.20
ttAli Harter (Kilby Court); The Dodos (Monk’s); Michael Graves (Burt’s Tiki Lunge)

Monday 5.21
ttMEAT PUPPETS
ttIt’s déjà vu all over again. It might seem a bit premature, but if you think reunion tours are restricted to “old” bands like the Rolling Stones, it’s time to revisit your concept of “old.” Apparently “old” applies to groups who provided the soundtrack not only to the lives of Gen-X slackers but also their younger, post-grunge siblings’ heyday. We seemed so much older then, when Zach de la Rocha raged against Bush I. You can now add Meat Puppets to the list under successful comebacks. Brothers Curt and Cris Kirkwood recently cut Rise to Your Knees, a collection of country-tinged, alt-ish rock numbers delivered in that depressed, sandpaper twang that made “Backwater” such an unexpected radio hit. So who’s next on the comeback trail? One can only hope the answer is Whale. The Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 10 p.m. Tickets: 24Tix.com

CLUTCH
tSpeaking of ’90s flashbacks, Clutch is headed to town. Of course, the burly crew never really went away, so their latest tour doesn’t actually qualify as a comeback. And, while various news threads concerning The Pixies and Dinosaur Jr. appear among the constant Ryan Adams bashing on PitchforkMedia.com, it’s unlikely Clutch will ever gain even a passing mention despite having released a debut EP titled Pitchfork. Not that the Maryland quintet need a boost from online music critics. They’re doing just fine with Neil Fallon’s deep blue-collar baritone and monster guitar riffs. Check out the new From Beale Street to Oblivion for proof they’ve got lasting power to burn. The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, 7 p.m. Tickets: DepotSLC.com (with The Bellrays)

Also Monday: The Shaky Hands (Kilby Court); Larry McCray (Pat’s BBQ); Smoke or Fire (Burt’s Tiki Lounge)

Tuesday 5.22
ttTHE BLACK ANGELS, VIETNAM
ttFool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, well, you know. But, man, three times? The Black Angels bummed out a lot of folks in a major way when they failed to show for two scheduled appearances at Kilby Court thanks to matters that were ostensibly out of their hands. Still, the Austin-based group is just too dynamite to dismiss. Even critics who complain about the lack of follow-up material to 2005’s war-is-hell debut, Passover, can’t deny the absolute chills that singer Alex Maas and his psych-rock avengers deliver when they unleash “Young Men Dead” or “Black Grease.” Timely and timeless, The Black Angels are well worth another write-up. Show up in droves, people. Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, 7:30 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: 24Tix.com (with Tolchock Trio)

Also Tuesday: Celtic Woman (E Center); Blue Scholars (Urban Lounge); Thieves & Villains (Country Club Theater, Ogden)

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE
ttOh boy, oh boy, oh boy!! If you’ve never seen Animal Collective, you’ve never really heard Animal Collective. Experimental sound artists Avey Tare, Panda Bear, Geologist and Deaken create wonderful, percussion-heavy fantasies on record, but those epic explorations truly take flight in a live setting. Watching the group'who sometimes perform as a duo or trio'tweak and prod electronic gadgets, shout seemingly nonsensical lyrics and go nuts pounding any surface deemed suitable for drumming, it’s no wonder audience members are so easily whipped into a trance. Let’s all lose ourselves tonight. In the Venue, 579 W. 200 South, 7 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: 24Tix.com

Wednesday 5.23
ttThe Hold Steady (Urban Lounge'see Music, p. 62); Casket Salesmen (Burt’s Tiki Lounge)

COMING UP
tThe Old Haunts (The Urban Lounge, May 24). O.C. of D.I.T.C (Monk’s, May 24). Minus the Bear (In the Venue, May 25). Cary Judd (Velour, May 25). Too Short (Harry O’s, May 25). Girl in a Coma (Burt’s Tiki Lounge, May 26). Desert Rocks Music Festival (Moab, May 25-27). Girl Talk (The Urban Lounge, May 26). Skinny Puppy (The Depot, May 29); Otep (In the Venue, May 30). The Killers, Louis XIV (Great Saltair, May 31). Simple Shelter (The Urban Lounge, June 1). Sheena Easton, En Vogue (Utah Pride Festival, June 1-3). The Queers (Burt’s Tiki Lounge, June 4). Brother Ali (Urban Lounge, June 4)