Music Picks 

THURSDAY 3/10

NUMBER ONE FAN

While society tends to label artists as lazier-than-thou, bands like Number One Fan prove their day jobs match the intensity of private investment banking. Born in a land with little name recognition, the Wisconsin-based quartet did what many small-town bands do to escape oblivion—toil in local dive bars, amass a cult following and translate Internet savvy into the sort of buzz that makes suits drool. But before the record deal, there was a chance meeting with All-American Rejects, whose manager partnered with Pat Mangella of Universal subsidiary Pat’s Record Company. Mangella, who has worked with Green Day and the Goo Goo Dolls, liked what he heard and threw the virtual unknowns into the shark tank of TRL-bred emo-punk. Fortunately, it looks like N1F know how to swim. Lo-Fi Café, 127 S. West Temple, 7 p.m. All ages. Tickets: 800-888-8499.

VIVA VOCE

“Just as a computer can be pushed to meltdown, it’s believed that in some instances we have the ability, within ourselves, to destroy our very person with our emotions.” This is, in part, how Viva Voce describes their album, The Heat Can Melt Your Brain, a release less technical than its qualifiers might indicate. Husband/wife duo Anita and Kevin Robison recorded album No. 3 in their Portland living room on a whim—the casual meeting of two hyper-creative minds. The result is indie rock in the vein of Belle & Sebastian and Luna, sounds sure to spread word of mouth, just like the Robinsons prefer. Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, 7 p.m. All ages. Info: 320-9887.

Also Thursday: Jucifer (Egos); Bonytail (Urban Lounge)

FRIDAY 3/11

DOLOREAN

Singer/songwriter Al James, fearless leader of Portland-based alt-folk band Dolorean, won’t succumb to heartache. His music, at times rambling with aching doldrums, is laced with bits of sharp humor that save Violent in the Snowy Fields from getting sick on sap. Since the group’s humble beginnings—jamming in a Chinese café—James has recruited a rotating lineup of impressive musicians including Jay Clarke, Ben Nugent, James Adair, Emil Amos and Timothy Horner, all of who share his penchant for sweet, stripped-down sounds. High-strung listeners will especially appreciate Dolorean, artists whose mellow-yellow style places them alongside Devandra Bernhart and Iron & Wine as this decade’s chillest harbingers of pensive joy. Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, 7 p.m. All ages. 320-9887.

FLAVOR FLAV

Everybody needs a wingman, but when the connection is severed, who comes out on top? As it turns out, Chuck D is doing just fine without his former Public Enemy jester, Flava Flav. Now, D isn’t lounging poolside on the Surreal Life, but he’s also avoided losing his swim trunks on national television. Off set, Flav tours in a trademark clock necklace, trying to prove his performances are less comedic than critics often claim. According to Rap Dictionary, Flav (William Dayton) is “Probley the SMartest Man From the 20th Century Many Large Clocks WOrn Around Neck Yah Feel Me?” a true testament to the emcee’s serious artistic sensibilities. Harry O’s, 427 Main, Park City, 8 p.m. Info: 435-647-9494.

Also Friday: These Arms Are Snakes (Lo-Fi Café); Mother Hips (Egos); Young Dubliners (Velvet Room); SLUG Localized (Urban Lounge); Torque (Halo)

SATURDAY 3/12

DURAN DURAN, IMA ROBOT

Few bands epitomize the ’80s like Duran Duran—decadent, somewhat androgynous pretty boys with a penchant for Dep hair gel, tigers and buxom thong-wearing beauties. Yet for all their anachronistic appeal, Simon LeBon & Co. remain relevant to the point of attracting contemporary imitators. While Ima Robot’s drive is more punk than pop, their bouncy spaz-rock stems from an unabashed love of new-wave dancing days. In fact, judging by the lack of new material, these retrophiles might be stuck in a time warp. Perhaps they should study their predecessors, whose latest release, Astronaut, peers into the future of synthesizer glory where everyone is forever young. Delta Center, 300 W. South Temple, 7 p.m. All ages. Tickets: 325-7328.

WOLF COLONEL

In the tradition of solo performers adopting misleading monikers comes Wolf Colonel, a singer/songwriter whose wandering, romantic songs compensate for his ruse. The Colonel, aka Jason Anderson, spits out random poetic fragments under an umbrella of paradoxical lo-fi indie pop. His debut, Vikings of Mint, greets listeners with lyrics like, “You smell like you’re small/I wanna stab you,” and other brief, postmodern renderings guaranteed to please Guided By Voices fans in the mood for something new. Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, 7 p.m. All ages. Info: 320-9887 (with The Tremula).

Also Saturday: Tegan & Sara (Lo-Fi Café, see Music, p.48); Mother Hips (Egos); Swamp Donkeys, Iota, Thunderfist (Burt’s Tiki Lounge); International Playboys (Urban Lounge); The Yellowjackets (BYU); Los Lobos (Eccles Center); Leon Russell (Suede)

SUNDAY 3/13

STILL LIFE PROJECTOR

Interpunk asks, “Are you a fan of AFI, Senses Fail, the Cure and Taking Back Sunday?” To which you might reply, “No, actually. Why not tell me how Still Life Projector really sounds?” Well, according to their Website, the Sacramento-based band specializes in innocuous punk sounds popular among California dreamers and schemers. Other reviews saddle SLP with a harder edge, describing its members as slick and brash. Not buying either scenario? Try finding them on MySpace.com, where friends, peers and groupies indulge in the voyeuristic pursuit of online networking. Peeping Toms and music fiends make good bedfellows. Lo-Fi Café, 165 S. West Temple, 7 p.m. All ages. Tickets: 800-888-8499.

Also Sunday: Mother Hips (Egos); Private Radio (Monk’s)

MONDAY 3/14

Eric McFadden (Ego’s); Chinatown (Urban Lounge)

TUESDAY 3/15

Little Feat (Port O’ Call); North Mississippi All-Stars (Suede); Guilt By Association (Egos); Washington Generals (Burt’s Tiki Lounge)

COMING UP

Elvis Costello (Kingsbury Hall, March 20). Atreyu (Lo-Fi Café, March 20). Low (Velvet Room, March 21). Menomena (Kilby Court, March 23). Porn (Burt’s Tiki Lounge, March 23). Gift of Gab (Egos, March 26). Big Head Todd & the Monsters (Suede, March 26). The Decemberists (Lo-Fi Café, March 28). Parker & Lily (Kilby Court, March 30). Moot Davis, Pete Anderson (Piper Down, April 1). Breaking Benjamin (Velvet Room, April 2). Kaskade (W Lounge, April 2). Ambulance LTD (Velvet Room, April 5). Reverend Horton Heat, Supersuckers (Velvet Room, April 6). Dizzee Rascal (Lo-Fi Café, April 8).