>> Not every band can pull off the feat of traveling with and playing a turn of the century Vittrolio Grammaphone, playing the saw, or convincing you that the theramin is a real instrument. But Portland band seem to be bear this burden with ease and a bit of quirk. This band plays a mix of folksy, whimsical and occassionaly dark rock music, using an eclectic array of instruments and revolving band-mates (including some ex- ).

They play DC9 tonight with enveloping and bluesy local vocalist , who DCist last year, and another fellow Portlander and female soloist . 9 p.m.

, $8.
>> The voice of some of coolest songs, brings her unmistakable sound to the 9:30 club. Mixing downtempo and electronic styles, music has provided the perfect atmospheric backgounds for numerous TV shows, including Six Feet Under and Grey's Anatomy.

Pop newcomer Greg Lawler, who sounds eerily like Chris Martin, opens. Late show - 10 p.m.

, $20.
>> Those in need of a dance fix will want to catch at the Red and the Black, and with the amount of science fiction inspired psychedelia going on with this group, you may get your hallucination fix as well. They open for the experimental and perennially weird .

The Holy Attack opens. 9:30 p.m.

, $8.
>> "Imagine Prince producing Otis Redding at an early '90s warehouse rave." We couldn't have said it better ourselves.

Indie-electronic-soul crooner plays the Black Cat tonight with opener Snax. 8pm, $15 mainstage.
>> Meanwhile, come to the 9:30 Club and see if the newly is as engaging live as she is in .

Early show -- 6 p.m., $27.

50.
>> Celebrating his 40th anniversary of his first #1 single "Sunshine Superman," legendary folk singer plays a seated early show at the 9:30 club. Donovan's 2005 release of a deluxe boxed retrospective, Try for the Sun: The Journey of Donovan has made him a household name again.

He brings his guitar prowess to the stage with an upright bass player and a percussionist. 6 p.m.

, $40.
>> And to round out this evening at the 9:30 club, we have a similarly mellow and low-key group of musicians playing the late show. And by low-key, we mean raucous, and by mellow, we mean off the chain.

World Tour 2006, a traveling rap festival of sorts, brings us the notorious rappers and . (the rapper, not the rocker from ), and DC-native and Go-Go pioneer also perform. We really hope he plays "Let Me Clear My Throat.

" 10 p.m., $35.

>> Holy electronic-music-Wednesday! We have not one, not two, but three massive dance events going on in D.C.

this Wednesday, bringing in some of the top DJs in the world for House (think ), Breaks (think ) and Drum and Bass (think ). We can be thankful for such renowned DJ's at the three events tonight: at club Love, Buzzlife's at Avenue, and Upfront Industries' at Club Five, respectively. Consider yourself warned.

Check event pages for prices and times.
>>Bring your Advil, because a nasty case of headbanging-induced whiplash is a distinct possibility. The is screening what is arguably one of the greatest rock documentaries of all time, the cult-classic .

This film documents the wild tailgate before a Judas Priest concert at the local Capital Centre in 1986. Local band will play live sets throughout the night. 7:30 p.

m., $10 in advance, $12 at the door.
>> We think our hips are really going to appreciate this new recurring African-influenced dance music night, which begins tonight at DC9.

The brainchild of the , this event will bring together live big-band Afrobeat style with global electronic music, starting with the funky and the hypnotic and strong percussions of . They say that the vibe will be "laid-back, hot, and funky." Word.

$10.
>> Happy TAINTSgiving boys and girls. The queerish Indie Rock dance party at DC9 will be doing its' thing on this most thankful of days.

Two DJs will play, but the crowd-drawer is headliner who is best known for her avant-garde hip hop and atrocious gem sweaters. 9 p.m.

, $5.
>> Its a multilingual extravaganza at the 9:30 Club as the pop-electro-punk-dance fusion of the bring us lyrics in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish, Oh my! Despite the name, none are Brazilian and only one is a girl, but damn, that girl has got enough style and charisma for all four members.

Downtempo DJ opens. 9 p.m.

, $25.
>>You've fed your stomaches, now here's some funky soul food for your ears and feet, which should also help begin the process of shedding those pumpkin pie pounds. will most likely bring down the house at the 9:30 Club on both Friday and Saturday, as they are one of the most amazing and kinetic live acts out there.

9 p.m., $35.

>> Writing 365 songs in 365 days? Sounds like a masochist's dream. Low-fi indie singer/songwriter is doing just that as he completes his Song Diary while continuing to tour (150 shows this year so far).

His rules include: one song a day, rewriting his first song every Sunday, and failure to complete a song automatically ends said diary. Check out the full rules , and check out his music at Iota. headline.

9:30 p.m., $10.

>> Sweden's , Virginia's and D.C.'s own form a trifecta of punchy dance-rock.

The perfect antidote to the stuffing-induced coma you've been in since Thursday. 9 p.m.

at the . $15 in advance, $17 at the
door.
>>Minneapolis-via-Brooklyn rockers return to DC for the , armed with a new and terrific album but more of that oddly perfect combination of heavy riffs and suburban Beat poetry.

They may not look much like the rock stars they clearly love (AC/DC, Thin Lizzy, et al), but their is every-bit as arena-worthy. At the Black Cat, with the and local boys . Jack Daniel’s not included.

9 p.m., $13 in advance, $15 at the door.

>> The last time we saw the , there was a collective gasp at how, well, aged they look (particularly Buster Poindexter). Regardless, they thoroughly rocked, left us wondering if rock bands have a special on multiple lives and reminded us that makeup does not always help. They play at the Black Cat with , the Charms and the Hall Monitors.

8 p.m., $20.

>> Tonight the provides a great place to, um, fornicate the pain away, as the sexually-charged, somewhat androgynous performs with her electroclash backup band, The Herms. For a dash of further eccentricity, look to opening act . They're married (evidently, she stuck with her maiden name).

He plays the organ. She plays the maracas and is a puppeteer. Mayhem ensues.

10pm. $18.
Photographs of and from their websites.

Abby Lavin and Graham Hough-Cornwell contributed to this week's agenda.