UNDERGROUND BLAST: The legendary Dr. Eugene Chadbourne joins forces with Bob Log III of Doo Rag on Friday, January 31, at the Airport Lounge, 20 E. Pennington St. Notorious for his utilization of an amplified rake in his noise-music performances, you may also recall Dr. Chadbourne's band Shockabilly, or his work with popular alternatives They Might Be Giants, John Zorn, the Violent Femmes, and for "leaving one dirty sock in Albuquerque" with Camper Van Beethoven--that is, if you're unaware of his role as a progenitor of purely improvisational music. Dr. Chadbourne's music could perhaps be too simply described as a layered reconstruction of deconstructed elements: On the first level, with musical objects themselves--be they instruments in the usual sense or household items turned instrumental--Chadbourne deconstructs and then redefines what constitutes an instrument; on the next level, the sounds created by those objects/instruments graduate into sound patterns within each song, finding their niche in the panorama of the performance as a whole. The effect is often more of a complex aural collage than a medley of covers and originals. It's akin to a uniquely original freeform sampling, tangentially created from pieces of the familiar--to some, a Frankenstein, to others a monumental accomplishment. Spanning purely improvisational performance, psychedelic garage rock, avant-garde free jazz, and the bizarre, rootsy countryfied-folk/noise of more recent years, Dr. Chadbourne's music is a coarse blend of fluent work in various and far-flung musical genres. Covers and bits of songs range from tunes by Thelonius Monk to Zappa and Captain Beefheart, Merle Haggard and a universe of others. Bearing in mind that everything you're about to hear is the work of a highly skilled and accomplished musician helps avoid the temptation to erroneously assume it's noise without structure. The genius and the beauty is that the plan forms itself as it unfolds--not anarchy, but an artfully planned accident. In perfect keeping with his masterful musical meddling, Chadbourne's lyrics are a conglomeration of wit, insight and satire, radical political baiting and social commentary, run through with a thick vein of humor. Opening the evening is the farewell performance of Johnny Good Good Good Times and the Shit. Yes, they'll be breaking glass (in your room again), all just too damn much fun for a boy and a girl. The Shit hits the fan around 9:30 p.m. Seating at the Airport Lounge will no doubt be at a premium for what will clearly be an extraordinary evening, so arrive early. Tickets are a slim $3 at the door. Call 882-0400 for more information. HOT PICK: Always a hot ticket, The Drakes celebrate their newest release, Serve It Up, with a blow-out bash at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St., around 9:30 p.m. Friday, January 31. Serve It Up is their first release with Tucson label Trope Records, and the richly textured 13 tracks include material the band has been working on for the last year. Joined by 1-900-Elvis, with Chicken John (of punk outfit Circus Ridickuless fame), and The Imposters, down from Albuquerque, this show promises entertainment on many levels. Discs and other merchandise will be available, including the first Drakes T-shirts. Tickets are $4 at the door. Call 622-8848 for more information. LAST NOTES: Traditional Indian raga served with complimentary original compositions and a side of divine insight, Sanjaya is the order of the evening at Govinda's Natural Food Restaurant & Boutique, 711 E. Blacklidge Drive. Sanjaya is the combined talents of Pete Fine on sitar and guitar, Matt Finstrom on tabla, baya, and diruba, Stefin Gordon on vocals and tamboura, and Don Reeve on bansuri, mandolin and guitar. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. and lasts for two hours. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted. Call 881-3947 for more information. And local promoter Kini Wadé continues his presentation of Local Music Sundays on February 2 at the Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. The bill this week features Forklift, Whatever and Waffle Butt. The show starts around 9:30 p.m. and costs $2 at the door. Call 622-8488 for details. Time ran too short to include the Luna Loca update promised for this issue, so watch for it next week. CD RELEASE PARTY: The Mollys celebrate their new release, Hat Trick, at 9 p.m. Saturday, February 1, at the Boondocks Lounge, 3306 N. First Ave. Tickets are $4 at the door. Call 690-0991 for more information. A REMINDER: Calling all musicians--don't forget to turn in those Musicians Register forms! The deadline is fast approaching on February 14, and if your band's not included you'll have no one to blame but your sorry ownself. --Lisa Weeks

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