THE GOING GETS WEIRD: Chick Cashman's bizarre burlesque show at Club Congress will rev up a notch on Wednesday, June 5, when he presents continental Voodoo cowboy Tav Falco and the Panther Burns. Falco, who founded Panther Burns with pop-rock legend Alex Chilton in Memphis back in the early '80s, has taken up residence in Vienna, where the suave Falco has discovered the dark, erotic power of the tango. The raw nature of the early Panther Burns incarnation landed them in punk venues across the country. Back in '82, my friend Pen and I took a subway to Grand Central Station at 1 a.m. and braved a freezing cold wind for several blocks just to catch one of their performances at the legendary Peppermint Lounge. The smoldering cauldron of arcane elements of the American South--blues, rock and roll, Latin, rockabilly and torchy cabaret vocals--seemed a demented product of Anne Rice's twisted imagination. With all the heat radiating from the stage, the nasty New York winter melted away for a couple of hours. The band's musical refinement glows on its latest release, Shadow Dancer. There's an audible edge with bongos, organ and trumpet and exotic Latin rhythms that recall something even more timeless than lounge. In addition to his own expressionistic music films, Falco has appeared in Great Balls Of Fire, along with a little gem called Highway 61 that my friend and colleague Jim Nintzel turned me on to (for which I will be forever grateful). The show starts at 9 p.m., and a mere $5 gets you through the door. Club Congress is at 311 E. Congress St. RIALTO ROCKS: Autodidactic blues legend Mose Allison leads off the Summertime Blues Bash at the Rialto Theater, 318 E. Congress St., with a solo performance at 8 p.m. Thursday, May 30. See the City Week calendar for more information. Tickets are $10 in advance from Hear's Music, Zips and Loco Records, with a $2 discount for TJS members. Call 740-1986 for information. If you don't already have your tickets to the Ani DiFranco concert on Wednesday, June 5, at the Rialto Theater, you'd better hurry. Over the course of five years, DiFranco has developed a large and devoted following with perceptive lyrics and a powerful acoustic style that merges traditional rudiments with modern aggression. DiFranco has done it all on the strength of her talents and an unwillingness to compromise any aspect of her projects. She's turned down offers from both large and small labels, deciding instead to start her own record company, Righteous Babe Records, which has just issued her eighth release since 1990, Dilate. As singer-songwriter-guitarist-CEO, she produces each album, designs the cover art, selects artists she wants to work with and sets her own release schedule. Since DiFranco's last performance in Tucson in 1994, her album Not A Pretty Girl was praised as one of the top releases of 1995 by The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Herald and Z Magazine, with Rolling Stone choosing her as the centerpiece of their feature on up-and-coming artists last year. Tickets for Ani DiFranco and her band are $14, $12 for KXCI, TKMA and TFTM members, available in advance at Hear's Music, Antigone Books, Loco Records, Zips Music, Buffalo Exchange and all Zia locations. Charge by phone at 881-3947. Tickets will be $2 more at the door. For more information call 795-5685. After five years of playing with Albert Collins and a decade with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, guitar player Coco Montoya heeded Collins' advice and struck out on his own. That move recently earned him a W.C. Handy Award (the blues equivalent of a Grammy) for Best New Blues Artist of the Year. Montoya will appear at the Rialto Theater on Saturday, June 1, with the Larry Travis Blues Band opening at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10, $8 for TBS and KXCI members, available in advance at the Rialto Theater. Tickets will be $1 more day of show. LAST NOTES: The Phantom Limbs make a rare club appearance at Club Congress on Friday, May 31. Hey, we know they've been around forever, but lead singer and guitarist Jefferson Keenan's sharp wit remains unparalleled in these parts. (How many other people do you know who can share an insight with a Supreme Court justice in one moment and be shooting pool at the Golden Nugget the next?) The music rocks, too. Maryanne opens the show at 9 p.m. and admission is only $3. Call 622-8848 for more information. The Little Dinks may not have the fire in the their belly for a presidential campaign this year, but they will be presenting The Live Sex Show at 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 1, at the Cabaret Theater at The Temple Of Music And Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. This X-rated show promises something for all you deviants out there: songs about sex with animals, inflatable devices, rubber goods, same-sex partners, prostitutes and transvestites. No one under 18 will be admitted, so the kids will just have to stick with the daytime Talk Shows. Tickets are a measly $3 at the door. KFMA DJ Spyder Rhodes and Hydra Leather present Sheep On Drugs at 9 p.m. Sunday, June 2, at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. Admission is $5. --Jennifer Murphy

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