The blood of bands such as Love, early Bee Gees, and the Walker Brothers seems to course though the veins of London’s the Clientele, yet these musicians are no mere copyists. They take cues from their record collections to make a sound of their own. The most recent recording, Strange Geometry (Merge Records), is a stunning blend of dreamy folk pop and psychedelic guitar accentuated by the beautiful string arrangements of Louis Phillippe. Filled with complex textures and haunting melodies, fans have called it the Clientele's masterpiece. Such a band can only stay a secret for so long, and after having toured extensively with labelmates Spoon, they've now been exposed to a much higher profile in the states. The Clientele perform at Mohawk Place on Saturday (Sept. 2), 9pm. Opening is Great Lakes and Little Dipper.

Revolutionary psych-grind spiritualists An Albatross visit Soundlab on Sunday (Sept. 3) in support of their debut full-length, Blessphemy (of the Peace-Beast Feastgiver and the Bear-Warp Kumite), out on Ace Fu Records. This small army of freaked-out aggregates have a real mission statement, and whether or not it makes any sense is pretty much beside the point: "Brothers and Sisters! Aural Emancipation by the sacred sonic offerings of An Albatross is on its way! Their mission is to attune you to the Kinetic-Life and yield an experience gratifying to the soul and body alike: A communal gathering of bodies in motion devoid of inhibiting hyper-individualized frame of thought!" All those exclaimation points also represent the enthusiasm behind the music, which is a whirlwind, a circus, a war-zone, a revelation. An Albatross plays with Bare Flames, at 8pm.

According to local folklore, the last time C.O. Jones performed at Mohawk Place, the place was so packed that the bar ran out of beer and the floor almost collapsed. Thankfully, the room has been enlarged to accommodate such an event. The mastermind of Dave Schulz (pictured), C.O. Jones is the ultimate dance funk party band. Uitilizing influences such as Parliament/Funkadelic and the late Rick James, the band brings together some of Buffalo’s most talented and varied players. Although Schulz has been living in Los Angeles for the past five years working as a session musician, he recently began flying the C.O. Jones banner again, working on new material and playing the occasional show when he’s in town. Sunday (Sept. 3) brings a rare sighting at Mohawk Place. Opening the show is Que Sera at 9pm.

In Britain, Punk Year Zero was 1977 with the Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Damned and The Buzzcocks leading the charge with a boot to the bum for the complacent, dull rock and roll. Few bands have kept that spirit of ‘77 alive like the Bay Area’s Cali punks Rancid. Since 1991, Rancid have been the final word in real deal punk, taking The Clash’s penchant for roots-reggae along with the Crass’ politco-punch and enough American hardcore know how. Few current bands pack the blistering wallop of Rancid. See for yourself when Rancid play Town Ballroom this Sunday (Sept. 3), along with Big D and The Kids Table and Danny Diablo. Doors open at 7pm.

Jake and Daniel Sproul joined friend Nathan Barnes to form Rose Hill Drive when they were in high school in Boulder, CO. But it’s not your typical high school band that gains accolades from people like Pete Townsend, who recommends their live show to experience them “with hair flying and the volume turned up to 11.” Could be Pete is so hard of hearing at this point that he needs the volume turned up to 11, but how then to explain similar recommendations from bands like The Black Crowes, Robert Randolph, Queens of the Stoneage and Wilco? Even Van Halen asked them to be openers. Their self-titled debut has since hit the streets via the Magaforce Records/Sci Fidelity label, and the band is now on tour in support of it. They play at Nietzsche’s Tuesday (Sept. 5), at 8pm with their loud, contemporary take on blues-rock.

If you haven't seen the Evil Dead movies or Army of Darkness sequel, you probaly don't know who Bruce "Don't Call Me Ash" Campbell is. Actor-turned-author Campbell is a King among B-movie stars whose first novel, the semi- autobiographical If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor, placed him in a similar position in the literary world as he had previously occupied in Hollywood. It also became a major sleeper hit and made the New York Times bestseller list It's hard to be so bad you're good, so no small amount of effort could've gone into his second novel, Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way. The man himself will appear at Borders Books on Tuesday (Sept. 5) at 6:30pm to sign copies of and read excerpts from his latest. You may laugh, and you may cry —just don't call him Ash.