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You'll have to forgive my lack of focus this week. After a long summer and the mind-numbing musical equivalent of a mega-sized sugar buzz from Dfest, I afforded myself a little R&R with the family last week.

A trip to St Louis was in order and a nice way to wrap up the summer before shipping the kids off to school or losing my mind. (Hey, it's one or the other and I'm voting to save some semblance of my sanity.) After all, there's no part of the summer stress that can't be remedied with baseball, Budweiser and rollercoasters, right? And there's no better place to get all three together than a little trip across I-44.

The heat must've gotten to me last week as I even ended up at an Aly & AJ concert at Six Flags. (Oh the things you'll do for a 10-year old daughter . . . Can someone tell me--was I paying penance for something I've done wrong or am I about to be granted sainthood?). Surprisingly enough they weren't actually that bad (the two little girls can sing), but with a band of studio-smart hired guns they ought to sound better than just another bar band. So much for saving my sanity, huh?

I'm back now. Not at all tan and barely rested, but nevertheless ready to dive back into what promises to be a busy late summer and early fall on Tulsa's local music scene. We've got a stack of new local releases (Congress of a Crow, Stephen Speaks, Vandevander, Admiral Twin) and a few cool national tours (Bloc Party, Drive By Truckers, Minus the Bear, Mute Math) to look forward to and there's even a major, national tour announcement due this week that should inspire a few road trips this fall (if you're so inclined to follow the traveling train wreck that the latest Van Halen reunion promises to be).

All of that's in the future, though, and there's plenty going on this week, so let's just cut to the chase, shall we? If the heat and the haze of standing around in triple digits to catch a glimpse of Tiger last weekend still has you feeling light-headed, it's time to pack it in, enjoy the A/C and catch some tunes.

Down and Dirty

It's time for school to start again, and that means it's also time for the return of the Dirty Carny Sideshow. At this point I shouldn't have to explain the concept to you or why you should check it out. Where else can you check out Tulsa's latest rising bands and get a quick overview of the local music scene with so little effort on your part?

The latest installment of the Sideshow is this weekend, August 17-20 at The Otherside, offers nearly 50 bands showcased over three nights, all for one low price. All you've gotta do is show up, hang out and decide who your latest favorite band is.

Friday night's show starts at 6pm with Here Is There and new bands take the stage every 30 minutes before wrapping up with a 12:30am performance by The Colour Violet. Highlights from the evening should include Fantastic International, My Solstice, Shutdown Sequence Go!, Bill Murray's Prostate and Jarrod Mott and The Time Travelers.

Saturday's show kicks off at 4pm with Along Came A Spider and features a line-up that's heavy on metal and hardcore bands, including Separation From All, Sixes, Sworn Against, My Dead X, Starving Europa and Two Minutes Hate.

Finally, the Carnival wraps around 10pm on Sunday evening with Valmont closing up shop, but not before Emberson, VP Mafia, Sounds of War, Southern Lush and Hollywood Harlot do their best to steal the show.

Here are the vital statistics: 50/3/1/10. That's 50 bands over three nights in one club for only $10. You can check out all the details, including a complete band listing and scheduled set times, at www.myspace.com/dirtycarnysideshow.

Weekly Roundup

If the weekend can't come soon enough, there's always an excuse to start it on Thursday night and this week is no exception. Today (August 16) marks the 30th anniversary of Elvis' untimely passing and you can honor The King at Mercury Lounge as Brian Lee Dunning and The Rock & Roll Trio (otherwise known as The Starkweather Boys) pay tribute to his memory with a night full of Presley covers, from "That's Alright Mama" to "Suspicious Minds".

Also worth stopping in for, Cairde na Gael holds down its standing, bi-weekly gig at Arnie's and uses it as a warm-up before road-tripping it to St Louis for a gig at The Dubliner on Friday night. Stop in and send them off with style, but be careful -- if you enjoy too many pints of Guinness, they might drag you along for the ride.

Friday night's schedule offers up a few interesting shows worth checking out as well, depending on your taste and what part of town you'll be in. If you're in the Brady district on August 17, make sure to stop by The Soundpony for a free show with Elliot the Letter Ostrich, William Sides Atari Party and Protman. A few blocks away, Dustin and Jesse's Higher Education settles in at Exit 6C with special guests Jared Tyler, Matt Fisher, Reed Mathis, Jeff Martinson and more. Cover is $5.

Meanwhile, mid-towners and rock-hounds will want to settle in at Mercury Lounge for what promises to be one hellacious evening of roadhouse rock with The Drams and The Josh Davis Band.

Finally for Friday night, I've got one for the "Is it real or is it a mirage?" file. Stephen Speaks (Rockwell Ryan) and Beau Bretz (previously a member of Upside, Utica and A Farewell Address) have a show listed at The Crush Lounge, but I haven't been able confirm the date, time or cover. It's been a while since Stephen Speaks' last Tulsa gig, however, so I'm sure there will be some interest. Just make sure to call ahead to verify the show.

Of course, if it's just a mirage, you can cruise over to Los Cabos in Broken Arrow to catch Admiral Twin. If you're lucky, the band might even preview a few songs from its forthcoming disc, Center of the Universe, which is due in September.

Saturday Insanity

Another one for the "Did I really see this or did I imagine it?" folder is The Broil on Boston this Saturday afternoon, August 18, at 18th and Boston. It's a full-scale, five card boxing match with the Mercury Lounge staff squaring off against Dalesandro's. The fight starts at 3pm and tickets are free "because no one would pay to see this sh*t!" Afterwards, you can stick around into the evening with a nice Italian dinner before settling in at The Mercury with The Brandon Clark Band, Zeerok and Back Porch Mary.

If you're up for a free show by a band we haven't heard from for a while, cruise down to The Riverwalk Crossing on Saturday evening as Johnny Reliable returns to action. Not only is this the band's first Tulsa gig in over a year, it's also the official CD release party for the group's latest disc, "Out There Tonight".

Ziff will open the show at 8pm, followed by Johnny Reliable at 9pm with a handful of older songs, new material and a special guest appearance by Mike Roe (of the seminal Christian rock band, The 77's), who also produced the album. I could go on for days about Roe, but I'll spare you the time and print. Suffice to say that you can't blame me if you miss Roe's first Tulsa appearance in more than 20 years -- you've been advised.

Looking downtown on Saturday night, DFest alumnus band The Non plays the Mooch & Burn with Project Huckleberry and $5 cover for the hipster crowd. Just up the street it's a buzz-band showcase at Bob's (Cain's second stage) with Crooked X, Congress of a Crow and The Red Alert. Tickets are $15 in advance ad $17 at the door.

Party Like It's 1991...

Yes, weekends were meant to celebrate and the Blank Slate holds the biggest party of the week on Saturday night, August 18. It's a time-warp back to '91, when rap was still fun as Digital Underground (who copped P-Funk grooves with "The Humpty Dance") and PM Dawn (who blended '70s R&B and new wave with samples of Spandau Ballet's "True" on "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss") share the stage as co-headliners.

If that's not enough to keep you happy, the after-party rolls next door to Exit 6C with Afroman, Bageyes and Circa 360. One ticket will cover you for the whole evening or you can stroll in late and just catch the Afroman show for a reduced cover. Tickets are available at Starship or the venue in advance.

On Sunday, August 19, the Jazz Hall of Fame's summer concert series continues with Shelby Eicher's "Oklahoma Stomp," featuring students from the Oklahoma Fiddler's Hall of Fame. Also performing on the bill are vocalist Jason Ofari, guitarist Mike McClure, pianist Mike Leland and drummer John Dellanova. The performance begins at 5pm and tickets are $10, $5 and $3 for adults, seniors and students, respectively.

Later in the evening, Exit 6C is doing its part to revive the downtown live music scene on a nightly basis with a standing Sunday evening gig featuring Steve Pryor, David Teegarden Sr., Jim Strader and Steve Hickerson. Just think of it as a weekly blues-rock experiment. You can also catch an acoustic "mini-Mundi" with Jean-Michel Balaguer and Eric Donis on Monday nights and some serious red-Dirt and songwriting with Tom Skinner's Science Project every Wednesday, now at 6C.

The Cain's owns the rest of the schedule with Ben Kweller and Tim Fite at Bob's on August 21 ($19) and Perry Farrell's Satellite Party in the Ballroom on Wednesday, August 22. Unfortunately, guitarist Nuno Bettencort and drummer Kevin Figueiredo jumped ship a few weeks ago, just before the latest leg of the US tour was to launch, but Farrell has re-grouped quickly by adding young, hot-shot guitarist Nick Perri and drummer Jordan Plosky without missing a beat.

Expect Wednesday night's show to include a healthy portion of material from Jane's Addiction and Porno For Pyros, as well as a heavy dose of Satellite Party's spaced-out dance rock. Tickets are $29.

Do you really want to miss crazy Uncle Perry when tickets are under $30? I didn't think so . . . I'll see you there.