Thursday • 21

SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM From their immaculate 2001 debut Grand Opening and Closing, San Francisco's SGM seemed destined for a limited appeal. The album dumbfounded audiences with its strong-armed riffs, fractured lullabies and claims of inspiration from occult "'black math'-emetician" John Kane. Principal songwriter Nils Frykdahl's spattered song-splicing interposed a myriad of avant-rock and metal influences, from early King Diamond to Captain Beefheart, sometimes in the space of one verse. Which meant no one but metalheads who bought (and didn't trade in) the first Mr. Bungle record appreciated the genius of this album. It wasn't until SGM took the album on the road that listeners finally caught on to their theater of absurd grotesqueries. But rather than pitfalling into the Zubaz-clad circus-sideshow buffoonery that mars the live performances of Bungle, Diamond and others of their ilk, SGM comes across as thematically astute, and therefore more convincing. And with the Oct. 24 release of the band's sophomore effort Of Natural History, expect them to play an even bigger venue than The Social next time. (with Gargamel, Indorphine; 9 p.m. at The Social, 407-246-1419; $10, $12)

Friday • 22

RADIO 4 We're totally digging Radio 4's Stealing of a Nation album, and we kinda feel bad about it. There's all that fuck-the-man posturing and electro-apocalypse-rocking that we swore were so two weeks ago, but we just can't stop shaking our asses just a touch when we hear that hook from "Party Crashers." Oh well. We're absolving some of our guilt by telling people that we're going to the show because Voter X – a staunchly progressive, get-out-the-vote movement for, you know, the kids – will be there. And we just want to show some support. And then we want to dance. Or rock. Or both. (with The Libertines; 9 p.m. at The Social, 407-246-1419; $13, $15)

HYBRID In the five years since the release of Hybrid's stunning debut album, Wide Angle, the British duo has made something of a name for themselves as standard-bearers for a unique sound that combines lush, near-symphonic dynamics and intense breakbeats. As comfortable doing soundtrack work as they are tearing up all-night DJ sets, Hybrid consistently deliver electronic music that's as propulsive as it is poetic. (10 p.m. at Icon, 407-649-6496; $8-$10)

HALLOWEEN DANCE PARTY Not everybody has to be scared witless by schlock and horror in order to call it a "happy" Halloween. Just wearing a costume alone can work its own kind of suave magic. Add some steamy music and dazzling floor play to the scene, and you'll get the vibe that will be shaking up the Dance Club of Central Florida's annual Halloween Dance party. Following the club's usual format, 7:30 p.m. dance lessons by Salsa Heat kick off the night, followed at 8 p.m. by partner dancing in all of its rhythms – waltz, tango, hustle, cha-cha, swing, fox-trot. And when the clock strikes 9 p.m., the crowd will part to watch a couple who know what they're doing – West Coast swing champions Mary Ann Nunez and Shawn Swaithes – and some more Salsa Heat action. (7:30 p.m. lessons, 8 p.m.-11 p.m. party at Bahia Shrine Temple; 407-644-6286; $8)

Saturday • 23

ORLANDO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Canadian piano man Jon Kimura Parker does the honors as the guest performer at "A Royal Opening," OPO's season premiere, which will feature the music of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. In fact, one of Beethoven's key works is on the program: The Emperor is said to be the composer's last concerto (in this case, a piano concerto), written in 1809. No one knows why Beethoven settled upon the title, but the music was written in the same year that Napoleon bombarded Vienna, so some suppositions are easy to come to. It's said that Beethoven spent much time in a Vienna basement during the shelling, covering his ears with pillows to avoid furthering the hearing loss that left him totally deaf only years later. Parker performed Emperor on New Year's Eve in 1995 in war-torn Sarajevo, if that's any indication of the music's tenor. (8:30 p.m. at Carr Performing Arts Centre; 407-896-6700; $12-$55)

Sunday • 24

QUEENSRYCHE First Slayer, then Brian Wilson and now ... Queensrÿche. Although we didn't get the memo, we've caught on to this little trick of "we know you didn't come to the show to hear our new stuff, so now we're gonna play our 'classic' album, in full, in order." And though we applaud originality in all its forms, we're a sucker for getting to hear Reign in Blood or Smile live in precisely the same order that we've grown accustomed to after years of traveling around with those albums in our cars and at home.

So here comes Queensrÿche with a two-set concert, in which the first will consist of "greatest hits" (by "hits," we're guessing they mean fan favorites, since something Queensrÿche has never been accused of is being big chart-toppers) and the second a straight run-through of Operation: Mindcrime that's being referred to as a "production." Although we shudder as horrifying images of Styx's Kilroy Was Here tour run through our minds (Dennis DeYoung in a Mr. Roboto mask has given us nightmares for years), we're still stoked to hear a 15-year-old album performed in its entirety. Which we readily admit makes us pretty lame. (7:30 p.m. at House of Blues, 407-934-2583; $27.50-$59)

Monday • 25

PAUL WEGMAN Memorial It's the third memorial for the recently deceased Wegman, explains actor/director David Lee, but that's just the way it is. "We've laughed and cried about it several times – nobody we know has three memorials, but `Paul Wegman` was such a diverse talent and such a Renaissance man and affected so many people in so many different ways … ." The tribute that Lee is helping to organize will focus on Wegman the actor and director, and is expressly for the catharsis of the theater community. Many area actors – Jim Helsinger and John DiDonna have already signed up – will be doing readings from plays and other special tributes that are likely to be as diverse and entertaining as the late actor himself. (Contact Margaret Nolan if you want to take the stage: kangagirl@aol.com).

Most important, The Paul M. Wegman Scholarship Fund for Actors has been established and donations will be collected. Though one door has closed, hopefully Wegman's passion for theater via the scholarship fund will open doors for others. (7 p.m. at Lowndes Shakespeare Center; free)

Tuesday • 26

HAIKU D'ETAT Mikah 9, Aceyalone and Abstract Rude teamed up in 1999 as a sort of accidental side project and tossed one of the most amazing hip-hop albums of the decade. Nobody cared and nobody bought the album, though, and the Haiku D'Etat project was abandoned, leaving just one hard-to-find self-titled album behind as each member went on to continued excellence. Eventually, folks caught on and the Haiku D'Etat disc is a confirmed classic, albeit one that's still hard to track down. With this year's version of the supercool Calicomm tour hitting the road, we're pleased to see that Acey, Mikah and Abstract are on the bill … and will be performing together as Haiku D'Etat. Whether or not this portends a new record, we don't know, but we do know that we'll be there to witness the accidental greatness. (with Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Zion I, Bukue One; 9 p.m. at The Social, 407-246-1419; $15)

Wednesday • 27

DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN We're still trying to figure out how the spazzy heaviness peddled by DEP went from being atypical to being, like, totally average. Not to say that the band itself has gotten average; in fact, their latest album is an adventurous romp. What we can't figure out is how a sound that was at one time so off-kilter and out-of-the-mainstream became the new standard for heavy bands. Every aspiring metal band now seems determined to jam dozens of tempo changes and doses of noise into their songs; although that's far from boring, it's also gotten a little predictable. Good thing DEP has kept their own shtick interesting by actually trimming off some of the more egregious insanity and focusing on delivering an attack that's as punishing as it is challenging. (with Every Time I Die, Zao, Misery Signals, Whyoming; 7 p.m. at House of Blues, 407-934-2583; $15-$17.50)