Thursday 20
ORLANDO FOR CHANGE MEETUP For sure the presidential election is over, but local Kerry diehards aren't giving up the game. This group organized by Sherry Haluszka, aka Sherry4Kerry, is asking the question: "Why did they win?" And to find the answer, she says, "We need to look at a less isolated period of time and a broader spectrum of influences within our borders." We have to give credit to anyone who's brushing off defeat and rallying the troops to deal with the ongoing battle against the forces of evil. (7 p.m. at IBEW Union Hall; free; RSVP to johnkerry.meetup.com/)
Friday 21
ALOHA The last time Aloha made it through town a rousing crowd of about 13 people saw the band go through the motions of their set at The Social. But honestly, except for a few bright spots, the group's debut album That's Your Fire (which they were touring behind then) pegged them as another post-rock also-ran, complete with a vibraphone player. It wasn't until the second full-length, Sugar, that Aloha embraced pop sensibility and finally reached its potential. The new batch of songs relied less on noodling Tortoise-esque explorations and more on guitarist/singer Tony Cavallario's vocal melody. Particularly, the effortless and fluid movement through Sugar shows off a band that has musical chops to spare, but also knows when to rein it in for the sake of writing a good song. Though we've only been able to hear a couple of songs from their latest release, Here Comes Everyone, it appears Aloha are continuing in the same Sugar-y vein. Let's hope more than a dozen people make it out to the show. (with Cex, Weather; 9 p.m. at Will's Pub; 407-898-5070; $8)
Saturday 22
JAD FAIR Ever since our first exposure to Half Japanese on the Let Them Eat Jellybeans compilation, we've never really known what to make of them. We remember wearing that record out listening to the tracks by Black Flag, D.O.A., Dead Kennedys and Bad Brains and after so many listens we even got to liking "Prostitution" by Really Red and "Joke's on You" by Christian Lunch, but when it came time for Half Japanese's "Fun Again," we always skipped it (not an easy task on a record player, mind you). We've taken that approach for most of Jad Fair's (the man behind Half Japanese) career and never looked back. So now that Fair is making his way to town for a performance and art showing, we feel compelled to check out the cult figure's more recent musical output to see if we just got off on the wrong foot. We can respect that the music Fair is making is original and different, in that nothing else sounds like it, but if a DJ spun and mixed between two round pieces of corduroy, we wouldn't go see him either. (with Sounds of a Fat American, DJ Freedom; 10 p.m. at The Peacock Room; 407-228-0048; $6)
INXS 'ROCK STAR' AUDITIONS Don't know what autoerotic asphyxiation means? Don't know the words to any INXS songs? That's OK. Apparently the only skills you need to qualify for a shot at being the next singer of INXS are to be over the age of 21, capable of singing (any) three songs and appealing to the judges who will be convened at this audition judging your every move. INXS has gone through brief stints with various vocalists ever since Michael Hutchence fell victim to fetishism gone awry. So to help find a permanent frontman, the remaining members have taken the shameless road of reality TV. Rock Star, tentatively scheduled to air on CBS this July, is to capture the band's search for a singer in 16 cities across the globe, with the winner being chosen by the band, viewers and judges. The brain behind the show, Mark Burnett, is also behind Survivor, a show he licensed for the U.S. market from a British company called Planet 24. You know who was one of the owners of Planet 24? Bob Geldof, the Boomtown Rats dude who was married to Paula Yates. Who's Paula Yates? The woman Hutchence was schtupping in the hotel room the night he died. (8 a.m.-4 p.m. at The Club at Firestone; 407-872-0066; www.inxsrockstar.com)
Sunday 23
Wednesday 26