This Week

Since 1993 the funk/alternative rock group Jimmies Chicken Shack (JCS) has overcome a series of obstacles that would have broken most bands. JCS released four independent albums in as many years before signing to Elton John's label Rocket Records, and releasing the album "Pushing the Salmanilla Envelope" in 1997. With hits like "High" and "Dropping Anchor," JCS received its first taste of commercial success. "Bring Your Own Stereo" followed in 1999 and thus began a troubling time for the band in which singer/guitarist Jimi Haha endured several member changes and four label shifts before releasing "Re.present" in 2004. JCS' sound is constantly changing. It'll morph from comedic, funk-influenced jam, to dark and gritty rock. The band has maintained a grass-roots following throughout its 13-year career and is known for highly energetic and lengthy performances with a healthy dose of crowd involvement, comedy and spontaneous antics. Jimmies Chicken Shack will perform at The Map Room on Monday with local heavy-hitters The Dalidrama and The Outtrap. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 the day of the show and are available at the door. Visit www.themaproom.net for more information, or call 769-6336. The Map Room is located at 1650 Sam Rittenberg Blvd.

The Moaners

Chapel Hill, N.C., duo The Moaners' latest album "Blackwing Yalobusha" has spirit. A grungy, ghosts of the blues spirit to be sure, but what's wrong with that? Perhaps the reason for the haunting lies in the recording itself. You see, singer/guitarist Melissa Swingle and drummer/guitarist Laura King sought to record the new album, where their blues idols once roamed, prompting a visit to the cradle of blues itself, Mississippi. "We wanted to capture the atmosphere of the blues and the feeling of the South ... but play with the form and take it somewhere new," says Swingle. "Being in that studio, smelling its smells and walking among its ghosts, made the music just come out. It was almost as if it was coming from somewhere else, practically jumping out onto the tape." The result is an echo of blues history and a tribute to the grunge genre that surpasses any other Moaners album to date. What seeped out of those studio walls and into King and Swingle has breathed new life into the pair, and into an album that should be appreciated for quite some time. The Moaners will perform at The Village Tavern on Thursday with The Mel Washington Band. Tickets are $6 at the door or online at www.village-tavern.com. For info, call 884-631. The Village Tavern is located at 1055 Johnnie Dodds Blvd. in Mount Pleasant.

Lions

Mustaches, tight denim and roaring riffs have made Austin, Texas, band Lions the king of its rock revival jungle. The young trio sounds like the rebirth of diesel rock with shredding riffs, trippy breakdowns and rib-shaking bass and drum collaborations that sound like the roar of some classic Detroit muscle. The riffs are so sturdy that Lions has found its way onto the popular video game "Guitar Hero III" with its hit "Metal Heavy Lady." Lions' newest album "No Generation" continues to win over critics and fans around the world proving that classic rock-'n'-roll sound is very much alive. Lions will perform at The Village Tavern, 1055 Johnnie Dodds Blvd., Mount Pleasant, Tuesday night. Tickets are $6 at the door or online at www.village-tavern.com. For info, call 884-631.

The Physics of Meaning

Durham, N.C.'s, The Physics of Meaning's vanguardist indie/folk sound is an epic journey of heartbreak and conquest all wrapped in a melodic cloak of ingenuity. The band is a rotating cast of characters all centered around vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Hart.

Hart's sense of lyricism are sharpened even further by his hypnotizing and contemplative voice, much in the vein of The Decemberists' Colin Meloy. POM has been a side project of Hart's for several years, dividing his time between collaborating with The Polyphonic Spree and playing with St. Vincent and John Vanderslice's band.

The songs are epically lush and, yet, still gritty enough to evoke discontent and rebellion to make for a live show that can adapt to nearly any mood.

The Physics of Meaning will perform at The Village Tavern, 1055 Johnnie Dodds Blvd., on Saturday with KO. The show is free.

Visit www.village-tavern.com for more information.