With names that call to mind Old English epic poems, songs with cryptic lyrics and a twisted sense of humor, Welsh rock band SUPER FURRY ANIMALS is one of the most well-received outsider bands of the past decade. Led by guitarist/vocalist Gruff Rhys, but equally driven by guitarist Huw "Bunf" Bunford, bassist Guto Pryce, keyboardist Cian Ciaran, and drummer Dafydd Ieuan, the band managed to seize radio play in the UK, even with whole albums sung in the Welsh language. They are masters at the multimedia show, employing enormous projection screens with state-of-the-art digital content, along with 40-foot inflatable yetis or other visual extras. Original projection content provides high-quality eye candy in synch with the music. For the Welsh songs, they run English subtitles, often revealing their left-leaning political themes. Super Furry Animals perform along with Grandaddy on Saturday at House of Blues (225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE) in one of the hipper live-music events of the early fall season. Though they don't think of themselves as an "issue band," world politics are peppered into their material fairly heavily, and they never shy away from pointing out the mood of the moment. A song called "Sex, War, and Robots," from their latest album Phantom Power, sums things up, and their 2001 hit album Rings Around the World features a title track that rails on communication overload. Recording some albums in Welsh, however, hasn't been a particularly political statement for Super Furry Animals, and there has never been anything particularly Welsh about their music, which ranges from techno to acid-rock. ("When we were growing up we had no interest in playing the harp," Rhys told the BBC in 2000. "We wanted to get away from that whole Celtic thing.") Super Furry Animals have a history of balancing serious output with goofball antics. They named their first album Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyndrobwllantysilio-gogogochynygofod (In Space) for a shot at the Guinness Book of World Records' longest album title (which they didn't get). Then, they showed up at every festival in 1996 in a large tank, and used a Steely Dan sample to make a B-side called "The Man Don't Give a F--k," which ended up on the Christmas chart. It's this kind of quirkiness that makes it possible for their show to shift from mentally mesmerizing to simply amusing in the span of a song. Modesto, Calif., psychedelic rock band Grandaddy is a perfect stateside touring partner for the Furries. Longtime friends since a U.K. tour together a few years back, the two bands share a knack for large-scale soundscapes and enhanced performance via digital content. "There's a lot going on in your ears," says keyboardist Tim Dryden. "We give you something to look at so you don't have to stare at us the whole time." Tickets $15. -- Cristina Diettinger

The Sea and Cake 9 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23 TwiRoPa Mills, 1544 Tchoupitoulas St., TwiRoPa Mills, 1544 Tchoupitoulas St., TwiRoPa Mills, 1544 Tchoupitoulas St., 232-9506 WTUL spins The Sea and Cake's perfect songs almost hourly: music like a soft, warm hand on the back of your neck; music even your parents would love. Tortoise (vocalist Sam Prekop's first band) built Thrill Jockey Records, but the more song-writerly S&C garner way more true love. The band's first releases were, though striking, still easily definable indie rock, with Archer Pruitt's proficient-but-soothing guitars, Prekop's immediately recognizable, breathy vocals, and the quiet, double-time drumming and pristine production of John McEntire -- widely considered this generation's Stewart Copeland. Now six albums and two EPs deep (not counting Prekop's gorgeous solo album; the only example ever of great light jazz). TS&C have since brought the mood down lower, mixing in tasteful electronics and beautiful faux jazz. TS&C does have a bad reputation as a boring live act. though, so if you don't already love them, maybe save your ticket money for one of their perfect albums. Tickets $10. -- Michael Patrick Welch

John Scofield Band 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23 Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., 895-8477 John Scofield brings his funky jazz guitar playing to Tipitina's on Tuesday. John Scofield's career is a testament to where talent and perseverance can lead. For years he was known as one of the best jazz guitarists in the country, paying his dues and playing with everyone from Charles Mingus and Herbie Hancock to Joe Henderson and a three-year stint with Miles Davis. Then in 1998 he recorded a great CD with Medeski Martin and Wood, sounding as tight and good as he had for 20 years. However, the legions of jam-band fans picked it up and start showing up at his gigs and getting into it. This is what's called crossing over, and Scofield was able to do it without compromising at all. His more recent albums include the still-danceable, but more electronically textured Uberjam and Oh, the super combo album with bassist Dave Holland, drummer Al Foster, and saxophonist Joe Lovano. Live, his band is tight and funky with just the right amount of electronic effects. Tickets $15. -- David Kunian

Useful-ARTS 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24 Duque Art Center, 3218 Magazine St., second floor, 522-2124, ext. 15 Both the people behind Bridge House, a local nonprofit offering substance abuse recovery programs, and Columbia-born artist Gustavo Duque understand what it means to overcome a difficult personal struggle. Bridge House has since 1957 offered treatment and support to enable people to recover from their addictions. Gustavo first found his passion for art while incarcerated, taking in-prison tools of toothpaste, water and color pigment lifted from magazines to create a collection that today is valued at more than $2 million. Together in celebrating renewal, Wednesday night they are pairing up to present Useful-ARTS, a result of Duque directing clients to donated items at the three local Bridge House Thrift Stores with the mission to transform them into "useful art." On Wednesday night, more than 60 pieces from the effort will be unveiled and auctioned, with all proceeds benefiting Bridge House. Admission is $25, and includes light fare from area restaurants and wines from Martin Wine Cellar. -- Frank Etheridge

Abram Himelstein and Davy Rothbart 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 25 UNO Downtown Theatre, The Gold Room, 619 Carondelet St., 539-9580 Abram Himelstein and Davy Rothbart present monologues and short stories, as well as their unique survey of T-shirt messages (pictured), Thursday at the UNO Downtown Theatre's Gold Room. Black marker on discarded Windsor Court Hotel New Orleans stationery: "Please, Leave Me Alone! (Police have been notified)." Davy Rothbart, a contributor to This American Life, got this note and published it in Found magazine, his ingenious compilation of notes from windshields, lost-cat signs, and love letters found underfoot. Black marker on a white T-shirt, worn by a guy flexing both biceps: "I HATE MYSELF AND MY FRIEND. IN THAT ORDER." This came from Abram Shalom Himelstein -- public-school teacher, pizza deliveryman and co-author of Tales of a Punk Rock Nothing -- who asked 100 New Orleanians to put black markers to fresh white shirts and write the thought that they couldn't get rid of. On Thursday, Himelstein performs a monologue, and Rothbart reads a few finds and a short story from his book Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas. Free admission. (And if you've found anything good lately, bring it.) -- Katy Reckdahl

Freedom To Read 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25 House of Blues, Voodoo Garden, 225 Decatur St., 522-0744 The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, citing a report from the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom, last year saw a 15 percent increase in the number of reports of books challenged to be banned. That's but one reason why the ACLU of Louisiana partners with New Orleans Gulf South Booksellers Association, House of Blues, New Orleans Public Libraries and Friends of New Orleans Public Library for this event celebrating Banned Books Week 2003. A wide range of local authors will read selections from books that over the years have either been banned or threatened with banning (historic examples include the Harry Potter series and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn). The local lineup features Poppy Z. Brite, Andrei Codrescu, Patty Friedmann, Chris Rose and Stephanie Williams, among many others, reading from a diverse selection that includes Mein Kampf, The Anarchist Cookbook and The Catcher in the Rye. Food and drink will be available, and prizes will be given for a banned-book trivia contest. Free admission. -- David Lee Simmons

Speedealer 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26 Dixie Taverne, 3340 Canal St., 822-8268 Named REO Speedealer upon its birth in 1994, Dallas stoner metal band Speedealer promptly shortened its name after a cease-and-desist order from REO Speedwagon. Since then, it's been a typical bumpy ride around the record industry for a metal band with members who dress like truck drivers and music with too much edge for the mainstream, and not enough, well, speed, for more intense metal mongers. The band jumped from indie label to indie label in the '90s, putting out albums such as fan favorite Here Comes Death. When one such label, Royalty Records, bit the dust, Speedealer resorted to relentless road life, playing 309 shows in 1999 alone, until Metallica's Jason Newsted signed on to produce their latest album, 2002's Second Sight. The band has amassed a sizable following for its particular brand of swaggering, hardcore punk-influenced metal. Bonaparte Lagarde & the Conquerors and Daisy also perform. Tickets $5. -- Diettinger

Trauma-Rama 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Sept. 27 Ritz-Carlton New Orleans Hotel, 921 Canal St., 903-8813 With state budget cuts this year forcing perennially cash-strapped Charity Hospital into an even greater need for its own charity than usual, this year's Trauma-Rama gala fundraiser takes on added significance. Charity's Trauma Center last year helped 165,000 visitors to its emergency room, and offered community education programs aimed at everything from seat-belt use to fires to bicycle helmets. Now in its seventh year, Trauma-Rama raises funds for the center and features the presentation of the 2003 L.I.F.E Award, given to an individual who made great contributions to the Charity Hospital Trauma Program. With a theme of "Trauma-Rama Goes Hollywood -- The Ritz ... Glitz ... Glamour," the entertainment aspect pays homage to the legends of a bygone Hollywood era. The night also features a dinner buffet, dancing to the sounds of Four Unplugged, an open bar and a silent auction. Tickets $125 per person. -- Etheridge

Trans Am 9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29 TwiRoPa Mills, 1556 Tchoupitoulas St., 587-3777 Washington, D.C.'s Trans Am is one of those post-rock bands whose members apparently get a bang out of fusing incongruous influences from the history of rock. With each album taking on a distinct character, their music is known for its whimsical straddling of '70s hard rock and electro-funk keyboard work, a dual nature that puts them equally in line with prog-rock bands like Tortoise (a former tour buddy), and San Francisco heavy metal band the F--king Champs, with whom they recorded the 2001 EP, Double Exposure. Trans Am had already released critically acclaimed albums such as The Red Line and Futureworld, making their latest, TA, a critical disappointment. Overrun by '80s New Wave keyboard work, the album takes the band's surreal tendencies to a new level and alienates its listener in the process. The good news is, the next album probably won't sound anything like this one. Tickets $10. -- Diettinger

Jordan Ivanov -- Whisper From the Past: Paintings Through Sept. 28 Sylvia Schmidt Gallery, 400-A Julia St., 522-2000 "On the opening night the gallery was filled with Bulgarians ...." So said Sylvia Schmidt of Jordan Ivanov's painting exhibition, which lured many others from our nascent Bulgarian art community. (Yes, we have a Bulgarian art community of sorts, including Iva Gueorguieva, whose paintings are now on view at the Louisiana Biennial at the CAC.) Jordan Ivanov bases his canvases on "the iconography of the mythic past ... twenty five symbols primarily derived from the pre-Slavianic Bulgarian alphabet," and combines them into complex graphic abstractions that incorporate unusual textures and illusionistic effects. With titles like Incantation, Ritual and Midnight Hymn, they blend contemporary trendiness with the mystery of archaic calligraphy separated from any immediately obvious meaning -- an approach that Ivanov intends to "inspire the mind of the viewer with myriad interconnected images of the past, present and future." -- D. Eric Bookhardt