Just about everything that's ever been written about singer/songwriter/comedian STEPHEN LYNCH starts off referring to his choir-boy tenor and boy-next-door aspect. "That's so unlike me," says Lynch, who appears Thursday at the House of Blues (225 Decatur St., 529-2624). "I live in a loft in Brooklyn; I don't even have any neighbors." Still, his press probably begins that way because once Lynch opens his mouth, it's a whole other story. The thirtysomething Michigan native -- who, by the way, says he'd much rather be referred to as a "hardened road warrior" -- has made a comedy career of taking deceptively sweet-sounding, acoustic guitar melodies and marrying them with some of the sickest, funniest lyrics around. Take "Jim Henson's Dead" or "In Defense of a Peepshow Girl," for example. Lynch estimates 50 to 60 such songs in his raucous repertoire, "but of those, the ones I would actually perform in public? Probably about 25 or 30." No subject is off-limits; his stellar sophomore CD, Superhero mines every taboo: incest, pedophile priests, xenophobia, masturbation, menstruation and bowling, just to name a few. "There is a line that I won't cross," he says. "I just don't know what it is exactly." He's technically had his first controversy, an uproar over a song named "Kill a Kitten" that once reached the front page of the Baltimore Sun but only succeeded in bringing out five or six protestors to his local show, "including two little kids who were just there because their parents were." Lucky for Lynch, most people get that the only thing more brilliant than his warped lyrics is the clever way he teases them out, lulling the listener with a surprising musicality before really letting them have it. "When grandfather dies, life will be strange. When grandfather dies, my whole world will change," Lynch softly sings. "When grandfather dies, I'll scream and I'll yell -- 'cause I'll be f--king rich as hell." Showtime 8 p.m. Tickets range from $15 to $18 and are available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or 522-5555. -- Shala Carlson

Rick Barton reading and signing A House Divided 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19 East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie, 838-1100 UNO interim provost and dean of liberal arts, author, and Gambit Weekly film critic Rick Barton presents his William Faulkner Prize-winning novel A House Divided in these two local appearances. The book -- a novel of the civil rights movement as told through the lives of white Southern Baptist preacher Jeff Caldwell, his African-American boss and friend Dr. George Washington Brown, and their respective families -- has been hailed by Robert Olen Butler as "an important book" that "illuminates the present condition of the American Soul." Richard Ford compares A House Divided's "uncommon intelligence" and "great compassion and insight" to that of All the King¹s Men. Barton's East Bank Regional Library appearance is part of the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival and Jefferson Parish Library's "Coffee and Conversation" series and will be facilitated by Loyola University associate professor Mark Fernandez. -- Carlson

RZA 9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19 TwiRoPa Mills, 1556 Tchoupitoulas St., 587-3777 Like a rap renaissance man, the Wu-Tang Clan's RZA has injected innovation into hip-hop since before the Wu forged its famous pact to take over the industry in the early 1990s. The MC/producer/lyricist/arranger has gone by many monikers over the years, including Prince Rakeem, the Rzarector, and, most recently, Bobby Digital, the name he slapped onto his flop 1999 album, RZA as Bobby Digital in Stereo, which featured him as a silly futuristic protagonist. RZA's latest effort, Birth of a Prince, released last month, is a throwback to his earlier, more raw material. The stripped-down record lacks the irresistible hooks and beats that make his work with the Wu so tight, but his MC skills are still there in the verses, where he continues the role of social commentator for the culture he represents. On "Chi Kung," he's lays it down simple: "Thugs, slugs, drugs/ Welcome back to my hip-hop club." Das EFX and Northstar open. Tickets $15. -- Cristina Diettinger

Mozart's Requiem 7:30 Thursday, Nov. 20; 8 p.m. Orpheum Theater, 129 University Place, 524-3285 Far too many people get their ideas about this magnificent piece of music from the marvelous, myth-riddled movie Amadeus. But whether you think its commissioning was an ingenious murder weapon wielded by rival composer Antonio Salieri (the movie version) or simply an anonymous assignment requested by a recently widowed Count (what really happened), the miraculous beauty of Requiem remains the same. Miraculous, because the piece, left unfinished when Mozart died in December 1791, was actually completed by one of his pupils yet doesn't show the strain of shared parentage. Rather, the mass' melodic "Kyrie" and "Agnus Dei" are ethereal angel songs, while the dramatic "Crucifixus" is as relentless as the hound of heaven. Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra's Raymond Harvey conducts the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, the Symphony Chorus of New Orleans, and soloists Amy Pfrimmer, Cornelia Beilke, Bryan Hymel and Peter van De Graaff. Program also includes Handel's Water Music. Tickets $13-62. For more information, call 523-6530 or visit www.lpomusic.com. -- Carlson

Anna Bergman: Across a Crowded Room 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 20-22; 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23 Le Chat Noir, 715 St. Charles Ave., 581-5812 While Le Chat Noir's constant booking of great plays makes it known to many as a home to theater, proprietor Barbara Motley's dedication to cabaret takes center stage this weekend, with four performances by acclaimed songstress Anna Bergman. Credited by The Washington Post has having "triumphed in everything from Broadway-flavored tunes to opera arias and the sultry innuendoes of the cabaret chanteuse," the internationally touring Bergman presents her show Across a Crowded Room. Paying homage to a diverse blend of genius songwriters and composers, Bergman will perform works from George Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Leonard Bernstein along with Broadway showtunes such as South Pacific's "Some Enchanted Evening" and "We're Gonna Be All Right" from Stephen Sondheim's Do I Hear a Waltz? New York-based musical director and pianist Alex Rybeck accompanies. Tickets $36. -- Frank Etheridge

The Twilight Singers 10 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20 Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., 895-TIPS The Afghan Whigs' Greg Dulli turned to New Orleans to do a direction-changing side project, and he never went back to his main band. Back in 2000, he assembled the Twilight Singers for a brilliant mood-music record that deliberately pulled back from the Whigs' hard-rocking sound. Twilight as Played by the Twilight Singers featured a host of New Orleans horn players -- including Kermit Ruffins, trombonist Corey Henry, and saxophonist Roderick Paulin -- as well as a tripped-out track titled "Verti-Marte," a weird ode to the French Quarter convenience store. Dulli's latest Twilight Singers release, Blackberry Belle, shows that he's still drawing inspiration from a pool of New Orleans musicians and street scenes. Greg Wieczorec (aka Greg Wiz), of New Orleans band Daydreams & Curry, plays drums and percussion all over the album. And one of the album's spookier tracks, "Decatur St.," features funky guitar work by lower French Quarter resident/record producer Mike Napolitano. The lyrics are right on: "Decatur, the complicator, I want a little more/ The savior of misbehavior, it's alright, circle tight, say goodnight, hit the town." Henry Butler opens. Tickets $12. -- Diettinger

Spiritualized 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-2624 Dropped by Arista, Spiritualized frontman Jason Pierce (aka J. Spaceman) is as spiritual as ever on his latest release, the aptly titled Amazing Grace (Sanctuary). This is gospel as white noise/acid trip, with "This Little Life of Mine" serving as a sonic, drug-fueled substitute for the traditional "This Little Light of Mine," as Pierce snarls through crashing guitar chords: "I got a fever running in my blood/ Don't care if I'm misunderstood/ Gonna shoot it up and take my high/ Got a feelin' it ain't gonna die/Gotta f--k it up and mess around/ Got a feelin' it ain't comin' down." Not exactly the Zion Harmonizers, now, is it? Nor is it necessarily ground-breaking, either, as Pierce seems content to mine the same trippy excursions and spiritual turf that has served him so well. While Amazing Grace can indeed be amazing at times, it's not quite the all-around marvel that 2001's more symphonic Let It Come Down was. Somehow, I doubt he's sweating. The Soledad Brothers open early, 18-plus show. Tickets $15. -- David Lee Simmons

Brian Blade Fellowship 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22 NOCCA/Riverfront, Lupin Hall, 2800 Chartres St., 940-2900 Add Louisiana native Brian Blade to the lengthy and altogether inspiring list of distinctive drummers who combine roots-driven practices into progressive motivations. Not only is he a first-call session ace, evidenced by stints with modern-day jazz notables, Blade is equally comfortable performing and/or recording with icons such as Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. However, this concert features the artist performing with his Fellowship band in concurrence with the NOCCA Institute's Center Stage series. Blade's second solo release, 2002's Perpetual, won over the critics. Featuring young guitar hero Kurt Rosenwinkel and New Orleans-based pedal steel ace Dave Easley, the Fellowship has earned the respect of both jazz and progressive-rock aficionados. Blade's methodology for this group consists of an amalgamation of folk-like influences, while on certain tracks subliminal pop/rock sensibilities are melded with jazzy frameworks. The ensemble also includes saxophonist Melvin Butler, keyboardist, pump organist, Jon Cowhred and others. Tickets $20. -- Glenn Astarita

An Evening with Bob Weir and Ratdog 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-2624 Eight years after the death of the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir's Ratdog is the most compelling Dead-related offshoot band touring and recording. While Weir and his surviving Dead bandmates have their stellar moments in the reconvened Dead, the unvarnished truth is that Weir's Dead bandmates Phil Lesh and Mickey Hart are painfully inadequate singers, capable of crushing momentum at a moment's notice. In Ratdog, Weir's gruff rocker's vocal phrasing is center stage and still carries his signature Dead songs such as "Playing in the Band" and "One More Saturday Night," but Weir's proved more than capable of delivering Garcia-related classics like "Franklin's Tower." (It's a bit jarring at first, but the aural equivalent of watching a gritty veteran baseball player switch positions and still prove invaluable.) Plus, Ratdog explores the Dead catalog in refreshing ways, adding saxophone parts and welcoming guests; local brassmen Nicholas Payton and Irvin Mayfield have sat in during past Ratdog New Orleans appearances. Tickets $29. -- Scott Jordan

Art for F--k's Sake 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22 Blue Nile, 532 Frenchmen St., 948-BLUE Mistress Genevieve (above) will be one of several lending their distinct talents to Saturday's Art for F--k¹s Sake at the Blue Nile. Already the face behind indie film producer and promoter ten18 films (and recent 40 Under 40 honoree), Jeremy Campbell unleashes a celebration of similar creative energies with Art for F--k¹s Sake. As the name implies, the event comes with a fresh downtown edge and in rapid-fire succession presents a new act every 10 minutes. The assembled local, independent artists hail from a broad spectrum, including film, music, fashion, visual art, performance art, literature, 'zines and comedy. Doors open at 8 p.m. to ipod as DJ, and at 10 p.m. the live acts begin. The lineup is too long and equally distinguished to list in detail here, but expect a raucous blend of challenging intellect, startling and smoothing aesthetics, pure comedy, and straight-up good times. Confirmed bookings include literati Joshua Clark, Abram Shalom Himelstein and Susannah Breslin, fashion designers Howlpop, Savannah Strachn and Rockstar Pants, comedian Bill Dykes and dominatrix Mistress Genevieve. Also, art from contributors Erica Dewey, Spencer Livingston, Robyn Menzel, Otis Fennell, Eddie Herbert, T.Q. Sims, Todd Perley, Boosco d'Bruzzi and Starbuck Laney will be on display. Admission is $7. -- Etheridge

Rob Wagner's New Thing 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23 Dragon's Den, 435 Esplanade Ave., 949-1750 Don't be scared of Rob Wagner. He's got the reputation of playing in the avant-garde vein with plenty of squeaks and runs up and down the scale. Occasionally he does play this way, but 99 percent of the time his music appeals to a broader range of tastes. His records sound like Sonny Rollins Trio records from the late 1950s, and his tone can be broad or narrow as the music demands. His New Thing, a group with several horns and drummers, plays beautiful, continually unfolding melodies and riffs that always have an aura of surprise and wonderment. Also, the Dragon's Den could be the best place in town to play and hear music. Musicians enjoy playing in its anything-goes creative vibe, the audience is appreciative and discerning most of the time, and the acoustics are great. $5 -- David Kunian

Gustave Blache -- Paintings Through Nov. 29 Cole Pratt Gallery, 3800 Magazine St., 891-6789 What is it about this city that keeps it so connected with the past? We see this in the arts, in the work of local painters who work in historical styles, and apparently this has become an export commodity, as we see in the accomplished work of Gustave Blache, a young New Orleans native now making a name for himself in New York City. Blache works in a rather Francophile impressionist style reminiscent of Degas and Renoir, and despite his relative youth, he's so good that his work has been shown in group expos of accomplished masters of the past where he was the only living artist. Peer into one of his paintings and suddenly you're in the France of long ago -- only Blache is a product of NOCCA and the youth art projects presided over by Richard Thomas in the lively neighborhoods of latter-day New Orleans. -- D. Eric Bookhardt