AMERICAN IDOL raises many interesting questions, the most important ones being what it takes to be a star. Is being the person the viewers most want as a friend enough? Judging by the marginal chart impact, probably not; albums by Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard have sold well enough, but neither they nor Kelly Clarkson are being talked about for making cutting-edge music. They have joined that miscellaneous category of celebrity characterized by exceeding pleasantness and sexually benign good looks. Last year's contestants perform Wednesday at the New Orleans Arena (1500 Poydras St., 522-5555). Typifying this phenomenon is youngster John Stevens, who sings very formal versions of standards, conjuring up abstract notions of romance for those too young to have done more than dream about it. Jon Peter Lewis has more boy-next-door charm, but he has little more than a boy-next-door's singing voice. Still, that was enough to get him into the Top 10 of this popularity contest masking as a talent contest. New Orleanian George Huff seemed able to combine affability with vocal chops until melodies eluded him a few weeks in a row, leading to his elimination. Because the diva image the women seem guided toward is at odds with the smallness of their personalities, the balance between pal and star is harder to strike. Winner Fantasia Barrino sings like she has real wants, desires and needs, but others like Jasmine Trias sound like they're trying to be every woman when all they really want is a nice boy with a cool car. That tension between passion and popularity prompted a scolding by the judges this season. When one of the favorites, LaToya London, was voted off in favor of Diana DeGarmo and the obviously weaker Trias, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and even the blandly perky Ryan Seacrest reminded America that they needed to vote for the most talented singers. Future American Idols may get their chance when American Idol auditions New Orleans' singers Aug. 31 at the Louisiana Superdome. Tickets to this show are $37, $47.50 and $51; showtime is 7:30 p.m. -- Alex Rawls

The Dillinger Escape Plan 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 12 The Parish at the House of Blues, 229 Decatur St., 524-BLUE The Dillinger Escape Plan is the John Kerry of metal, and this tour is just as noisy as the Democratic National Convention. The fan base knows the band's past record, and is pleased, but a lot has changed in the five years since it put out Calculating Infinity, which many claim spawned the highly technical, jazz-influenced genre of math metal. The two EPs released since then show signs of waffling on their original sound, especially on 2002's Irony Is a Dead Scene, guest starring former Faith No More singer Mike Patton. The newest release, Miss Machine (Relapse), still bears Patton's influence by mixing math metal, industrial, nü-metal, black metal and more. There is also new singer Greg Puciato, who drifts from the familiar screams to a clear, melodic nü-vox. Many critics are already giving DEP their pick for album of the year. Tickets $14. -- Rob Bryant

The Spinns, The Ka-Nives and The Stacks 11 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 12 Lounge Lizards, 200 Decatur St., 598-1500 In what promises to be one of the sweatiest events this summer, Dave Rhoden (All-Night Movers, Maximvs, Sleepyheads) brings his newest project, the Stacks, to this three-band bill, which will surely be all fun and games until someone loses an eye. The Stacks -- one of the most enthusiastic bands in town -- play stripped-down, party-time soul covers with more attention to the passion than the precision. Houston's Ka-Nives provide manic, trashy garage rock in the vein of the Mummies, and Chapel Hill's Spinns supply vintage tight-trousers rhythm and blues along the lines of the Animals. All three outfits are infamous for dangerously energetic live shows, if not for virtuoso musicianship, and what they may lack in good manners, they make up for in rock. It's a safe bet that someone's beer will get spilled on you before the night's out. Tickets $5. -- Alison Fensterstock

Frank Jordan, with The Myrtles 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13 Mermaid Lounge, 1100 Constance St., 524-4747 Unlike the plush symphonic pop sounds making the indie rounds, dark claustrophobic pop is a tough sell because its charms are more elusive than the lilting, in-your-face opulence of swooning strings and horns. But it's also more of a triumph when a murky, sonic mood commands enough undeniable hooks to draw you in. Relative newcomer Frank Jordan captures this tone perfectly on the California trio's third album, Milk the Thrills (Devil in the Woods), delivering a sound like Radiohead performing Weezer's Pinkerton. The layered arrangements and ringing, textured guitars echo the lushness of British shoe-gazers, but with the melodic panache and unrepentant energy of a power-pop album. Their taut structures fold in on each other in an Escher-style swirl, but the ample sonic heft can't disguise a pop sensibility as infectious as that of a jangle pop act like the Trashcan Sinatras. Call club for cover. -- Chris Parker

Al "Carnival Time" Johnson benefit 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14 Sound Cafe, 2700 Chartres St., 947-4477 It isn't Mardi Gras until you've heard the fanfare that introduces 'Carnival Time.' At some point during the season, it will seem overplayed, but Professor Longhair's whistling 'Mardi Gras in New Orleans,' the Hawkettes' 'Mardi Gras Mambo' and Al Johnson's biggest hit are as much a part of the holiday as beads and booze. Like many of our houses, Johnson's has suffered extensive -- and expensive -- termite and water damage. Because many of the legendary New Orleans musicians are revered in the abstract but neglected at more basic levels, the New Orleans Bayou Steppers Social Aid and Pleasure Club has organized a benefit to help repair the damage done. Johnson is performing acoustically, along with Big Chief Alfred Doucet, James Andrews, JD Hill, Peter Nu, Ernie Vincent, and Kermit Ruffins. Tax-deductible donation/admission $40. -- Rawls

Ozomatli 10 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 15 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE Ozomatli didn't know it was violating an Austin, Texas, noise ordinance when the band marched its conga line onto the street at last spring's South by Southwest music festival. The cops showed up to break up the fun, a mini-skirmish ensued, and three band members were arrested. Risking the wrath of the Austin police isn't the only bold move by Ozomatli. On its new album, Street Signs (Concord), the band adds Middle Eastern influences to several songs, but the Sufi dhikr-styled vocals and Moroccan string accompaniments don't overpower Ozomatli's Latin and hip-hop essence. 'Believe' is the only song that sounds entirely Middle Eastern, but it maintains the same vim as Ozomatli's Latin-influenced songs, which often inspire audiences to follow the street-bound conga line at the end of each show. Fortunately, in the French Quarter, the conga line is as acceptable as the second line. Kinky and Del Castillo will open. Tickets $24. -- Reuben Brody

Permagrin featuring Rob Wagner 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 15 Snug Harbor On Sunday, Snug Harbor will take a step away from its contemporary jazz bread and butter toward the more freeform groove of local duo Permagrin. Guitarist Dan Sumner and drummer Louis Romanos blend their instruments with digital loops and samples to form a sound that is as seamless as it is original. Funky, sampled bass lines roll effortlessly under Romanos' morphing drums while Sumner's echo heavy guitar lays down spacey melodies that are so relaxed they almost seem completely improvised. Saxophonist Rob Wagner will join Permagrin for the entire set. 'The music will have all the samples and electronics of Permagrin, but we'll change the compositions to accommodate Rob's jazz overtones,' says Romanos. Attendees can also expect to hear the band's one classical composition (not surprisingly, titled 'Classical') which is currently featured on NPR's online music program All Songs Considered, as well as several tunes from a not-yet-released third album. Tickets $12. -- James Bailey

The Agronomist 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 16 Prytania Theatre, 5339 Prytania St., 891-2787 When Jonathan Demme directed the documentary Haiti: Dreams of Democracy in 1987, the country had just celebrated the ouster of dictator Jean-Claude 'Baby Doc' Duvalier -- hence the promise of the title. In fact, the exiled Jean Dominique -- founder of the controversial Radio Haiti -- had returned in triumph to support the new presidency of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. But as has sadly been the case of the former French colony in the Caribbean, democracy has been an ongoing struggle in Haiti, and Jean Dominique's ill-fated efforts to fight for his country's freedom are once again chronicled in Demme's critically acclaimed follow-up, The Agronomist. The film is being show as a special screening courtesy of the New Orleans Film Festival (NOFF) -- coinciding rather oddly with Demme's commercial remake of The Manchurian Candidate, also playing at the Prytania and elsewhere. (For more, see the review in this issue.) Tickets $7.50 general admission, $6.50 NOFF members. -- David Lee Simmons

Bruce Barnbaum: Photographs Through September A Gallery for Fine Photography, 241 Chartres St. 566-1313 It's an open secret that art and music often influence each other, yet for some reason this connection is rarely discussed. Except, of course, by artists and musicians. Bruce Barnbaum, famous for his photographs of the natural world, uses music as a stimulus for his work. In fact, his most recent book, Tone Poems: Volume I, includes a CD of piano music played by Judith Cohen. An unusual concept, perhaps, but it all makes sense when you see his images, landscapes that hark to Ansel Adams yet are also like symphonies of light with deep shadow lines and bright highlights leading into sparkling crescendos. Of his volume of photos, images and sounds, Barnbaum says, "Music has always been an important element in my life, and I was delighted to subtly link the photographs to one another through classical music." -- D. Eric Bookhardt