Positively State Street

DOING METAL RIGHT: Tired of trekking to L.A. for a good metal show? Weary travelers, look no further, because Santa Barbara’s own StompRocket will be playing at Velvet Jones on Saturday, December 8, and promise to put on a show that will shake up the local music scene just a little bit more. Born under the influence of hard rock, and adding their own take to metal riffs and pop-inspired vocals, StompRocket has been raising the bar for local music since they formed more than a decade ago. Their attractive sound has won them gigs alongside major bands such as the Ataris, Sugarcult, and the Atomic Punks-and recently landed them first prize in the Santa Barbara City College annual Battle of the Bands. Come see why StompRocket’s ballsy energy and undeniable ingenuity make the days of subpar, local music snoozefests a thing of the past. Call 965-8676 or visit velvet-jones.com for details. -Stephanie Flint

ELECTRIC AVENUE: Electronica is probably not the most accessible musical genre to those who aren’t pacifier-sucking ravers or, for that matter, Isla Vista residents. Combine electronica with a generous helping of punk rock, and you’ve got an even fringier fan base to deal with. But that’s just the way the Sacramento-based electro-rock-punksters Deimos like it. Formed in California’s capital city seven years ago, the group has managed to find a cross-genre niche that situates itself somewhere in the musical land that separates the raucousness of the Faint from the punk-pop whine of Green Day. After almost a decade, Deimos has gained a modest but loyal following throughout the state. The band will return to Santa Barbara alongside tour mates Furniture on Fire, a Nevada City outfit with catchy punk hooks and an electrifying mix of powerhouse vocals and killer guitar riffs. You can catch them both at Muddy Waters Cafe this Friday, December 7, at 8 p.m. Call 966-9328 or visit myspace.com/muddycafesb for info. -Joel Aurora

LO-FI HIGH FIVE: Ever since lo-fi extraordinaire Daniel Johnston went semi-mainstream-thanks to a handful of endorsements from respected and respectable artists-the genre he helped pioneer has gained ground throughout many in-the-know circles. This week, Santa Barbara will become such a circle with the appearance of Kimya Dawson at the Pink Mailbox in Isla Vista. Dawson, who hails from Washington state, is one of the most well-known artists currently lending their name to the anti-folk movement that began in (where else?) the East Village of New York during the early ’90s. Her stream-of-consciousness vocals and barely-there instrumentals are, on first listen, decidedly bizarre, but hang out on her MySpace page long enough, and her lyrics reveal themselves as not only witty, but unashamedly political. Performing alongside her are spunky Santa Barbara natives Watercolor Paintings, and the vegan/feminist/anarchist-inspired folk of Mike XVX. Radical, indeed. The show starts at 7 p.m.; visit myspace.com/pinkmalebocks for more info. -Joel Aurora

HEADBANGER’S OBLIVION: Most know of soft-spoken Jonathan Davis by virtue of the hearty chops he contributes as the frontman for n¼ metal gods Korn. But Davis has recently ventured solo with a new album and accompanying nationwide tour, aptly titled Alone I Play. The name plays on the Korn song “Alone I Break,” but on both the album and on tour, Davis departs from the heavy, mechanical sounds of mass destruction, instead favoring the weight and intimacy of the sinister acoustic. He is joined by a five-piece band-none of whom are fellow Korn bandmates-and plays mostly Korn B-sides, covers from unexpected guilty pleasures (Duran Duran, New Order), and songs from the Queen of the Damned soundtrack-which he was never credited with due to outstanding contractual agreements with Sony BMG. Don’t miss Davis’s artistic evolution onstage at the Majestic Ventura Theater (26 S. Chestnut St.) on Saturday, December 8, at 7 p.m. Call 653-0721 or visit venturatheater.net. -Jessica Hilo

BONE SYMPHONY: Isla Vista natives, multi-instrumentalists, and darn snazzy dressers, the funk collective behind Boombox Orchestra revisit a time of hippie love before the drug overdoses and promiscuous sex with mud-clad women tainted the ideal. With a sound described as a “euphoric state of pleasure”-a fancy way of saying “funk-blended jambandery”-their combined influences are obvious ones: the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Phish, and even Sublime, to name a very few. Though recently their eclectic sound has morphed with the changing generation of band members, their dance-friendly free love promises to entertain the inner tree-hugger in all of us. Don’t miss Boombox Orchestra when they hit the SOhO (1221 State St.) stage on Thursday, December 13, at 9 p.m. Call 962-7776 or visit sohosb.com for additional information. -JH