WEDNESDAY, JULY 1

Projexorcism Think of Ed Cooper's Projexorcism project as something of the visual equivalent of ambient musician William Basinski's The Disintegration Loops. Using a mess of projectors, VHS, live recording and real-time decay of old film, Cooper's audio-visual collages are a joy to behold, whether or not you happen to be holding at the time. Part of the fun is watching the improvisatory aspects of it all, and in seeing a man paint, if not his masterpiece, at least a suitable miniature – one which, despite its size, holds all you need to know about a given moment in time. Variety, in this case, is the splice of life. With Harry Egypt's Extreme Karaoke, Planet Piss. Snug Harbor (Timothy C. Davis)

This Machine Is Me Listening to This Machine Is Me is kind of like listening to Fall Out Boy with Ashlee Simpson-Wentz on vocals, but it's still somehow pretty decent. Even if that isn't your scene, I dare you to not shake your hips or even tap your foot a couple of times. This band knows how to make catchy music that even anti-pop punkers can get down to. The Money, Rock Hill (Sam Webster)

THURSDAY, JULY 2

Matt & Kim Not a lot of subtlety here, as this Brooklyn duo pairs '80s synth-pop rhythms with a pop-punk ethos and a high-octane (and high-fructose, given their fondness for food fights) live show to create danceable mayhem. Matt Johnson's bubbly melodies and the hyper-kinetic beats of (adorable) drummer Kim Schifino create a simple framework for songs about ... well, it doesn't matter what they're about, does it? The idea here is fun and from that standpoint M&K fulfill the mission statement. With MSTRKRFT and A-Trak. The Forum (John Schacht)

FRIDAY, JULY 3

Loser Life If people aren't sufficiently sick of seeing the whole Bastard Baby musical analogy yet, allow me to say that Loser Life could be the John Doe spawn of the Riverdales and Minor Threat, if, say, the Riverdales had also slept around with Black Flag circa My War, and maybe some random, mustached college kid with an armload of Suicidal Tendencies sides and the original vinyl of Zen Arcade. Fun shit, regardless. With Lowbrow, Meth Mountain. Lunchbox Records (Davis)

Benji Hughes Kid Crooner does a two-night stand at a venue that affords him serious home-court advantage. What that means live, as any who've seen him in Snug's snug confines know, is a loosey-goosey Hughes free to wander off the script (and stage) because his crack East coast band – ex-Muscadine mate Stacy Leazar on bass, time-keeper extraordinaire David Kim, keyboards whiz kid Jon Phillips and guitar hero Peter Gray – is good enough to reel him back in. If you haven't heard Hughes' summer-iffic A Love Extreme yet – what the hell are you waiting for? With the Poontanglers on the 3rd, and the Troublewalkers on the 4th. Snug Harbor (Schacht)

311 The rap rockers are returning on the band's annual summer Unity Tour. This time around, they're bringing along Ziggy Marley. While one hopes that an onstage collaboration would be done with some of the tour partners, I haven't witnessed it the last two years. The band plays a variety of hits from their albums over a long set, but they're sure to break out tunes from their new album, Uplifter, too. I can guarantee the new single, "Hey You," will be in there somewhere. Now, if I could only guarantee that they would still end their show with "Fuck the Bullshit"... It's just not the same without it. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (Hahne)

Sugar Glyder Sugar Glyder is proof that UNCC can produce more than architects and business majors. Following in the footsteps of other UNCC alum, The Sammies, Sugar Glyder seem poised to become one of the next big things in music. Surely it won't be long before we hear them in the background while one of our favorite TV characters has a revelation, dances around in their underwear, or well, something. You'll hear some tunes off the band's new CD, too, since this is the release party. With Terminal Reynaldo and Atriumantra. Tremont Music Hall (Webster)

SATURDAY, JULY 4

Hank III Not sure whether spending our nation's birthday with somebody other than Hank Williams' grandson might be contrary to the Patriot Act, but I'll look into it. Hank III's live shows come in two flavors, of course: the country one that links him to his grandpappy like there never was a Williams Jr., and Assjack, Hank III's brutal hard-core alter-ego. There's nothing too original in either, but it's all done like Hank III's life depends on it. Given his partying proclivities, it just might. With Lucky Tubb. Amos' Southend (Schacht)

SUNDAY, JULY 5

T-Model Ford As you might expect from a T-Model, this one's kind of aged (somewhere between 75 and 80) and takes a while to start, but once all the pistons start firing, you're in for a rollicking (if rickety) ride you'll not soon forget. The Mississippi Native and Fat Possum Records "find" (like he'd not been seen before?) has all the backstory that "blooze" biographers look for (worked on a mule farm, drank a shit-ton, spent time in jail on a murder rap), but the real draw here is his unorthodox-yet-fraught-with-power picking, which is at least on par with Junior Kimbrough, if not as searingly, screamingly honest (or ominous, perhaps). Highly recommended. With Andy the Doorbum, Gravelroad. Snug Harbor (Davis)