SFO3 1996

8 p.m. -- Almighty Ultrasound has been touring with the Ramones; NIN meets Nirvana

9 p.m. -- Dolores Haze
10 p.m. -- Don't Mean Maybe
11 p.m. -- Decal performs power pop in the vein of Green Day
Midnight -- Speedboat performs alternative rock

Bottom of the Hill
1233 17th St., 621-4455
"ASCAP Showcase"

9 p.m. -- Amplifier is a San Francisco rock quartet that uses organ, sampler, theremin, and optagon; their music incorporates the swaggering grooves of vintage Roxy Music, Rolling Stones, and David Bowie while simultaneously weaving in a trippy space-rock element reminiscent of early Pink Floyd

10 p.m. -- Hugh performs surreal power pop
11 p.m. -- Heavy Into Jeff performs honest, catchy pop rock that is not afraid to laugh at itself; the group won a WAMMIE for best alternative rock band

Midnight -- Thrill Pillows blend lush guitars and light vocal harmonies with a heavy rhythm section that drives listeners into fits of "pillowmania"; they were featured artists on BAM and big Whoop! compilations

Bruno's
2389 Mission, 550-7455
10 p.m. -- Jack Duvall Trio performs smoky jazz originals for the Cocktail Nation

11 p.m. -- Orson Country Line performs country swing
Cafe Du Nord
2170 Market, 861-5016

7 p.m. -- JC Hopkins Heptet Hopkins croons and tickles the ivories in his latest project, a modern standards band; he finds his voice in original songs that hearken back to the era of Gershwin and Carmichael, but with Sinatra-esque stylings and a Waits-like edge

10 p.m. -- Manifest Yesterday enters a world where the fusion of live music and personal philosophy creates a unique jazzhopsoul sound

11 p.m. -- Junk is not only the name of this jazz collective, it's also meant to jokingly describe the band's music: a boundary-blitzing hybrid of jazz, funk, hip hop, and rock

Midnight -- One Nation Underground is a funky, free-form, jazz-hop collective; last year they won a WAMMIE for best jazz act

Cat's Grill & Alley Club
1190 Folsom, 431-3332
10:45 p.m. -- Alphabitch is fronted by the "Goddess of Neurosis," and is a hard-edged, post-punk band from Oregon that is propelled by a perpetual nervous breakdown

11:45 p.m. -- Slish performs a metal-heavy brand of psychedelica; the band features former members of Bomb and Helios Creed

Club Cocodrie
1024 Kearny, 986-6678
"Billy Jam's Hip Hop Night"

8 p.m. -- Space Travelers are also known as the Bullet Proof Scratch Hamsters; this Frisco DJ crew is world-renowned for its turntable wizardry and numerous releases

9 p.m. -- Rollo's Kitchen performs attention-grabbing hip hop
9:45 p.m. -- Identity was formerly African Identity; this local veteran is the Bay Area's true, No. 1 freestyle rapper; he will be releasing his second album shortly

10 p.m. -- 99th Demention displayed throughout its recent debut its dedication to the art form of hip hop; this Daly City crew is quick to humorously dis fake MCs who try to cash in on the genre

10:15 p.m. -- Toy is a New Jersey transplant who can hang with the boys and beat most of them with her innate talent for freestyle; she will release her debut, Combless Negro Child, later this summer

10:30 p.m. -- A Brother Named Quick was formerly African Identity and is also known as Identity; this local veteran is the Bay Area's true, No. 1 freestyle rapper; he will be releasing his second album shortly

10:45 p.m. -- Closed Caption marks a new wave in Bay Area hip hop that defies East Coast/West Coast categorization

11 p.m. -- IMP (Ill Mannered Posse) is headed by the unique, gravelly voiced Cougnut; the Ill Mannered Posse gets major props for its no-holds-barred street rap

11:15 p.m. -- B.L.A.C.K. stands for Beats, Lyrics, And Conscious Knowledge; the powerfully thought-provoking lyrics live up to the name

11:30 p.m. -- Young Lay is a young rapper who displays his unique lyrical flow on his recent Young Black Brother/Atlantic debut, Black & Dangerous

11:45 p.m. -- Whoridas is comprised of Mr. Taylor and King Sann of Hobo Junction; this Oakland duo has a unique style that combines the best of East and West Coast rap; their debut single, "Shot Callin' & Big Ballin'," is receiving major airplay

Midnight -- 11/5 Hunters Point's "really rap" trio has just released its long-awaited second album, A-1 Yola, to rave critical and commercial acclaim

Coco Club
139 Eighth St., 626-2337
9 p.m. -- En V Us is two teen-age girls who sing pop with an R&B/hip-hop flava; their performances involve high-energy dance choreography and hip vocal arrangements

9:45 p.m. -- Naked Sol presents dynamic soulful grooves
10:30 p.m. -- Dai Phx possesses a five-octave vocal range that spans four musical genres

11:15 p.m. -- Pucker is energetic, witty alternapop-rock that sounds like a sonic combination-platter of the Proclaimers, the Pretenders, and They Might Be Giants

Midnight -- Redfish Bluefish is three little boys making one huge sound

Covered Wagon
917 Folsom, 974-1585
"After-Work Show"

6:30 p.m. -- Torpedoes are a Sunnyvale band whose recent debut has given birth to a new genre of submarine surf; all you ex-punks, this is your messiah band

7:30 p.m. -- Berzerkers are a powerful, surging surf trio who make use of gnarly Nordic overtones