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rock

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Tonight at the Long Bar will be Lavish Green, straight out of Lake Tahoe. This energetic "super-punk, funkadelic" band blew the Monterey scene away with their sound a few months ago, and tonight offers a chance to see them do it again. Chris Sanchez will play drums and trumpet for the band (with a little onstage acrobatics), and vocalist Jeremy Ussher will be pulling your ears with his voice--which sounds something like a drill sergeant with the dynamic range of a choirboy. The percussive, bass-driven nature of this group has found notable success in other areas of California, as well as Nevada and on ESPN. The band should provide the Long Bar with a good pure burst of energy. Opening for them for the second time will be The Devilheads, the western-twang punk group from hell. The Devilheads have a sound that borders on Rev. Horton Heat-on-crack, and the heavy rhythmic tunes slip well down the gullet of any listener with enough sense to listen close.

Lavish Green plus Devilheads, Thursday, 9pm. Long Bar, no cover. 372-2244.

At the Blue Fin on Saturday you can catch the Ultraviolets. The Santa Cruz rock group has proven itself better than run-of-the-mill cover/bar bands because it takes chances onstage, exuding a kind of energy and danceable momentum.

Ultraviolets, Saturday, 9pm, Blue Fin. 375-7000.

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Local Jams

The Next Blues Band has been hosting open-jams for nine years around the Peninsula, at the Wharfside during the winter. Now, they''ve found a home at the Long Bar for the next few months.

Next Best Blues Jam, Monday, 9pm. Long Bar, 372-2244.

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If blues isn''t in your blood you could head right around the corner at Viva for a rock jam hosted by Trial By Fire/Righteous Anger guitarist Terry Terrana. A good place to find a diverse medium of music and a younger crowd ready to plow through some scales.

Terry Terrana, Monday, 9pm, Viva, 646-1415.

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Contrition

Two things weigh heavy upon my heart and mind.

First off, Foamscape at the Blue Fin. Last Friday, Foamscape played to hail the release of their latest record, Anywhere, Everywhere. The album is stuffed full of the same licks and tricks Foamscape has been giving to the Peninsula for five years. Songs like the title track and "World of Light" are a gumbo of musical super-pop, much like the band itself, and it is a testament of their experience.

Somehow, even though I found things to say about the band and its future, I failed to mention the performance. Ah, well. There''s always next time.

Secondly, I twisted the name of the band Brother Gumption into Bubba Gumption in last week''s column, but no matter. They still had one hell of a turn-out at the Monterey County Fair and ended up winning the title of Ultimate Band. The five-piece group from Chico outplayed everyone who performed against them--and that''s no lie. Their win was by a landslide. The vocalist for the band, Eric Smith, has a dynamic voice that ranges from light Creed-like crooning to the deep rumble of all-natural rock singing. They play again at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz on Aug 31.