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Blues & Rock

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Just a few quick things to help you plan your week, music-wise. This year''s installment of the Ultimate Band Competition for the Monterey County Fair gets started at Sly McFly''s tonight, with four local blues bands vying for the honor to proceed to the semi-finals at the Fair. Comparing licks tonight are four local blues bands including The Blue Tones (who made it to the semis last year), Gluttons 4 Punishment, The Next Blues Band and Crossfire. Whichever two bands make it past tonight will go on to the next round.

About 40 bands from around the state ultimately turned in their tapes for the competition, and the judges were faced with the task of paring those down to a total of 16 bands to compete in the festival. Seeing as there was such a huge number of rock bands that responded, this year''s competition has been broken down into three categories: Rock (with eight bands in the initial round), Blues (four bands) and All Other (four bands), a sort of catch all for the best of the rest.

As one of the sponsors of this year''s competition, the Weekly congratulates everyone who had the cojones to put themselves in the competition, and we wish the best of luck to everyone who''s competing.

Also at Sly''s this weekend is Texas singer/guitar slinger Finis Tasby, who is making a return visit to Sly''s, and on Saturday, harp blower R.J. Mischo makes his return.

Ultimate (Blues) Band Competition, tonight, 8:30pm; Finis Tasby, Friday, 9pm; RJ Mischo, Saturday, 9pm. Sly McFly''s. 649-8050.

For tomorrow (if you''re still conscious), at the Blue Fin you can catch the first four rock bands being judged for the Ultimate Band Competition. Come, get hammered if you want, and unofficially cast your vote for Salinas'' Bacteria Cosmica, Santa Cruz bands Brother Gumption and Monkey Boys, or Wyld Type Hybrid, out of Berkeley. The bands will be judged on the spot by a panel of judges (including yours truly). The hunger to win will undoubtedly push the groups, for better or worse, providing fresh new entertainment for the local scene and giving everyone someone to root for. The top two groups will go on to the semifinal round at the Monterey County Fair, each hoping to take home the prize of a 1,000 bucks and some studio time. An encouraging crowd could push any one of them over the top.

Ultimate Band Competition, Blue Fin, Friday, 375-7000.

At the Long Bar tonight is Shapeshifter, a rock band that will shape this evening into a wild unadulterated adventure. Shapeshifter has provided hard driving rhythm and pop-based melody time and time again. Playing on the same bill are Red Light Nightmare and the Lesser Known Gods. It would prove worth your while to direct your footsteps to the Long Bar this evening, if for no other reason than it''s hard to beat the Long Bar for points as a meat market of local lusty energy. If your jets need some afterburning, then the music and the atmosphere will provide a good mixture for this evening''s festivities.

Shapeshifter, Long Bar, tonight, 9pm. No cover. 372-2244.

On Saturday, Ocean Thunder will see a re-vamp of normal operations when hardcore rock band The Bad Dawgs pound some lightning back into the clouds. The Dawgs had a great performance at the Long Bar a few weeks back when they opened for Dog Loves Girl and Red Light Nightmare. The ambience of the Thunder is tight and very local, so the chances of recognizing someone will be high. The high-energy crowd and the high-energy group should kick Saturday into something warm and wonderful. Best of all, the show won''t cost you a dime.

Bad Dawgs, Ocean Thunder, Saturday, 643-9169.

And on Sunday, songbird Maria Muldaur and her Red Hot Bluesiana Band is making a return visit to the Sunday Blues and Art in the Park series in Seaside. Those of you who''ve seen Muldaur perform in the past know that she''s an animated, sultry performer who''s a lot of fun to watch. Those of you who only know her as the voice behind "Midnight at the Oasis"...well, you don''t know Muldaur.

Maria Muldaur, Sunday, 1pm. Laguna Grande Park, Seaside. 899-6270.