by JOHNSON CUMMINS

Summer is evaporating, but if you still want one last excuse to take a road trip, check out the Touch & Go block party happening in Chicago this weekend. Their 25th anniversary is being celebrated with an outdoor party this weekend in the Windy City (check www.tgrec.com for ticket availability and directions), and the line-up is mind-meltingly great. Friday, the highlight would definitely be the reformation of Girls Against Boys, but Saturday’s line-up is just ridiculous. All of the following bands will include most or all of their original members: Killdozer, Didjits, Negative Approach (!), Scratch Acid (!), Man… or Astroman?, Big Black (!!!!!) and a rare concert by Shellac. Before you Big Black fans start doing cartwheels, a closer look at the set times reveals they will only perform for 10 minutes. My bets are on “Kerosene” and “Jordan, Minnesota.” Even with only two songs, this is guaranteed to be a once-in-a-lifetime event. And seriously, Negative Approach and Scratch Acid signals the return of Jesus Lizard’s David Yow and David Wm. Sims, and Rey Washam of Big Boys, to the stage. Hoo-chee-wah-wah! Sunday cools off a little when D.C.’s the Monorchid and Arcwelder reunite, and the festival is being capped off with Calexico.

If Osheaga burned you out on festivals for a while, though, there are still some great shows happening this week. Tonight, Sept. 7, you can check out the psychobilly freakout of Gutter Demons with 3 Blue Teardrops at Café Campus. Friday, check out Crackpot and Loadeded at Barfly, while down at Café Campus, the ongoing series Le Volume Était au Maximum features la Descente du Coude, the Dirty Tricks, les Prostiputes and the Creeps. Going head to head in a punk rock showdown at Café Chaos on Saturday night will be old U.K. punkers the Varukers with Inepsy, Thought Crime, the Ruffianz and Kontempt.

As predicted, tttttttttttt’s last show at Barfly did manage to bum out the Barfly staff and regulars, and Saturday night, they will try their hand at Casa’s staff under the tongue-in-cheek title “Montreal Knows No Wave” (brilliant!) with noiseniks the Other Thing,

Opposite Day and Smoke Judo. A tribute to 8 Eyed Spy and Teenage Jesus and the Jerks may ensue. France’s the Fatals, a sudden return from Memphis’s Angry Angles, locals CPC Gangbangs and Toronto’s Bush League all pile into Zoobizarre on Saturday for what will prove to be the r’n’r show of the week. Before heading out to any of these shows, check out the Tortoise-type sounds of Gyroscope when they play a free show at l’Oblique record store at 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Tuesday, check out the primal garage sound of the Captains with the Nippers, at Barfly

Of course, the hot ticket this week is the insanely amazing triple bill of the Bronx, Converge and Mastodon, happening at the Spectrum on Sunday. I won’t even yammer on about how fucking amazing this show is going to be—just go!

PREHISTORIC PACHYDERM POWER! jonathan.cummins@gmail.com

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