Local

While dancing infernos blaze on this weekend at the M-Shop and at Boheme’s line-up of all-ages fund raisers, tonight holds promise for a more laid-back folk performance.

Consisting of a female vocalist, a drummer and a guitarist, Cloud Nine is back for its second show at Boheme.

The trio of ISU students made its unannounced debut at Boheme about two weeks ago and despite the lack of notification, Cloud Nine made a good impression at the venue.

“It was something that was spur of the moment,” Boheme employee Kim Heiderscheidt explained. “But it went pretty well.”

The vocalist also made quite an impression on Heiderscheidt herself, who compares the singer’s style to the likes of Ani DiFranco and Janis Joplin.

Cloud Nine takes the stage tonight at 9:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door for about $3.

Local funksters Mr. Plow hit the studio once again over spring break to record the four song disc, “Shakedown E.P.” The record, which was produced by Robb Vallier, will be released this Saturday at the band’s EP release party at People’s Bar & Grill.

Openers for the show include Omaha’s Clever and Des Moines’ Revolution Theory. The all-ages show goes from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and tickets cost $5 at the door.

Regional

The days of Kurt Cobain ruling the airwaves are gone, but musicians from the genre that he and Nirvana made popular continue to rock on.

One of the bands that never made it as big as Nirvana but still draws quite a crowd is The Melvins.

Adding to their discography, The Melvins recently released “The Crybaby,” which is currently out on Ipecac Recordings and is the third installment to their musical trilogy, which previously saw “The Maggot” and “The Bootlicker.”

The album features contributions from Hank Williams III, Tool, ex-Faith No More vocalist Mike Patton, David Yow of the Jesus Lizard, ex-Helmet bassist Henry Bogden, Foetus, Skeleton Key and Brutal Truth, according to Allstar News.

In addition, Leif Garrett from Godspeed appears on the album and pays homage to Nirvana with a cover of “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

Currently, Godspeed is touring with the Melvins throughout the West with their last show scheduled for April 7 in Seattle.

The Melvins will continue touring in support of “The Crybaby,” with stops in the Midwest already booked.

The best chance to see these aging grungesters will be on April 12 at First Ave. in Minneapolis or on April 14 at Gabe’s in Iowa City. Other nearby stops include an April 15 show at the Metro in Chicago, and on April 13 the band plays the Royal Grove in Lincoln, Neb.

National

While protesters scuffled with police last December at the WTO convention in Seattle, a few select grunge/punk rockers united to deliver a message of their own at the Showbox club.

Under the name the No-WTO Combo, Jello Biafra, Krist Novoselic (formerly with Nirvana, now Sweet 75), Kim Thayil (formerly with Soundgarden) and Gina Mainwal (Sweet 75) performed at the city’s “protest-free zone.”

Fortunately for those who weren’t able to attend the gig, it was recorded for posterity and will be released later this spring.

“The Battle in Seattle” is set for release on May 8 on Biafra’s own Alternative Tentacles label and will be produced by grungemeister Jack Endino (Nirvana, Tad, Mudhoney), according to Allstar News.

As the battle rages, Zack de la Rocha has decided to take a break from Rage Against the Machine to pursue his first solo album.

The lead singer of Rage hits the studio next month in New York City. He’s already looked into producers for his solo debut and chose El-P from the New York underground rap group Company Flow to produce at least four of the tracks.

El-P was so excited about working with de la Rocha that his label cut his Japan tour short so he could fly back to the States and begin work with him, according to All Star News.

Roni Size, DJ Premier and Mos Def are among the other possible hip-hop artists that will appear on the album, although none of them have been confirmed.

Rage Against the Machine’s label, Epic records, will be releasing de la Rocha’s debut, which has no release date scheduled yet.