Throw Rag

Want to know what's really punk rock? Hiring a lunatic to play washboard and bugle -- two instruments that usually belong in a zydeco band and on a Civil War battlefield, respectively -- if you're a rockabilly/snot-punk combo. But the California five-piece Throw Rag makes it work. In fact, at a show this past spring, washboardist/bugler Jacko even added an element of performance art to the event. After stripping down to his boxer-briefs and taking a solo atop the bar, he threw plastic cups at the barmaid while fending off dousings from her drink dispenser. Jacko is all but absent musically on the band's latest, 13 Ft. & Rising, but guest stars Jello Biafra and Lemmy Kilmister fill the void -- with the latter joining the band for a dirge-like reading of the country & western chestnut "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down." The rest of the album sticks to eminently likable, melodic punk rock. But if the music fails to fully captivate you, Jacko will make sure you are visually entertained.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $8; call 314-621-9333 for more information.