MONDAY

>> We've made no secret of our love for Benjy Ferree, and judging from the amount he seems to be playing around town, everyone else must be enjoying him as well. He's headed out into the great wide open for some of the summer touring season though, so better get over to the Black Cat backstage tonight before he hits the road. With Chicago's The 1900s. $8, 9 p.m.

>> Nü metal may be öld news, but the Deftones couldn't really care less. They set themselves apart and above the crop of turn of the century ear-bleeders long before most of their peers fizzled, and can still sell-out a two night stand of shows at the 9:30 Club. Which is bad news for you if you don't have tickets yet, but hope springs eternal and you can always try your luck at the door. With Fall of Troy.

>> Jewish émigrés from Egypt and Iraq who move to Israel and play music that is not widely accepted in their new country? The Jewish Music Festival movie doublebill Taqasim and Voice Without a Face will tell these unusual and true tales beginning at 7:30 at the Washington Jewish Community Center.

TUESDAY

>> The parade of volume continues at the Black Cat with Sleepytime Gorilla Museum's heady blend of performance art, metal and... um... puppets. Stinking Lizaveta, the all-instrumental trio from Philly who are both heavily experimental and just plain heavy, kick things off. $12, 8 p.m.

>> If you've hopelessly misplaced your earplugs, something a little less abrasive might be the way to go. Wolf Trap, as always, is looking out for your aural health (being outdoors and in a residential area, there are decibel restrictions after all), and R&B legends Earth, Wind & Fire take the stage Tuesday. They're on the road by themselves this summer after a couple of very popular years of touring alongside Chicago. Grab a couple of lawn seats, lay back and look at the stars and pretend it's 1975 all over again. $45/$30, 8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

>> The other day, walking down 16th Street, I walked by a woman who was playing some fierce air drums as she walked home from work. It's just that kind of complete lack of self-consciousness not caring about looking cool that will be on full display during the D.C. leg of the 2007 U.S. Air Guitar Championships at the 9:30 Club. But this isn't just for kicks. Though we're sure there will be plenty of those on stage. This is serious competition, and the winner will go on to compete (all expenses paid!) in New York City, and it could be their first step towards international superstardom. $10.

>> Dick Dale, The King of the Surf Guitar, and just one of the many performers Quentin Tarantino has rescued from fading into obscurity (though in retrospect, couldn't we have continued to let Travolta fade away?) performs at the Birchmere. Dale is, undoubtedly, a living legend, and seeing him perform is like visiting a museum of the origins of surf guitar. Visiting his website, on the other hand, is like visiting a museum of the origins of the web. Luckily, he plays guitar better than he codes html. $23.50, 7:30 p.m.

>> Local folk rockers Kitty Hawk take the Black Cat backstage with Private Eleanor (making their Black Cat debut) and Arlington's Lovehandles. $8, 9 p.m.

>> Part of the ongoing Jewish Music Festival, Argentine composer Jorge Liderman visited Spain and composed a number of Sephardic Jewish pieces based on his memories of the trip. Tonight, Duo46, on violin and guitar, offer new contemporary classical arrangements of those compositions at 6 p.m. for free at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage.

>> Montreal dj SoCalled, aka Josh Dolgin, mixes hiphop beats with samples of Eastern European Jewish singers and New York Yiddish vaudeville performers. He is having a cd release party for his new effort Ghettoblaster at DC9.

THURSDAY

>> What better way to pregame the weekend than by heading to the 9:30 and shaking your money-maker a little. A little dance-punk may do the trick, and NYC's The Bravery are bringing it to town. Denver's Photo Atlas and The Cinematics, who sound as if they came out of Glasgow about 20 years after their time, open the show.

>> Lavendar Diamond are happy and dreamy and catchy and fun, and if you don't like them then you must hate kittens and puppies and really anything soft and pretty and warm and wonderful. If there's a better soundtrack to a lazy summer Sunday evening, I don't know what it is, but rest assured that they're still fully appropriate on a Thursday as well. Head to the Black Cat backstage and turn that frown upside-down. With Entrance. $10, 9 p.m.

>> If you like your indie pop just a tiny bit edgier, and riding the ragged edge of a new New Wave, The Long Blondes are over from across the pond and are checking into Rock 'n' Roll Hotel. With Nicole Atkins and the Sea. $12, 8 p.m.

>> Now that there's officially nothing to stay home and watch on tv (at least on the weekdays), why not head out to Chief Ike's for an evening of damn good local music? First up is Arlignton's aptyl named First Rays, followed by Richmond's delightful Beatles-inspired Prabir and the Substitutes. Headlining are D.C. natives The City Veins, serving up some high-quality, highly-listenable indie pop. The fun starts at 9 p.m.

FRIDAY

>> The Horrors. The next garage rock revival superstars, or a bunch of overhyped fashion victims? Discuss. Not since the Yeah Yeah Yeahs has a band been quite this hyped before they even had a full length record out. Strangely appropriate, then, that Nick Zinner has done production work for the band. Make up your mind for yourself at the Rock 'n' Roll Hotel this Friday when the black clad lads from Southend come to town. Seattle's Schoolyard Heroes open, along with excellent local punks Scanner Freaks open. $12, 8:30 p.m.

>> Definitive Jux co-founder, and one of the most critically acclaimed voices in alternative Hip-Hop, El-P is on tour in support of his highly anticipated (and far from slumping) sophomore album. Check him out, with DJ Mr. Dibbs and the Mighty Quin at the 9:30 Club. $20.

SATURDAY

>> Indie-pop veterans The Sea and Cake took a hiatus for a few years, but are back with a new record on Thrill Jockey. The longstanding members of the densely inter-woven Chicago post-rock scene will join their jazzy pop with with labelmates The Zincs, along with Loney, Dear at the Black Cat. $15, 9 p.m.

>> L.A. traditionalists Califone, who are no strangers to the pages of DCist, and These United States, on the bill for the most recent version of Unbuckled, play the Rock 'n' Roll Hotel with The Bitter Tears for an evening of rootsy, Americana-flavored indie rock. $12, 9:30.

>> Ready for some lush ‘70s soul under the stars? Hear the Spinners (“Could It Be I’m Falling in Love”), Chi-Lites (“Have You Seen Her”) and locals Skip Mahoney & the Casuals at Carter Barron Amphitheatre.

SUNDAY

>> Eclectic critical darlings Architecture In Helsinki play the 9:30 this Sunday with Santogold and Black Moth Super Rainbow. With six musicians and a whole slew of instruments on stage, Architecture shows have a little something for everyone who's always wished they got to see more shows with glockenspiel and Tuba. $16

>> Electrelane, an all-female UK quartet with a penchant for nautically themed songwriting on their most recent record, No Shouts, No Calls wash up on D.C.'s shores for a set at the Black Cat with Tender Forever and The Shondes. $13, 8 p.m.

DCist contributor Steve Kiviat and DCist Music Editor Amanda Mattos contributed to this week's agenda.