MONDAY

>> In 1966, the Electric Prunes sang "I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)." Tonight they'll hearken back to those psychedelic garage rock times at the Black Cat. Locals (Sounds of) Kaleidoscope, who are as much aficionados of parentheticals as the Prunes, kick things off. 8 p.m., $15.

>> D.C.'s loose organization of folk-leaning bands, known as The Federal Reserve Collective, presents shows on the first Monday of the month at Iota. Tonight it's Unbuckled alums and former DCist tour diarists These United States, along with Three Stars alums Greenland. 8:30 p.m., $5.

TUESDAY

>> Chodska Vlna, a Czech band, will add bagpipes to their otherwise standard guitar and drums rock approach at the Embassy of the Czech Republic, 3900 Spring of Freedom Street, NW. 7:30 p.m., reservations required. Call 202-274-9100 ext. 167.

>> The parade of parenthetically inclined bands continues! Detroit's Was (Not Was) are best known for their 1988 pop hit "Walk the Dinosaur," but David Was, Don Was, Sweet Pea, Sir Harry and various guests were mixing bizarre lyrics with edgy R&B and reaching an audience with cuts like "Out Come the Freaks" and "Wheel Me Out" circa 1980. Now they're back with their new album, Boo, which they'll likely feature heavily at the Birchmere. 7:30 p.m., $35.

>> Eli Paperboy Reed & the Tru-Loves will be wailing retro blue-eyed soul at DC9. 8:30 p.m., $8 advance, $10 at the door.

WEDNESDAY

>> The Teenagers, French and Brit pop-punkers, are joined by Team Robespierre and Three Stars alum DJ Will Eastman at the Black Cat. 8 p.m., $13.

>> Ozomatli will try to get folks moving at the State Theatre with their Latin funk/rap-rock sound. 7 p.m., $22.

>> A who's who of local roots rockers will cover songs by Bob Dylan and Bob Wills as part of a Chris Gaffney medical expenses benefit (to help the family of this onetime member of Dave Alvin's band defer the costs of his sadly unsuccessful battle with cancer). The roster at Jammin' Java includes Bill Kirchen, Jack O'Dell, Johnny Castle, Dave Geigerich, Louise Kirchen, Alan MacEwan, Moe Nelson, and Chris Watling. 7 p.m., $20.

>> When Apocalyptica first began performing, they seemed ready-made to be a gimmicky flash in the pan. Four cellists playing nothing but Metallica covers? Somehow, they managed to spin that gimmick into a career (mostly by not limiting themselves to just Metallica) that now spans a decade and a half and over 2 million albums sold. They've covered everyone from Faith No More to David Bowie, and have performed with Metallica (natch) and Rammstein. Along with Rasputina, they're pretty much responsible for there being an entire genre classification for "cello rock" over on Wikipedia. They'll perform (without opener, it appears) at the 9:30 Club. $15.

THURSDAY

>> If you've never heard Wanda Jackson, well, first of all, shame on you. Second of all, get yourself over to Jammin' Java to catch a set by the undisputed and longtime queen of rockabilly. 7:30 p.m., $15 advance, $18 at the door.

>> The undeniably, infectiously catchy pop stylings of Three Stars alums Bellman Barker will take out a room at the Rock and Roll Hotel, along with neo-folky Seattleites The Cave Singers and Brooklyn's Love As Laughter. 8 p.m., $10

FRIDAY

>> The kind folks at All Tomorrow's Parties managed to convince legendary 90s post-punk experimentalists Polvo to reunite for a couple of Festival shows. If you weren't fortunate (or wealthy) enough to grab some tickets for their appearances in England, Barcelona, and upstate NY for ATP this year, you're in luck, as they're playing a handful of non ATP dates as well. D.C. is on the schedule this week, and the band appears at the Black Cat with Sir Arthur & His Royal Nights, and Baltimore's The Oranges Band. 9 p.m., $13.

>> '70s soul harmonies with choreographed dancing return
to the area thanks to the likes of the Dells, Manhattans, Chi-lites, Intruders, and Blue Magic, who will be at the Showplace Arena in Upper Marlboro for the Mother's Day Soul Jam. 8 p.m., $41.50-$74.

>> The Legacy Tour with Partha and Purbayan Chatterjee on sitars and Anindo and
Anubrata Chatterjee on tablas, brings together two generations of Indian musicians at the Sackler Museum, Meyer Auditorium. 7:30 p.m., free.

>> Artomatic starts on Friday night, and in addition to the amazing quantity of local art, there will also be plenty of music to be heard. Opening night has more acts than we can list here, so we suggest you head over to Artomatic's site to see for yourself.

>> In his review of their show last summer, DCist writer Chris Klimek talked about the two sides to the Drive By Truckers. So which one will show up for this week's show at the 9:30, ass-kicking, whiskey-swilling rockers, or rootsy Springsteen-esque balladeers? There's one way to find out. The Dexateens will open. $20.

SATURDAY

>> Homes for Our Troops is a non-profit dedicated to providing specially adapted homes for wounded members of the military. The Velvet Lounge is sponsoring a benefit for the organization on Saturday afternoon with five acts (mostly local): Len Bias, The Prisoner's Dilemma, Imperial China, Appomattox, and Moscow Telephone. 3 p.m., $8, veterans and active duty military get in for free.

>> Guy Clark, a songwriter and performer who has had his songs performed by pretty much anybody who's anybody where country is concerned, dispenses his Texas tunes at the Birchmere. 7:30 p.m., $29.50.

>> Who doesn't enjoy a good Swedish singer/songwriter? The House of Sweden sponsors a festival of Swedish performers on the Potomac, right on their own lawn at the river's edge. They've assembled five performers for the afternoon: Roger Hinchliffe, Elin Ruth Sigvardsson, Chris Wigren, Kajsa Grytt, and Abalone Dots. 1 p.m. - 6 p.m., Free.

SUNDAY

>> It's a weekend for benefits, as there's another one going on up at the Surf Club in Hyattsville on Sunday. This one is for Bobby Parker, who recently underwent expensive surgery. Fellow local blues cats Memphis Gold and the Nighthawks are headlining a concert to help him out. 4 p.m.

Photos of the Electric Prunes and Wanda Jackson from the artists' websites.

Steve Kiviat contributed to this week's agenda.