New Adventures in Hi-Fi

Billed as "A Five Day Celebration of Outsider Sounds," The Wire's Adventures in Modern Music 2004 kicks off tonight at the Empty Bottle. Here's a quick scouting report: Saturday 9/25 One of the highlights of this night's show is the appearance of Kranky recording artist Keith Fullteron Whitman (aka Hrvatski). He's playing in support of his latest record titled Schöner Flußengel, a vinyl-only release limited to 1,000 copies, which is due out on Oct. 4. I recently checked out an advance copy of the record, and it lives up to his stellar previous releases. Another great collection of lo-fi ambient/experimental music that is both compelling and tranquil at the same time. Sunday 9/26 Wrapping up the festival Sunday night are Drag City recording artists Ghost along with experimental art rockers Xiu Xiu. Hailing from Japan, Ghost are performing in the U.S. for the first time in over two years. They've been around since the mid-80's, but they may be best known for their fine collaboration with Damon & Naomi, the aptly titled Damon & Naomi with Ghost, released in 2000. On their own, Ghost are generally referred to as a mix of psychedelic, experimental and lo-fi rock. San Jose's Xiu Xiu also fall under the "experimental/psychedelic" category, though they lean a bit more toward the indie-pop side of the spectrum. While personally not my cup of tea, Xiu Xiu is a favorite among many of my indie-rock lovin' friends. The Empty Bottle is located at 1035 N. Western Ave. Tickets for each night are $15. For a complete line-up of events, check out www.emptybottle.com