Meow Mix

 SAT 10/15
Caroline Herve, a.k.a. Miss Kittin, is well aware that the first thing most guys check out on female DJs is their look, not their sound. "People will first pay attention to our appearance, figure, clothes and makeup," she says. Oddly enough, unlike her male counterparts, who often receive sexual propositions from their female fans, the French-born Berlin resident says she doesn't get the same love from her male fans. She calls it the groupie effect. "They're mostly too scared" to approach female DJs, she says. "It's fine by me." Maybe guys are intimidated by the Kittin's ability to create some of the sexiest music to come from France since Serge Gainsbourg, whose song "Je t'aime moi non plus" she has covered. Her aptly titled debut, First Album, featured a straight-ahead, analog techno approach (now known as electroclash). These days, she's a lyricist and occasionally mixes her sexy -- if not grammatically correct -- French-accent-tinged vocals with electro, glitch, downtempo and 808 synth groove elements, as heard on her essential mix CD Radio Caroline and last year's I.com.

The Kittin's stop at Numbers this weekend will be one of only five shows she'll be performing in the States. As an added bonus, she'll be singing while she's spinning. C'mon, guys, don't be pussies -- approach her at 9 p.m. Saturday, October 15. 300 Westheimer. For tickets, call 713-526-6551 or visit www.boysandgirlsclubonline.com. $15 to $20. -- Travis Ritter

Fleming's Stoli Gibson

Before I leave the house to meet a few fellow drinkers at Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar (2405 West Alabama, 713-520-5959), I promise myself that I will not: a) yell anything inappropriate, like "Hey, pole smoker!" b) throw anything at anyone; or c) drink till I puke. This means I will sit quietly and sip my cocktail, which sometimes can be just as fun. The bar at Fleming's is packed, and the service is all you could ask for. Before I'm even settled on my stool, our bartender is shaking my martini -- a Stoli Gibson, or what my friend Myra calls "onion soup." When the onion soup begins to warm my belly, I remember the promise I made earlier. Oh, there's nothing like self-restraint. What really makes it hard not to gulp this martini is how good it is. Plus, every time you order one, your server shakes it right before he pours it into your glass. It's cold and smooth, and you can still see the ice crystals floating on top of the vodka as you take your first gulp...I mean sip. Sip, Jason, just sip.

5 ounces Stoli vodka
3 to 6 cocktail onions
1/16 teaspoon vermouth

Pour the Stoli into a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with cocktail onions. Take the vermouth and just kind of wave it at the glass. -- Jason Kerr

Geez, Louise!

MON 10/17
Veruca Salt isn't native to the land down under. Rather, the band has been touring and hanging in Australia, where it remains popular, since the decline of its U.S. '90s alt-rock stardom. (Remember "Seether"? You can't fight it.) The band is in a new incarnation, though. A couple of years ago, the Salt split because of dramatic clashes between band leaders Nina Gordon and Louise Post. Now Post, who bashed Gordon and Dave Grohl, her ex, in her previous album, is back in the United States with a new lineup (and hopefully a new attitude). 8 p.m. Monday, October 17. The Engine Room, 1515 Pease. For tickets, call 713-654-7846 or visit www.engineroomhouston.net. $10. -- Steven Devadanam

Lone Rhyme

SAT 10/15
The Ohio hip-hop duo Lone Catalysts, made up of MC J. Sands and DJ J. Rawls, were relative unknowns until they got the attention of Talib Kweli and Mos Def, who signed on Rawls to produce a couple of tracks for their Blackstar collaboration. Since then, they've worked with L.A. duo People Under the Stairs and local rhymesayers K-Otix. This weekend, the Bench is welcoming them to H-town to showcase their phat Midwestern rhyme skills. Lower Life Form opens the show, and DJ Soul One, Vango, Cyde, Red Soul and Comp 1 will spin at this BYOB party. 9 p.m. Saturday, October 15. Club 4116, 4116 East Crosstimbers. For information, call 281-704-7473 or visit www.houstonhiphop.com. $10. -- Travis Ritter