As obtuse and noise-arty as they wanna be, Deerhoof is easily one of the most widely name-dropped (and exportable) Bay Area bands at the moment. They opened for Radiohead at the Greek last summer. They turned heads at the CMJ marathon in New York. A quick tour with the Flaming Lips took them across the UK (witness pix of them playing with massive Lips props).

Whether you dig the Deerhoof sound - at once eclectic, chaotic and oddly melodious, all punched up in tight, indie-rock fits and starts - often comes down to whether you like Satomi Matsuzaki's juvenile warbling vocals. Anime soundtracks pale in comparison. As daring as ever, the new CD "Friend Opportunity" drops Tuesday. The San Francisco trio plays the Great American Music Hall Jan. 30.

But perhaps far more worthy of US Weekly is drummer Greg Saunier's infatuation with a certain pop-singer of yesteryear. In a chatty interview prior to the Be the Riottt! fest, I asked him to play a little word association game. Listen to what happens when you say "Michael Bolton."