Photograph: Courtesy of Trevor Dunn

For local experimental musicians, the operative question isn’t “How do you eat your Reese’s?” but “How are you using your Stone month?” John Zorn’s austere LES black box has operated on an artist-curated basis since it opened, and how a musician tackles his or her assignment can tell you a lot about that person’s aesthetics and motivations. Take bassist-composer Trevor Dunn, co-curating August with his frequent collaborator, harpist Shelley Burgon. The schedule betrays an agenda, but it’s hardly a self-serving one: The Eureka, California–born Brooklynite performs exactly once (in contrast with some, who have treated the venue like a private playground), appearing on August 28 with Proof Readers, a band devoted to Ornette Coleman’s early work.

The rest of the schedule still reveals much about the bassist, whose résumé—encompassing Mr. Bungle, John Zorn, Curtis Hasselbring and Melvins—is a quintessential illustration of the healthy eclecticism currently reigning in the underground. The early part of the month is a veritable summit conference of diverse four-string masters: Devin Hoff (Nels Cline Singers, Xiu Xiu), Michael Formanek (Bloodcount, Freddie Hubbard) and quavery-voiced, double-bass-toting songsmith Nat Baldwin all perform unaccompanied.

You’d think that Dunn would want to hawk his two forthcoming records—Four Films, a subtly stirring soundtrack collection on Tzadik, and an Ipecac disc by MadLove, his new rock band with Burgon. But his modesty only makes you more curious about his various eccentric pursuits.