The Stranger

Nothing succeeds like excess in of Montreal’s hyperkinetic sonic world. Wielding a vast, polysyllabic vocabulary (e.g., “You fetishize the archetype”) and flexing vocal acrobatics that extrapolate on Prince, Todd Rundgren, and Russell Mael’s mannerisms, mastermind Kevin Barnes leads his Athens, Georgia, bandmates through maximalist art-pop and blown-out R&B productions that’ll douse your highbrow with sweat. The new Paralytic Stalks is a disorienting blast of prog-rock extravagance that sounds like $1 million in loose change. (Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave, www.showboxonline.com, 8 pm, $19 adv/$21 DOS, all ages) by Dave Segal

Link  |  Post Comment (0)

Black Milk is an up-and-coming hiphop Renaissance man, one of several promising acts currently emanating from Detroit. His 2010 Album of the Year—not as boastful a title as you might think, but a thoughtful rumination on “the hardest year of my lifetime,” as he admits on the leadoff track—finds his production and lyrics at a new peak. He’s collaborated with everyone from Danny “Adderall Admiral” Brown to Jack White, and he’s a force onstage, backed with a live band that interprets his studio productions with vigor. With Seattle’s also auspicious J. Pinder. (Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave, www.thecrocodile.com, 8 pm, $12 adv/$15 DOS, 21+) by Grant Brissey

Link  |  Post Comment (0)

The folks behind the late, lamented Pilot Books have created an independent literature festival named APRIL, which, because lit people are terrible at advertising, runs for the last nine days of March. Of the many scheduled APRIL events, this adventure in “competitive storytelling” looks to be a highlight. Local indie publisher Debra Di Blasi (whose Jaded Ibis Press produces beautiful multimedia books) will somehow compete with beloved drag artiste Jackie Hell and Noah Benezra of Washington Ensemble Theatre. Who wins this competition, and how? Who knows? But you can bet someone will get drunk trying. (Sorrento Fireside Room, 900 Madison St, www.aprilfestival.wordpress.com, 8 pm, $7) by Paul Constant

Link  |  Post Comment (1)

Shake the city this week and you’ll break the art: It’s all ceramics. Just about every gallery has something in conjunction with the annual conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, set to draw 5,000 clay lovers. Alwyn O’Brien’s ceramics are the smartest to come out of the UW’s great program in the last few years, and the sexiest, too. They’re like patches of weeds embedded with video feeds. In that tangle of porcelain you might find a mysterious photograph of a blindfolded crowd in a meadow, say. All you know for sure is that you will follow these curving transports. Many galleries will be celebrating ceramics tonight, but you want to start here. (James Harris Gallery, 312 Second Ave S, www.jamesharrisgallery.com, 6–8 pm, free) by Jen Graves

Link  |  Post Comment (0)

The subtitle for this exhibition is Seattle Ceramics 1964–1977, which is a little like saying New York Painting 1949–1965. This was a golden era, when West Coast American potters broke from the restrictions of the 1950s into Pop and funk and op, all under the brilliant, elegant influence of Japan. You’ve got Robert Arneson’s giant stack of Oreos, Irv Tepper’s surfers riding a slice of meringue pie, Patti Warashina’s gleaming Airstream-turkey hybrid, Howard Kottler’s queering of American Gothic. The display is a little uptight, but the pleasure is polymorphous. (Henry Art Gallery, 15th Ave NE and 41st St, www.henryart.org, 11 am–4 pm, $10 suggested) by Jen Graves

Link  |  Post Comment (0)

On July 4, 2010, THEESatisfaction (Catherine Harris-White, Stasia Irons) dropped THEESatisfaction Loves Stevie Wonder Why We Celebrate Colonialism, an EP with tracks named after American presidents. The record is simple, low-tech, and has a beauty that feels alien, otherworldly. When I learned that the super-talented duo had signed to Sub Pop and would record an album with more powerful production tools, I worried this seemingly fragile beauty would be crushed by the bigger sound. It’s not. awE naturalE, the album that’s dropped today, has new and improved beats, but the weirdness is still intact. The two also know how to rock a party. You will not be disappointed by the show or the album. (Neumos, 925 E Pike St, www.neumos.com, 8 pm, $10, 21+) by Charles Mudede

Link  |  Post Comment (1)