AQUEDUCT, THE CATCH, DOLOUR
(Crocodile) See preview, page 27.
THE SUPERSUCKERS, ZEKE, CHINESE FINGERCUFFS, MURDOCK
(Neumo's) When it comes to stubborn longevity and sheer volume, few local luminaries hold court like cheeky country punks the Supersuckers and hardcore brutes Zeke. Both acts support the next generations of heshers and punks, which is why they've invited a younger breed (in terms of time together, not necessarily age) of brash hard rockers--Chinese Fingercuffs and Murdock--to the stage, as well as handing over tonight's proceeds to the Homeless Youth Clinic. HYC provides free medical care for kids and young adults--a deserving beneficiary for this notable show. JENNIFER MAERZ
SCISSOR SISTERS, HIDDEN CAMERAS, HEYWILLPOWER
(Paramount) Hidden Camera's Joel Gibb sounds like a choirboy with one gloriously filthy mind on the band's second album, the cleverly titled Mississauga, Goddam. As the head of this self-described "Toronto gay folk choir" he helms the irreverent and joyous group who mix up a strange brew of orchestral folk and indie-pop. The Cameras can sound gentle and delicate or like a possessed handclapping gospel--of course, the "he" in the songs is usually a man instead of God, but the secular sexiness is equally soaring. Hell, it made me want to go to church--or at least wherever Gibb worships. Opener heyWillpower is the minimalist dance-pop side project of Imperial Teen's Will Schwartz. Sounding as defiantly bratty-sexy as in his main gig, Schwartz eschews Teen's sometimes-darker lyrics for dancier, lustier content. NATE LIPPENS
TRACTOR SEX FATALITY, GIRTH, LESBIAN, JOULES
(Studio 7) Joules, a local band that creates dynamic, colorful, and sweeping instrumentals, is something everyone needs to hear. The trio recently released their first record, Laser Cannon & Street Thunder, which is a half hour of enveloping lullabies and flowing melodies brought to life through intricate and exciting guitar work. Recorded in one continuous take (with only two breaks to change broken strings), Joules opts to leave the overdubs out of things, presenting to you the most organic (and most striking) record you've heard in a while. Don't fight it. Just close your eyes and let it swallow you whole. MEGAN SELING
FRIDAY 1/28
THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES, PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES, ROCKY VOTOLATO, MATTHEW SHAW, GRAYSKUL
(University of Washington Husky Den) See All Ages Action, page 41.
PHO BANG: URSULA AND THE ANDROIDS, JACKIE AND THE CONTROL TOPS, DJ BABY J, GUESTS
(Neumo's) See Stranger Suggests, page 19.
DJS QBERT, JAZZY JEFF, GRAND WIZARD THEODORE
(Chop Suey) See Data Breaker, page 39, and My Philosophy, page 33.
POST STARDOM DEPRESSION, KUMA, KRUIZE, MONO IN SF
(Crocodile) I realize that grunge is a dirty word in our local lexicon, but Seattle's Post Stardom Depression exemplify all that people loved about that genre without cloyingly aping the acts of its heyday. Frontman Jeff Angell has a rough-hewn edge to his voice--one that, given a couple years and some harrowing near-death experiences, could land somewhere near Mark Lanegan's. His delivery moves seamlessly with the dirgey mood of this hard-rocking collective, swaggering through a rollercoaster of libidinous choruses and introspective balladry. Live, they're a spectacle to behold. JENNIFER MAERZ
NO MOTIV, LE MEU LE PURR, THE SHAPE, THE LOOK
(The Paradox) No Motiv is the least offensive band on Vagrant Records. In the label's entire catalog, which includes acts like the Get Up Kids, Saves the Day, and Audio Learning Center, there really isn't one offensive artist, and No Motiv is the safest of them all. Now I don't wanna use the words "typical" or "uninteresting," because they both come with very negative tones, but there's really nothing new with No Motiv. They're good at what they do, and what they do is Vagrant rock. Openers the Look, though, are far from that scene. Watching them some months ago, I thought, "It's good. Needs work, but this could be something really fantastic." I'm gonna go ahead and stick with that, and suggest you get on it now, so if (when?) they do become something undeniably fantastic, you'll really be able to appreciate it. MEGAN SELING
HASSAN HAKMOUN
(Triple Door) The fluid, woody sound made by the sintir (three-stringed bass lute) rules, especially in Moroccan Hassan Hakmoun's hands. He's credited with updating his country's traditional gnawa music for modern ears with lashings of funk, rock, and jazz. Based in New York, Hakmoun's played Woodstock '94, numerous WOMAD fests, the Tonight Show, and has entertained the pope and several world leaders. Nevertheless, you may like his music. Hakmoun's sintir playing possesses the melodious elasticity of great jazz bassists like Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Haden, and Jimmy Garrison, as he weaves low-key tapestries of trance-inducing rhythm over his and a spirited cadre of singers' voices that reflect the passion of people intimate with tragedy. Hakmoun's latest album, The Gift, is significantly slicker and fuller-sounding than earlier releases, but still uplifting. DAVE SEGAL
THE DEAD SCIENCE, XIAO GU FANG, THE LONG RANGER, JOHN TSUNAM
(Vera Project) What a weird smorgasbord of sonic delights. Local trio the Dead Science inspire uneasy swoons with slow-burning, subdued torch songs of deft artfulness or, less frequently, send emergency adrenaline coursing through your carcass with combustible, chaotic discord. They're sure to air some new songs from their forthcoming sophomore album for Absolutely Kosher, recorded with producer Ryan Hadlock (Blonde Redhead). John Tsunam has zipped to the forefront of Seattle's backpacker-hiphop scene with his "Uzi-tooth" rapping and orchestrally funky productions. The Long Ranger--brother/sister duo Ted (the Long Ranger) and Sylvia (Shorty Circuit) Chen--come on like an Asian Human League or ABC, with campy, Kraftwerk-lite melodic tendencies. The Long Ranger will appeal to those with a weakness for '80s-themed club nights. Seattle quartet Xiao Gu Fang feature members of experimental improv unit BNSF and create "truly ecstatic, sometimes violent energy-music." Word. DAVE SEGAL
SOME BY SEA, SAMEER SHUKLA, SURETOSS, THE PURRS, THE CONVERSATION HEART, PIXEL
(Catwalk) I hate to pull the "in my day card," (because really, my day was just yesterday) but I remember a time when making your own zine was the hip thing to do. Every kid on the street had a zine about music, skateboarding, drugs, whatever. But it seems, sadly, those days are mostly over. There are a few exceptions, however, and the kids at Shtick Magazine have been making their own Xeroxed publication for a few months now, filling the pages with interviews and reviews of local and national bands. They're pretty heavy with the indie rock (although they do expand to other genres), and they strongly support all-ages and local music, as this Shtick benefit show, featuring Some By Sea, Sameer Shukla, and the Conversation Heart, will attest. MEGAN SELING SATURDAY 1/29
SUNTZU SOUND TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY: JOHN BELTRAN, 1LUV, DJ COLLAGE, GUESTS
(Baltic Room) See Data Breaker, page 39.
TRACKER, NORFOLK & WESTERN, ROBERT DEEBLE, WILEY YOUNG
(Cafe Venus) See Border Radio, page 27.
IQU, APESHAPE, THE LIGHTS, SLO ASIONS, DJ SAPPHO
(Crocodile) Regardless if you were lucky enough to have been born an Aquarius, tonight is your chance to celebrate a month's worth of birthdays in one place. Put on by local band manager (and, of course, fellow Aquarian) Frank Nieto, this lineup showcases much of his impressive roster (IQU, the Lights) and a couple new names. Apeshape is a mysterious musical mélange comprising members of the Halo Benders, Unwound, Built to Spill, and Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, while Slo Asions is a new coupling between members of the Turn-Ons. Aquarians (with proper ID) only pay five bucks for entry, everyone else pays $7. JENNIFER MAERZ
LATEEF THE TRUTH SEEKER, THE PERCEPTIONISTS
(Chop Suey) The Perceptionists--Boston MCs Mr. Lif and Akrobatik (DJ Fakts One is sitting out this tour)--view themselves as weapons against ignorance, forces for peace and enlightenment. Basically, these responsible, intelligent rappers serve as underground hiphop's superego. Which is not to say their music lacks sensuous joys and funky fun. The group's forthcoming Def Jux debut disc, Black Dialogue, spills hundreds of thoughtful sentences delivered with authoritative verve. On the timely "Memorial Day," Akro spits the chorus, "Where are the weapons of mass destruction/We been lookin' for months and we ain't found nothin'/Please, Mr. President, tell us sumpin'/We knew from the beginnin' that your ass was bluffin'." The track's righteous orchestral funk and pointed denunciations of the Iraq war should be spinning daily in heavy rotation nationwide. "The whole concept of the Perceptionists is just being aware and conscious of what's going on in the world… and addressing it," Akrobatik told hiphopcongress.com. In today's hiphop world, that's a radical stance. DAVE SEGAL
THE EXPLOSION, DEATH BY STEREO, FROM ASHES RISE, AMAZOMBIES
(Neumo's) Does not liking the Explosion make me an asshole? The Jade Tree act, who formed in 1998 and released their debut full-length in 2000, is everything I probably should like--Boston pop punk flavored with occasional Social Distortion guitars and many fist-in-the-air sing-along moments… okay, so it's everything I'd like in a band if I were still 18. But to me, the Explosion has always just been a punk rock cover band (even if they do write their own songs). They're great at what they do, but what they do just ain't great enough. MEGAN SELING
MURDOCK, DIRTY POWER, THE HITCH, MOS GENERATOR
(Sunset) San Francisco's Dirty Power not only cover Ratt's "Round and Round," they keep the lighter flame for melodic heavy-metal guitar solos burning strong. The band's new EP, A Small Offering, pays homage to the days (if not the range) of the Judas Priest falsetto and the strong-armed Black Sabbath rhythm section, a no-frills package that seems to please purists of the genre. JENNIFER MAERZ
AKIMBO, THE RUBY DOE, FALL OF TROY, MIKAELA'S FIEND
(Vera Project) Akimbo's newest record, City of the Stars, falls a little short, neglecting to capture the fire and fury of the band's dazzling hardcore explosion. On stage, though, trust me, it's totally there. Singer Jon Weisnewski's face turns bright red and drips with sweat as he shreds his vocal chords to bits, spitting out lines like "Cut the ice and drink the mountain's tears. I rule the plains with frozen fists" (from "I'm a Fucking Ice Giant" on Elephantine). Pissed off guitars fight it out with frantic drumming that makes my arms tense up and cramp just listening to it. Akimbo is an electrical storm, and they usually turn whatever crowd has gathered to witness them into a sweaty, bubbling pot of bodies. Be warned. This show is also a CD-release celebration for the Ruby Doe's latest, Always with Wings (Loveless). It's a blistering collection of D.C. punk rock sensibilities wrapped in a tight, writhing math rock package that takes me back to the summer I refused to listen to anything but Fugazi, Jawbox, and Minor Threat. Man, that was a good summer. MEGAN SELING
MONDAY 1/31
I thought it'd never end.
TUESDAY 2/1
But it did.
WEDNESDAY 2/2
JUDGE JULES, DJ EVA
(Chop Suey) See Data Breaker, page 39.