THURSDAY 10/19

COMMON MARKET, AWESOME, CHOKLATE, SUNTZU SOUND, WET
(Showbox) Seattle Art Museum is getting all down with the kids these days and, to that end, has put together this benefit, called Zeitgeist, to help with its remodel. The tickets are a modest $25 (modest for a SAM benefit, anyway), the idea being that if the youngsters give a little, they'll gain a sense of investment in "their" museum. The bill fits this "I am SAM" theme: Choklate is our R&B diva, SunTzu Sound our broken-beat torchbearers, "Awesome" our flagship avant-rock loons, and Common Market our hometown hiphop heroes. BRENDAN KILEY

JASON ANDERSON, JASON WEBLEY, GOLDEN BOOTS
(Paradox) A K Records staple who's also been known to keep company with the Saddle Creek contingent, the eternally baseball-capped Jason Anderson isn't quite as easy to pigeonhole as his company might suggest. His music's an uneasy confluence of irony and earnest melancholia (but in a way that's considerably less nauseating than that of most singer-songwriters of his ilk). Anderson somehow elevates the sad-bastard confines of the acoustic guitar set into a Nor'eastern revival of a live show—effectively force-feeding the cold hearts a dose of life-affirming exuberance. Confused? Just know this: Dude can work a crowd. ZAC PENNINGTON

FRIDAY 10/20

MSTRKRFT, RECESS, KADEEJAH STREETS
(Chop Suey, late) Like any electronic artist with actual personality, MSTRKRFT have their share of haters, but Jesse F. Keeler (of Death from Above 1979) and Al-P not only have the looks and critical profile, but the skills to move the dance floor. The duo's remixes are, if not groundbreaking, then at least fun and functional, and their original full-length, The Looks, is overloaded with the kind of buzzing synths, big beats, and silly hooks that made Daft Punk such a hit with the much-maligned "rock kids." Local DJs Recess and Kadeejah Streets consistently satisfy Seattle's need for smart, skillful party rocking whether in the club or at the afterparty. ERIC GRANDY

STRIKE ANYWHERE, BANE, A GLOBAL THREAT, THIS IS HELL
(El Corazón, early) The album title Dead FM befits a group that has no shot at commercial airplay, but Strike Anywhere aren't ethically averse to broader acceptance. The Richmond, Virginia—based band balance clarion melodies with incendiary sentiments, concocting increasingly accessible rallying cries that soar over their galloping-steed drumbeats. Live, dynamic singer Thomas Barnett flouts stereotypes about white dudes with dreads being laconic, and the guitarists stage leap with urgency, as if every emphatic landing literally stamped out oppression. Eschewing snarky satire and earnest sloganeering, Strike Anywhere suit punk idealists who are eager for change but not yet sure they have all the answers. ANDREW MILLER

CURSIVE, THE THERMALS, CHIN UP CHIN UP
(Neumo's) Cursive frontman Tim Kasher has matured into a deft lyricist since his band's inception more than 10 years ago, but his literary growth seems to have come at the expense of the group's more passionate, unbridled moments—the ones that earned them their initial fan base. Where exactly the more introspective and conceptual tangents in Happy Hollow take their career remains to be seen, but I'm willing to bet they still throw down hard in a live setting. After all, they don't want spaz-tastic openers the Thermals showing them up, so expect high-energy delivery all around. HANNAH LEVIN

SALT, PURTY MOUTH, THE OVULATORS
(Sunset Tavern, early) It's easy to hear why the ladies who make up the Eugene, Oregon—based Ovulators landed themselves a gig as the house band in a local production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Their glitter-strewn arrangements possess a clear post-Riot Grrrl energy, but one that echoes the genre's sassy, good-humored side more than its serious, subversive ambitions. They also come armed with a chorus of gorgeous harmonies; their voices blend with a celestial sheen that will give fans of '90s cult act that dog. a serious case of nostalgia. HANNAH LEVIN

THE BEAUTIFUL MOTHERS, BEAT SENSELESS, THE VALLEY, DJ BEN HOOKER
(Sunset Tavern, late) See Rocka Rolla, page 57.

THE PALE PACIFIC, RACETRACK, PETER PARKER, PATIENCE PLEASE
(Fusion Cafe at Downtown YMCA, Vera) After taking time off to do grown-up things like get married, Northwest faves the Pale Pacific are back with an increasingly rare local performance. While jobs and changes in marital status haven't altered the band's buoyant, bittersweet emo pop, they have kind of put live shows on the endangered species list. That's a shame, because this is a band who put 100 percent into their stage time, adding another layer of urgency and energy to the songs. Catch 'em now, while you still have the chance. BARBARA MITCHELL

SATURDAY 10/21

NEIL HAMBURGER, PLEASEEASAUR, VELELLA VELELLA
(Chop Suey) See Rocka Rolla, page 57.

THE BLACK ANGELS, THE TYDE, FLEET FOXES
(Neumo's) Unsurprisingly, the British press has recently gone apeshit for Austin's Black Angels, with Anglo tastemakers like Mojo and Uncut calling for their immediate deification. They've also landed themselves a high-profile manager in the form of Nick Stern, the man behind this spring's deafening Clap Your Hands Say Yeah buzz. This is good news for the Angels and I'm happy for them—I just hope it doesn't go to their heads, causing them to foolishly abandon local label Light in the Attic Records and sell their psychedelic souls to a major. Confidential to the Angels: If the suits come a courtin', just remember that LITA loved you first. HANNAH LEVIN

AT THE SPINE, OPEN CHOIR FIRE, EASTERN GRIP
(Sunset) See Rocka Rolla, page 57.

THE HOLD STEADY, SEAN NA NA, NEUTRAL BOY
(Crocodile) See Rocka Rolla, page 57.

IRVING, SO MANY DYNAMOS
(Paradox) So Many Dynamos? So much awesome! They sound like Death Cab for Cutie covering Q and Not U, but with the fellas in Dismemberment Plan manning the boards. Seriously. Innovative and spastic, poppy and electric—it's fierce, it's explosive... goddammit, have I written enough adjectives yet? Pick up their latest release, Flashlights, on Skrocki Records, if only to hear "Progress." It'll make you wanna do the robot. Then you can backtrack to their debut record, When I Explode (also on Skrocki), which is the perfect album to listen to while you wave your hands in the air and jump around like the rock 'n' roll—loving fool you are. MEGAN SELING

SUISHOU NO FUNE
(Electric Heavyland, 252 NE 45th St, 6 pm) When it comes to heavy psych rock, the Japanese generally don't mess around. The best bands in the genre (Boredoms, Acid Mothers Temple, Mainliner) bring it to the point where "over the top" seems an inadequate term for their nuclear tack. Suishou No Fune, however, take a more restrained approach; they favor a dewy, mystical intensity and put a glumly melodic spin on their lost-soul psychedelia. The trio's CD on Holy Mountain Records, Where the Spirits Are, casts a tenebrous spell with its oxblood guitar drones, leaden rhythms, and tormented female vocals. (SNF also play a later show at a secret all-ages venue.) DAVE SEGAL

SUNDAY 10/22

HANZEL UND GRETYL, BELLA MORTE, CHURCH OF HATE, WYKKED WYTCH
(Fenix) Halloween celebrants still searching for costume ideas might want to follow Hanzel und Gretyl's example and co-opt their favorite nationality. Having already established evil credibility by naming themselves after a fairy tale that contains cannibalism, child abandonment, and witchery, this New York duo further blackened the cauldron, singing in the inherently frightening Teutonic tongue. After lifting lyrics verbatim from Hogan's Heroes reruns, Kaizer Von Loopy and Vas Kallas skewered their adopted heritage with tracks such as "Third Reich from the Sun." H&G's tour-only EP Oktötenfest delivers more industrial riffs, throbbing beats, and multilingual mayhem, and their leather-intensive stage show recalls the genuinely German KMFDM. ANDREW MILLER

SINKING SHIPS, SHOOK ONES, LEGIT, SUNSET RIDERS, DRAGLINE
(West Seattle American Legion Hall) See Stranger Suggests, page 47, and Underage, page 78.

MONDAY 10/23

DAEDELUS, CAURAL, THAVIUS BECK, TRUCKASAURUS
(Chop Suey) So many layers of eccentricities for this bill featuring three Mush Records artists... Thavius Beck creates lush, epic, and chaotic hiphop infused with non-cliché industrial textures and drill 'n' bass rhythms. Caural peddles oneiric shoegazer atmospheres, eerie melodies, and off-kilter funk beats; imagine an American Luke Vibert with a My Bloody Valentine fetish. Daedelus wields some of the most whimsical and odd production techniques in underground hiphop. He can funkify and psychedelicize even the quaintest, corniest sounds. Locals Truckasaurus tweak Roland drum machines and Game Boys into electro-funk tomfoolery in front of films depicting homoerotic WWF and monster-truck shenanigans. Whoa. DAVE SEGAL

JELLO BIAFRA
(El CorazĂłn) See Stranger Suggests, page 47.

DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND, HUH-UH, JENNA RIOT
(High Dive) Most happening Seattle ladies between 19 and 30 go through a phase in life I refer to as "All Tomorrow's Parties." Are you on a first-name basis with the kids at Atlas and Red Light? Does your posse contain at least two drag queens and two drug dealers? Were your last three sexual partners musicians? Does the gigantic knockoff bag you're lugging around contain underpants and a toothbrush? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, get your slutty, fabulous ass to the High Dive tonight and meet your new electroclash goddess, Jenna Riot. MA'CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR

THE BLACK ANGELS, THE TYDE, VOYAGER ONE
(Neumo's) See Saturday's preview.

WITCHCRAFT, DANAVA, MOS GENERATOR
(Sunset) See preview, page 60.

ALLEN TOUSSAINT
(Triple Door) The Meters. "Lady Marmalade." Dr. John. Irma Thomas. "Yes We Can Can." Little Feat. Elvis Costello. Betty Harris. "Fortune Teller." Aaron Neville. Shirley & Lee. "Mother-in-Law." The Band. This is just a quick, off-the-top-of-my-head list of some of the songs and artists associated with Allen Toussaint, as a producer, composer, horn arranger, or session pianist. For over a half-century, he has helped to define the sound of New Orleans. He might just be the Crescent City's most talented export. Ever. And judging from his stellar performance at the Americana Honors & Awards in Nashville last month, his live shows have only grown more passionate and powerful in the wake of the past year's trials. KURT B. REIGHLY

TUESDAY 10/24

Stay home and rest; it was a long-ass weekend.

WEDNESDAY 10/25

CUT CHEMIST, LYRICS BORN, PIGEON JOHN
(Neumo's) See Stranger Suggests, page 47.

MORE

REGINA SPEKTOR: Thurs Oct 26, Moore

BE YOUR OWN PET, AWESOME COLOR, TALL FIRS: Thurs Oct 26, El CorazĂłn

BOUNCING SOULS, STREET DOGS, WHOLE WHEAT BREAD, LEFT ALONE: Sat Oct 28, El CorazĂłn

OZMA, EVERYBODY ELSE: Mon Oct 30, Chop Suey

HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS, RELIENT K, EMERY, PLAIN WHITE T'S, THE SLEEPING: Tues Oct 31, Fenix

KMFDM, COMBICHRIST, BLACK JAPAN: Tues Oct 31, Neumo's

JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS, EAGLES OF DEATH METAL: Wed Nov 1, Showbox

BAND OF HORSES: Sat—Sun Nov 4—5, Showbox

PET SHOP BOYS: Sun Nov 5, Paramount

ANATHALLO, PAGE FRANCE, GHOST STORIES: Tues Nov 7, Chop Suey

WOLF EYES, RAVEN STRAIN, SICK LLAMA: Thurs Nov 9, Crocodile

LADY SOVEREIGN, YOUNG LOVE: Sat Nov 11, Neumo's

ALICE IN CHAINS, HURT: Fri Nov 24, Paramount

THE LEMONHEADS, VIETNAM: Tues Nov 28, Crocodile

WOLFMOTHER: Sun Dec 3, Moore

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, JENNY LEWIS WITH THE WATSON TWINS: Sat Dec 9, KeyArena