MEME
This CoCA-sponsored series seeks to expose sonic elements shared by rock and experimental music. I've dabbled in both. At its best, rock supplies attitude and urgency. Messing with experimental music demands a bigger, bolder leap: questioning all musical parameters, from the requirement of a steady rhythm to whether or not the performers should even show up. The series' inaugural show features Steve Gigante of the Olympia-based free-improvising ensemble Old Time Relijun, the Murderous Copulation of Birds (with Gregory Reynolds on alto sax and the occult voice of Cristin Miller), and a solo violin performance by Michael White. CoCA, 1420 11th Ave, 728-1980, 9 pm, $5.
KALLISTI
Featuring the talented (and perpetually misspelled) Dan Blunck, this adventurous trio of woodwinds, bass, and trombone plays a mix of angular compositions and out-jazz improvisation. Aside from celebrating the release of their first and eponymously titled CD, this gig kicks off Kallisti's West Coast tour and includes a collaboration with members of Lingo Dance Theater. Velocity Mainspace Theatre at Oddfellows Hall, 915 East Pine, 329-6999, 8 pm, $3/$5.
DAMO SUZUKI
Back in the early '90s, every musician I knew adored Can; the only debate was whether the spaced-out rock of Tago Mago or the skittering electro-minimalism of Future Days was the group's magnum opus. Suzuki, vocalist on those and other early-'70s Can LPs, conjures hallucinatory lyrics that waft in and out of the realm of poetic obscurity. Damo Suzuki's Network continues Can's blend of improvised jazz, free-form rock, and verbal whimsy. Local avant-rockers Kinski join in the fun. Crocodile Cafe, 2200 Second Ave, 441-5611, 9:30 pm, $10.
ROLLING THUNDER DEMOCRACY TOUR
Explaining the chasm between radical artists and radical activists demands a doctoral thesis, so suffice to say I'm glad that amid the ocean of rock and folk, two radical music acts somehow snuck in: Christian Swenson, who uses his body as a percussion instrument, and Non Grata, an outgrowth of the Monktail Creative Music Concern. Petrovitsky Park, 16400 Petrovitsky Rd, Renton, 686-2975, 10 am-10 pm, $5/$10.
OLYMPIC MUSIC FESTIVAL
This rustic festival continues apace with performances of chamber music for string trio and piano. On the program: Haydn's Trio in E Minor for Piano and Strings, Turina's Quartet in A Minor for Piano and Strings, op. 67, and Schumann's fastidious Trio in F Major for Piano and Strings, op. 60. The Barn, Center Road outside of Quilcene, 527-8839, 2 pm, $13/$22.
ORCHESTRA SEATTLE
Assistant Conductor Justin Cole leads Orchestra Seattle in Handel's Concerto Grosso in B Flat Major, op. 6, no. 7. The Seattle Chamber Singers chime in for a Bach cantata, Der Herr denket an uns, BWV 196, and sing excerpts from Henry Purcell's Fairy Queen. Recital Hall at Benaroya, 200 University St, 682-5208, 8 pm, $12/$25.
JAZZ REDNECKS
Led by bassist James Whiton, this sextet jams on familiar tunes and quirky originals. Extra horn players might show up, too. Industrial Café, 5503 Airport Way S, 763-0354, 8 pm, $5.
