HELL'S BELLES, ALIYAH AND SALOME GALIA, MIA BOYLE AND LISA HOPKINS
(Sunset) It's just like rain: Seattleites can always count on the fact that within months of a band announcing their final local show, they'll be back on stage again, whether it's for a benefit show or just because they realized they were worth more together than apart. I could fill this page with the names of bands who have bid a fond, sad, or even angry farewell only to return in their entirety, or as some hodgepodge Frankenstein version. Hell's Belles don't seem to have been all that serious about that final Seattle show early last fall, because this isn't the first bill the all-female AC/DC tribute band has appeared on since then. Whatever the case, the women have proved themselves to be fine musicians who can rock every bit as hard as Malcolm and Angus Young--and probably tower over them physically, too. KATHLEEN WILSON
FRIDAY 1/10
LAZY COWGIRLS, THE SUPERBEES
(Comet) See Stranger Suggests, page 19.
ELVIS INVITATIONALS FEATURING MEMPHIS MAFIA AND NIGHT OF THE LIVING ELVIS
(EMP's Sky Church) The Elvis Invitationals have gone big-time; tonight the annual event will take place at the EMP rather than its longtime home, the Crocodile. The contest pits all manner of Elvis impersonators and interpreters against each other as they compete to win Best in Show. Count on celebrity guests and judges culled from the local music and performance community--the Almost Live alums are favorites, as are the musicians. Here's some trivia: A current member of the Long Winters once walked away with the grand prize after performing with a huge dildo stuffed down his brown (gasp!) leather pants. KATHLEEN WILSON
CREEPER LAGOON, AVEO, NEO
(Graceland) On Creeper Lagoon's new EP, Remember the Future, the band is in a decidedly thoughtful mood, loading each track with gliding vocals and strings ranging from acoustic guitar to Dobro to cello. "So Little to Give" is the most angelic song; its vocals are wrapped in an eerie, deep-retro sound, while the backing harmonies descend from fullness to little more than a sigh. Other tracks on the EP layer looped beats under delicate acoustic or fuzzed-out electric guitar, making the whole package sound quite unlike anything Creeper Lagoon has done before--which would make sense, since Sharky Laguana is the only member left over from the group's last release. Aveo is a local three-piece that wears its influences--which include the Smiths and early-'90s Brit-pop bands--on its sleeve. Singer William Wilson's malleable vocals add desolation to lyrics studded with loneliness. KATHLEEN WILSON
RIGHT ON!, THE VICTOR MATURE, MOVEMENT, DJ JOHNNY HOTROD
(Sit & Spin) Former U-Men and Crows drummer Charlie Ryan anchors Right On!, a '60s- and early-'70s-influenced band that blends garage rock with the mood of black-and-white juvenile delinquent movies to produce a sound that's dangerous and posturing at the same time. KATHLEEN WILSON
HENRY ROLLINS
(Moore) Of all the projects Henry Rollins has involved himself with over the years, I've liked Black Flag the best. Probably not the highest praise for someone who has spent the past decade-plus making his personal issues public through writing, acting, and barking along to music, but Rollins' post-Black Flag rants have felt too one-dimensional to me. This tour is all spoken-word stuff, so expect to hear the gym rat's acerbic take on society, delivered with the cynical candor of a standup comedian. For those who prefer Rollins' writing in the musical form, his publishing house, 2.13.61, recently released Unwelcomed Songs: Collected Lyrics 1980-1992. JENNIFER MAERZ
THE AMAZOMBIES, THE HOLLOWPOINTS, THE SHEMPS, CHASED AND SMASHED
(Zak's) A friend recently passed along These Bands Are Coming to Eat Seattle, a great punk compilation featuring Mea Culpa, the Hollowpoints, and the Amazombies. Since putting it on, I can't get one song out of my head: the Hollowpoints' "P.O.W.," a super-catchy call-and-response-chorus antiwar song about refusing to die for your country. If you're into the newer pop-anthem punk that still has a spine (à la the Distillers), the Hollowpoints' politically aware stance makes their hook-laced music that much better. The Amazombies have signed to Go-Kart Records, and have a new album coming out soon. The trio includes two female singers who manage to sound gritty and sweet in the course of one speedy song, while their Y-chromosome counterpart balances the act with a hearty, grizzled-sounding voice. If you hit this show, be sure not to miss out-of-towners the Shemps, an excellently wild, Sonics-loving garage-rock act from New York. You can feel the sweat droplets still steaming on their vinyl; they remind me of the Cheater Slicks--just as wild, only much less intoxicated. You'd have to be nailed to your seat not to jump around to these guys, and I'm really excited to see what comes along with their live show. JENNIFER MAERZ
SATURDAY 1/11
NEB, BILL HORIST
(Rendezvous) Tonight Seattle's Neb bring their white-noise punk to the Rendezvous; they're playing their last show for a little while. The band jams hard-rock spikes through feedback-drenched punk, occasionally drifting into a melodic dream-state before returning with fanged aggression. Also on the bill is Bill Horist, a noted experimental guitarist who forms part of Nervewheel and has worked with acts including Spiritualized, Freddie Hubbard, and Medeski, Martin & Wood. The show tonight is at 10:30, but if you get to the club at 7:30 you can also watch The Wizard of Oz synced up to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. JENNIFER MAERZ
American Sheriff, PLEASEEASAUR, PLASTIQ PHANTOM
(Chop Suey) Pleaseeasaur has a lot on its plate this year, including an Australian tour with funnyman (or not-so-funnyman) Neil Hamburger, and a 22-track album titled Pleaseeasaur International Airport on Australian imprint V8 Records. Add that to the band's recent tour with the Black Heart Procession, an upcoming 200th-show celebration, and about six other projects, and you have one of the hardest-working acts in the world. The fact that this is the creative outpouring of one man--namely, J. P. Hasson--makes Pleaseeasaur a must-see (if you haven't already). You'll laugh and be amazed. KATHLEEN WILSON
SILKWORM, CONSONANT, CHECK ENGINE, 31 KNOTS
(Crocodile) Idaho/Washington trio Silkworm have had several "sounds" over the years; their most recent album, Italian Platinum, found the band returning from alt-country dalliances to their more satisfying, original rock form. Consonant features Clint Conley, Chris Brokaw, Matt Kadane, and Winston Braman (culling members of Bedhead, the New Year, Come, Mission of Burma, and Fuzzy). On the supergroup's self-titled album, they sound like a heavier version of the New Year--and the New Year's 2001 release, Newness Ends, only hinted at heavier capabilities. Indiana's Check Engine play highbrow, art-damaged lounge music mixed with math rock. The band is composed of two vocalists, two guitarists, a drummer, a bassist, and a saxophone player, and features former members of Sweep the Leg Johnny, Big'N, and Lynx. 31 Knots are just as complicated but less flashy, rounding out a bill that boasts more musical brainpower than you'll likely experience all year. KATHLEEN WILSON
TEEN CTHULHU, THE FITNESS, CEPHIED, U.S.E.
(Graceland) All snarled lips and faux-British accents, the Fitness walk the familiar fine line that separates utterly vapid posturing from fuck-all celebration. Guitars and drum machines, synths and spread legs--I know it sounds a little familiar, but the difference is that the Fitness appear to have unintentionally stumbled upon something that many of those other exhausted electro bands have missed: an ill-defined "it" that I just can't seem to justify in my head. From their ode to celebrity stalking to their tasteless rendition of "Beat on the Brat," the Fitness just do... well... it so goddamned well. I really didn't want to like it, honest. Maybe it's something about the blend of shameless hedonism that slides through their music like a maxed-out credit card, or the simple fact that they seem to embrace everything I claim to oppose, but there's this impossible allure I can't resist. The Fitness do it right. Now if I can only figure out what "it" is. ZACHARY PENNINGTON
THE FALL-OUTS, THE SERMON, THE DARK PLACES
(Sunset) There's really some poetic irony in my belated introduction to the irrepressible Fall-Outs, Dave Holmes' criminally overlooked local garage dynasty. Scouring music bins in a thrift store in Everett, I stumbled across immaculate copies of both Sleep and Here I Come and Other Hits. Recycling a no doubt boundless catalog of quarter-bin history, the Fall-Outs map the sum of their influences with academic scrutiny. The Fastbacks that should have been, the Fall-Outs write pop songs for themselves, play modest, comfortable shows a few times a year, and haven't released a proper record in over seven years. You're probably not going to this show. "The Fall-Outs are an eternal institution," you'll say. "The Fall-Outs will be there next time." But god knows when they'll decide to take another hiatus, so you better see them while their collective whim is with you. ZACHARY PENNINGTON
SUNDAY 1/12
THE ROGERS SISTERS, DISPLAY, POINT LINE PLANE, THE CHARMING SNAKES
(Crocodile) See preview, page 32.
ERYKAH BADU, CODY CHESNUTT, DJ VITAMIN D
(Showbox) See preview, page 35.
REGGIE WATTS
(Le Pichet) Agreed--Reggie Watts singing soul in Le Pichet is a bit much. Le Pichet is a cool French restaurant on First Avenue that's a bit pricey, but well worth it. Coupling this (French cool) with the neo-soul cool of Reggie Watts, the lead singer of Maktub, seems excessive. Another thing is the actual space itself; where exactly is Watts going to sing in this restaurant? It's so tiny, and easily fills up with diners and drinkers. If you can get there early, and don't mind the double coolness of it all, you will certainly enjoy a very intimate performance. CHARLES MUDEDE
MONDAY 1/13
Don't let it get you down.
TUESDAY 1/14
ROLLERBALL, TRANS ATLANTIC ICEFLOE, NERVEWHEEL, YAM
(Crocodile) See preview, page 33.
WEDNESDAY 1/15
XIU XIU, THE SWEET SCIENCE, the dobbs
(Showbox Green Room) See Stranger Suggests, page 19.
