THE TRACHTENBURG FAMILY SLIDESHOW PLAYERS, DORKWEED, BILLY MOON AND ROB BENSON
(Chop Suey) See Stranger Suggests, page 23.
DEV79, FIRESTORM VIPER, SPORADIK, NOGUNRI
(Rendezvous) The basic subgenres of electronic music get smashed to experimental shreds when these four acts come together, re-forming the pieces into the lost fringes of everything from hiphop to ambient and dancehall. Philadelphia's dev79 has received much recognition in his home city for his boundary-busting work, including an award in 2002 for being the city's abstract hiphop artist of the year. Seattle's Firestorm Viper is a digital hardcore assailant, using harsh noise as his weaponry in an attack on more civilized electronic constructions. Each of the artists here uses different aspects of electronic music to subvert the easily accessible, spit-shined beats and breaks of the mainstream into something much more difficult--and ideally, more interesting--to swallow. JENNIFER MAERZ
JAY FARRAR, TIM EASTON
(Showbox) Though they spawned a genre and undying devotion, Uncle Tupelo's lauded albums sound naive compared to the further output of the band's singers. Jay Farrar's Sun Volt felt forced, but his solo work finds the artist experimenting with his talent, making 2001's Sebastopol and new release Terroir Blues exciting in their unpredictable punk blues sound. KATHLEEN WILSON
SOLEDAD BROTHERS, THE EARACHES, LOS PELIGROSOS
(Crocodile) The Soledad Brothers don't just steal licks, they hijack them. They straight-up strong-arm other artists and take the licks right out of their hands and then beat them over the head with them. They are the terrorists of lick-stealing. Why is this okay? It's okay because the Soledad Brothers are ripping their stuff straight out of the Delta--where it's all up for grabs anyway, right? They're building songs out of public-domain riffs and screams that go beyond whatever post-Jack White backlash the public might be suffering. They also dig into a world of greasy R&B that sounds like the Yardbirds if Jeff Beck had one hand. Sure, the world doesn't need another white guy who can shred it up on the slide guitar and refer to himself in the third person--unless of course that guy is really good at it. JON PRUETT
FRIDAY 7/25
CEX, UNITED STATE OF ELECTRONICA, ANIMAL COLLECTIVE, OGURUSU NORIHIDE
(Crocodile) See preview, page 41.
BUILT TO SPILL, PORTER HARP & FRIENDS, HAPPY STARS
(Tractor) See Stranger Suggests, page 23.
DOC MARTIN, RAVI, JEROMY NAIL
(Chop Suey) See Speaker Freak, page 48.
THE IMMORTAL LEE COUNTY KILLERS II, THE DT'S, THE STAR SPANGLED BASTARDS
(Sunset) See preview, page 39.
THE GUN STREET GIRLS, ANTZ INVASION, ABNEY PARK
(Catwalk) Two remnants from the past bubble up to the present in one lineup. The Gun Street Girls revive the good old days of burlesque, taking us back to a time when a little lingerie and lot of booty-shaking went a long way. The cover band Antz Invasion take us back to the '80s in a neon-striped time machine with Sir Adam Ant steering the vessel. ANTHONY REYES
WATERY GRAVES, NEW LUCK TOY, THE BLANK-ITS, LEATHER BOY
(Lobo Saloon) Because he's one of those quiet geniuses--the kind that casually drops a comment that resonates with superb wit and observation--Watery Graves' frontman may scream over his band's beautifully heavy sound, but his lyrics are full of the same pointed clarity. New Luck Toy frontman Stevil is full of beans, as they say, making his new-wave-influenced band a blast to see live. KATHLEEN WILSON
THE DIVORCE, THE LASHES, THE CATCH, RADIO BERLIN
(Graceland) Ah, the Lashes. They've always begged for the limelight, making no bones about the fact that they were, and still are, big fat hams hungry to bust into the hipster scene. You want to be irritated by their tactics, but you can't because they're so damn nice as people, and the band is a reminder that showy performers can be fun. And I'm not just saying that because they wrote and recorded a song about me, either. If you've been too skeptical to check the six-piece, garagey pop band out, tonight's your chance to break down the wall and have some unexpected fun. KATHLEEN WILSON
THE DEAD SCIENCE (CD RELEASE) W/THE TERROR SHEETS, GOOD FOR COWS
(Vera Project) The Dead Science blows fresh avant-garde air into Seattle's rock scene. Guitarist/vocalist Sam Mickens is only 21, but he writes with a wisdom well beyond his years, and his elongated sighs and poignant whispers soar and swoop between Thom Yorke grandiosity and Nick Drake melancholy. The alarmingly skillful Bischoff brothers (Jherek on contrabass, Korum on drums) can hold their own with Knitting Factory ringers or Nick Cave's Bad Seeds back when they still had fire in their bellies. On their new, accomplished debut, Submariner, the Dead Science maneuver through eerie, serpentine art songs with poise and steely-eyed fierceness. Not surprisingly from a band with connections to Xiu Xiu and Degenerate Art Ensemble, these guys know what Sturm und Drang means and handle odd time signatures like free-jazz greats (one of the members, Michael White, contributes violin), but they still can spark enough friction to set ablaze your Sonic Youth vinyl. DAVE SEGAL
SATURDAY 7/26
SQUAREPUSHER, LUKE VIBERT (AKA WAGON CHRIST)
(Chop Suey) See preview, page 41.
SLENDER MEANS SOCIETY PRESENTS "MY RELATIONSHIP" W/THE MICROPHONES (MOUNT EERIE), P:ANO, KARL BLAU, KIMYA DAWSON
(Vera Project) See Stranger Suggests, page 23.
THE FEEDERZ, THE BRIEFS, RABID DOGS, THE CURSES
(Catwalk) After a triumphant homecoming where they not only sold out the Comet, but, rumor has it, helped the bar sell all its beer, the Briefs are doing their last show for a while, so catch them while you can before they take a break to start working on new material. Headlining the bill are the Feederz, whose albums have such acerbic titles as Ever Feel Like Killing Your Boss? and Vandalism: Beautiful As a Rock in a Cop's Face. This from a band whose frontman, Frank Discussion, once performed at a legendary Gilman Street show in Berkeley draped in a dead cat with live crickets glued to his head, and another time (legend also has it) opened fire on his audience with a round of blanks. The San Francisco punk band is back to fuck with anything and everything the general public could possibly hold sacred. JENNIFER MAERZ
LES NUBIANS, ZAP MAMA
(Showbox) Just as the tomb of the whole Afrocentric movement in hiphop was completely sealed by ghettocentric labels like No Limit Records, out of nowhere came Les Nubians in 1998 with a French-based version in the form of a CD titled Princesses Nubiennes (the black princesses). Their success in North America surpassed even that of French rapper MC Solaar, who never made as many sales or guest appearances on American rap and R&B CDs as Les Nubians have so far. The duo, who voluptuously wear a mix of urban and African clothes, are not that bad, but they are also not that interesting, especially if you are very familiar with late-'80s tribes like Soul II Soul and Jungle Brothers. Maybe it all comes down to this: Les Nubians sing in French and so, unlike much of the Afrocentric stuff that was produced in English, their version at least sounds sexy. CHARLES MUDEDE
THE MEXICAN BLACKBIRDS, THE KNOCKOUT PILLS
(Comet) See Live Wire, page 43.
Les Savy Fav, Elefant, S PRCSS
(Graceland) It's always a sexy night whenever Les Savy Fav hits the Graceland stage, but tonight the swaggering charisma of Elefant singer Diego Garcia adds gasoline to the fire. Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid is not only a perfectly titled album sure to catch the attention of Seattle pop lovers, but its lush throwback to the romantic crooners of the '80s--Morrissey and Robert Smith, of course--makes it irresistible in its poetic adolescent charm. Sure, you can hear the influences Garcia incorporates in his modern interpretation, but the bold guitar work augments what might otherwise seem fey. Keyboards and monotone whining is so last century. Keyboards, monotone whining, and guitars is here to stay. KATHLEEN WILSON
Sunday 7/27
Snoop Dogg
(Paramount) As Martha Stewart falls, Snoop Dogg rises like a star. True, the two represent diametrically opposed versions of America (Martha Stewart markets the utopia of middle-class America; Snoop Dogg markets the dystopia of ghetto America), but they are basically in the same racket: They sell lifestyles. Tentacular Snoop Dogg has reaches not only in porn, rap music, the rolling-paper business, Hollywood, and the clothing industry, but also in TV land, where he has his own show on MTV, Doggy Fizzle Televizzle, that's fast attracting fans--one of whom is our own Kathleen Wilson. It is only a matter of time before Snoop Dogg is on Good Morning America, showing us handy things you can do in the ghetto. Charles Mudede Monday 7/28
The Mars Volta, Saul Williams, The Rye Coalition
(Showbox) See preview, page 37.
Tuesday 7/29
FLESHIES, THE INTELLIGENCE, THE HEART ATTACKS
(Chop Suey) Fleshies are a spastic punk/metal hybrid that take the rabid explosiveness of both genres and set them on fire with a hyper sense of humor; the Intelligence, a local, newly reconfigured, garagey art-punk act, are quickly catching on in this city for good reason. I have yet to see local punks the Heart Attacks, but I've heard good things about them--which, all in all, should make this a fun show. JENNIFER MAERZ
The Lights, Snitches Get Stitches
(Re-bar) I recently got an advance of the new Lights record from Bop Tart, their local label, and I can't stop hitting "repeat." "Your Boyfriend Has a Pretty Machine" is getting deserved airplay on KEXP; if you've yet to hear the song--with its robotic marching beat, fluttering rhythms, and slightly distorted vocals--take a listen to these guys soon, because they're so fucking good they won't stay under the radar for long. If you like the new rock that's coming out of New York (the dancey, dark pop rumblings with bass lines so low they could keep you in black for hours, and guitar chords that vibrate into dissonance), the Lights are a great bridge between post-punk and post-pop. They weave hooks into every song, while still sounding like a couple of cool kids with record collections that could make the rest of us very envious. JENNIFER MAERZ
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, The Extra Action Marching Band, Natalie Wouldn't, On The Tree, Stingshark
(Fenix Underground) Sleepytime Gorilla Museum carry the torch in a long line of theatrical, slightly brainy Bay Area experimental bands--a line that includes a couple of their members' past outfits, Idiot Flesh and the Balkan-inspired Charming Hostess. But Sleepytime, who formed in the late '90s, are already more popular than either of those groups, appealing to avant-garde geeks, Primus fans, and curious metalheads in equal numbers. In fact, their violin-guitar-bass-drums-percussion lineup recalls one of Robert Fripp's mid-'70s King Crimson lineups--"It's just like Red," my drunken prog-loving friend approvingly slurred to me during one of SGM's shows. Then again, this ain't the '70s anymore, and SGM knows that. WILL YORK
Wednesday 7/30
Dying Fetus, Skinless, Divine Empire, Misery Index
(Graceland) Even better than band names that scandalize conservative watchdogs are monikers that the right-wingers might inadvertently support. With a few cleverly worded calls to the right offices, Dying Fetus could ensure that picketers would line the pavement in front of Graceland, all fighting for the band's right to live. These folks might not be so keen on tunes such as "Kill Your Mother/Rape Your Dog," but Dying Fetus is the band of choice for death-metal enthusiasts, who love its bludgeoning blastbeats, violent yet literate lyrics, trigonometrically technical song structures, and glass-gargling dual vocalists. The Maryland outfit has terminated most of the lineup responsible for 1998's standout Killing on Adrenaline, preserving only one member, but former bassist Jason Netherton's new baby Misery Index rides along on this tour. ANDREW MILLER
