The Aquabats, The Reunion Show, Fairview
(Graceland) See Underage, page 53.
Dara, AK1200, Dieselboy, J-Messinian
(Chop Suey) See Speaker Freak, page 54.
Hem, Leona Naess
(Tractor) Before a year or so ago, singer-songwriter Leona Naess just sounded like an Edie Brickell knockoff to me--and never having been a fan of hippie bands, I never gave Naess another thought. But now there's so much gossip attached to her name. She's a shipping magnate's daughter whose dad was once married to Diana Ross; she recently told some national journalists that she and longish-time boyfriend Ryan Adams are engaged; and now that all these articles are in print, it comes out that Adams may have traded Naess in and taken up with Parker Posey. What next? A three-way with new couple Winona Ryder and Page Hamilton? KATHLEEN WILSON
FRIDAY 8/1
OLD TIME RELIJUN, SWITCH, SAM MICKENS ENSEMBLE, retrieve the Wheel
(CoCA) On the heels of the recent gap-bridging four-track compilation Varieties of Religious Experience, Olympia's Old Time Relijun find themselves more composed than usual--a band in the traditional sense--and ever expanding the Southern-gothic howl of their roots. Varieties exposes the band's cut-and-paste past, with the early demo works of frontman Arrington de Dionyso bared in their rawest of forms. Tonight OTR is joined by Seattle's own Switch, a small pop orchestra fronted by experimental saxophonist Gregory Reynolds, and something freeform by Dead Science frontman Sam Mickens. ZAC PENNINGTON
Toots & The Maytals
(Ballard Firehouse) There is something about the voice of the legendary reggae/ska singer Frederick "Toots" Hibbert--the way he swings, the thickness (if not greenness) of his Jamaican accent--that makes it seem close to the bare bones of life, to the hard ground of reality. One who speaks in the Queen's English (or civil-servant English), or American newspeak, or even that clean brand of black American English which is heard on the pop singles of performers like Usher or Justin Timberlake, does not come as close to the basic matter of being as Toot's moans and muddy groans. The church-rocking spiritual "Got to Be There"; his Jamaican version of John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads"; his Jamaican version of James Brown's funky voice in "Funky Kingston"; "Pressure Drop" (which was famously remade--cleaned up--by the Clash); and my personal favorite, "Time Tough"--in these and many other songs, Toot's voice is that of Adam as he named the first animals and plants that lived and thrived in the Garden of Eden. CHARLES MUDEDE
OneLineDrawing, Acceptance, Red Tape, Lessick
(Graceland) Originally my plan was to point out how amazing Onelinedrawing (Jonah Matranga) is and how wonderful some of his songs are, but of all the times I've written about the ex-Far singer, I've neglected to bring to attention one (very important) fact: The dude is dead sexy! After seeing him live half a dozen times, after listening to his records, and even after meeting him in person (where I just stood there, mumbling something about a "good show" before running away like a dumb schoolgirl), I never realized how attractive he really is. Then I saw the bright orange flier around town, and it hit me--Jonah is totally, completely, and utterly wicked hot. I've talked about the music enough, so if you really want to know what he sounds like, do an archive search (or better yet, buy a record), because right now (as shallow is it makes me seem), I'm hypnotized by those eyes and that smile... oh wow. MEGAN SELING
Mudhoney, Alta May, Ronson Family Switchblade
(Hell's Kitchen) I'm as guilty of it as the next person, and I'm not saying they don't deserve it, but isn't it time we quit blowing Mudhoney for being the "godfathers of grunge" and started talking about how great they are today? Since We've Become Translucent is their bazillionth awesome record, another throbbing package of sludge, sleaze, and punk rock attitude (it was recorded in a week or something) highlighted by the sexy, saxy, psychedelic opening track "Baby, Can You Dig the Light" and the dirty "Where the Flavor Is." Long live Mudhoney! Alta May plays it heavy and loud as well, and that, with the addition of Ronson Family Switchblade, makes for a great bill. KATHLEEN WILSON
SATURDAY 8/2
An Albatross
(2nd Avenue Pizza) See preview, page 43.
Dear John Letters, THE Marazene Heartbeat Clock, DownPilot
(Sunset) See preview, page 45.
THE CHARMING SNAKES, BOTTLES AND SKULLS, Jailbirds
(Lobo Saloon) See preview, page 41.
Steely Dan
(Gorge) I'm an unrepentant Steely Dan fan up to 1980's Gaucho, after which I quit giving a damn. Can't Buy a Thrill was always a favorite album of mine--even as a nine-year-old I recognized the druggy shimmer of "Do It Again," but it took several more years for me to develop an appreciation of the complexities and irony within the band's talents. "Any Major Dude Will Tell You," off the follow-up Pretzel Logic, is a hard title to shake a stick at, too, although this was the album that featured Michael McDonald on backing vocals. But I was as disgusted as everyone else under the age of 40 when Steely Dan (essentially Donald Fagen and Walter Becker) won the three goddamn Grammys, including best pop album and album of the year (which they won over nominees Beck, Eminem, and Radiohead) for their 2000 comeback album Two Against Nature. I know the Grammys are bogus, but get the fuck out of here! KATHLEEN WILSON
Suffering and the Hideous Thieves, Asahi, Most, Botox Aftermath
(Mural Amphitheatre) While free, outdoor all-ages shows are always a boon to the community, I can't imagine a band less likely to perform in broad daylight than the wonderfully dark Suffering and the Hideous Thieves. They'd be perfect in a canning cellar, however, as their theatricality and orchestral sound make for a great show--a bit Nick Cave and a bit Tindersticks, but blown up and splintered. KATHLEEN WILSON
From Monument To Masses, The Vets, Eyes of Autumn, Ups
(Flophaus) If you asked a group of Bay Area poli-sci post-rock experimentalists to meet up on Craigslist and form a band that liked Tortoise, Japancakes, Negativland, Mogwai, and Autechre, nobody would believe you, but SF's From Monument to Masses live up to their description almost as much as they do to their cultish hype. Well-placed news/meme samples (Dr. Strangelove, Malcolm X) work as the band's secret weapon, politically charging the band's abstract guitar instrumentals. The rockist direction of their LP The Impossible Leap in One Hundred Simple Steps, in fact, has been the only anti-corporate equivalent to Adam Freeland's Bill Hicks-heightened "We Want Your Soul" all summer. But don't be scared of their GusGus-like art-collective of filmmakers, graphic designers, and accountants. They mean well--and, like Bright Shiny Object's curiously described "noise improv slide-show," their return to Seattle should be a good reason to start saying goodbye to our Fugazi consciousness forever. Guy Fawkes
XXX Audio, bringers, enders of ozone
(Comet Tavern) Local act XXX Audio map out punchy rock songs that at times sound influenced by both the Pixies (in the guitars) and the darker elements of garage punk (in the murkier undertones in their music). The band--which consists of members of the Bali Girls, the Black Panties, and Me Infecto--is fronted by Denise Maupin, whose voice carries the project from pop anthems to more melancholy rockers, swaggering between the two sides with confident range. JENNIFER MAERZ
AT THE SPINE, the band that murdered silence
(Cafe Venus) Political music is tricky, and miraculous when a band consistently makes it beautiful. At the Spine reminds the listener of the Minutemen: This trio comes on personal even as they try to light a candle against this new dark era. While D. Boon and co. sprang from jazz, At the Spine's subtle, classic protest songs spill from an adolescence steeped in '80s metal--which means this music is quite unlike anything you've ever heard. Imagine Pete Seeger fronting Iron Maiden with a young Mike Watt, and you get the idea. At the Spine's great, homemade debut, The Curriculum Is Never Neutral, barely hints at their live power: The band exults madly all over the room with a performance to banish all jadedness. This band is so strong and fresh that watching them, I can't help but imagine this is what it must have been like to see Nirvana in 1988. Grant Cogswell
SUNDAY 8/3
Gas Huffer, Lost Sounds, The Gloryholes, The Pinkos
(Sunset, late) See preview, page 41.
From Monument To Masses, Bright Shiny Object, guests
(Graceland) See Saturday's listing.
The Spits, The Triggers, bottles & skulls, the blank-its, DJ Ken Dirtnap
(Sunset, early) See Live Wire, page 47.
The Locust, Hella, Rah Bras, THE Red Light Sting, My Name Is Rar-Rar
(Vera Project) From deep within the 4AD-sounding universe that spawned acts like the Cocteau Twins, Love and Rockets, and Dead Can Dance comes the bizarro no wave of Richmond, VA's Rah Bras, who drift breathless/angelic vocals over sonics that range from aggressive, industrial punk to dreamy, ambient pop. Word has it the Lovitt Records trio's live performances are even more theatrical than their recorded material, which already comes draped in heavy gothic undertones. See also preview, page 43. JENNIFER MAERZ
MONDAY 8/4
Dogs are way sweet.
TUESDAY 8/5
Vikter duplaix
(Chop Suey) See Stranger Suggests, page 27.
Dolour
(Showbox Green Room) Shane Tutmarc's obviously influenced by the Beatles and Brian Wilson, and maybe not so obviously a few '70s stoner bands. But just because the Dolour singer/guitarist wears his musical loves on his sleeve, it doesn't make him a copycat artist--his 2001 debut, Waiting for a World War, is a sparkly pop album and a surprisingly good introduction to his work. Given that Tutmarc is the only constant member of Dolour, his promise of versatility is something to anticipate and look forward to. Until then, pop fiends: Unite! KATHLEEN WILSON
WEDNESDAY 8/6
The Tyde, Party Of One, Touchdown
(Graceland) The Tyde deserve to be heard for many reasons, the least of which should include their championing of Felt, possibly the most unsung guitar group of the '80s, whose guitarist, Maurice Deebank, deserves as many accolades as Sir Tom Verlaine. What's even better, with their second album, Twice--now available wherever fragile pop records are sold--the Tyde can now rest assured that their take on great pop music stands alone. Songs on the new album are bursting with a laid-back strength that their cousin group, Beachwood Sparks, probably would like to harness and ride off into country rock oblivion. Singer Darren Rademaker uses "Alright!" as a sentence punctuation on the album about 35 times and it sounds great every time. Even when the group wanders into Hawaiian shirt and tiny-Corona territory on the new track "Shortboard City," they do it with confidence and cool--so much so that you might want to bring a change of clothes to the show. JON PRUETT
Steve Turner, Marc Olsen
(Old Fire House) There are places in Marc Olsen's songs where he sounds like a close vocal relative of early Elliott Smith material--before Smith took to writing the grand, heavily orchestrated pop songs, back when he just allowed his voice and his guitar-playing to carry the song. Seattle's Olsen (formerly of Sage and Sky Cries Mary) has a similar confidence in appearing nearly instrumentally naked, and his singing style is linked into Smith's hushed, haunted aura, where melancholy floats on delicate brushes with a guitar chord and comes to rest in quiet moments of brooding melodies. JENNIFER MAERZ
