From the Nov 13 – Nov 19, 2003 issue

Music

Up & Coming

thursDAY 11/13


MIKEY DREAD & THE REVOLUTIONARY DREAM BAND, DJ ADX
(Ballard Firehouse) See preview, page 57.

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE, STARS, JASON COLLETT, DJ JUSTIN CASE
(Graceland) Twee pop has a way of capturing your heart whether you want it to or not. Or maybe it's just that way for me. All I know is that until I popped the new Stars album, Heart, into the machine, my morning had been nothing but one long stream of Goddammits and I fucking hates. Now? Calm and cool as a cucumber, suddenly glad to be wearing a cardigan, and snug as a bug in a rug lying in a room full of pretty, electro keyboards. So fucking TWEE, and I like it. KATHLEEN WILSON See also preview, page 53.

COWBOY MOUTH, CRACKER
(Showbox) David Lowery has never been as interesting as he was back when he was fronting Camper Van Beethoven. The band's mix of smartass skate punk and surreal folk rock sounded rebellious and reckless enough to fuck with all the crap on the radio at the time. With Cracker, Lowery unfortunately joined the ranks on the radio--even though his lyrics still retain that flippant tone. Gone are the long jaunts into psychedelic expression, though, replaced instead with twangy pop-country songs about rednecks and cowboys. While Lowery's voice is sharp as ever, his storytelling is much more cautious than when he was bowling with the skinheads. I still miss the old CVB surrealism of songs like "The Day That Lassie Went to the Moon," but I guess the years of Lowery's being the great space coaster are long gone. JENNIFER MAERZ

FRIDAY 11/14


KEITH JARRETT, JACK DeJOHNETTE, GARY PEACOCK
(Benaroya Hall) See Stranger Suggests, page 41.

PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES, THE BLOOD BROTHERS, AKIMBO
(UW's HUB North Den) See All Ages Action, page 73.

GET HUSTLE, TV ON THE RADIO, BIRDLAND
(Vera Project) See preview, page 53, and Stranger Suggests, page 41.

PEPE DELUXE, IQU, DJ MUGFROSTY
(Chop Suey, late) See Data Breaker, page 71.

JEDI MIND TRICKS, OUTERSPACE, JFK OF OLDOMINION
(Chop Suey, early) See preview, page 54.

ANTI-FLAG, RISE AGAINST, AGAINST ME!, NONE MORE BLACK, THOUGHT RIOT
(Graceland, early) See All Ages Action, page 73.

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE, STARS, JASON COLLETT
(Crocodile) See Thursday's preview.

SIR MIX-A-LOT
(Club Broadway) Sir Mix-A-Lot's greatest contribution to American popular music is "Baby Got Back." And not because it was a shameless song, but because at the time it was released, in the early '90s, hiphop was into either some heavy politics or some serious gangster shit. Then suddenly, out of the Pacific Northwest (or nowhere), a brother with a big-daddy hat says, "I want [my butts] real thick and juicy," instead of "Fight the power," or "I'm going to smoke that nigga." Indeed, DJ Riz Rollins is of the opinion that only a brother from our neck of the woods, our outpost at the end of America, could have been sufficiently out of the national circuit--with its growing split between East Coast and West Coast rappers, its deepening obsession with gang violence and flashy wealth--to say, without any apology, and almost out of total ignorance of the world around him, "I like big butts." CHARLES MUDEDE

THE INTELLIGENCE, POPULAR SHAPES, THE HUNCHES
(Fun House) It feels like forever since the Popular Shapes have taken the stage here, but I guess that's how long it takes to replace a drummer in this city. Their anticipated (by me, at least) return sets them up with the Hunches' helter-skelter garage rock and the Intelligence's smart, robotic post-rock. And since we're on the topic of the Intelligence (featuring Lars Finberg from A-Frames), the band has a new record out next month that's intensely infectious--it has a raw, lo-fi vibe, where the percussion sounds like it's coming from dented garbage can lids and Finberg's vocals are nearly consumed by the white noise buzzing around him. The album, Boredom and Terror, has a haunting quality to its eerie noisemaking--and live, the band is just as entertaining. JENNIFER MAERZ

THE TURN-ONS, SUSHIROBO, XXXAUDIO
(Graceland, late) With their breathless vocals, guitar sounds that ripple until they blur into vaporous effects, and the gorgeous string arrangements woven into their shoegazer/Brit-pop experiments, the Turn-Ons' upcoming release, East (January 2004), is sure to plant this band in the national consciousness. Their hazy creations float and break shape effortlessly, bumping into both the Jesus and Mary Chain and Pulp on their way to a sonic la-la land. JENNIFER MAERZ

HYPATIA LAKE, MAZARATI, THE MINES, DJ MS. MARGIE
(Sunset, late) When I hear Hypatia Lake, the word "glamour" always comes to mind. Not glam, mind you, but all-out gorgeous and shining glamour, the radiant and magnetic kind that takes your breath away and leaves you somewhat discombobulated when it's over. Beautiful washes of sound following attuned direction--this is a band to be seen as well as heard. KATHLEEN WILSON

SATURDAY 11/15


COOL NUTZ, BAD LUK, SONNY BONOHO, ONE FAMM ALL-STARS, 3 MYSTERIOUS
(Vera Project) See The Truth, page 63.

ANTI-FLAG, AGAINST ME!, RISE AGAINST, NONE MORE BLACK, THOUGHT RIOT
(Graceland, early) See All Ages Action, page 73.

LAMB OF GOD, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, GOD FORBID, GUESTS
(Showbox) Immaculately conceived nine years ago under the decidedly more secular moniker Burn the Priest, the Richmond, Virginia outfit Lamb of God tired of touring with devil-horny acts and selling T-shirts to shock-value-seeking kids who weren't necessarily fans. Rechristened in 2000, Lamb of God still merge morbid thrash riffs and death-grind blastbeats, not to mention their new taking-away-the-sins-of-the-world duties. Opening act Killswitch Engage, led by African American vocalist Howard Jones, recently toured with Cradle of Filth, meaning crowds had the rare opportunity to see both a black-metal singer and a black metal singer. ANDREW MILLER

TO SEE YOU BROKEN, FREE VERSE, AKIMBO, THIS FAILING STATE
(Ground Zero) I'm embarrassed to admit it now, but there was a time when I would spit out the words "Akimbo sucks" whenever the band was mentioned. I used to really dislike them--they sounded sloppy, they sounded pointless... but maybe it was just me. In the recent past, sitting through their live set has gotten downright enjoyable. They drown you with a heavy sludge of repetitive riffs and rabid growls, pounding ferocious noise into your head without mercy. So I have to retract my previous statement. Akimbo doesn't suck. Not only have they gotten good, they've also released a new record, Elephantine. While seeing them live is still preferred (as is usually the case), the CD definitely comes in handy when I feel like pissing off my neighbors, who find it necessary to rearrange the furniture at 3:00 in the frickin' morning. MEGAN SELING

BOBBY BARE JR.'S YOUNG CRIMINALS' STARVATION LEAGUE, ANDREW McKEAG & THE BENEFIT BAND, MR. KURT BLOCH, CAROLYN MARK
(Tractor) It's not uncommon for my fellow writers to finish their Up and Comings with the assertion, "If you don't go to this show, you're stupid." I've always thought that was rather insulting to the reader, so I apologize in advance: If you don't go to this show, you're stupid. Nashville wunderkind Bobby Bare Jr. puts on a live show so euphorically engaging I'm usually still smiling days later--and he's bringing back vocalist Carey Kotsionis, who is as ferociously talented as she is criminally adorable. Even Andrew McKeag's opening band is worth noting: The boisterous collective features a slew of talented local veterans, including Jeff Wood and Kurt Bloch--and they're going to play some old Fastbacks songs! Please, don't be stupid; go. HANNAH LEVIN

ROBYN HITCHCOCK, THE MINUS 5, BRANDI CARLILE
(Crocodile) There are a lot of weird rules when you ratchet your life onto pop music, and one of them is having to search out the Soft Boys' Underwater Moonlight, where Robyn Hitchcock's Cambridge new-wave-based psychedelic anti-punk group unleashed turn-of-the-'80s tracks like "I Wanna Destroy You" to big and manic effect. But I've always liked Hitchcock's solo stuff more--pure, punctured, warm, snarling, and highly melodic, like the result of pared-down British Invasion spinning through a light cartoon brain obsessed with vegetables. It'd be too bad if we got so distracted by consensus we couldn't understand how "So You Think You're in Love" sat right alongside Michael Penn's "No Myth," Billy Bragg's "Sexuality," and the Lemonheads' "It's a Shame About Ray." GUY FAWKES

SUNDAY 11/16


DEGREES, JODY HATES THE WORLD, FROM BUBBLEGUM TO SKY
(Ballard Firehouse) I'm not being ironic when I say From Bubblegum to Sky is HA-UGE in Japan, thanks to the member's former band, Ciao Bella. If you hate that clappy, doo-doo, hey-hey girl-vocal (except I think it's actually a boy here) kind of stuff you might want to shy away from this San Francisco band. But I personally hate clappy, doo-doo, hey-hey girl-vocal kinda stuff and after sticking it out for a couple of tracks, I found a lot to like in the 2000 release, Me and Amy and the Two French Boys. As the name suggests, this is pop, but the songs are aching for comparisons as bold as to the Beatles and Big Star, and the album sounds amazing turned up loud, as the CD packaging suggests. Damn, looks like I'll be venturing to the Ballard Firehouse again. KATHLEEN WILSON

MONDAY 11/17


THE POLYPHONIC SPREE, THE SLEEPY JACKSON, CORN MO, DJs KENTO, SUSPENSE
(Graceland) See Stranger Suggests, page 41.

BRAND NEW, HOT ROD CIRCUIT, EISLEY, ACCEPTANCE
(Showbox) See preview, page 54.

DUB NARCOTIC BENEFIT: BUILT TO SPILL, THE DELUSIONS
(Chop Suey) Until someone can figure out how to provide realistically affordable health insurance for members of the Northwest music community, holding benefits and fundraisers remain the most plausible means to chip away at bills incurred following catastrophes such as the recent van crash suffered by Dub Narcotic. In this case it's nice that Built to Spill, a proven crowd-gatherer, is stepping up to the plate because the members of Dub Narcotic are going to need some serious financial aid. The Delusions have a new album called Keeping Up Appearances and it blooms with bursting guitars and triumphant melodies. Take advantage of this rare chance to see the band live while helping a brother out with his hospital bills. KATHLEEN WILSON

TUESDAY 11/18


DJ SET w/PLAID, LUKE VIBERT, CHRIS CLARK, N.E.D.
(Chop Suey) See Data Breaker, page 71.

SMOOSH
(Rendezvous) Smoosh have quite a battle in front of them, but not because they play charming pop songs with only a drum set and keyboards in a city that's sort of embracing anything but pop right now. Their dilemma lies in the fact that they're so young (not even near being teenagers yet). That could work to the duo's advantage to get attention (and it has), but it's also detrimental, leading to the possibility that everyone's so blinded by their "gimmick," no one's actually paying attention to the fact that their songs really are quite catchy and endearing. But ageism be damned, some people in this city know what's up and have booked them for the right reasons--they're good. Catch them tonight as a warm-up to their opening slot for Death Cab for Cutie at the Showbox next week. MEGAN SELING

WEDNESDAY 11/19


KRISTIN HERSH, HOWE GELB, ANDREW BIRD
(Tractor) See Drunk by Noon, page 65.

THE VELLS, BART DAVENPORT, SAETA, EUCLID
(Crocodile) I wonder which bar the Vells hang out in. Their supremely fey, elegantly simple brand of pop would probably get them kicked out of the Cha Cha (were it not for drummer Jeremiah Green's Modest Mouse cred) and their pristine polish doesn't seem like it'd sit so well up on Ballard Avenue. Perhaps an arty, out-of-the-way dive near the university.... Yep, that must be where they congregate to sip concoctions, philosophize, talk about obscure British pop from the '60s, and write their incredibly catchy and oh-so-timeless songs. Tonight everyone's encouraged to join their merry party, so don your finest scarves and don't be late, darling! BARBARA MITCHELL

Buy Tickets for Other Events