AUDIO BULLYS, THE FITNESS, KUMA
(Chop Suey) See Data Breaker, page 45.
BENEFIT FOR GUS TRAPP: Gas Huffer, ALTA MAY, THE STUCK-UPS, THE AUTHORITIES, THE HOLLOWPOINTS, THE SHIVERS
(Fun House) File this show under "the best possible reason to start your weekend early." Not only is this lineup absolutely killer, but it's for an unquestionably good cause. On November 15, Gus Trapp, drummer for legendary Northwest punk band the Fumes and currently in Spokane supergroup Seawolf, collapsed after complaining of headaches and is in a coma after receiving surgery to reduce brain swelling. Being uninsured, Trapp, as well as his longtime girlfriend and their two children, will face a mountain of bills if he is able to pull through. In response, Trapp's friends in the Authorities have organized this amazing show as a benefit for him. Be sure to reward their community spirit by being there when they play, as they are not only bighearted guys but have also developed over the past year into a potent punk rock blender, whipping the best of Motörhead, CCR, AC/DC, and Led Zeppelin into a poisonously tasty purée. BILL BULLOCK
FRIDAY 12/5
THE MEXICAN BLACKBIRDS, THE DISKORDS, THE OBSERVERS, GUESTS
(Fun House) See Live Wire, page 31.
IAN MOORE, ELENI MANDELL, PAUL KIMBLE
(Crocodile) Eleni Mandell surprised fans earlier this year with the release of her fourth album, Country for True Lovers. While the singer-songwriter's first three full-lengths showcased edgy originals that coupled the wit, intimacy, and harmonic twists of cabaret with the visceral snarl of vintage L.A. punk, her latest made a detour toward classic Nashville. Next up, in 2004: an EP of jazz tunes and her fifth album, Afternoon, which (if she's true to her word) will extend the flirtation with soul music she began with her plainspoken cover of Irma Thomas' classic "It's Raining." To her credit, Mandell isn't just prolific and versatile, she's also astonishingly consistent and a wry, engaging entertainer, but it's tricky to figure out if her slightly aloof stage deportment is a practiced defense mechanism, a genuine display of vulnerability, or a canny balance of the two. KURT B. REIGHLEY
HEATHER DUBY, THE DIRTMITTS
(Graceland) Since her 1999 release Post to Wire, Seattle-based singer Heather Duby has been compared to the triphop coolness of Beth Orton and the ethereal goth queen Siouxie Sioux. Her deft mix of electronic beats and icy-cool vocals are unrivaled in these parts, as no one else quite manages to blend the two elements as effortlessly and flawlessly. Duby's third and latest album, Come Across the River, has been released on Sonic Boom Recordings and showcases the singer coming into her own with a dark collection of songs that portray more emotion than her past efforts. Duby rivals Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval with her heady-yet-melting vocals as a wallowy guitar accompaniment flows thickly beneath tambourine tinkle. Chimerical and intense, Come Across the River is a fine album that finds Duby, once again, standing unrivaled. KATHLEEN WILSON
THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES, SUFFERING AND THE HIDEOUS THIEVES, THE FALL OF TROY, YOUR T.O.L.L.
(Old Fire House) With members culled from such commanding bands as Kill Sadie and Botch, These Arms Are Snakes blast forth from both stage and speaker with a sound that defies certain definition. Singer Steve Snere makes for a spellbinding frontman--he writhes and howls without forfeiting the all-important melody, while each musician lends a different, unique texture to a mix that comes out surprisingly, skillfully cohesive. If angular rock can be lush at the same time, These Arms Are Snakes are the local masters of the concept. KATHLEEN WILSON
THIRD ANNUAL GUITAR TOSS
(Sunset Tavern) Tonight marks the third annual installment of Jake London's warmhearted fundraiser for Boomtown Cafe, a deserving nonprofit that provides healthful, low-cost meals (for a couple of dollars, or using a barter system) to the downtown homeless population. Thanks to its simple format (essentially just guitars and vocals) and illustrious rotating cast (including Phil Wanderscher, Jesse Sykes, Robb Benson, Marc Olsen, Rusty Willoughby, Steve Turner, and over a dozen other local talents), the Guitar Toss takes on a wonderfully intimate living-room vibe and typically makes for more than a few Kodak moments. HANNAH LEVIN
DUSTY 45's, RANDY LEE FADER & THE MAGNETTES, THE FELINAS, ELENI MANDELL
(Tractor Tavern) Seattle's Dusty 45's are often taken for granted locally. Over the last six years the quintet has consistently performed shows that offer up a Whitman's Sampler of Americana. The band fuses twang, jump blues, honky-tonk, and roots rock for an energized sound that gets audiences moving. The sublime harmonies and tight rhythm section make the Dusty 45's one of the most distinctive Americana groups around, and they are no mere nostalgia act. Their originals stand strong next to their impeccable choices in cover material. With their next album slated for a March release, now is the perfect time to hear the new material and shake off some of the winter chill. NATE LIPPENS
GROOVIE GHOULIES, THE EPOXIES, ANTS INVASION
(Vera Project) For the past decade and a half, Groovie Ghoulies have been quiet enough to keep themselves out of the scorching spotlight, while at the same time making just enough noise to get signed to Lookout! Records and to acquire an impressive cult following. Their scary-movie/sci-fi influenced pop punk may not appeal to everyone, but fans swear that their performances are the most fun one could ever have at a rock show. And it doesn't hurt that the band has been known to butter up the crowd by throwing out free candy. So toss Groovie Ghoulies together with the Epoxies, Portland's new-wave, dance-a-rrific punk band, and Ants Invasion, Seattle's very own Adam and the Ants tribute band, and you've got one hell of a fun time. MEGAN SELING
SATURDAY 12/6
THE INTELLIGENCE, ELECTRO GROUP, SCIENCE VICTIM
(Fun House) Wrapping their melodies in loose layers of fuzzy distortion, Sacramento's Electro Group echo back to bands like Stereolab and My Bloody Valentine. Their cotton-candy dream pop floats on clouds of shoegazing symphonies, awash in distortion and sparkling with the occasional electronic sample or Moog snippet, creating bright, airy songs. While the lyrics aren't as impressive as the music, it's more about the falsetto delivery than the message. Openers Science Victim are a promising Tacoma band careening between math rock and electro punk--the one and only time I saw them live, they totally kicked my ass. I expect no less tonight. JENNIFER MAERZ See also preview, page 33.
MONDO GENERATOR, LIKE HELL
(Graceland) Queens of the Stone Age are one of the best heavy rock bands hitting the mainstream right now, and I would recommend anyone who loves them as much as I do to also pick up the latest Desert Sessions CD, Desert Sessions Vol. 9-10, Josh Homme's side project with a number of talented collaborators. I would not, unfortunately, recommend Mondo Generator, Nick Oliveri's project with drummer Brant Bjork (Kyuss, Fu Manchu), guitarist Dave Catching (QOTSA, earthlings?), and bassist Molly Maguire (earthlings?), which, despite being Oliveri's thing since 1997, fails to come across as anything but a really rough batch of demos played by a bunch of gods to the stoner rock world. That said, I'm still interested myself if they're any better live. JENNIFER MAERZ
THE MAKERS, THE HOLY GHOST REVIVAL, THE PEELS
(Sunset Tavern) Whether she's using it to deliver a seductive coo or matter-of-fact lesson in who's the boss, Peels singer Robyn Miller's vocals are a force to be reckoned with. The band's forthcoming CD is an arresting blend of power pop and '80s punk. If you've seen the four-piece before and felt they were still rough, check out the Peels again tonight and I guarantee you'll be rewarded with a tight, in-your-face, no-longer-fledgling band. [Eds. note: This show is also a benefit for Gus Trapp, see Thursday's Fun House preview.] KATHLEEN WILSON
STEPHEN MALKMUS AND THE JICKS, PERNICE BROTHERS, PORTASTATIC
(Showbox) If you missed the Pernice Brothers on their last swing through Seattle, here's your chance to bask in singer/songwriter Joe Pernice's bright and shiny songs of heartache. On his latest, Yours, Mine & Ours, Pernice has written an album bursting with grousing lyrics set to charming tunes, taking the piss out of moping while still providing an emotional outlet for the Eeyore inside us all. KATHLEEN WILSON
SUNDAY 12/7
You've already ruined Christmas.
MONDAY 12/8
AESOP ROCK, MR. LIF, AKROBATIK, SA SMASH, DJ FAKTS ONE
(Showbox) See Stranger Suggests, page 17, and The Truth, page 37.
SUBARACHNOID SPACE, DMBQ, TION
(Re-bar) Like Kinski, Subarachnoid Space float to the outer reaches of space rock, using subtle recalculations of chord repetition and walls of white noise to thoroughly scramble your brain. The San Francisco-based band is heavily psychedelic, and you can get lost in any one of their tripped-out compositions, especially as they build and break intensity with enough effects to completely warp your sense of who's making what vibrate. They've got a dark-side-of-Pink Floyd meets Slowdive thing going on, locking you into dense grooves amid squalls of squiggly feedback. They're playing here with Tokyo's DMBQ, who, according to their website, are the "missing link between the much divided Japanese Noise/Alternative music and garage rock scene," and with Seattle's Tion, a grindcore duo made up of drums and keyboards. JENNIFER MAERZ
TUESDAY 12/9
COBRA HIGH
(Chop Suey) See Stranger Suggests, page 17.
SPEEDEALER, OLD MAN SMITHERS, SUPAGROUP
(Fun House) Watching Speedealer in a cozy little bar like the Fun House is like cracking open a nest of hornets inside a closet--the hell-bent aggression and single-minded, destructive nature of the Texas band's brutal sting will quickly and stealthily swarm the place and leave large welts on all your sensitive music leanings. Speedealer's latest release is a live album called Burned Alive (they also released a new CD on Dead Teenager called Bleed), and when their gravel-throated frontman screeches out the lyrics to "You Lose, I Win," you know that's just how they aim to make things work. The band races through hardcore, metal, and hard rock with a talent that leaves most similarly sounding bands at the gates of bad buttrock. They'll be bulls in a china shop at the Fun House, and I can't imagine a better situation to see them in. JENNIFER MAERZ
CROOKED FINGERS, AZURE RAY, DAVID DONDERO
(Crocodile) With Crooked Fingers, former Archers of Loaf singer and songwriter Eric Bachmann has enlisted the holy wisdom of his inner drunk and let him stagger and sigh stupidly and beautifully as the protagonist of haunted, philosophical songs. Bachmann's deep, affecting vocals retrace stories of mistakes and not-dead-yet determination with a rare subtlety that keeps his narratives from becoming mired in self pity--all the while providing a gentle sanctuary for those of us who have yet to finish learning the hard lessons. KATHLEEN WILSON See also preview, page 31.
WEDNESDAY 12/10
CHIMAIRA, SOILWORK, BLEEDING THROUGH, AS I LAY DYING
(Graceland) Bleeding Through's guitars and drums shoot in submachine-gun bursts, so quick and steady in their aim they're over almost before they've fired. The instrumentation is the staccato shrapnel of hardcore and black metal, hooking up with melody in the form of dark choir-of-angels background atmospherics. Vocally, though, these guys go for the less interesting demon-puking thing, a gruff delivery that makes the frontman sound like his tongue's swollen the size of a fist and his vocal cords are covered in sandpaper--but I'd much prefer that to the sensitive emo dude poking out every couple songs to make a mockery of the hyper-testosterone, powerman attitude everywhere else on the disc. Once dude two comes in, all the instrumental armor falls like cardboard. JENNIFER MAERZ
BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA, MAVIS STAPLES, JOHN MEDESKI
(Moore Theatre) In its invocation of hope against despair, gospel offers salvation as a balm against struggle. That's why my favorite Blind Boys of Alabama album, Spirit of the Century, is so devastatingly beautiful. Together since 1939 (when they were all students at the Talladega Institute for the Deaf and Blind), the Blind Boys of Alabama have performed for over five decades, and recorded since 1948 for many small labels. Over the last decade the Blind Boys have made albums that blur the distinctions between blues and gospel, covering Ben Harper's "Give a Man a Home" and two of Tom Waits' rough gems, "Jesus Gonna Be Here" and "Way Down in the Hole." The traditional spirituals like "No More" and "Motherless Child" sound fresh and energized, and their version of "Amazing Grace," sung to the tune of "House of the Rising Sun," is haunted and transcendent. NATE LIPPENS
FELICIA LOUD & THE SOUL (CD RELEASE), DARRIUS WILLRICH
(Triple Door) As I have said before and will say again and again, Felicia Loud is the best female vocalist in the Pacific Northwest. And her new CD with the band the Soul, Here, as with her appearance on Jasiri Media Group's wonderful CD Word, Sound, Power, will prove that I'm a 100 percent correct and those who disagree are a 1,000 percent wrong. Seven months in the making and consisting of 11 soul songs, Here, Loud's first complete CD, is much anticipated by this writer who can't get enough of her near-perfect timing and the rich textures of her jazzlike vocals. CHARLES MUDEDE
