Music

Up & Coming

FRIDAY 6/25
THE HELIO SEQUENCE, IQU, MENOMINA
(Neumo's) See preview, page 71.

SAVAGE LUCY, THE GLORYHOLES, THE WILD HAIRS, BRAVITO, MEA CULPA
(Downtown YMCA) Admittedly, the Downtown YMCA is a strange place for a show, what with the carpeted floor, makeshift lighting, and lack of an actual stage. But even so, young bands still easily rock the small crowds that gather there. Tonight will be no exception. While I cringe at the idea of plugging a band simply based on the ages of its members (in this case we're talking pre-teen), the Wild Hairs deserve the mention--although they're rough around the edges, the two still play fun, gritty punk/metal songs. And Savage Lucy, another young and notable band, is sadly breaking up just as you're probably starting to hear about them. The all-girl trio from Ellensburg has shared the stage with the likes of the Epoxies and the Briefs, but they've decided to call it quits, ending their short-lived run tonight. MEGAN SELING

D12, SLUM VILLAGE, BONE CRUSHER, KING GORDY
(Showbox) In the late '90s, Slum Village (rappers Baatin and T3, producer Jay Dee) was positioned to become the next big hiphop event. But for several reasons the Detroit trio failed to realize their incredible potential. Though impressive, their first record, Fantastic Volume 2, was a victim of delays and Internet downloads (everyone had a copy of it two years before it was released in 2000). Their second effort, Trinity: Past Present, and Future, suffered from the near absence of Jay Dee (he only produced 3 of its 23 tracks). But despite these and other disappointments, Baatin and T3 have remained together, and judging from their recent contribution to Pete Rock's Soul Survivor II ("Da Villa"), they still have the potential to become a great hiphop event. CHARLES MUDEDE See also My Philosophy, page 69.

THE CRIPPLES, THE AIN'TS, RED ONIONS
(Sunset) Oh, shit. Tell me this AIN'T for real!!! Uh... the Ain'ts are a (ahem) "star-studded" SAINTS cover band, playing a one-off show... TONIGHT. Oh, and the Saints, they were a seminal Aussie punk band from the late '70s, and, y'all, I can NOT express how HEAVY they'd get on ace melodic riffins... and, well, therefore are damn well deserving of a tribute! Specifically on the Ain'ts ticket is the Saints' first LP, (I'm) Stranded, and, I've been told, it's to be played, unembellished, start to finish. And that's IT! I can't wait, as I'm forever in LOVE with (I'm) Stranded (it's one of my top two fave punk raves). Oh yeah, the pop-devolved or "keytarded" the Cripples and punkers Red Onions are playin' too. MIKE NIPPER

SKARP, THE ROTTEN APPLES, THE HOT ROLLERS, THE SPAZMS, BELOVED BINGE, MIZ BRAUSS
(Graceland) This year's Ladyfest purposefully spreads its female-friendly events across genres. This show is for fans of abrasive metalcore (Skarp), hard-rock brats with sugary voices (the Rotten Apples), girl garage groups (the Hot Rollers), and more. Tomorrow night (Saturday), Graceland hosts more of the rock with two shows: the early event featuring indie rockers XXX Audio, and the later gig binding together go-go gals the Catch along with hardcore and hiphop acts. JENNIFER MAERZ

SATURDAY 6/26
THE RED LIGHT STING, THE CATCH, TRAVIS MORRISON, SMOOSH, INFOMATIK, FANKICK
(Mural Amphitheater, Seattle Center) See Underage, page 95.

CALIFONE, REBECCA GATES, ERIK & TRAVIS (FROM THE TURN-ONS)
(Tractor) It's been a while since we've heard from the dulcet-voiced Rebecca Gates. The former Spinanes singer and guitarist surprised a lot of music fans with that band's heartfelt and deceptively simple lyrics about a boy (and relationships in general) with 1993's Manos. That album was the group's Sub Pop debut, featuring Scott Plouf on drums and including a cover with Gates' hirsute arm emblazoned across the cover. After the release of Strand in 1996, Plouf left to join Built to Spill, and the final Spinanes album, Arches and Aisles, was essentially Gates' solo baby, though she had help from such members of Chicago's rock hierarchy as Sam Prekop and John McEntire. Gates has a beautifully lulling voice, to be sure, and a strong ego to maintain her career despite relatively sporadic output. Not much has been heard since 2001's Ruby Series, which showcased her ability to take on an impressive range of styles, including jazz and electronica, as well as the breathy singer/songwriter style she's known for. Her occasional shows in the Northwest are always popularly attended, and should not be missed. If Strand was the last of her output you've heard, you might be in for a wonderful surprise. KATHLEEN WILSON See also Drunk by Noon, page 87.

SLOMO RABBIT KICK, THE NAYSAYER, CAMILLE BLOOM
(Sunset, early) The Naysayer is the moniker for one Anna Padgett, a deep-throated songstress whose heavy-lidded numbers sleepwalk through a country-backroads fog. On her new CD, Kitten Time, the sparse arrangements receive special visits from indie rock luminaries like Karla Schickele (Ida, K), Geoff Soule (Fuck), and Miggy Littleton (White Magic), among others, but the heart of the music is still Padgett's voice, which sounds dampened with the emotional weight of a storyteller holding the cargo of her characters' lives in her heart. JENNIFER MAERZ

GIRL4GIRL PRIDE BASH
(Catwalk) Girl4Girl Seattle is celebrating its fifth anniversary tonight at the Catwalk, the scene of their monthly queer ladies' night. Though it's too late to enter yourself, you can check out their drag king contest (there's a $250 prize!), or you can kick back with a drink and listen to R&B and hiphop, spun by Portland's DJ Niz. I have a confession to make: In its entire run here, I've never attended G4G. Why? Because the very things that I hear make it great--tons of women getting down on the dance floor, single girls wearing neon bracelets so you can pick them out, and lots of loud music--scare the crap out of me. But I'm a wuss. You should go. AMY JENNIGES

SUNDAY 6/27
AKIMBO, BIG BUSINESS, BOOK OF BLACK EARTH
(Fun House) See preview, page 73.

MONDAY 6/28
RACHAEL YAMAGATA, JONATHAN RICE
(Crocodile) It's been a rough week. The rain is coming down in sheets, and the Kate Hudson character has had her heart broken by the one man she thought she loved (played by, say, Heath Ledger before he really figured out how hot he is). She runs a bath in her Manhattan apartment, lights the scented Pottery Barn candles, and soaks in silence, listening to songs of romance gone awry thanks to a soundtrack from Rachael Yamagata, a talented vocalist who shapes her songs with a Norah Jones easy-listening mold. Yamagata's piano-based melodies are well-composed pieces of downtrodden pop, but they lack the edge even of a Fiona Apple teetering on collapse, making many of them sound like mood pieces for mainstream cinematic fromage. If only Yamagata would use those pipes to get away from the chain-store emotions and follow the darker side of her subconscious to more challenging places, she'd be coming out from under the wing of PJ Harvey instead of another in a long line of Nora Joneses. JENNIFER MAERZ See also Some Candy Talking, page 112.

TUESDAY 6/29
THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS, BILL HORIST
(Chop Suey) See preview, page 74, and Stranger Suggests, page 61.

TR·D GR·S OCH STENAR, KINSKI, Davis redford triad
(Neumo's) Space rock--a strain of psychedelia that strives to evoke the universe's (and your drugged mind's) vastness through hypnotic riffing and an armada of effects pedals--will take control of your soul tonight. Supporting their inner-space-trekkin' improv album Don't Climb On and Take the Holy Water, Seattle quartet Kinski set the scene with dramatic songs that lull, chug, twinkle, and explode with precision timing. Sweden's Tr...d Gr...s och Stenar look like your dad's golfing buddies, but don't be deceived: These old-timers can still flatten you with their cool, Scandinavian take on trance rock, which they conceived over 30 years ago. TGOS occasionally come off like a Nordic Grateful Dead with their earthy roots and exploratory folk tendencies, but Tr...d's Seattle gig last year focused on hypnotic, raga-inflected drones that blossomed into blissful mantras. Faust guitarist Steven Wray Lobdell uses his group, Davis Redford Triad, to grapple with his occult obsessions and scare the health out of you. DRT's three albums plumb psychedelia's darkest corners in the least corny way imaginable. DAVE SEGAL

WEDNESDAY 6/30
SHOPLIFTING, METALUX, FAT WORM OF ERROR, WHITE ON WHITE
(Polestar Gallery) See Live Wire, page 84.

AUF DER MAUR, KANE HODDER, THE JET CITY FIX
(Graceland) See preview, page 69.

MOST, BOMBERBOMBER
(Lila's) When it comes to local Seattleites Most, for helpful comparisons, think Blonde Redhead with some occasional staccato guitars (à la Interpol). The band is able to musically blend hipster New York seriousness with a lighthearted posture that's helped them garner a growing local fan base. Much of this charm is owed to female singer/guitarist Sasha, who is an ever-adorable presence rocking center stage. Their live sound is cohesive and emotional, with the occasional surprise of sweet, art-core tunes that leave the audience feeling a kind of wonderful awe. WILL WAGLER

THE BEAT DOWN VERSES
(ToST Lounge) This weekly is shaping up as one of the city's dopest hiphop soirees. World-beating breakdancing crew Circle of Fire twirls and twitches with phenomenal athleticism while DJs Soul One (Yo!, Son), Bronze FM, N8, and Karlo handle the 1s and 2s. Tonight awesome drummer KJ Sawka's band and B Shorty square off. DAVE SEGAL

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