SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM, PLEASEEASAUR, TARANTULA
(Chop Suey) Sleepytime Gorilla Museum plays stunning shows, but that doesn't mean its 2003 concert album, Live, deserves a listen. Setting aside the shoddy production, mere recordings can't capture singer Nils Frykdahl's soul-stealing stare, or the aesthetic appeal of homemade instruments such as the spring-nail guitar and pressure-cap marimba. A traveling exhibit with commanding charisma, the Museum has the disarming ability to make any setting seem surreal, until spooked spectators start searching for secret messages in the cigarette smoke. Its upcoming studio release, Of Natural History, with its relentless repetition, instrumental experimentation, and prog-rock peculiarities, casts its own spell, but the effects are exponentially increased when the magicians wave their wands in clear view. This is one group of wizards even more impressive behind the curtain. ANDREW MILLER
JESSE SYKES & THE SWEET HEREAFTER, ROCKY VOTOLATO
(Crocodile) Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter, featuring excellent former Whiskeytown guitarist Phil Wandscher, are such a staple of the Seattle music scene that it's easy to forget how incredible Sykes and Wandscher are and how lucky we are to have them. On their latest album, Oh My Girl, the duo deliver more of their acoustic country-folk noir--a unique and beautiful strain of melancholic songcraft that defies easy categorization. Sykes sounds like an earthier, wiser Cat Power in places and a descendant of Emmylou Harris in others. Wandscher's guitar is alternately atmospheric and driving. They're proof that sophistication and intelligence don't preclude raw expression. NATE LIPPENS
FURTHER SEEMS FOREVER, THE KICKS, BRANDTSON, MOMENTS IN GRACE
(Graceland) Moments in Grace sound exactly how you'd think a band called Moments in Grace would. They're heartbroken but too tough to cry about it Dashboard Confessional-style, so they try to make their sound a little more aggressive. But even with an emphasis on harder bass lines and angular guitars, they're still embarrassingly whiny. "Please believe me that this is all I have to give/I gave you my last breath and you left me with nothing." Well, isn't that just tragic! What-the-fuck-ever! Your record came out on Atlantic! You probably got an eight-billion-trillion dollar advance to make this generic piece of crap! Boo-hoo, ya' pansy. MEGAN SELING
LIBRARY SCIENCE, V. VELELLA, KURU
(Sunset) One July night I happened to be walking by Neumo's and heard pouring forth a most distinctive brand of music, one rarely heard 'round here. I peeked into the space and noticed four white guys jamming out some wicked psychedelic dub in front of mind-altering visuals projected on a big screen. The drummer's kick drum bore the name Library Science. I made a mental note to keep close tabs on them. Such unexpected discoveries make life worth living. DAVE SEGAL FRIDAY 9/17
ROBERT WALTER'S 20TH CONGRESS, JESSE HARRIS
(Tractor) See Border Radio, page 59.
THE BLOOD BROTHERS, MIKAELA'S FIEND, MURDERED HOUSEWIVES, SMOOSH
(Old Fire House) See Underage, page 69 and Stranger Suggests, page 31.
MING & FS, MOCEAN WORKER
(Chop Suey) See Data Breaker, page 67.
BURNT SUGAR, THE ARKESTRA CHAMBER
(Lo_Fi Performance Gallery) See preview, page 44.
BIG BUSINESS, THOSE PEABODYS, THE ABODOX
(Crocodile) If you're feeling a deep rumbling in your nether regions tonight, that's not the food at Mama's--it's Big Business, the loudest thundering two-piece this side of a chili-eating tag team. Drum and bass are contorted into massive instrumental pistons by Jared Warren and Coady Willis, who then relentlessly steamroll their fans with a rhythm section that revs into action like a supertanker. They're paired with power trio the Abodox, who are the razor blade-sharp icing on this hardcore/metal layer cake. JENNIFER MAERZ
MOUNTAIN CON, HEATHER DUBY, KUMA, RICK BAINE
(Neumo's) Like Cake, Gorillaz, and even Soul Coughing, locals Mountain Con create a melodic mélange that pulls liberally from hiphop, power pop, and slacker rock, congealing electronic and live instrumentation into a slick, upbeat batch of songs. Tonight marks the CD release show for their new disc, Dusty Zeros Dirty Ones. JENNIFER MAERZ
MENOMENA, TRACKER, HOLY SONS
(Dept. of Safety, Anacortes) Tonight's a showcase for Portland's FILMguerrero label, run by Tracker's John Askew. Tracker's new disc, Blankets, is a soundtrack to an illustrated novel by Craig Thompson. As its title implies, Blankets is a dozy, ponderous score. Unfailingly polite and pristinely recorded, this set of lulling, plangent instrumental rock is undoubtedly perfect for its source material. Tracker's previous two albums, Ames and Polk, rocked slightly harder and dirtier, but they're nothing special, either. Holy Sons (Emil Amos) create tremulous, dusty folk rock that haunts and soothes in equal measure, like some earnest combo of Sparklehorse and Low. I Am the Fun Blame Monster by Portland trio Menomena is smart-guy indie rock with exceptionally fat drum sounds that would give DJ Shadow wood. Their music isn't nearly as kookily kaleidoscopic as their website (www.menomena.com--go there and be driven cross-eyed and crazy) would have you believe. DAVE SEGAL
SATURDAY 9/18
B-BOYS GET OUT THE VOTE FEATURING IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE, MASSIVE MONKEES, BLUE SCHOLARS, BISHOP OF OLDOMINION, DJ SCENE
(Neumo's) See Stranger Suggests, page 31.
FARM AID 2004: WILLIE NELSON, JOHN MELLENCAMP, DAVE MATTHEWS, NEIL YOUNG
(White River Amphitheatre) See preview, page 48.
NW SKA SHOWCASE FEATURING THE PULVERTS, THE UPTOWNS, SYNTHETIC ELEMENTS, THE RECLINERS, THE PUSH
(Downtown YMCA) After the last ska outbreak, the genre was doomed. It was born in Jamaica, infected Great Britain, and reached the end of its course here in America in the '90s. Where else could it go? Yet there is still a little life in ska; it glows like the evil egg of an extinct creature. For many of us, the culture the music represents and the bands it has produced are still important and sources of pleasure. (Just last night I happily went to sleep listening to the Selecter's Celebrate the Bullet, a remarkable work of pop art.) This show is to feature some bands (the Pulverts, the Uptowns, Synthetic Elements) that are keeping ska alive in the indifferent nest of the Northwest. CHARLES MUDEDE
SUNDAY 9/19
M83, ULRICH SCHNAUSS
(Neumo's) See preview, page 43.
BEASTIE BOYS, TALIB KWELI
(Key Arena) See Stranger Suggests, page 31.
BEASTIE BOYS AFTERPARTY FEATURING MIX MASTER MIKE OF THE BEASTIE BOYS, DJ SCENE, MARC SENSE, SABZI, E-REAL
(Chop Suey) See Data Breaker, page 67 and Stranger Suggests, page 31.
BOOK OF BLACK EARTH, SUNDAY NIGHT BLACKOUT, BLACK HORSE
(Comet) Expect much blackness in the house tonight, and not just from the brand of metal through which Book of Black Earth dominate. There's an evil gleam to Black Horse's (featuring AP Schroeder from the Building Press, guitarist/singer April Goettle, and respected sound engineer/drummer Julian Gibson) dusky two-guitar rock, with lyrics that slink into the darker corners of dive bars and hot late-night encounters. Sunday Night Blackout is a new band featuring members/ex-members of Jet City Fix and the Girls. This show is a benefit for medical bills incurred by members of these various bands, since musicians usually get the shaft when it comes to health care (although organizations like Music Cares can help). JENNIFER MAERZ
ROCK AGAINST BUSH: ANTI-FLAG, MIDTOWN, STRIKE ANYWHERE, THE EPOXIES, MIKE PARK
(Showbox) Young people are infamous for not voting. In last year's election, a measly 38 percent of 18-29 year olds took advantage of their voting rights, and that's just lame. In hopes of drastically increasing that number in the coming 2004 election, the anti-Bush/pro-vote organization Punk Voter has been hard at work raising awareness through one thing so many kids can't deny--punk rock. Their band roster is remarkable, with acts like Against Me!, Bad Religion, Rancid, Mudhoney, Q and Not U, Tool, and NOFX among the 100-plus list of members. To go along with their Rock Against Bush Tours, the Punk Voter folks have also set up an impressive website (www.punkvoter.org) that offers tons of information, links, and guest columns where notables like Jesse Michaels (Operation Ivy/Common Rider), Jay Bentley (Bad Religion), and Jello Biafra weigh in on current events. Vote, vote, vote. Seriously. MEGAN SELING
TOM McFARLAND WAKE FEATURING DON McNEFF, BRIAN BUTLER, MIKE LYNCH, CHRIS STEVENS, GUESTS
(New Orleans Creole Restaurant) On September 3 the Seattle blues scene lost one of its greatest contributors, singer-guitarist Tom McFarland, who was 59. This evening, contemporary Emerald City blues luminaries--including noted guitarists Brian Butler, Chris Stevens, Don McNeff, and harmonica player Mike Lynch--gather to celebrate a McFarland legacy that includes three solo albums, most notably his 1978 debut, Travelin' with the Blues, and 1987's Just Got In from Portland, recorded in a single day. Over the course of his career, McFarland toured with blues giants Lightnin' Hopkins, Otis Rush, and harmonica maestro Charlie Musselwhite; the latter included one of McFarland's best-known originals, "Voodoo Garden," on his 1999 Grammy Award-nominated album Continental Drifter. KURT B. REIGHLEY
MONDAY 9/20
HOPE OF THE STATES
(Crocodile) With titles such as "1776," "George Washington," and "The Red, the White, the Black and the Blue," you'd be forgiven for thinking that Hope of the States were going to bring back the crap, faux-revolutionary rock of the Alarm. You know--minutemen, tri-cornered hats and all that. Not exactly. Hope of the States are more like rural, cathartic psychedelia with pop vocals: the drama and epic strangeness of Godspeed You! Black Emperor mixed in with some sort of English band where the vocalist has a fringe and sneers a lot. Imagine white-knuckled fits of grandiose, riot-inducing sound, but with a chorus you can sing along to and scrawl on your arm as if it actually means something. JON PRUETT
TUESDAY 9/21
MIKE WATT & THE SECONDMEN, LEUKO, DALMATIANS
(Crocodile) I didn't even have to hear the record to know I'd be a fan of Leuko. Pieced together by members of two late and great bands, Polecat and Seaweed, the outcome was sure to be successful--and it is. The recently released self-titled record on Buttermilk Records is a thick, frantic wall of sound, with intense and emotional blasts of guitars and keyboards building and exploding in the midst of beautiful and more somber melodic moments. Tonight's show with Mike Watt is only the band's second live appearance ever, but lack of live shows won't be a factor in quality since the band has actually been playing together for more than a year. Polecat was a thunderstorm, Seaweed was a flurry of punk rock, and Leuko impressively marries the best of what both projects had to offer. MEGAN SELING
WEDNESDAY 9/22
'GRACE'
(See Sound Lounge) See Stranger Suggests, page 31.
HORSES, JOHN ATKINS, MATT BROOKE, BILL PATTON
(The Green Room) On the heels of last week's long-awaited performance by S--the solo project of guitarist and singer Jenn Ghetto of the much-loved but defunct Carissa's Wierd--comes tonight's show featuring two acts fronted by Ghetto's former bandmates. Mat Brooke, the singer and guitarist responsible for most of the lyrics to Carissa's Wierd's solemn and heartrending songs, plays a rare solo set showcasing his soulful craft, while Horses, fronted by his multitasking former bandmate Ben Bridwell, demonstrates why they are one of Seattle's best new, if under-heard, bands. Also on the bill is John Atkins, whose deft talent for writing catchy, introspective, and anything-but-plodding songs has been seen in a handful of his past projects, including Hush Harbor, 764-HERO, and Magic Magicians. KATHLEEN WILSON
HELL PROMISE, MARTYR AD, HASTE THE DAY, DEAD TO FALL
(Catwalk) There's a good reason the viciously quick and brutal-sounding Hell Promise have quite the buzz in the city. With vocals that turn into gales of storm winds, guitar riffs that come with serrated edges, and a rhythm section that's more about bludgeoning a beat than snaking out a groove, the band leaves multiple flesh wounds with its opening songs alone. JENNIFER MAERZ
