Music

Up & Coming

FRIDAY 2/18


KASKADE, DJ COLLETTE, WESLEY HOLMES
(Chop Suey) See Data Breaker, page 49.

THE FALL-OUTS, THE PRIMATE 5, THE OLD HAUNTS
(Fun House) See Live Wire, page 52.

LIVE FROM THE MORNING ALTERNATIVE CD RELEASE PARTY: SCHOOLYARD HEROES, ALIEN CRIME SYNDICATE, ROCKY VOTOLATO
(Vera Project) See CD Reviews, page 34.

ELECTRIC EEL SHOCK, THE THIEVES, SNITCHES GET STITCHES, THE BISMARK
(Sunset) Rock is the common language with this international lineup. Electric Eel Shock are spastic Japanese metalheads who are equal parts comedy (inciting meaningless chants like "E-mail! E-mail!" between songs) and garage-punk abandon, with a drummer who has a thing for the Red Hot Chili Peppers' sock "costuming." By contrast, the Thieves are slick British alt rock, with all the pomp and swagger of Oasis dressed up like the Stones. This is also the CD release party for local punks Snitches Get Stitches (See CD Reviews, page 34). JENNIFER MAERZ

PAUL WESTERBERG AND HIS ONLY FRIENDS
(Showbox) Former Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg has been quite prolific lately, releasing more material over the past couple of years than most bands create in a decade. From his basement studio, the raspy-throated singer has been recording intimate narratives about issues that range from love to the loss of his father, and he remains the model indie rocker to his fans and Magnet writers (one and the same, I know). In the post-Replacements hair wars, though, Tommy Stinson wins. JENNIFER MAERZ

ARKADE
(Wall of Sound) Seattle trio Arkade's music pitches like a ship in choppy waters, upsetting your equilibrium with rolling tom hits and tumbling piano/organ chords. Like the guitars of My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields and Belinda Butcher, Kelli Corrado's is set on "woozy" and Niki Sugar's keyboards haunt like a lifetime's worth of bar-tab receipts. Something about the maroon-hued melancholy of Arkade's music also recalls obscure, quasi-gothic '80s band Salem 66, and there just may be some Bad Seeds records in Arkade members' collections. Arkade celebrate the release of The Story of Hiding (Lujo Records) with a free 7:00 p.m. performance at Wall of Sound, 315 East Pine Street on Capitol Hill. DAVE SEGAL

KROCK TSUNAMI BENEFIT
(Premier) Old-school Seattle comes out of the woodwork for this event, a benefit for the tsunami victims. Tonight members of Alice in Chains (Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney, Mike Inez), Nirvana (Krist Novoselic), Heart (Anne Wilson), and Queensrÿche (Chris DeGarmo) join Sir Mix-A-Lot in turning Seattle's rock and hiphop clock back a decade or three for the worthy cause of 2005. JENNIFER MAERZ

SATURDAY 2/19


STEVE EARLE & THE DUKES, ALLISON MOORER
(Showbox) See Stranger Suggests, page 23.

INXS AUDITIONS
(El Corazòn) The name Mark Burnett may not ring bells in the music community yet, but for reality-show followers, he's the king of "we caught that shit on tape," spearheading everything from Survivor to The Apprentice. He's since set his sights on retro-fascination and attempted resurrection by producing INXS Rock Star--where the members of INXS who are not Michael Hutchence and therefore not dead scour America looking for a new crooner to belt out "Suicide Blonde." (Where was Burnett when Limp Bizkit had their star search?) If you think you're cut out for the task at hand--that job being either INXS's new frontman or reality TV's new schmuck--auditions are today from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You must be 21 or over and be prepared to sing three songs (with backing music or an instrument, and they don't have to be INXS songs). If you win, maybe you'll even have a shot to be on The Surreal Life 2025 once you become a bloated oldie like Vince Neil was. JENNIFER MAERZ

SOUND OFF!: GRUFF MUMMIES, THE PARAMOURS, SQUID VS. SHARK
(EMP) Tonight brings the third and final round of this year's Sound Off! semi-finals, where young bands (all under 21 years old) compete for fabulous prizes. In week one, Handshakes earned the highest score, in week two, the Last Romance took first place, and tonight, one more band (either the Gruff Mummies, the Paramours, or Squid vs. Shark) will woo the judges and earn a shot at a prize package that includes an opening slot for the Presidents of the United States of America as well as a bunch of studio time, equipment, and oodles of other things that will immensely help out any ambitious young band. MEGAN SELING

FEVER! DV1, DJ MAC, DJ PACO
(Vera Project) Finally! For all the young'uns who just want to dance, there's a night at the Vera Project. World-renowned DJ DV1 will be spinning hiphop; DJ Mac will spin funk and new jack swing; and DJ Paco has the indie flavor going. You can dance without having your feet stick to a beer-slick floor, your lungs packed with secondhand smoke, or your person shoved aside by a drunk lunatic. It's like paradise. ARI SPOOL SUNDAY 2/20


IMAGINARY WEDDING: TENNIS PRO, THE JEUNES, PLEASURECRAFT, MATH & PHYSICS CLUB
(Crocodile) See Stranger Suggests, page 23.

THE LOOK, LAST GREAT LIAR, LOVE IN MINNESOTA, WALLPAPER
(El Corazòn) See All Ages Action, page 50.

THE LOCUST, EX MODELS, THE PLOT TO BLOW UP THE EIFFEL TOWER, UPSILON ACRUX
(Neumo's) See preview page, 31.

nanci griffith, mary gauthier
(The Moore) See Border Radio, page 43.

MONDAY 2/21


POLYSICS, TRACTOR SEX FATALITY
(Catwalk) Devo spores wash up on new foreign shores daily, and in Japanese punks Polysics, the influence of that seminal group's Technicolor synth pop is readily accessible. Polysics' inane lyrics pogo around squirrelly video-game samples, erupting synth riffs, and punk-ready guitar work, but the band go even further in their Devo-devotion, reportedly donning matching white jumpsuits onstage. JENNIFER MAERZ

SON OF ROSE, TYLER STEWART
(Living:Room) It's becoming increasingly harder to create microsound compositions that captivate the population's ADDled minds. Seattle's Son of Rose (AKA Kamran Sadeghi) is up to the challenge. At their best, Sadeghi's laptop emissions evoke the subliminal hurly-burly of molecules doing molecular things, very intensely. He's ready to step into the microsound big time, which isn't really very big, but respect there could lead to a sweet university gig some day. Judging by his 2003 LP Greatesthit, Tyler Stewart follows in the tradition of IDM-ish electro pranksters seeking to squeeze the quirkiest bleeps and squawks from their gear. Sounds this antiquated paradoxically seem fresh now. (Free show, doors at 7:00 p.m.) DAVE SEGAL

HOT HOT HEAT, LOUIS XIV
(Neumo's) New San Diego band Louis XIV sound like they stepped right out of a 1966 suburban garage and into a studio with two-inch Ampex tape. On their potential hit single, "Finding Out True Love Is Blind," and "Louis XIV," Jason Hill sings like Iggy Pop's cleaner-cut, tighter-trousered son while the band churn out tight, pre-coital-tension rock destined for some 21st-century counterpart to the Nuggets boxed set. Over the course of the rest of the band's Illegal Tender EP (Pineapple Recording Group), Louis XIV touch upon flowery psych rock, the 987th rewrite of "I'm a Man," fey Anglo pop, and an oddly baroque form of blues. Can an NME cover story be far behind? DAVE SEGAL

TUESDAY 2/22


THE GOSSIP, LES GEORGES LENINGRAD, THE LIGHTS, MON FRERE
(Neumo's) See Stranger Suggests, page 23.

BETTIE SERVEERT, SLENDER MEANS, VIVA VOCE
(Crocodile) For those who only remember the Netherlands indie-rock darlings Bettie Serveert for their debut album Palomine, their latest direction may be a pleasant surprise. After their first three albums left the band in the late-'90s rock wilderness, Serveert took a break and returned with Private Suit produced by John Parrish. The new sound--elegant arrangements and flourishes of electronics--was augmented and roughed up on Log 22. With their latest Attagirl, the band continues to hone and fuck with that shifting aesthetic. Crisp production and pop smarts married to incisive, quirky lyrics and singer Carol van Dijk's seductive and self-possessed delivery make this new disc one of their finest moments. NATE LIPPENS

THE WEIRDOS, THE DUANE PETERS GUNFIGHT, THE HOLLOWPOINTS, ANGEL CITY OUTCASTS, SPACE CRETINS
(Studio Seven) Nearly three decades after helping spawn L.A.'s late-'70s punk scene (with bands like the Germs and the Screamers), performance-art punks the Weirdos are still hitting the road, detonating their "We Got the Neutron Bomb" for future generations. They're touring with Duane Peters Gunfight, featuring the pro skater/U.S. Bombs frontman and head of Disaster Records--the label that's putting out the Hollowpoints' fine new collection of punk rock. JENNIFER MAERZ

THE PURRS, SILVER SUNSHINE, LILLYDALE
(Sunset) Silver Sunshine are one of those bands whose music telegraphs the members' record collections with glaring obviousness. On their self-titled debut, "Velvet Skies" lifts the bass line from the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" while the lead guitar paraphrases Hendrix's "Manic Depression." The bass part on "I See the Silver Sunshine" rips off the Move's "I Can See the Grass Grow." Elsewhere are homages to Left Banke, Zombies, and the Hollies. As psych-pop copyists go, Silver Sunshine thankfully show exquisite taste. Local quartet Lillydale play the sort of earnest, heart-on-sleeve jangle rock that flourished in the UK during the '80s (Wedding Present, Weather Prophets, Proclaimers, June Brides, et al.). It's nice music for nice people. As the group note on their myspace.com site, "Lillydale sounds like what your favorite memories smell like." Except if you're a coprophiliac, presumably. DAVE SEGAL

THE LONG RANGER, FULL, BEEHIVE, V. VELLELA
(Chop Suey) After bolting out of Detroit last year, sextet Full are starting to establish themselves in Seattle. Tonight they celebrate the release of their third album, Desperandum, a fine specimen of what one Audioasis DJ might call "electrolive." Full deploy subtle electronic tweaking to their lush jazz-rocktronica sorties. Singer Ms. Wings' cool, calm, and sensual presence complements the group's slickly scientific machinations on vibes, drums, trumpet, guitar, bass, and "bowtar." Your pull quote: Imagine Portishead crossed with Tortoise at their jazziest, and shiver in anticipation. DAVE SEGAL

WEDNESDAY 2/23


SNITCHES GET STITCHES, THE CROSSBONES, POORSPORT, SLEDGEBACK, AGENT APATHY
(Studio Seven) See CD Reviews, page 34.

ROGUE WAVE, FILM SCHOOL, THE PREONS
(Crocodile) Like tour/label mates the Shins, Sub Pop's Rogue Wave create winsome indie rock whose fragile tunefulness is a large part of their appeal. Clearly, Simon & Garfunkel's sugar-spun harmonies are as important to both of these bands as Black Sabbath's guitar dirges are to stoner-metal combos. But while the Shins get major props in popular films like Garden State and they top CMJ charts, they hit me with all the impact of Muzak. San Francisco's Rogue Wave, on the other hand, possess a crucial idiosyncrasy and an easygoing, psychedelic default mode that makes you feel as if you're eating cotton candy while floating on cloud nine. And that's a feeling I don't experience enough these days. DAVE SEGAL

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