THURSDAY 6/30
THIS PROVIDENCE, DAPHNE LOVES DERBY, SHERWOOD, FORGIVE DURDEN, LYDIA
(El CorazĂłn) Daphne Loves Derby can boast over 2.5 million downloads on Pure Volume and over 22,000 MySpace friends, as well as a new contract with Outlook Records. While chances are that you haven't heard of them, most of your under-18-year-old friends likely have. This teenaged trio burst out of Kent, Washington into the digital music scene with their delightful, infectious indie-pop. Think a less-bouncy version of fellow online music pioneers Hellogoodbye, with the melodic sensibilities and elegant song-crafting of the Pale Pacific, minus the Rhodes. Their debut full-length release, On the Strength of All Convinced, comes out July 26. DANA BOS
APE CITY R&B, THE ELECTRIC KISSES, THE INVISIBLE EYES
(Rendezvous) Whooo!! I reckon with such a hot lineup this show is gonna be a good ol' knockdown drag-out shit bucket fuck you hippie stomp par-tay like what woulda happened in the way back! And, dammit y'all, have I ever MISSED 'em!!! Shit, I ain't been throw-up-through-my-nose drunk in FOREVER! But tonight I'll get the chance 'cause not only does it look to be the best show of the week, this show is the ACR&B's single-release party! Which is kick ass 'cause Ape City R&B rock the no-fi stripped-down shitâmore like what "garage rock" was before it went all "college." They sport that amped up single guitar and drum full frontal assault... with heavy emphasis on the "ass." MIKE NIPPER
BUDDY GUY, ERIC JOHNSON ELECTRIC BAND
(South Lake Union Park) With his keening vocals punctuated by explosive guitar leads, this 68-year-old Chicago bluesman has always been as hard as any upstart gangsta rapper. So it's no surprise that his live shows have often been cold, wary, unrelenting, and edged with disdain for the polo-shirted suburban fans basking in another man's street culture. As with so many gangsta rap shows, the experience can be exhausting, but recently Guy has ripped open a new chapter in what seemed like a closed book, leaving Chicago for Mississippi to record two Delta-style albums. Imagine 50 Cent in a quarter century taking it home and then some by biting a taste of Run-D.M.C., and you'll know how Sweet Tea's "Done Got Old" turns a concession into a boast. FRANKLIN SOULTS
FRIDAY 7/1
HOLY GHOST REVIVAL, THE DEAD SCIENCE, THE BEST DEATH EVER, THE STRANGERS
(Vera Project) See Stranger Suggests, page 25.
SCHOOLYARD HEROES, KANE HODDER, POST STARDOM DEPRESSION, MON FRERE
(El CorazĂłn) See Underage, page 53.
FERRY CORSTEN
(Element) See Data Breaker, page 50.
DERBY, NO-FI SOUL REBELLION
(Sunset) See preview, page 35.
WORMWOOD, GREY, GRIEVOUS, LESBIAN
(Chop Suey) Grievous's songs may last the length of your typical rock track, but their sludgy turbulence is so oppressive that their grip on your core lasts twice as long. Songs are as dense as overgrown swampland, with the riffs low-hanging and the vocals scraping gravel as they growl and gurgle along. Drum hits flap through songs like gigantic bat wings and melodies clang like bells for the dead and the doomed. Not for the light of heart or spirit, Grievous channel nefarious alien life forms on their One Breath from Winter EPâincluding a bit of William S. Burroughs, whose sampled vocals add an extra eerie edge. JENNIFER MAERZ See also Live Wire, page 33.
A FRAMES, THE LAMPS, ROCK THE LIGHT
(Funhouse) With religious regularity you should see A Frames once a month to cleanse your ears of all the junk you've been listening to and to experience the primal jolt their uplifting, doomsday post-punk delivers. Compared to A Frames' cranky output, the Stones' "Paint It Black" sounds hopelessly Pollyanna. L.A. trio/In the Red recording artists the Lamps play anti-social garage punk that spurs you to yell, "Motherfucker!" with alarming frequency. Sacramento's Rock the Light describe themselves thus: "The four horsemen of the apocalypse showed up at your house smoked you out and told bible jokes while playing magic the gathering." [sic] See you down front. DAVE SEGAL
SATURDAY 7/2
EDDIE SPAGHETTI AND THE SAUCE, I CAN LICK ANY SOB IN THE HOUSE, HEARTBREAK USA, MAMA TRIED, SEASON OF NIGHTMARES
(Sunset) See Border Radio, page 45.
ESTHERO, GREG J
(Chop Suey) Canadian dance-floor diva Esthero asserts that "We R in Need of a Musical Revolution" on her new album, Wikked Lil' Grrrls, singing she's "so sick and tired of the shit on the radio and MTV/They only play the same thing/No matter where I go/I see Ashanti, in the video/I want something more." Her response, however, isn't revolutionary or even revelatory, but rather a slightly quirky twist on the manufactured pop she disses, filtered through spectra of R&B, soul, funk, hiphop, and jazz and sung with a sensual vitality. Pot, meet kettle. Esthero's music is not even close to being a break from the norm at which she scoffs. DAVE SEGAL
NIGHTHEART, CITIZENS FROM HERE AND ABROAD, THE PREONS, LILLYDALE
(Crocodile) San Francisco's Citizens Here and Abroad are heartbreaking in the very best way. Each member, including dreamboat frontlady Adrienne Robillard (who used to work at a Taco Bell in Fresno! Exclamation point!) are a unique kind of sexy librarian-fine, like Bill Haverchuck from Freaks & Geeks. It's indeterminate whether they're 19 or 30; they appear wise onstage, but delicateâwhich has little to do with the confidence that washes through their thick, spacey tweegazer pop. The Citizens eschew a weird Cardigans vibe, but gentler and more early '90s, like before Lush's Miki Berenyi got all crazy with the Candy Apple Manic Panic. The band's last record, Ghosts of Tables and Chairs, was put out on Bay-Area micro Omnibus last year, and like the live show, will also kind of break your heart. JOAN HILLER
CAROLINE KRAABEL, JANICE McKEACHERN, KATHLEEN KEOGH, ERIC OSTROWSKI
(Gallery 1412) Eric Ostrowski has developed a super physical presence when he plays his acoustic violin pieces. Without Noggin partner Michael Griffin stalking the floor with him, the focus is on Ostrowski's harsh sounds conjured out of a traditionally twee instrument and his use of space. Last time I saw him, a handful of souls were captivated by a short but memorable performance that included Ostrowski windmilling a bow and spinning around in a nearly dark room. London-based alto saxophonist Caroline Kraabel has roots in Seattle and returned to town last fall as part of an improvisation workshop. In the Mass Producers, Kraabel composed for an all-female sax orchestra comprising 21 members dispersed throughout the audience. The Honkies founder has collaborated with more out rock types like Jad Fair and Charles Hayward. GEORGE CHEN
SUNDAY 7/3
MAXIMO PARK, THE BLOOD ARM, TROUBLED HUBBLE
(Crocodile) See preview, page 33.
LAWRENCE ARMS, A WILHELM SCREAM, SMOKE OR FIRE, ENEMY YOU
(El CorazĂłn) At a recent Warped Tour stop, Tsunami Bomb debated with their fans about whether to play an early-career obscurity. The band ultimately refused, protesting that the tune was embarrassingly poor. Seven Seconds mocked this punk phenomenon on 1984's "Definite Choice," taunting I-liked-the-first-album purists with the fact that they wrote material that predated their debut EP and never released it. By contrast, the Lawrence Arms embrace their oddities. Cocktails and Dreams, the Alkaline-esque trio's latest album, compiles its collector's-item singles and unreleased experiments. The gruff pop-punk outfit will devote much of its set list to such material, making this show a dream come true for curio-cravers. However, the crowd's contrarians could always request songs from bassist/vocalist Brendan Kelly's earlier stint as frontman for the skacore ensemble Slapstick. ANDREW MILLER
MONDAY 7/4
I swear it's the last time.
TUESDAY 7/5
FEDERATION X, AFRIRAMPO, SCOUT NIBLETT, LEVI FULLER
(Funhouse) See also preview, page 33 and Stranger Suggests, page 25.
WEDNESDAY 6/6
OH NO, DIVERSE, GUESTS
(Chop Suey) Being Madlib's younger bro can't be easy, but Oxnard, California producer/rapper Oh No is proving that his famous sibling ain't the only badass beatmaker in the family. Mattafact, Oh No is a stronger, if more conventional, rapper than his blood. Oh's commanding, alpha-male flow rivets your attention even if his words don't dazzle as much as hisâand guest knob-twiddlers Madlib, J Dilla, and Kan Kick'sâproduction does. For a backpacker album, Oh's 2004 debut, The Disrupt, bangs pretty hard. Chicago MC Diverse dropped a strong debut album in 2003, One A.M. His streetwise verse keeps it "real" without boring you to a stupor and his production (from MPC studs RJD2, Prefuse 73, Madlib, and others) bears much golden old-school funk upgraded for the 21st century. Can't wait to hear some new joints from this articulate Midwesterner. DAVE SEGAL
IZABELLE, PLEASURECRAFT, SPEAKER SPEAKER, STABMASTERARSON
(Crocodile) For fans of bands like Idiot Pilot, Embrace, and the Killers, Izabelle's new rock romanticism should sound familiar. Electronic elements add extra splash to emotional, high-soaring pop tracks, while the sensitive-guy vocal delivery could plant this local band firmly in the hearts of commercial alt-rock radio listenersâespecially for those who yearn for Radiohead's more traditional, song-oriented days. JENNIFER MAERZ
JUDAS PRIEST, QUEENSRŸCHE
(White River Amphitheater) For some people, listening to vintage metal is all about hilarity and nostalgia, but others (cough, cough) are keeping the faith for reasons that have nothing to do reminiscence. Say what you will about their severe missteps in the late '80s (specifically 1986's tragically cheesy Turbo) or their current senior-citizen status; the Priest still sound genuinely powerful. Few metal vocalists can retain their range after 30 years, but Rob Halford can still hit all of those notes in "Victim of Changes" with apparent ease. Almost even more impressive is the fact that they released a studio album (Angel of Retribution) this year that has been legitimately hailed as a return to form Ă la British Steel or Screaming for Vengeance. Long live the Priest. HANNAH LEVIN
MORE
ALANIS MORISSETTE, JASON MRAZ: Sun July 10, Paramount
BILLY IDOL: Mon July 11, Paramount
LUCERO, THE HONORARY TITLE, THE GLASS: Thurs July 14, El CorazĂłn
KINGS OF LEON, SECRET MACHINES, SHOUT OUT LOUDS: Sat July 16, Moore
THE GO! TEAM: Mon July 18, Neumo's
KINSKI, MASTER MUSICIANS OF BUKKAKE, CHARMING SNAKES: Sat July 23, Crocodile
ALKALINE TRIO, RISE AGAINST, DEATH BY STEREO: Sun July 24, Showbox
SOUNDS OF THE UNDERGROUNDâGWAR, LAMB OF GOD, MADBALL, UNEARTH, EVERY TIME I DIE, GUESTS: Mon July 25, Qwest Field
MĂTLEY CRĂE, SUM 41, THE EXIES, SILVERTIDE: Sat July 30, White River Amphitheatre
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Thurs Aug 11, KeyArena
COLDPLAY: Tues Aug 16, White River Amphitheatre
LIZ PHAIR: Tues Aug 16, Crocodile
SUICIDE MACHINES, LOST CITY ANGELS, BULLETS TO BROADWAY: Thurs Aug 18, El CorazĂłn
DINOSAUR JR.: Sat Aug 20, Showbox
OASIS, JET, KASABIAN: Fri Sept 9, Everett Events Center
NINE INCH NAILS, QUEENS OF THE STONEAGE, AUTOLUX: Fri Sept 23, KeyArena
