THURSDAY 12/15

CARO, BRUNO PRONSATO
(Mantra Lounge) See Data Breaker, page 59.

FRENCH TOAST, RAZREZ, ROMANCE
(Crocodile) French Toast (Jimmy Canty, Nation of Ulysses/the Make Up, and Jerry Busher, Fugazi part-timer) aren't your standard D.C. post-punk fare. Those expecting the flamboyance or unremitting sonic barrage of this duo's lineage will instead find a much colder affair. Most of their compositions rely on clean, angular guitar lines, taut percussion, and almost-spoken vocals. But this year's In a Cave features tidy production and enough barebones jams to keep us all moving anyway. GRANT BRISSEY

IMMORTAL LEE COUNTY KILLERS, SUGAR FARM, THE VALLEY, THE HONEY HUSH
(El CorazĂłn) When Immortal Lee County Killers corner the blues, they leave it panting like a wounded wild animal. Now in their third incarnation (hence the updated name, ILCK III), and a new configuration (from a duo to a trio), these feral Nashville cats run moodiness ragged, impregnating psychedelic swamp rock with garage blooze and morphine-drip balladry for a Delta mutt you can't help cuddling up real close with. Live, these guys never do anything less than BRING IT like they're playing for presidential pardons on death row. Definitely my pick for the night. JENNIFER MAERZ

MAN ROCKWELL, PLENTYFACE, NATCHEZ BURNING
(High Dive) The solo project of Wimbledon vocalist/bassist Earl Muehlenbach, PlentyFace exists in the quirky intersection where bedroom electronica and leftfield indie rock converge. It's not a very crowded place (at least in Seattle), so PlentyFace stands out. It helps that his self-released debut album, The Singing Gag, captures a freewheeling, lo-fi eccentricity that may remind some of pre-Geffen Beck or a more hyper, unpredictable Folk Implosion. Vocally, PlentyFace's plaintive whine and gruff growl recalls Meat Puppets' Curt Kirkwood and Buck 65, respectively. Everything about PlentyFace is slightly off, and to that I say, "Right on." DAVE SEGAL

WAX ORCHARD RECORDS SHOWCASE
(Neumo's) Music lovers of the Northwest, can't we all get along? Local label Wax Orchard thinks so, regardless of your genre affiliation. Initial offerings by Pistol Star and Novatone make a strong case for it—you'd be hard-pressed to stick a label to either, and hard-hearted if you didn't succumb to their respective takes on groovy rock/soul/pop/whatever-you-want-to-call-it. Don't believe me? Then check out tonight's show, where in addition to a rare acoustic set by Novatone, you'll have an opportunity to experience KJ Sawka's drum 'n' bass action, the funk-minded madness of Mackrosoft (whose members have included Reggie Watts and Money Mark) and Richard Bitch, whose singer used to front Boston's Pie (Wax Orchard just released a collection of their unreleased material). BARBARA MITCHELL

MEAT THE VEGAN, WEATHER, AIRPORT CATHEDRAL, STABMASTERARSON
(Nectar Lounge) Airport Cathedral's new album, Jetlag, is an impressive collection of songs that slowly reveal their layers only after intensive listening. With a small orchestra of piano, cello, guitar, drums, and bass, Andy Fitts and friends (including ex-Prom boys James Mendenhall and David Broecker, Rosie Thomas, and the Crystal Skulls' Ryan Phillips) dance through a delicate but sturdy indie-rock symphony. MEGAN SELING

FRIDAY 12/16

STRANGERCROMBIE HOLIDAY BLOWOUT W/WHEEDLE'S GROOVE, BAND OF HORSES, FRUIT BATS, COMMON MARKET, DJ CURTIS, DINA MARTINA
(Showbox) See Stranger Suggests, page 29, and preview, page 41.

WAXWING, SLENDER MEANS, NEON BLONDE
(Vera Project) See Underage, page 61.

FELIX DA HOUSECAT
(Element) See Data Breaker, page 59.

THE HONEY BROTHERS
(Crocodile) If you weigh the merits of movie stars who play music against recording artists who make films, usually the former wins out. Seriously, would you rather spin Robert Mitchum's Calypso Is Like So, or watch Mariah Carey in Glitter? Hence the plaudits for the Honey Brothers. Featuring thespian Adrian Grenier (HBO's Entourage, Cecil B. DeMented) and director Ari Gold (the Academy Award-winning student film Helicopter), this New York quartet peddles savvy, glam-inflected pop songs written sideways—the hooks are all there, but in the strangest places—and played on ukuleles. Hey, it beats staying home with the DVD of Madonna's Swept Away. KURT B. REIGHLEY

AS I LAY DYING, NORMA JEAN, MADBALL, A LIFE ONCE LOST
(El Corazón) Part of the mid-'80s grotesquerie craze that spawned the Garbage Pail Kids, Madballs were round recreations of gore-damaged, slime-splattered heads. The toy's ad campaign, which coined the slogan "catch them if you dare," suggested Madballs could turn any sport into a harrowing ordeal. The New York–based band Madball debuted in 1988, near the end of the toy's reign of terror. They're aptly named, because there's nothing pretty about their bludgeoning sets. Catch them if you dare. For spiritual incentive, the Holy Hardcore church maintains seeing Christian soldiers Norma Jean and As I Lay Dying so close to December 25 fulfills all seasonal religious obligations. ANDREW MILLER

KEXP YULE BENEFIT W/THE WRENS, OKKERVIL RIVER, PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES, THE PURRS
(Neumo's) Community radio station KEXP corralled some of the great indie-rock acts they've spent the year championing all into one room for a grand holiday celebration. If you snoozed on this one you're shit outta luck, though; both benefit shows (to raise money for the station) are sold out. JENNIFER MAERZ

SATURDAY 12/17

KEXP YULE BENEFIT W/THE WRENS, OKKERVIL RIVER, HARVEY DANGER, MARK GARDENER, THE DIVORCE
(Neumo's) See Friday's preview.

WAXWING, SLENDER MEANS, NEON BLONDE
(Old Fire House) See Underage, page 61.

SINGLES GOING STEADY X-MAS W/THE BRIEFS, THE EPOXIES, THE SPITS, MEICES
(El CorazĂłn) See Stranger Suggests, page 29.

kiki & herb
(The Moore) See preview, page 43.

SUPER DELUXE, GUESTS
(Crocodile) For the record, Super Deluxe never officially disbanded—they just sort of, well, evaporated. A little downtime seems to have done the band well, because their new album (titled Surrender! and out now on the Control Group) is utterly fantastic. The exclamation point in the title deserves to be there: SD always rocked a little harder than most of their power-pop brethren and these 11 songs buzz with even more vitality and vibrancy than before. Though there's plenty of newness to celebrate (new album, new songs, new bassist) you're sure to hear plenty of old favorites. Live performances are rare for the band these days, so don't waste the opportunity. BARBARA MITCHELL

U.S.E, HEADPHONES, SUNDAY NIGHT BLACKOUT, DJS FRANKI CHAN, PORQ
(Chop Suey) Now here's a party where shit will be lost. After spreading their electro-pop cheer worldwide, U.S.E return home to help Chop Suey merry up the holidays. (It doesn't get much more celebratory than this band.) This free show pairs the pop darlings with party bands and DJs; the only thing it will cost you is the hangover you'll have tomorrow. JENNIFER MAERZ

CRITTERS BUGGIN
(Tractor Tavern) A ludicrously versatile band, Critters Buggin traverse much sonic ground, both solemn and wacky, with panache (and soul patch). The quartet's best album, 2004's Stampede (Ropeadope), mainly re-imagines the gamelan and exotica genres with unkitsch aptitude. Live, bassist Brad Houser and drummer Matt Chamberlain (ex–New Bohemians), percussionist Mike Dillon, and saxophonist Skerik also operate in the dreadlock-heavy zone where jazzy boundary-smudgers Medeski Martin and Wood commingle with jam-bands' improv tendencies and wise-ass virtuosity à la Zappa. You can dance to Critters, yes, but you may have to bring a clothespin for your schnoz. DAVE SEGAL

SUNDAY 12/18

CRITTERS BUGGIN
(Tractor Tavern) See Saturday's preview.

A VERY MERRY HOME ALIVE W/HEATHER DUBY, AARON SPRINKLE, SERA CAHOONE, GUESTS
(Chop Suey) See Border Radio, page 51.

MONDAY 12/19

THE DEAD SCIENCE, EL OLIO WOLOF, MAGGIE BROWN
(Gallery 1412) See preview, page 47.

TUESDAY 12/20

DAN HICKS & HIS HOT LICKS
(Triple Door) See Border Radio, page 51.

DIGITAL
(War Room) See Data Breaker, page 59.

BREAKESTRA, OHMEGA WATTS, ELECTRIC III
(Crocodile) See Stranger Suggests, page 29 and Data Breaker, page 59.

SPOOK THE HORSE, IZABELLE, AIRPORT CATHEDRAL, SAMEER SHUKLA
(Chop Suey) See preview, page 45.

SILVER DAGGERS, MIKAELA'S FIEND, ABE VIGODA, MIDWIFE
(SS Marie Antoinette) This is the best show you'll see in a warehouse this year. Not because these bands will completely alter your world (they just might), but because this is the type of rock music engineered in the cracks beneath the rock overworld. Straight out of the Smell, L.A.'s beacon of positive force, Silver Daggers are no-wave punkers who come with a serious sax attack. Likewise fellow SoCal denizens Abe Vigoda are a torrent of clanging guitar and sing-a-long howls. Be sure to take note of locals Mikaela's Fiend, whose booming, shambolic energy has yet to be stopped by broken drums, shattered amps, and one totaled, unsalvageable tour van. Fly the youth flag high, friends. SCOTT GOODWIN

WEDNESDAY 12/21

DAN HICKS & HIS HOT LICKS
(Triple Door) See Border Radio, page 51.

MORE

SLEATER-KINNEY, STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS, QUASI: Thurs Dec 29, Showbox

MAKTUB, SHAWN SMITH, DAYLIGHT BASEMENT, ABBOTFINNEY: Sat Dec 31, Showbox

BLUE SCHOLARS, WHEEDLE'S GROOVE, TRE KINGS, SABZI, MARC SENSE, GUESTS: Sat Dec 31, Neumo's

HEDWIG'S NEW YEAR'S EVE GLAM ROCK CIRCUS WITH NICK GARRISON & SISSYFIST, SARA RUDINOFF, THE BUTTROCK SUITES, ZIGGY STARDUST, GUESTS: Sat Dec 31, Crocodile

VENDETTA RED, THE DIVORCE, EUPHORIETTE, YOUNG SPORTSMEN: Thurs Jan 5, Neumo's

THE ADVANTAGE, GUESTS: Fri Jan 6, the Paradox

REEL BIG FISH, GOLDFINGER, ZEBRAHEAD: Sat Jan 7, Showbox

COLIN MELOY, LAURA VEIRS, THE TORTURED SOULS: Wed Jan 18, Showbox

THE BLOOD BROTHERS, MINUS THE BEAR, THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES, CRYSTAL SKULLS: Sat Jan 28, Showbox

ROCKY VOTOLATO, SLENDER MEANS: Sat Jan 28, Crocodile

VOYAGER ONE, TOURIST, ROMANCE: Sat Feb 11, Crocodile

BOB MOULD: Wed Feb 15, Neumo's