CHRIS VON SNEIDERN
(Hopvine Pub) Apparently everyone outside Seattle took the predictions that this winter was going to be worse than last year a little too seriously, because it sure feels like the only people playing here lately reside in the 206 area code. So I'm awaiting this intimate performance by San Franciscan Chris Von Sneidern with great anticipation -- partially because a new voice is a really welcome breath of fresh air, but mostly because he writes the kind of classic-sounding pop gems that take your breath away. If you're a fan of artists like Freedy Johnston and David Gray, you won't want to miss this show. And if you require a celebrity endorsement to see something new, John Wesley Harding is a fan. BARBARA MITCHELL

SPYGLASS/NO. 13 BABY/ TUFFY
(Crocodile) The minor chord, with its built-in melancholy and sulkiness, is the bread and butter of moody music, but Spyglass also show the importance of the major chord at the end of the minor rainbow. Like the sunbreaks the KOMO weather people are always predicting, the rare Spyglass major chord cuts through the minor cloud cover, wakes you up, and then disappears again. It's a sweet tease at times, and Spyglass, despite being newish and imperfect and not always in tune, are on to something. NATHAN THORNBURGH

THE DRUMMERS OF WEST AFRICA
(Pantages Theater, Tacoma) Every now and then, great shows pass through Tacoma -- but skip Seattle. The Pantages Theater is often responsible for these coups, and tonight they'll host probably the largest performance troupe ever to set foot on their stage. As the name implies, this is indeed a rare assemblage of mesmerizing native virtuosos. Fortunately, ticket prices are accommodating, as they scale down to a low of $12. The ideal setting would be grass-filled and outdoors, but it's winter -- and the Pantages' restored splendor, cozy comforts, and fine acoustics will have to do for now. JAMES KIRCHMER

NEKO CASE
(Tractor Tavern) Serious pipes are what Neko Case possesses, good enough to earn her comparisons to Nashville's grand dames. Sometimes she sings with her Boyfriends, sometimes it's just a girl and her guitar. Whatever the situation, pretty Neko is one of the Northwest's strongest voices. KATHLEEN WILSON

ALIEN CRIME SYNDICATE/MOUNTAIN CON./

THE HULABEES/HAFACAT
(Crocodile) I'll say this for the Crocodile: They put together the most thoughtful bills. Alien Crime Syndicate, Mountain Con., the Hulabees, and Hafacat are not so similar that seeing them all in sequence would be monotonous, yet not so different that any one band will drive away the fans of another. They're analogous, which is what a four-band night should be. All the bands ride the arterial road next to the power pop highway -- Mountain Con. throw a DJ in the mix, the Hulabees nod to R&B -- and merge at the Croc for a pleasant night of pop variations. ERIN FRANZMAN

MEGADETH
(Moore Theater) Yet another problem with Limp Bizkit is their pointless soft-core name. What happened to the tradition of finding the scariest or most disgusting name possible for your stupid metal band -- something like Slayer, Cryptic Slaughter, or even Chronical Diarrhoea? Or better yet, something like Megadeth, my choice for Scariest Band Name of the Millennium. The name is frightening because it's an actual word, coined in the '50s by the would-be wagers of atomic war -- a "megadeath" is a unit of one million dead. As in, "the Holocaust 'only' resulted in six Jewish megadeaths." Which brings us to an existential question: We know that Megadeth's career in the spotlight is dead, but is it megadead? My vote is no -- their last album was surprisingly quirky, and besides, they would be playing at the Emerald Queen Casino if they were truly "Megadead." NATHAN THORNBURGH

RADIO NATIONALS (FORMERLY HAYWIRE)
(OK Hotel) Resplendent in their new name, the Radio Nationals play their hearts out tonight in anticipation of their upcoming CD, Exit 110. The jumpy foursome rock with just a tinge of twang from the powerful voice of lead singer Jared Clifton: hardly alt-country, more reminiscent of golden-age Tom Petty. Their shows are rambunctious fun, and their songs are so satisfying that Radio Nationals could've inspired the Snickers bar. ERIN FRANZMAN

JON AUER/MARIGOLD/CHRIS VON

SNEIDERN
(Showbox) If you haven't yet gotten the winter thing and are still uncontrollably good-humored in this blustery piss box we call Seattle, then come down to the Showbox and let these fine makers of sad music squash your buoyant heart. Afterwards, you'll be more in tune with your environment and perhaps even more appreciative of The Stranger's beauteous cynicism. Remember, you'll have all summer to listen to Britney Spears, but right now, Jon Auer is in season. NATHAN THORNBURGH

HEROIC TRIO/KENT 3/LEATHERBOY/

THE CONGRATULATORS
(Breakroom) See Stranger Suggests.

MURDER CITY DEVILS/THE BRIEFS
(Breakroom) I have to admire Lance Mercer's dedication to Seattle's music scene. If he's not photographing it for national publications, he's contributing to it by singing and playing in his own bands on the city's local stages. Sadly, Mercer's last band, the Ya-Ya's (a personal favorite), broke up, but now he's fronting the Briefs, a skinny-tie-and-suit punk band that'll get your pogo sticks a-goin'. KATHLEEN WILSON

SEAM/SILKWORM/RADAR BROS.
(Crocodile) You see it all crowded before you in a spiky jumble of desires and dreams and rusty knives that hack the truth to pieces, leaving it to bleed the same shade of crimson that used to remind you of love and now just reminds you of something that hurts too much to see. You're not going anywhere, no matter how many places you visit in the world or in your mind, but you need a soundtrack to pretend along with you that you're moving -- to coax you from mountain to valley while you remain supine in your void. And it all swirls around two anguished lyrics: "Why'd you have to let the pilgrim go free? Why'd you have be responsible?" Thank the Radar Bros. for putting music to your misery. KATHLEEN WILSON

SLOW RUSH
(OK Hotel) The next great hope for Northwest music, or the new Cunninghams? Only time will tell. Slow Rush (the band formerly known as Generator) play the kind of radio-friendly, industrial-influenced pop that could either turn them into the next Orgy or leave their soon-to-be-released Epic debut collecting dust in the used bins. At least they earn points for their sartorial savvy -- more bands should take the time to dress like rock stars. Bonus points for eyeliner usage. BARBARA MITCHELL

MOS DEF
(UW Hub Ballroom) Hiphop's renaissance man, Dante Beze, a.k.a. Mos Def, has been an actor, a model, and a "raptivist." He made his name teamed with the talented Talib Kweli as Black Star on 1998's enigmatically titled Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star. Local cultural mainstays Source of Labor, Beyond Reality, and Black Anger (featuring Bedroom Produksionz and DJ Topspin) will also bless the stage, in addition to Al Black who will be delivering some wise words. Join the SHOW (Student Hip-Hop Organization of Washington) as they celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, and thank them and all the artists for the foundation they have laid. ETHRINA GOTICO

MODEST MOUSE/CARISSA'S WEIRD
(Crystal Ballroom, Portland) I'm so enamored of Carissa's Weird's lacy, spacy songs and their grave stage presence that I'm going to Portland for the Weird's last show with drummer Robin, who's moving to Los Angeles. But if for some reason you can't make it (and you better have a doctor's note!), don't worry -- Carissa's Weird are putting some four-tracks and singles onto a CD which should be out in the next few months by the fledgling Brown Records. And new drummer Mike Epting will be a nice fit, so Carissa's Weird won't need to take one of those "drummer wanted" hiatuses that certain other great Seattle bands have inflicted upon us this winter. They'll be opening for the always heart-wrenching Modest Mouse, whose renewed presence in the Northwest (coming soon to a barstool near you!) signals that they've finally delivered their next album to Epic, and are trying out new material. There's so many new albums in the next few months, I'm reduced to quoting from Rocky Horror: "breathless with antici... pation." ERIN FRANZMAN

KULTUR SHOCK/GUARDIAN ALIEN
(Graceland) I'm used to seeing a lot of strange things at Sky Cries Mary shows (in the audience, as well as on stage), but Guardian Alien definitely upped the ante when they opened for SCM a few months back. I would try to explain, but I think the over-the-top costumes and general wackiness short-circuited something in my brain. I vaguely recall that Guy from Sage is in the band, and they put on a really, really energetic show. Enter at your own risk.... BARBARA MITCHELL

PONCHO SANCHEZ
(Jazz Alley) I am not one for hyperbole, but Jesus Christ this guy puts on a good show. I saw him at Yoshi's Sushi Restaurant/Jazz Club in Oakland a few years back, and I think the sushi chef forgot to cut the poisonous liver out of my blowfish sushi, because when I woke up the next morning, this is all I could remember: The band had been playing a deep jazz groove, I looked away for a second, and then all 12 of them were playing the same groove using only dried squashes and gourds wrapped with beads -- and they played it for hours. Jesus Christ, they were that good. NATHAN THORNBURGH

LOGARHYTHMS
(Lobo Saloon) Every now and then some club promoter will get a pet rock idea -- the kind of idea that's so simple it's brilliant. To wit: an open turntable weekly event (you must bring your own headphones). DJs sign in at the beginning of the night and get a half hour to spin their precious hearts out. How often can you go to an open mic and be sure no one's going to pull out an acoustic guitar and play "American Pie" on your last nerve? Well, I'd have to say your chances of hearing Don McLean at Logarhythms are pretty slim. ERIN FRANZMAN

HASIDIC NEW WAVE
(Jazz Alley) The fringes of New York City's Jewish American music scene have produced some truly new grooves, combining traditional Jewish melodies and chords with a myriad of modern directions. Produced by none other than Wayne Kramer (Bongwater, King Missile, etc.), Hasidic New Wave's fourth record, Kabology, is an intensely eclectic affair that ranges all the way from jazz foundations to a radical re-working of the Dead Kennedys' "California Über Alles" (fittingly re-titled "Giuliani Über Alles"). Led by longtime Klezmatics trumpeter Frank London, Hasidic New Wave's the kind of veteran band Frank Zappa might have hired if he was Jewish. They've done their homework, have big-time chops (guitarist Dave Fiuczynski is a bona fide monster), and know how to rock a groove. JAMES KIRCHMER

STROKE 9
(Showbox) As many a one-hit-wonder can attest, a good single does not a good album make. Rarely has this been more apparent than on Stroke 9's Nasty Little Thoughts, which, though boasting the cute single "Little Black Backpack," ain't got nothing going on in the way of originality or style. Think Live, crossed with bad alt-country and worse Berkeley punk, and you've pretty much got what's in that backpack. KATHLEEN WILSON

SAMO w/DJ DISKYZE
(Sit & Spin) Shortly after building up a solid following at the 700 Club, live drum 'n' bass trio SAMO (led by drummer extraordinaire John Wicks -- and named after Jean Michel Basquiat's singular signature) have relocated their weekly workouts. It's a tough move to make, not only because of the timing (these post-Y2K days seem a bit quiet, don't they?), but also due to the fact that Tuesdays at this club will regularly feature yet another live drum 'n' bass band -- Elemental. JAMES KIRCHMER

KEVIN EUBANKS
(Jazz Alley) Seattle has made national headlines quite a few times in recent months, and as we all know, hosts of late-night television programs love to cram their monologues with as much painfully unfunny current events shtick as is allowed by law. "Liz, can we roll that footage of the Seattle New Year's celebration.... Whaddya know! It's footage of three bored men sitting in a mostly empty room, where clearly there was supposed to be a wild party taking place! Hilarious!" Anyway, if you're interested, here's your chance to let fathead Jay Leno know you think he sucks by taking it out on his No. 2 man, jazz guitarist and Tonight Show music director Kevin Eubanks. "Liz, can we roll that footage of the Kevin Eubanks concert.... Whaddya know! It's footage of three bored men sitting in a mostly empty room, where clearly there was supposed to be a wild party taking place! Hilarious!" JASON PAGANO