QUASI
(Seattle Art Museum) Northwest darlings Quasi are playing at the Seattle Art Museum as part of "Pop Art Night." Rumor has it this night will include a few surprises (reportedly opportunities to view a little Warhol, eat Twinkies, and make your own art). Things kick off at 5:30 pm, so get into the spirit by using a little creativity in your excuses for leaving work early. BARBARA MITCHELL
MARC OLSEN/FIVE GEARS IN REVERSE/
THE CONGRATULATORS
(Crocodile) Jason Finn's Congratulators have finally settled on a spelling for their name, which has alternately been seen as "The Congradulators" and "The Congratulaters." With the solid Marc Olson and super Five Gears in Reverse, it's once again a brilliant lineup from start to finish at the Croc. ERIN FRANZMAN
GALACTIC
(Showbox) In New Orleans, where the quick blood of Cajuns races through many veins, there are more funky people with French names than anywhere else in the world. Galactic, for example, were a damned good funk band to begin with, but when they acquired singer Theryl DeClouet, they got even better. DeClouet may not be all Cajun, but he's got the name and the tenor voice to take this band to the next level. NATHAN THORNBURGH
SPLIT LIP RAYFIELD/RICHMOND FONTAINE
(Tractor) Both of these bands-to-watch are armed with truly unique qualities. Portland's Richmond Fontaine spin unforgettable tales of troubled characters, and back 'em with thoughtful yet ballsy American roots music. Split Lip Rayfield (from Wichita, Kansas), on the other hand, are the most jacked-up, bluegrass-inspired pickin' crew I've ever heard. Their stuff's super-fast, full of attitude -- and features the "Stitchgiver," an acoustic bass made of a Ford gas tank, a 2x4, and a weedwhacker string. JAMES KIRCHMER
LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III
(Century Ballroom) M*A*S*H aficionados should be delighted with the opportunity to catch the live performance of the former Captain Calvin Spalding, a.k.a. "The Singing Surgeon." Singer/songwriter Wainwright's recently released Social Studies (album number 16, for those counting) features material played on NPR, showcasing his usual wit in songs about clowns such as O.J. and Jesse Helms, among others. JASON PAGANO
LEFT HAND SMOKE
(Showbox) Seattle's Left Hand Smoke have the formula and the focus to build a big following: Simple, driven songs whose melodies can be learned in a few sittings. They've got their problems still, but LHS are good musicians with an ear for the mellow, worthwhile aspects of pop. See them now in their infancy, and you'll feel like a proud parent when they grow up to be rich and famous. NATHAN THORNBURGH
THE PIN-UPS/ST. JOHN
(OK Hotel) I'm not sure why, but powerful female vocalists (Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, etc.) always seem to lend a certain edge to the whole pop-rock formula. The Pin-Ups are no exception. Vocalist Dejha has the voice and the charisma to carry on that fine tradition -- and she's backed by a band that includes the rock-solid drumming talents of the omnipresent Jason Finn. BARBARA MITCHELL
VOYAGER ONE/LOLLY/THE DROP
(Sit & Spin) It appears that this evening's entertainment is actually a showcase of bands on Loveless Records, the new label started by KCMU's kick-ass morning DJ John Richards and video store employee Michael Hukin. While I can't personally vouch for Lolly or the Drop, I'll thumb wrestle anyone who's not absolutely mesmerized by the otherworldly magnificence of Voyager One's space-pop. (They're just finishing recording, so look for a new album out sometime in the not-too-distant future.) BARBARA MITCHELL
LAURA LOVE BAND
(Shoreline Community College) Not all attention is good attention. Laura Love, who supposedly paid her dues by playing at the Nebraska State Peniten-tiary as a teenager, knows the kind of attention you get in a correctional facility playing soft music for a severely undersexed crowd. So plenty of people will go to Shoreline to hear her Ani-Difranco-meets-country-and-gospel show, and they will go as polite fans, not as leering convicts. NATHAN THORNBURGH
JOSH WHITE/MANDARIN/AUTOMATA
(OK Hotel) Vocalist/bassist Chris Brady, of now-defunct Pond, fronts this new Portland band called Mandarin. KATHLEEN WILSON
THE SPORES/THE BANGS/THE AUTOMATON ADVENTURE SERIES/COUGAR
(Crocodile) Seeing the Spores brings back memories of the late, great Brainiac -- although, given the fact that the average age of the Spores appears to hover somewhere around 16, it's doubtful that they ever got to revel in the sheer spastic splendor of Dayton, Ohio's most energetic export. And while the Spores currently lack the immediate hit potential of Brainiac tunes like "Go Freaks Go" and "Sexual Frustration," (as well as that band's sizzling sexuality), they're definitely on to something. BARBARA MITCHELL
SAGE/KING BLACK ACID/
EUREKA FARM/MELODY UNIT
(The 3B, Bellingham) Before disbanding almost -- gulp! -- half a decade ago, the now-legendary local trio Sage delighted fans and confounded anyone foolish enough to try to describe exactly what they were doing, with live shows and not-quite-of-this-world music best described as "mind altering." But they're back for a couple of unforgettable reunion shows, and as if that weren't enough, tonight you can catch them with an entire bill's worth of kindred musical spirits. BARBARA MITCHELL
SUPLEX/NOD AND SMILE/THE FUGUE
(Midnight Sun, Olympia) Portland's Suplex write songs about space, not wrestling; Nod and Smile are from Seattle and play a set of noisy pop that includes a cover of the Police's "Synchronicity"; and the loud, driving guitar-bass interplay of Oly's the Fugue round out this bill. ERIN FRANZMAN
MAVIS STAPLES --
A TRIBUTE TO MAHALIA JACKSON
(Pantages Theater, Tacoma) The mere mention of the Staples Singers' Stax Records singles from the early '70s is enough to have me humming tunes for days. Born out of a blues and gospel tradition back in the '50s, the Staples Singers' debut took place in a church -- and Mavis knows her way around the gospel songs that Jackson made famous like few other singers alive today. JAMES KIRCHMER
KEVIN EUBANKS
(Jazz Alley) Branford Marsalis survived the boredom of being Sting's sideman, and the critical failure of Buckshot LeFonque, but he simply could not countenance the nightly inanity and humiliation of being the laugh track/bandleader for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. So he left the job to his friend and co-worker, the accomplished jazz guitarist Kevin Eubanks. Three years later, Eubanks is still Paul Shaffer to Leno's Letterman, but I admire him regardless. He needs money, but he's a deep musician at heart. NATHAN THORNBURGH
SHANNON CURFMAN
(Century Ballroom) Check out Shannon Curfman, from Fargo, North Dakota, who is all of 15 years old and is singing authentic-sounding rock and blues for a major record label. She'll make you re-examine your ideas about where the blues comes from, seeing as it pours so freshly from the mouths of babes. NATHAN THORNBURGH
CITY OF/LITTLE LUANN/SUITCASE
(Crocodile) Several reliable sources have pinpointed City Of as a band to watch. And while I'm a little disappointed that I won't have another opportunity to giggle myself silly watching Stumblebum (beware of over-merched bands boasting a theme song -- especially those whose theme song appears to have its own dance!), I'm always ready to see something new and good. Besides, how can you bitch about how the local scene sucks if you never leave your couch? BARBARA MITCHELL
COREY HARRIS
(Jazz Alley) This ultra-talented 30-year-old blueman's latest record, Greens from the Garden, is a feast for the senses. Helping drive home the point that there's lots of ways to skin the blues is the simple fact that he can flat-out sing, play, and write tunes. Like a young Taj Mahal, Harris' soulful excursions stay close to his country roots. JAMES KIRCHMER
HOG MOLLY
(Crocodile) We love Tad Doyle. You love Tad Doyle, too. Go. ERIN FRANZMAN
LEFTOVER SALMON
(Showbox) Leftover Salmon have taken to calling themselves a "polyethnic" group, despite the fact that the Colorado jam band is as white as a Twinkie's cream filling. That must mean that "White guy with beard" is one ethnicity, and "White guy with moustache" is another. If you thought white kids bought a lot of rap music, you should see the money they spent on jam bands. Leftover Salmon do their thing well, but don't go expecting a multicultural extravaganza. NATHAN THORNBURGH
MIKE NICOLAI
(Gordon Biersch) How come more of you aren't going to shows at Gordon Biersch? It's the best value in town -- three sets of top-notch music by some very talented artists, AND it's free. Is it because the intimate setting intimidates you? Mike Nicolai is a transplanted Midwesterner who just moved from here to Portland, so you can enjoy his charmingly low-key, Dylan-tinged twang without fear. BARBARA MITCHELL
