THURSDAY 4/6

CLEM SNIDE, TIM SEELY, J.TILLMAN
(Crocodile) Clem Snide frontman Eef Barzelay has earned a cult following with his uncanny ability to inhabit the characters that drive his melancholic melodies. Gutsy enough to take on the persona of dislikable cretins or bashful, lovelorn ladies, Barzelay is a songwriting shape-shifter and exceptionally talented lyricist with a dark sense of humor. With all that in mind, it should come as no surprise that his new solo record opens with tall tales told from the perspective of a hiphop-video vixen. Lines such as "That was my ass you saw next to Ludacris/And all those other hoochy skanks; they ain't got nothing on me" are his hilarious hallmark. HANNAH LEVIN

AMANDINE, FRUIT BATS, SAM JAYNE
(Neumo's) While I can't blame anyone for bailing on Seattle in favor of Brooklyn, it still bums me out that we can't justifiably continue to claim Sam Jayne as our own. If you're a fan of rambling, stoned-but-smart songwriters like Vic Chesnutt or are into the constructed chaos of guitar bands like Superchunk, you're seriously missing out if you don't already own a copy of Love as Laughter's vastly underrated 2005 outing, Laughter's Fifth (Sub Pop). The softer-hearted Swedish songsmiths in Amandine are a perfect counterpoint to Jayne's barbed witticisms. HANNAH LEVIN

FRIDAY 4/7

CRYSTAL SKULLS, JOHN VANDERSLICE, KELLEY STOLTZ
(Neumo's) Admittedly, John Vanderslice has been somewhat of an enigma to me. Recently, though, my curiosity finally won and I delved into his catalog. Drifting between ballads teetering on the verge of breakdown and delightfully messy pop songs layered with happy sonic experiments, Vanderslice's work is actually quite a nice surprise compared to the wishy-washy balladry I had undeservedly written it off to be. Apologies to Vanderslice—but better late than never. MEGAN SELING See also preview.

DIPLO
(Trinity) See Stranger Suggests.

DEVIN THE DUDE, DJ TOPSPIN
(Chop Suey) See preview.

THE VALLEY, THE HOT ROLLERS, THE EMERGENCY, SUGAR FARM
(Sunset) Bring on the motherfucking rawk. Between the revivalist grunge sounds of the Valley, the playful, rambunctious clatter of the Hot Rollers, and the swampy sex appeal of Sugar Farm, this bill is a guaranteed good time. Adding the MC5–like mischief of the Emergency is a crowning touch, though it must be said—they are one local band that really shouldn't be playing out as often as they do. Hold something back, kids, and you'll make everyone want you even more. HANNAH LEVIN

MEMPHIS RADIO KINGS, KORBY LENKER, HAYES CARLL
(Tractor) See Border Radio.

SATURDAY 4/8

THE COPS, SLENDER MEANS, WINTERGREEN
(Crocodile) The Cops, Seattle's own "rent-a-punks" (as they've been tragically tagged by a stupid Village Voice Media paper), are finally returning home after a few long weeks on the road. While traveling around the nation, they shared their stories with us via The Stranger's blog (www.thestranger.com/blog), proving tours are not just about 26-hour drives. Not only did they visit the site where 50 Cent was shot nine times, but they also found us some cool bars, cool bands, and made a handshake deal with Tad Kubler to have the Hold Steady guitarist produce their next record. Tonight's bill also features Mt. Fuji labelmates Slender Means and Wintergreen. MEGAN SELING

TENNIS PRO, THE SATURDAY KNIGHTS, SKULLBOT, CANCER RISING
(Neumo's) Tennis Pro was one of this year's Big Shot finalists, and I really thought they were gonna take it after seeing their live performance involving sweater vests, sweatbands, and cute-as-a-button Tennis Pro dancers wielding rackets and pleated skirts. But, alas, Speaker Speaker came out on top. Still, though, Tennis Pro left quite a positive impression on the crowd that evening. Their punked-up power pop surely caused many an audience member to walk home with their catchy songs looping in their head. MEGAN SELING See also My Philosophy.

ELITE STRANGER, HYPATIA LAKE, ENDEAVOR & INVENTION
(Paradox) Listening to Hypatia Lake is a lot like looking at a Van Gogh painting—there's something profoundly beautiful and profoundly disturbing at the same time. Riding the line between the crashing, grandiose dynamics of Mogwai or My Bloody Valentine and Pink Floyd's more ethereal and delicate psychedelia, the band create music that's terrifyingly beautiful and breathtaking—think of a more spaced-out and conceptual version of Kinski (with vocals) and you're getting there. Converts tend to speak of Hypatia Lake in hushed and reverential tones—muttering about transcendence and awe-inspiring live performances. Intrigued? You should be. BARBARA MITCHELL

COMMON MARKET, MOUNTAIN CON, NO-FI SOUL REBELLION, THE FEELING HIJACKERS
(Chop Suey) To me, Mountain Con have always been a funk band and little else. But their new record, Sancho Panza, proves the Montana transplants are capable of a lot more than silly songs with a strong funk beat. Having built an organic rock sound laced with samples, their new record (which is being celebrated at tonight's CD-release party), stands out as being more creative than anything the band has done before. Or maybe I'm just less bitter this time around. Either way, tonight's show will be fun, with Common Market and No-Fi Soul Rebellion also on the bill. MEGAN SELING

KANE HODDER, THE DIVORCE, VENDETTA RED, SAMEER SHUKLA
(El CorazĂłn) If you haven't been paying close attention, you might not know that tonight's Vendetta Red show is the last Vendetta Red show ever. Since quietly announcing the news on their MySpace page, Vendetta Red have stirred their fans into an emotional tizzy, prompting comments on their message board saying stuff like, "My eyes seriously got all watery and a lump rose in my throat when I read that," and "Last night when I found out, I flipped. I just can't believe I'll never see them again. Vendetta Red was the world to me." Fans needn't panic, however. Vendetta Red might've seen their inevitable end a bit too soon, but a few members of both VR and Pris have teamed together and started a new project called the Treatment. And there's always singer Zach Davidson's VR side-project called Sirens Sister. I think you'll still get your fill. MEGAN SELING

SUNDAY 4/9

You should just stay home and watch The Sopranos.

MONDAY 4/10

JOHN DOE
(Tractor) Forget about "six degrees of Kevin Bacon." Between his defunct marriage and surviving musical partnership with Exene Cervenka (who was married to Lord of the Rings heartthrob Viggo Mortensen), his movie roles (Boogie Nights, Salvador), and his random television appearances (Law and Order, ER), it's John Doe whom everyone's cosmically related to. Pop-culture parlor games aside, it's Doe's unfailing charisma, punk-rock pedigree, and bottomless back catalog that guarantee reverent crowds at his every performance. HANNAH LEVIN

QUEEN & PAUL RODGERS
(KeyArena) See preview.

TUESDAY 4/11

GRAVY TRAIN!!!!, OLD TIME RELIJUN, THE SUSPICIONS, VIP
(Chop Suey) Some have pegged Gravy Train!!!!'s sound with the lame descriptor "queercore," which is to say nothing of the actual music; still others have used the even more useless term "indie rock." But what we're dealing with here is some rather silly shit: Song structures take stabs at everything from booty rap to '50s bop (but mostly the former). High-pitched vocals, delivered by people with names like Hunx and Junx most often feature overtly sexual overtones and even more often border on the ridiculous. If this sounds like your bag, dig in; if not, stay far, far away. GRANT BRISSEY

PAT MARTINO
(Dimitriou's Jazz Alley) See The Score.

SUBTLE, FOG, JEL
(Neumo's) See preview, and Data Breaker.

ELBOW
(Showbox) Despite having the worst name in the history of pop music, Elbow has sold gobs of records, scored consistent critical acclaim, landed a Mercury Music nomination, and become the first ever British band to do a show in Cuba outside of Havana. Their music, seamless almost to a fault, is like floating gray, a Manchester brand of gruff vocal narcolepsy and slow, eddying post-punk indie-rock rhythms, backed by a funereal organ spine, which recalls both the Doves and Echo & the Bunnymen. Yet people go nuts for it. Could it be all the balloons at the end of the shows? GUY FAWKES

WEDNESDAY 4/12

PAT MARTINO
(Dimitriou's Jazz Alley) See The Score.

SATURDAY LOOKS GOOD TO ME, GLACIAL PARK, WALLPAPER, DJ SELECTOR DUB NARCOTIC
(Sunset) Fred Thomas's bio alone would wildly overrun this space, so let's just say this Michigan son cranks out bands and records at a staggering rate. Thomas's cottage industry includes the legendary West Side Audio Laboratories label, a weekly CD-R series, and bands like Flashpaper and Lovesick. Saturday Looks Good To Me is his main squeeze, a pop band expert at arrangements and vocal harmonies somewhere between K Records and Motown. Their singles collection, Sound on Sound (Redder), is drenched in a lo-fi lushness, but it's not all sweetness and light: bitter one-liners reveal dark roots, which make the swoon-worthy swells that much more wondrous. GEORGE CHEN

ARCH ENEMY, CHIMAIRA, HATE ETERNAL, NEVERMORE
(El CorazĂłn) When Stranger managing art director Kelly O and I were at the press screening for Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, we spent a good deal of the time alternately laughing (at righteously indignant death-metal dorks and Dee Snider's wardrobe) and cheering (every time Lemmy Kilmister appeared on screen). But when footage of Arch Enemy frontwoman Angela Gossow appeared, we simultaneously turned to each other and whispered, "Who is THAT?" I haven't heard such a commanding female presence leading a metal band since Girlschool vocalist Kim McAuliffe first singed my eardrums in the early '80s. Her physical beauty only throws her fierce, guttural vocals into stronger relief and the band holds up its end of the deal as well, mixing classic riffs and more progressive playing with refreshing aplomb. HANNAH LEVIN