THURSDAY 5/18

DOMU & SUNTZU SOUND
(Baltic Room) See Data Breaker.

NEW LUCK TOY, KRASH UN LURNE, GOLY GRIM
(Funhouse) See Rocka Rolla.

PARIS SPLEEN, MARTIAN MEMO TO GOD, WHITE GOLD, JUHU BEACH
(Nectar) If I close my eyes while listening to White Gold, I can almost convince myself I'm in a German disco surrounded by a bunch of tank-top-wearing greasy men with gold chains, sunglasses, mustaches, and a pound of coke beating through their systems. I said almost! White Gold's tunes are a bit too rock and roll for a scene that shallow and shady. But don't worry: There is still some bumpin' and grindin', there's still a little sweat and attitude. Opening tonight, fittingly enough, are Paris Spleen, a relatively obscure Tacoma band. But the Spleen's sharp indie rock carries a new-wave flag of their own to bring a dance party to Juhu Beach's disgruntled shoe-gazing session. MEGAN SELING

TECH N9NE, ABSOLUTE POWER, BIG KRIZZ KALIKO
(Neumo's) More than any other current hiphop performer, Tech N9ne can convert concertgoers on the spot with his rock-star charisma and far-out, fast-paced flows. Even listeners who normally prefer metal can appreciate his drum-roll cadence and guitar-solo-style vocal virtuosity. His set-list showstoppers include "Stamina," on which he matches a machine-gun sample rat-a-tat for rat-a-tat; "It's Alive," a drum-and-bass-spiked civic-pride anthem about his hometown, Kansas City; and "This Ring," a disarmingly downbeat admission of his failed fidelity. Tech plays full songs, rejecting rap's tradition of unsatisfying medleys and tired, time-padding raise-the-roof banter. His radiant, red-spiked hair, uniformly attired posse, and smooth choreography bring flash to a spectacle-starved genre that puts big-name MCs on stage with little more than a banner and a DJ. ANDREW MILLER

BOBBY BARE, BOBBY BARE JR.
(Showbox) See preview.

FRIDAY 5/19

THE (INTERNATIONAL) NOISE CONSPIRACY, THE FEVER, THE DIVORCE
(El Corazón) See preview.

ROGER SANCHEZ, EVA
(Element) Born in Queens and borrowing a look from Ali G, Roger Sanchez dives into Seattle with a massive international reputation for dark-eyed tribal disco-house in tow. Sanchez's sets, a few of which have broken the 12-hour mark, telephoto focus in on cruel bass and distorted vocals glittered up by deep Latin rhythms, big-name remixes, hug-your-mates trance, and European sparks of well-placed retro. If it takes no chances, except for Sanchez's threat to bring a live band, it doesn't always have to, and, if it's like the real-group efforts by Roni Size or the Streets, he could nearly make it work. GUY FAWKES

THE BRIEFS, DREADFUL CHILDREN, FLUX CAPACITORS, THE GREATEST HITS
(Funhouse) The term pop punk needs to get shit-canned. Its now wince-inducing connotations merely muddy the waters when one is trying to recommend a band like the Briefs, whose Day-Glo image, buzz-saw riffage, and snotty vocals are merely the vehicle for an absolute mastery of classic pop songwriting and sly, often hilarious lyrics. If you're wondering where they've been, they're on tour. Forever. Seriously. Sharing their knack for catchy hooks with none of the rough edges sanded off are Flux Capacitors, with rousing-yet-self-effacing gang vocals reminiscent of California's great Toys That Kill, and Dreadful Children, who champion the unlikely equation of Iron Maiden–esque riffery and the Toy Dolls' sense of bouncy, infectious absurdity and somehow create a mad-scientist hybrid that totally kills. BILL BULLOCK

Z-TRIP
(Last Supper Club) One of the coolest things about real live hiphop DJs is their passion for damn near all types of music, as long as the shit can rock a dance floor. Hiphop is indeed made up of everything, including the kitchen sink, the bathroom mirror, and the goddamn entertainment center; so the best on the ones and twos know how to freak even a Rush record until it's some straight b-boy shit. Fresh off a tour of Australia—and a secret gig in L.A. opening for Aerosmith—Z-Trip is touching down in Seattle to flex his mashup mastery. Trip's classic Uneasy Listening mix might never be able to come out through a major label due to sampling headaches, but in front of a packed floor is where the dude works best anyway. LARRY MIZELL JR.

LYRICS BORN
(Neumo's) Tom "Lyrics Born" Shimura has helped create one of hiphop's most left-of-center slabs of genius (Latyrx's The Album), helped found one of the genre's most fertile labels (Quannum), and of course, sold Coke (his bubbly "Callin' Out" was featured in a cola spot). The man's done all that and still faithfully provides crowds worldwide with some of the most soulful hiphop music in the biz; now the mufucka just needs to drop a new album. What I particularly like is how LB keeps it fonky, lyrical, and human without pandering to those fools forever clamoring to prove that they're too smart for rap. That said, when y'all get done scrutinizing everything that spills from Danger Mouse's ass, come check out your boy, 'cause he's killing it. LARRY MIZELL JR.

THE BELLRAYS, TOP HEAVY CRUSH, SUGAR FARM, PRETTY MONSTER
(Sunset Tavern) Watching a BellRays show makes you feel like you've been fortunate enough to stumble into a parallel universe where Tina Turner never got the shit kicked out of her and James Brown never got old. Frontwoman Lisa Kekaula testifies to the power of true-blue blues like a high priestess and her sex appeal is simply through the roof. The unpretentious atmosphere of the Sunset is the perfect setting and local openers Sugar Farm are the ideal apéritif. HANNAH LEVIN

SATURDAY 5/20

SAFARI W/SUNTZU SOUND AND KID HOPS
(Baltic Room) Organized by the ever-hustling Seattle collective SunTzu Sound, Safari is in the business of exploring soulful dance music in its myriad permutations. The new monthly event was inspired by SunTzu's time soaking up the vibes at London's Co-Op and New York's Jump-N-Funk nights, as well as channeling the energy of their own frequent soirées. Reliable-as-a-Swiss-watch KEXP programmer Kid Hops (Expansions, Positive Vibrations) helps SunTzu kick off Safari with what are sure to be mood-elevating, mind-broadening selections from across the electronic spectrum. Joining him will be SunTzu, masters of blending old funk and soul classics with newer broken-beat wax and deep-house joints. DAVE SEGAL

THE CUTS, THE BATS OF BELFRY, THE HONEY HUSH, RADIO CITY
(Comet) For the uninitiated, the Bats of Belfry have been killing it live lately. Last month they shamed psych-rock Swedes Dungen at Neumo's. Former members of the Vells, Blessed Light, and Cobra High combine for a '70s, psych-jammy thing with tom-heavy drum fills, pretty vocal harmonies, and a lead singer who embodies what Bowie would likely go for if he could somehow grow younger. Word is they've got several dozen songs under their belts, so now all they have to do is release something. GRANT BRISSEY

SUNDAY 5/21

ONE SELF (FEATURING DJ VADIM, YARAH BRAVO, BLU RUM 13), AMMONCONTACT
(Chop Suey) One Self finds Anglo-Russian producer Vadim Peare letting some light and tunefulness into the usually tenebrous, paranoiac experimental hiphop tracks he records as DJ Vadim, the Isolationist, and Andre Gurov. His 2005 debut album with Swedish-Brazilian vocalist Yarah Bravo and American MC Blu Rum 13, Children of Possibility (Ninja Tune), peddles positivist, proletariat-boosting jams that aim to rock and organize the (labor) party. Vadim's expanded his palette to embrace more festive Latin and Caribbean rhythms and percussion, but there's residual darkness lurking around the smoother edges of his meticulously sculpted, sublimely moody beatscapes. It's a salubrious progression for one of the most underrated producers in the game. DAVE SEGAL

THE SIX PARTS SEVEN, THE CAN'T SEE, THE FLEET FOXES, TINY VIPERS
(Crocodile) Yes, here's this week's lineup for pop-inclined rock. Tiny Vipers is Jesy Fortino, whose subdued vocal inflections make her sound like she's from somewhere else, but we're damn lucky to have her here. The Fleet Foxes' carefree melodies showcase better chops than similar bands that have been around 10 times as long. The Can't See take the talent aspect and ramp it into complex structures of dynamic pop mastery. Lastly, Ohio's the Six Parts Seven take all the aforementioned stuff and span it out into serene, crystal-clear instrumental compositions. Their latest, The Attitudes of Collapse, is now out on Burnt Toast Vinyl. GRANT BRISSEY

P.O.D., PILLAR, THE CHARIOT, MAYLENE AND THE SONS OF DISASTER
(Showbox) With their hyperactive switch-on, switch-off stage lighting and dizzying signature shifts, the Chariot's shows can be as disorienting as a pitch-black haunted house with mirror mazes and four-story slides. (As the Chariot are a Christian metalcore act, it's worth clarifying that this wouldn't be one of those Hell Houses, with staged botched abortions and drug overdoses as its attractions. Based in Douglasville, Georgia, this band keeps their spirituality subtle.) Singer Josh Scogin (formerly of Norma Jean) moves so often that he's never in the same illuminated spot twice, making him seem like a mischievous apparition. The Chariot's verbose song titles (one stretches 39 words) stand in stark contrast to their brutally concise compositions, which are all thrashy feedback-spitting guitar, guttural growls and apoplectic rhythms. ANDREW MILLER

MONDAY 5/22

SMOKING POPES, LOVEDRUG, BARCELONA
(Crocodile) See Underage and Stranger Suggests.

TUESDAY 5/23

COUNTRY TEASERS, CLIMAX GOLDEN TWINS, INEFFECTUAL HEALING
(Funhouse) See preview.

MOGWAI, EARTH
(Showbox) See Stranger Suggests.

THE TOUGH AND LOVELY, THE FUCKING EAGLES, MC VAGINA
(Sunset) If you appreciate the sweaty swagger of Motown-inspired acts like the Detroit Cobras, but wish they brought something newer to the table, then you'll seriously dig the Tough and Lovely. Working with a foundation of old-school, gritty soul, these kids from Ohio add a deliciously unexpected layer of twang, giving their embittered Detroit City sound a sense of rural romanticism. Likewise, if you're an Oblivians fan, you owe it to yourself to check out the Fucking Eagles, who mine a similar vein of organic garage punk. HANNAH LEVIN

WEDNESDAY 5/24

SECOND ANNUAL BOB DYLAN BIRTHDAY BASH
(Sunset) See Rocka Rolla.

GHOSTS I'VE MET, THE MALDIVES
(Tractor) Listening to the Maldives play their dusty, rainy-day [Nice paradox. —ed.] country rock, one might wonder if this (mostly) bearded group of twentysomethings would be better suited to the lonely, expansive corn fields of Kansas than the crowded city streets of Seattle. Geographic incongruity aside, vocalist Jason Dodson, one of the best unheralded songwriters in Seattle, has a keen ear for relating his city blues with a country twang, accenting his voice—think Jim James sans the obsession with reverb—with ambient pedal steel, fully electric guitars, and the occasional fiddle. The result is Dodson's somber songs of hope and failure, the kind of plaintive, self-reflective stories you'd hear from a heartbroken farmhand sipping on whiskey in an empty tavern. Folk balladeer Drew Victor opens. NICK KOCH

ALL AGES SHOWS

36 CRAZYFISTS, FALLING CLOSER, GUESTS: Thurs May 18, El Corazón, 7:30 pm, $10/$12

MAD SIN, SEASON OF NIGHTMARES, GUESTS: Thurs May 18, Studio Seven, 7 pm, $10/$13

TECH N9NE: Thurs May 18, Neumo's, 8 pm, $22.50

PURE HORSEHAIR, TITTY, MIKE DUMOVICH: Thurs May 18, SS Marie Antoinette, 8 pm, $5

THE BREAKERS, PANDORA'S PLAN, ADAM HALL: Fri May 19, Ground Zero, 7 pm, $5/$6

FIVE BOLT MAIN, THE ACCIDENT EXPERIMENT, GUESTS: Fri May 19, Studio Seven, 7:30 pm, $8

MIKAELA'S FIEND, GUESTS: Fri May 19, SS Marie Antoinette, 8 pm, $5

LYRICS BORN: Fri May 19, Neumo's, 8 pm, $12

THE (INTERNATIONAL) NOISE CONSPIRACY, THE FEVER, THE DIVORCE: Fri May 19, El Corazón, 8 pm, $12

GATSBY'S AMERICAN DREAM, GUESTS: Sat May 20, El Corazón, 5 pm, $10/$12

GIANT HAYSTACKS, P9R, HELEN KILLERS, VIA: Sat May 20, SS Marie Antoinette, 8 pm, $5

GLASS HEROES, THE IGNORANT, GUESTS: Sat May 20, Studio Seven, 7 pm, $8/$10

ELLEN SAYS NO, J-MINUS, DOXOLOGY: Sat May 20, Showbox, 8 pm, $7/$10

SIX PARTS SEVEN, THE CAN'T SEE, GUESTS: Sun May 21, Crocodile, 7 pm, $7

TELOMEREREPAIR, THE WIRES, NO MEANS YES: Sun May 21, SS Marie Antoinette, 8 pm, $5

P.O.D.: Sun May 21, the Showbox, 6 pm, $17/$19

BOOM BAP PROJECT, CANCER RISING, GUESTS: Sun May 21, Neumo's, 8 pm, $12/$14

SMOKING POPES, LOVEDRUG, BARCELONA: Mon May 22, Crocodile, 8 pm, $12

THE ROCKET SUMMER, PARAMORE, GUESTS: Mon May 22, El Corazón, 7 pm, $12/$14

THE NEW AMSTERDAMS, THE LASHES, THE LOOK: Tues May 23, Neumo's, 7 pm, $12

MOGWAI, EARTH: Tues May 23, the Showbox, 8 pm, $17.50/$20

SICK OF IT ALL, STRETCH ARM STRONG, GUESTS: Tues May 23, El Corazón, 8 pm, $13/$15