Music

Up & Coming

THE JAYHAWKS
(Showbox) While mainstream America may never have embraced alt-country the way that it has, oh, say... rap-metal, at this point it's difficult to imagine that there was a time when "alternative" and "country" seemed like mutually exclusive genres. Credit bands like Minneapolis' stellar Jayhawks for blending the two, and for maintaining a sense of genuine heart and soul when traditional twang decided to take a trip to Tinseltown. BARBARA MITCHELL

DANNY BARNES AND THE OLE CODGERS
(Tractor Tavern) These guys will make you forget that you're a drunk who can't hold down a steady job, as the twangy groove sets in with Danny Barnes (of Bill Frisell's the Willies). Hang on to those 10-gallon hats, because the longing and the regret are going to wash over you, and if you're not careful, send you and your brushed-cotton shirt into the mud. KREG HASEGAWA

MINUS 5
(Crocodile) At this point, the challenge in previewing a Minus 5 show is just figuring out who's playing, but here's the lineup straight from the horse's mouth, or, the horse's e-mail, not that Scott McCaughey could ever be confused with a horse: "[Scott McCaughey] (sousaphone, bagpipes, etc), Peter Buck (bass), John Ramberg (guitar--his modal Model Rockets are on the bill as well), Bill Rieflin (percussives), John Wesley Harding (vocals, guitar, piano), and, you know, whoever else calls me and wants to join in." ERIN FRANZMAN

ERIC APOE, X-RAY, AIKO SHIMADA
(OK Hotel) If Joni Mitchell and Billie Holiday ever had a love child, then Aiko Shimada might have been it. With Mitchell's sense of irony and Holiday's sense of persuasion, Shimada is able to hit a note for every syllable and create an uneven rhythm which, if her band is good enough to keep up, will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand at attention. KREG HASEGAWA

BLÖÖDHÄG, UON, HAGGARD
(Paradox Theater) Blöödhäg's practice of encouraging their audience to read science fiction, not to mention report on what they've read, has given me a new goal: to plow my way through every novel to win the Hugo Award since its inception. What's the Hugo Award, you ask? Not to worry: Ask Blöödhäg, and if you can hear the answer after they're done torturing your eardrums, they'll tell you. GENEVIEVE WILLIAMS

MARIAN McPARTLAND
(Jazz Alley) The whole "Grande Dame of Jazz Piano" title that McPartland has earned is, well, a bit misleading. It's not that she isn't a phenomenal musician who plays with exquisite grace, keeping melodies strong despite rollicking improv--she is. It's just that "Grand Dame" sounds so old and snooty, aristocratic even; like she's tickling the ivories with her nose in the air, cushioned by her "grandness." Nothing could be further from the truth: McPartland exudes nothing but warmth, humility, and intimacy; an inspiring blend, considering how long she's been successful. How 'bout Marian McPartland, "The Nice Broad of Piano Jazz"? MIN LIAO

DICK DALE
(Catwalk) See Stranger Suggests.

THE CATHETERS, THE GIMMICKS, THE VULTURES, ONYAS
(Gibson's) It's nice to know that even with all the attention they've been receiving--both from local media and nefarious multinational corporations (otherwise known as major labels)--that the Catheters still don't think they're too good or too big or too important to play Gibson's. Better make it down to this show, though, since it seems as though fate has big things in store for this little band. BARBARA MITCHELL

JULIANA HATFIELD, BILL JANOWITZ
(Crocodile) Try and purge any residual venom you might still have for Miss Alterna-Chick 1992. It's been a nice chunk of time since the Sassy photos, the petulant lyrics, the Evan Dando dating saga, the REE-diculous "girls can't play" quote... right? Whether you've forgiven her or not, she's bound and determined to be a Serious Musician; so cut it out with the hair-and-eyeliner critique tonight. She might impress you with new stuff off Beautiful Creature, or older stuff you used to kinda like. Does anyone else miss Sassy? MIN LIAO

DAMIEN JURADO, JEN WOOD
(Paradox Theater) Damien Jurado gave everyone the wrong impression by releasing his juvenilia; his first record, released in 1996, was atrocious. Then came last year's Rehearsals for Departure (Sub Pop), an absolute gem. His new CD, Postcards and Audio Letters (Made in Mexico) is a singularly idiosyncratic collection of phone messages and letters-on-cassette gathered from garage sales. The plainspoken, ordinary voices of decades ago sneak up on you, their phrasings somehow addictive, like Jurado's unassuming, open-hearted songs. Onstage, his intense calm is hypnotic, and the songs themselves just keep getting better. GRANT COGSWELL

NINE INCH NAILS, A PERFECT CIRCLE
(Gorge Amphitheatre) Despite the overhyping of The Fragile, you really can't go wrong with Trent Reznor live--he never fails to put on one helluva show. Though it's doubtful there'll be anything as earth-shattering as the onstage reconciliation of Reznor and his arch-nemesis Marilyn Manson at the recent Madison Square Garden show, fans can expect the usual Reznor theatrics. Opening act A Perfect Circle, the new band from Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan, are reportedly pleasing their audience with a sound that is much like... well, Tool. MELODY MOSS

KIM VIRANT, BRYAN COHEN AND THE A.M. DISASTERS
(Tractor Tavern) Soulful, longhaired white gal with a low-slung bass singing good country-rock, backed by a band skilled to the point of invisibility, softly blasting the brick walls of the Tractor, late Friday night, early summer. I remember beer... seven or eight of them, and the sky outside at dusk would almost seem to flash with a far-off trace of the Northern Lights, that magical edge to things, and outside, quiet Ballard Ave, the narrow street: in short, a vibe. GRANT COGSWELL

TODD RUNDGREN
(King Cat Theater) The truth is, back when Todd Rundgren was in his prime, we were all too stoned to know good music from bad. Rundgren fans went for bland ballads like "Hello, It's Me" or silly pop tunes like "Bang on a Drum All Day." Todd still has a rabid fan base, with websites proclaiming "Todd is Godd." It's telling, though, that he's much better known these days for his star-studded producing pedigree and his innovative Internet dabblings than for his music. Recent shows on this tour have opened with Todd's new song "I Hate My Frickin' ISP." Go stoned. MELODY MOSS

DESTINY'S CHILD
(Opera House) See Stranger Suggests.

CROCPOT
(Crocodile) The quarterly covers night Crocpot continues with Heavy Metal Thunder, which will feature members of the Fastbacks, Shuggie, Nevada Bachelors, the Pin-Ups, Harvey Danger, Five Gears in Reverse, Ruston Mire, Carmine, and Firebrat performing faithful and unfaithful renditions of your favorite power ballads and monster anthems. Let's just hope it's smoother than the recent Velvet Underground covers night, where bands took longer to set up their equipment than they did to play their two damn songs. ERIN FRANZMAN

MURDER CITY DEVILS, THE BRIEFS, CLOSED CAPTION RADIO
(Graceland) Yep, the Murder City Devils have a new album out and a couple of record-release shows to celebrate the fact. The big question is, since the 21+ show falls on a Saturday night, will they have to close the Cha-Cha for this occasion? BARBARA MITCHELL

BRASSIC BEATS FEATURING CUT LA ROC, SPARKY LIGHT BORN, AND SPACE INVADERS
(I-Spy) Cut La Roc--what a great nom-de-turntable for Lee Potter, the Brighton-born DJ who rose to stardom, along with the inescapable Fatboy, at that same city's now-legendary Big Beat Boutique. He's all over the map, spinning everything from campy jump-up to rap cut-ups and hyperactive techno, and NME once described his high-bpm forays as "what the Beatles would have sounded like if they'd invented jungle." Fellow Skint labelmates Space Invaders are equally schizophrenic on the musical front. In a live setting, they manage to bring the mishmash together and provide irresistible, sample-happy fun. LEAH GREENBLATT

PETE DROGE & THE BASEBOARD HEATERS, BLUE SPARK
(Tractor Tavern) Both Pete Droge & the Baseboard Heaters and Garth Reeves' Blue Spark excel in the art of unpretentious, laid-back, maybe even slightly twangy music that my aunt would describe as just plain good. It's not designed to dazzle, but that's not the point. It'll make you feel good, and sometimes good old musical comfort food will do wonders for the soul. BARBARA MITCHELL

GUARDIAN ALIEN, MAMBO 9
(Elysian) It's hard to label Guardian Alien's varied sound, layered as it is with piano, banjo, bass, drums, horns, and even a concertina, all buoyed by the gorgeous voices of Christina Honeycutt and the multi-talented Guy Davis (Sage, Bütthütt). Davis writes a wide array of songs for Guardian Alien, ranging from bouncy, jazzy tunes to dreamy, Middle Eastern-tinged numbers. Fine musicianship like this, with an energetic performance style to boot, makes for one satisfying evening. Truly, there is an alien on my roof, and I think I'll invite him in. MELODY MOSS

KAI, CHANELLE DUPRE
(Showbox, early) It's a night of Filipino power at the Showbox, as five-part harmonizers Kai (a group of Bay Area Filipino Americans) bring their smooth a cappella sound together with opener Chanelle Dupre, a Filipino Canadian beauty queen who won a 1999 award for best West Coast urban/hiphop release. I'm a little iffy about Canadian hiphop, but hey, the people have spoken, and they say Chanelle is a down girl. She's also a choreographer, so expect lots of sassy moves. LEAH GREENBLATT

LOVERBOY
(Emerald Queen Casino) Okay, boys and girls, today's game is called "Song Tumor." Pick a song... let's say, "Working for the Weekend." What's that you're singing now? "You wanna piece o' my heart?" That's right, you've now got "song tumor" for the entire fuckin' day! Ah ha ha ha! Maybe to purge this affliction you're just gonna have to "be in the show" with aging Canadian rockers Loverboy. But don't go looking for that baby-faced bandanna boy in the red leather pants. Oh, the cruel ravages of age. MELODY MOSS

JAMPAC BENEFIT WITH DUB NARCOTIC SOUND SYSTEM, IQU, YUME BITSU, AND MIRAH
(Crocodile, early) Let's take a minute to be serious. I know we're all pretty busy, and most of us are not exactly enjoying a life of luxury and leisure. But there are some important political issues that threaten to adversely affect our lives, and without organizations like JAMPAC to fight the battles that none of us has the time or resources to combat on our own, we'd be screwed. So get down to the Crocodile, fork over a minimal amount of cash for a good cause, and enjoy an afternoon of outstanding music. There. That wasn't so hard. BARBARA MITCHELL

DIXIE CHICKS
(Tacoma Dome) See live music preview.

JIM PAGE AND FRIENDS
(Tractor Tavern) "Well I can play guitar like Jimmy Page/The girlies I like are underage.... (Check it!)" Not that Jimmy Page, dipstick. This is the Jim Page best known for his song "The Doomed Stadium," about the greed and stupidity that got the Kingdome built in the first place. This is sing-along protest music from back when your folks were taking a lot of drugs. There will be old skinny guys with beards in attendance, and huge fertility goddesses with silk scarves in their hair. If Folklife didn't satisfy, here's some more for ya. GRANT COGSWELL

MURDER CITY DEVILS, BOTCH, THE CATHETERS
(Graceland, with 4 pm BBQ for homeless families) See Saturday's listing.

CREED, SEVENDUST, NICKELBACK
(KeyArena) Unless you haven't turned on a radio in the past three years, you don't need me to tell you about Creed's aggressive, derivative, post-grunge rock. Tortured vocalist Scott Stapp's been through the wringer, and he really wants to tell you about it. Creed are very, very good at what they do, but at least they don't pretend to do anything else. They're unpretentious, especially for a multi-platinum act, and for that they do deserve a certain amount of credit. GENEVIEVE WILLIAMS

ENEMY SQUAD, SPECIAL GUESTS
(I-Spy) If you, funky Seattleite, are a fan of Parliament, Funkadelic, and Morris Day and the Time, but have been feeling sadly un-funk-dified lately, you are in luck this week. Detroit's Enemy Squad guarantee a groove-heavy, sweaty workout; they've got a rapper, too, along with all their live instruments. Wear breathable cottons, and don't forget the Arrid Extra Dry, or you'll find yourself dancing in your own stinky circle at this one, my friend. LEAH GREENBLATT

'N SYNC, SISQO, PINK
(Tacoma Dome) Okay, can we acknowledge how totally grown up this "boy" band has become? They've recently attracted respect from cynical adults and music-industry types by selling a freakish number of copies of No Strings Attached--2.4 million in just the first week--and surviving a dumb lawsuit with Jive Records. The coifed kids have even done the very mature thing of poking fun at themselves in recent videos: first as wink-wink marionettes, then as plastic dolls who spring to life and escape from their toy boxes. But even if TRL isn't your religion, 'N Sync promise a "new level" of performance quality and pelvic choreography on their latest mega-tour. Their opening act is that "Thong Song" guy, Sisqo. Honey, I have three words for you: Right Said Fred. MIN LIAO

COWBOY JUNKIES
(Moore Theatre) See Stranger Suggests.

HANK WILLIAMS TRIBUTE
(Tractor Tavern) Although this is a continuation of last winter's series of Hank Williams tributes (which was apparently cut short), there's no reason why celebrating the work of one of country music's greats should be confined to a particular season. Hell, with modern country sounding progressively more like '80s pop-metal, it's refreshing to revisit classics like Williams who turned heartbreak into art, not cheese. Hosted by Ron Bailey and His Honky Tonk All-Stars. BARBARA MITCHELL

UZ JSME DOMA
(Crocodile) Just so you don't have to be afraid to pronounce the name of this outstanding Czech art-punk band, it's OOzh smEH DOUGH-ma (the first two words get slurred together, and the whole thing kinda rhymes with "Rouge my donut." That sounds naughty!). I only mention it 'cause I could imagine making a fool of myself at the door and unfairly holding it against Uz Jsme Doma, who've had enough to deal with what with the Communism, Balkan unrest, and major labels. ERIN FRANZMAN

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