SHUGGIE, THE GIRAFFES, GREAT LAKES NW
(Showbox) The next time someone starts on a "rock is dead" tirade, buy them a ticket to see Shuggie. If watching these guys doesn't restore your faith in the power of pure, unadulterated rock 'n' roll, you might actually be dead. Joining Shuggie are two fine bands featuring "former members of": The Presidents' Chris Ballew takes the stage with his new(ish) outfit, the Giraffes, and Robb and Ben from the Nevada Bachelors continue on in Great Lakes NW. BARBARA MITCHELL

ORBITER
(Crocodile) If you're expecting former Hammerbox guitarist Harris Thurmond's new project to sound like his old band, boy are you in for a surprise. Rather than revisit previously charted territory, Thurmond has started from scratch with Orbiter. The result is a more laid-back, groove-oriented, and downright soulful affair. Although he's enlisted the help of friends like Goodness' Fiia McGann (who contributes occasional vocals), Thurmond actually takes the mic this time around. If you're looking for something subtle, slinky, and slightly seductive, try this on for size. BARBARA MITCHELL

TSAR
(Breakroom) You can keep your Limp Bizkits and your Korns and whatever else is clogging up the airwaves and preventing kick-ass power pop like Tsar from getting on the radio. Tsar rule. Tsar are fun and catchy and impossibly irresistible. They play full-blown, Bic-flicking arena pop with just the right amount of attitude and glam/metal influences and you're going to be really, really sorry if you miss this show. So there. BARBARA MITCHELL

CLINTON FEARON & THE BOOGIE BROWN BAND
(Bohemian) As unlikely as it is that a founding father of reggae music would wind up here, Clinton Fearon lives and walks among us in Seattle. Now middle-aged and the leader of the Boogie Brown Band, Fearon was once one of the most sought-after session bassists in Jamaica and a member of the Gladiators, a legendary Roots-era group. Thousands of miles from his island home and a quantum leap from his childhood in the Jamaican countryside, Fearon's singing and guitar blend perfectly with the very talented Boogie Brown Band, resulting in a group so together it's amazing. Still making new music, still fresh and exuberant on stage, we are very lucky to have Fearon as a neighbor. KRIS ADAMS

HEROIC TRIO, BELL, COOKIE, HAFACAT
(Graceland) The Heroic Trio are a staple of any Hong Kong action fan's movie diet; the films made cult stars of Maggie Cheung (yum) and Michelle Yeoh (double yum), who later went on to even greater things. I'm not sure what vigilante chicks with guns have to do with noisy pop-rock from former members of Some Velvet Sidewalk and Juned, but go see this band anyway, and make sure to arrive early to catch Hafacat. GENEVIEVE WILLIAMS

TRAVIS, LEONA NAESS
(Showbox) Life is kinda crazy, la di da, but sometimes I feel wild. Relationships are so complex. Toughen up, 'cause I know what I want. You'd better make up your mind. This is music from the MTV world of manageable angst where nobody ever feels completely worthless or notices the gravitational pull of the gun store window. GRANT COGSWELL

MICHAEL FRANTI AND SPEARHEAD, INDIGO GIRLS
(Pier 62/63, also plays Sat 7/15) Future generations will curse our names and piss on our graves for many reasons. Of course, they will be upset at our nuclear brinkmanship and missile defense posturing, but they will also condemn us for our collective cultural idiocy, spending our lives looking up the skirts of lip-synching teenagers while all but ignoring righteous, informed artists like Michael Franti and his funk/rap collective Spearhead. Demonstrate your intelligence to your peers and your progeny by going to see Spearhead tonight. NATHAN THORNBURGH

TAB BENOIT
(Larry's) Tab Benoit is one of the more solid young players on the blues scene (a scene where you're still young if you're under 50) and doesn't seem to mind that most people outside of that scene haven't heard of him. His latest release--his first for the grand old label Vanguard Records--is called These Blues Are All Mine, and indeed they are. Eschewing technical flash for a more laid-back approach, Benoit has a way of sneaking up on you. GENEVIEVE WILLIAMS

ALIEN CRIME SYNDICATE, CARMINE, PARIS
(Central) Seeing the arena rock stage act of ACS is like watching a very small child do a perfect and elaborate impersonation of Cher; they are a funny, entertaining version of what would be tiresome and hollow if it were real. The Psychedelic Furs were a band with a terrific sound and no songs. ACS takes the Furs' sound a little closer to solid ground, skillfully cribbing from Tim-period Replacements, but seeing this band is really only slightly more rewarding than an evening of network TV. In another 15 years perhaps a band will come along that sounds like the Psychedelic Furs and has songs. A nation waits. GRANT COGSWELL

YOUNG FRESH FELLOWS, GIRL TROUBLE, NEW ORIGINAL SONIC SOUND
(Crocodile) The concept of "freshness" is relative. Underwear, for example, are no longer considered fresh after just a day or two of service. Bread has a slightly longer window of freshness, a week or two if you're desperate. But what about alternative rock groups? What's their shelf life? Can the Young Fresh Fellows, who formed in 1982, still be called fresh? Like Budweiser, the Fellows may have a "born on" date, but there's no telling when their jangly Seattle rock will actually expire. NATHAN THORNBURGH

SQUAREPUSHER
(ARO.space) Squarepusher, a.k.a. Tom Jenkinson, belongs to the Aphex Twin school of creepy, evil-grinning DJs. His music, which has been described quite accurately as "manic, schizoid, experimental drum and bass" is the kind of thing that sends innocent trance bunnies running for the exits, clutching their Pokémon earmuffs in terror. Though he incorporates some tempering jazz elements, Squarepusher's dissonant, jagged creations always feel vaguely like the soundtrack to a particularly sinister Blade Runner-type nightmare; the fact that this can be very enjoyable makes it all the more worrisome. LEAH GREENBLATT

PETER PARKER, THE GET GO, DOLOUR, LESLI WOOD
(Paradox) While they're not free, outdoors, or centrally located like the Pain in the Grass series at the Seattle Center, the Paradox's summer all-ages shows also provide a great opportunity for those who can't get into club gigs to check out great local music. Tonight's show features the perky pop of Peter Parker, as well as three other up-and-coming artists worth seeing whether you're underage or not. BARBARA MITCHELL

DEDICATED FEATURING SIMPLY JEFF
(Showbox) Simply Jeff wasn't always, well, simply Jeff. In the mid-'80s he was known as DJ Spinn at radio stations like L.A.'s monster KROQ, and he later put out some stuff on Moonshine as X-calibur. Now, he heads up Dr. Freecloud's Mixing Lab and Fun Da-Fried Therapeutics, a so-called "progressive-learning club night," where he plays his signature funked-out triphop, hiphop, downtempo, and breakbeats. It's a very L.A. sound, and perfectly suited to one of Seattle's 12 annual sunny days; may the show fall on one of them. LEAH GREENBLATT

RUBBERNECK
(Central) Stanford University's Coffee House, where underpaid Latinos have been serving white students turkey sandwiches since 1983, played host this February to Rubberneck, Portland's best funk band. It seemed like an odd match at first, but then I remembered that Rubberneck, founded by brothers Pablo and Ricardo Ojeda, are incorporating more and more Latin elements into their music. So they were probably just paying their dues, joining the other Latinos in serving their goods to a disinterested, timid Stanford crowd. Even in Seattle, Rubberneck still get the shaft, playing at the Central when they're good enough to play at the Showbox. NATHAN THORNBURGH

MEN'S RECOVERY PROJECT, WITCHYPOO, TEEN CTHULHU
(Sit & Spin, early) There's not much in Men's Recovery Projects' hometown of Claremont, CA. It's hot; it's at the edge of the desert; and it's ruled by conservative white republicans. A couple of policemen shot a guy during a traffic stop last year, and they got voted "Cops of the Year" by the city council. So it's only fitting that bands who enjoy railing against the status quo--like Men's Recovery Project and Man Is the Bastard--should come from there. On the other hand, Olympia, WA is a town full of "artsy" folks and liberal beliefs. Such a nurturing environment is perfect for a weird band like Witchypoo to explore the uncharted regions of music. So if you're punk and proud, clap your hands and go to this show. JUAN-CARLOS RODRIGUEZ

FAIRGROVE, FIVE GEARS IN REVERSE, BUGS IN AMBER
(Sit and Spin, late) See Bio Box.

THEE OLD CODGERS
(Rainbow) Bluegrass music is one of the folk traditions that has seethed its way into our cultural subconscious. It has been depicted by the media as a bald guy with no teeth plucking a banjo on a bridge as your doomed expedition down a river leads you to anal sex. Tonight Danny Barnes--who's played with Bill Frisell and composed tunes for the Bad Livers and for 20th Century Fox--brings together Keith Lowe (of Zony Mash) on bass and John Parry on the fiddle in an ensemble that creates a counter-current propelling you (salmon-like) upriver. KREG HASEGAWA

SAGE, ACETYLENE, JOHN RODERICK
(Elysian) After a rather extended hiatus, former Western State Hurricane John Roderick returns to action (his appearances as part of the newly expanded Harvey Danger lineup notwithstanding). Roderick's got a knack for tempering his rough-hewn pop songs with just the right amount of heart and soul, and the Elysian's cozy setting should be a great place to experience new solo material and some classic WSH gems. Roderick's former WSH compatriot Stephanie Wicker and her new outfit Acetylene as well as the always intriguing Sage round out a great evening of entertainment. BARBARA MITCHELL

THE MELODY UNIT, NO. 2, RUSTON MIRE
(Crocodile) See Stranger Suggests.

STANLEY JORDAN
(Jazz Alley) You've got to be careful with Stanley Jordan. At times, as on his 1985 release Magic Touch, he's sublime; you want to take the title literally. At other times, as on 1994's Bolero, he's eminently forgettable. The high points, though, keep you coming back for more; there's no question that Jordan's more talented than most, and his guitar work can put most others' to shame. GENEVIEVE WILLIAMS

BONFIRE MADIGAN, SICK GIRL
(Graceland) Madigan Shive, the mercurial singing cellist of Bonfire Madigan, has a kind of PJ Harvey thing going: Like Harvey, her erratic persona is theatrical and appealing, while her records are an uneasy listen (her new CD, Saddle the Bridge, is just out on K Records). But in a live setting, she is astounding. A fifth-generation Washingtonian, Shive brings a deep sense of history and place to the Northwest music scene, and seeing her perform is a confirmation that this region is special, and continues to produce wonders. GRANT COGSWELL

GOLDFINGER, EVE 6, DYNAMITE HACK
(Showbox) "Now what End music is this?" I asked. Editrix Erin helpfully replied, "You know, the 'wanna put my tender heart in a blender' guys." The earnest SoCal boys of Eve 6 sing about teenage alienation, and use some pretty big words to boot--but they've still got plenty of tattoos and an eyebrow ring or two. A big deal was made of the fact that they had to finish high school before their parents would let them sign their contract with RCA (the subsequent album was actually recorded predominantly right here in Seattle). People seem to focus a lot today on the age of all the young pop moppets. But they forget that in the olden days, teen groups were the norm, and guys like Tommy James and Eric Clapton were getting gold records before they got razors. LEAH GREENBLATT

DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES
(Pier 62/63) Remember making out to "Private Eyes"? I don't, but if you do, a trip down memory lane is in order when Hall & Oats take the stage at the Summer Nights pier. The duo have been making music together for three decades now, so all their old hits should be polished. But if you think that this will be a greatest hits redux from some Where Are They Now? band, think again. Hall & Oats are set to put out a new album soon, with songs so good that Darryl Hall's plumber was reportedly overheard humming some of the new tunes recently. And he should know about clear pipes. KRIS ADAMS

WEARY, HARVESTER, TINY KINGS
(Tractor) See Stranger Suggests.

ROSIE THOMAS & DAMIEN JURADO
(Gordon Biersch) It's officially summer, which means that shows at Gordon Biersch have a decided advantage over other venues (apart from being FREE): air-conditioning. Can you think of better conditions to take in the low-key musings of local lo-fi luminary Damien Jurado than sitting at a table in climate-controlled conditions while the friendly Gordon Biersch staff keep those delicious cold, frosty beverages coming your way? Rosie Thomas has made several appearances with Jurado, and her gorgeous voice and loopy demeanor provide the perfect counterpoint. BARBARA MITCHELL

ANNE GOODLEY & THE ZYDECO BONESHAKERS
(Tractor Tavern) God bless the Tractor Tavern, which continuously plumbs the depths of Americana to bring Ballard a never-ending stream of quality roots music--groups like the Zydeco Boneshakers, who come advertised as uptempo, high-quality N'Awlins rock. They will be good, to be sure, but more important than the actual gig is the beautiful fact that we have the option of taking in some Cajun music on a Hump Day in our fair Northwestern city. NATHAN THORNBURGH

PHIL HURLEY
(Gordon Biersch) It's a toss-up which title former Gigolo Aunt Phil Hurley deserves more--"nicest guy in town" or "most versatile musician." This former Bostonian is a walking encyclopedia and huge fan of all kinds of good music, and tonight's appearance at Gordon Biersch should provide plenty of opportunity for him to indulge himself and the audience in a wide variety of great songs. BARBARA MITCHELL

KEB' MO', CATIE CURTIS
(Woodland Park Zoo) See Stranger Suggests.