Music

Up & Coming

RAY BROWN TRIO
(Jazz Alley, through Sunday) Christian McBride may be one of the most recognized names in jazz, but the 28-year-old still calls Ray Brown "Dad." McBride's real father is Philly bassist Lee Smith, but calling Brown "Dad" is more about respect than lineage; accordingly, this three-bass jazz collaboration of McBride, Brown, and John Clayton promises to trace the best history of the jazz bass from bop to pop, and beyond. Just don't confuse this "Superbass" music tour with the "Superbass" fishing tournament tour, sponsored by Lunker Lure Fishing Accessories. NATHAN THORNBURGH

H. B. RADKE & THE JET CITY SWINGERS
(Paragon) The Jet City Swingers are spending their Thursdays at the Paragon, whose self-conscious Queen Anne sophistication is a perfect match for the band's retro humorist swing style. But whether you go to the Paragon for the music or just for the Chianti and the chance of bedding a yuppie, you must admit that H. B. Radke and his crew are solid musicians. In particular, vocalist and trumpeter Radke was destined to play this music--his father, Fred Radke, is a swing trumpeter and bandleader from Mercer Island. NATHAN THORNBURGH

THE COMPUTER IMPOSSIBLE, WONDERFUL, RED PLANET
(Breakroom) Formerly Dance Party Internationale, the Computer Impossible seem to have taken on a slightly mellower tone along with their new name. But they're still all about the kind of electronic music that might lull you into hibernation, only to unscrew the top of your head and mess around with what's inside. Good stuff, by turns pleasant and strange, or sometimes both at once. GENEVIEVE WILLIAMS

IN FLAMES, SHADOWS FALL, BURN IT DOWN, HIMSA
(Graceland) Just the mention of Sweden evokes the black-metal underground, but Swedish metalheads In Flames are not associated with that 1990's phenomenon. Anders Fridén's melodic vocals and Björn Gelotte's brit-metal guitar solos recall early Iron Maiden instead of the mythological brutality of bands like Bathory. Maiden arguably made 1985 the apex of heavy metal. Now that metal has (mercifully) fallen from the charts, In Flame's revival of the classic sound is in order. DAVID SLATTON

764-HERO, KILL SADIE, SHARKS KEEP MOVING
(Paradox) It's no wonder that 764-HERO is such a gem of a pop band: Its frontman, John Atkins, has impeccable taste in the genre. Stop by his place of employment, where he toils as a bartender, and you'll be treated to the likes of the Pretty Things, the Anniversary, Aisler's Set, and whatever beautiful pop story he feels like telling that day. KATHLEEN WILSON

AIMEE MANN, DAMIEN JURADO, CROOKED FINGERS
(HUB Ballroom) Crooked Fingers is the newer project for Archers of Loaf's Eric Bachmann. And while that's no doubt exciting to all those Archers fans out there, tonight's show belongs to Aimee Mann. Legions of proudly listless Mann fans will be packing the HUB, and, for those Mann fans who haven't yet heard the sweet, willful melancholy of our Damien Jurado (see Bio Box), tonight's show will be a big happy surprise. It's at the HUB though: People have been known to fucking lie on the floor of the lounge-section and otherwise act like college students there. The smart, sensitive, and enormously talented Ms. Mann; the charming, plaintive Mr. Jurado; and the wry, rumpled Crooked Fingers will all be playing their own exceptional material, as well as the songs they performed on the Bruce Springsteen Nebraska tribute, for which this show is something of a record-release party. JEFF DeROCHE

THE MINUS 5, JOHN WESLEY HARDING & THE RADICAL GENTLEMEN, JULIAN & FRIENDS
(Crocodile) The Minus Five (a good, happy, wanky local supergroup with an ever-changing lineup) and John Wesley Harding (a smart, captivating, British-transplanted singer-songwriter in possession of a gorgeous imagination and lots of easy hooks) are playing a show together. Julian of Julian & Friends is a staff member at the Crocodile and a blues singer with whom Peter Buck occasionally plays. Since Peter Buck will be playing with the Minus 5, we can assume at least a strong likelihood that he will be playing with Julian & Friends as well. Smart, fun, and famous people: all the reason you should need to go out and support your local music scene. JEFF DeROCHE

BLONDE REDHEAD, THE NEED, AUTOMATON
(Graceland) With all the kids talking about the Blonde Redhead show, it's easy to forget that there are two other bands on the bill. Let's not. Openers Automaton are configured around the last, great miracle of the 20th century--an amazing drum machine/human hybrid that can do the "click and pops" and still lay down the rock. These audionauts mine social fact and science friction, processing the bits into capsules of highly-concentrated Chomsky-rock that confirm your feelings of dislocation while giving you a gleam of hope for the future. Next up is the Need, a female duo of uncanny rock-robots that defy you not to pay attention as they deconstruct guitar-rock into its base components of metal, fire, and psychosis. Like a mechanical bull on rampage at the circus, the Need jerk you about with lumbering riffs and rattletrap beats, leaving you trampled and spent. At this point the headliners may become a mere footnote to the evening. DAN PAULUS

LEFTOVER SALMON, KARL DENSON'S TINY UNIVERSE
(Showbox) From the state that brought you Columbine and ápres-ski beaver pelts comes Leftover Salmon, a squishy bluegrass jam-band that resembles a less-successful version of those other Colorado dorks, the String Cheese Incident. Karl Denson is good, but since Leftover Salmon is opening for him, you might want to arrive late and avoid the hippies. NATHAN THORNBURGH

VALENTINE KILLERS, THE BLOW UP
(Monkey Pub) The Blow Up and the Valentine Killers are playing a benefit tonight for a guy with leukemia. The sick guy is named D. J., and he used to be a bartender at the Monkey Pub. So, given his history as a true public servant, he deserves the support--and so do these sweetie-pie bands. The Blow Up are a perfectly punk three-piece. Talented and slightly Elvisy singer Dave used to do this great, goofy speech about how his dad advised him to shoot zombies. Then he would belt out one of their more ass-shaking songs. Hopefully he'll do that again. The Valentine Killers are straightforward and raunchy. ALLIE HOLLY-GOTTLIEB

GIMMICKS, BOSS MARTIANS, GOD DAMN GENTLEMEN
(Breakroom) Hmmm, now this seems like it oughta be interesting! We got the heavy-hittin', always-pleasin' Gimmicks, who in addition to their relatively new lineup (they recently got a newish axeman AND bassman), added a set of keys! Er, meanin' they got somebody poundin' on an organ! Uh-huh! This, in my opinion, is a VERY welcome addition! Hell, if for no other reason than to see how this person overcomes the difficult "keyboarder's rockin'-out dance" that has always plagued rock 'n' roll organ grinders. Y'know, like should we expect a Jerry Lee Lewis... or the guy from Bon Jovi. Either way WE win! Now, the Boss' oughta be eyeballed special too 'cause, least so I've heard, they have evolved from a surf-dominated sound to a more "garage" bash-o-ramma! Ventures vs. Sonics... dig? Hmmm, an interesting night indeed! MIKE NIPPER

DZIHAN & KAMIEN
(I-Spy) From their Viennese home base, dexterous duo Dzihan (that's Gee-hahn) & Kamien create a groovy little global goulash of sounds, drawing on their own homelands (Sarajevo and Switzerland, respectively) as well as deep Western bass lines, exotic Middle Eastern instrumentation, and their adopted city's downtempo beatmongering. On recent release Freaks & Icons, it's as if someone dropped fellow Viennese remix kings Kruder & Dorfmeister down into a sun-baked Turkish bazaar, then, between serious sessions on the hookah pipe, scooted them off to the local gym for funk aerobics. Groundbreaking? Not exactly. But smartly referenced, smoothly produced, and absolutely enjoyable. LEAH GREENBLATT

GREG BROWN
(Tractor Tavern) Greg Brown is one of those infinitely gifted, authentic-voiced singer-songwriters who, while revered by other songwriters, always remains just below the public radar. There is both a sense of continuous renewal and consistency to his work that should also be the envy of any musician who values longevity and autonomy. Brown's bluesy grooves and gravelly Midwestern voice are again the highlight of his latest album, Covenant, accented with pedal steel guitar, drums, and organ for a fresh yet classic folk-rock sound. He is a seasoned live performer who creates a warm atmosphere to cast his spell, improvising lyrics and songs, and rearranging older songs to his mood and inclination. NATE LIPPENS

QUIET RIOT
(Jimmy Z's) Quiet Riot's 1983 cover of the Slade anthem "Cum on Feel the Noize" is, in my opinion, the number-one pop song of all time, and they didn't even write it. They're from L.A.--who knew? All of this show will be paced in anticipation of that moment when aging hearts will recapture some of that youth, that oblivion, that summer. This tour features the Metal Health lineup. There are a million worse things in the world, but a backward grasp at such pure serenity can't help but disappoint, and I'm not sure I'm strong enough to face that. Shit, I'm crying right now. I don't know, maybe go without me. GRANT COGSWELL

MAGMAVOX
(NAFF Studios) The local MagmaVOX Troupe have made quite a splash with their steamy fire show, but it's not just their fire-breathing, fire-eating, and fire-dancing that will keep the temperature near a high fever. The sultry Serafina and her wicked partner Eros evoke enough voodoo sensuality to start a different kind of conflagration. And on cold winter nights like these, there's even more temptation to crowd around their combustible glory. Just don't touch. DAVID SLATTON

AARON SPRINKLE, JESSE SMITH, JESSE BOGGS
(Paradox) Around the holidays, everyone needs an emotional enema. A good way of going about it is to listen to the sweet, sad music of solo artist Jesse Smith. The holiday lights are up, the eggnog's poured, and you're stuck in rainy Seattle thinking no one loves you. Better wear cute shoes--you'll be staring at them a lot tonight. MEGAN SELING

"Come, come nuclear bomb.... Every day is like Sunday.... Every day is silent and grey....."

LUTHER VANDROSS
(Paramount Theatre) The Stranger Luther Vandross Mad Lib: Last night, I was "Goin' Out of My Head" because "I've Got Nobody to Love," so I drove down Aurora Boulevard looking for a "Lady" who likes to "Hustle." On the corner of 185th I saw a woman who looked like "She Doesn't Mind" "Having a Party," so I decided to "Stop for Love." "'Hey, Bad Boy,'" she said, "you lookin' for a 'Dream Lover?'" "'It's Hard for Me to Say,'" I answered, "How much you charge 'For the Sweetness of Your Love?'" She looked me over and said, "'I Gave It Up' not too long ago, and my 'Crazy Love' is always cheaper the 'Second Time Around.'" "Cool," I said, "'I Can't Wait No Longer (Let's Do This).'" She got in the car and we drove to a parking lot so I could put my "Endless Love" in her "Busy Body," but suddenly she said that she was an undercover cop. I was like, "Oh shit, 'I Really Didn't Mean It' like that. I was looking for 'Emotional Love' only." Then she was like, "You're pathetic, but 'I'll Let You Slide,' 'If Only for One Night,'" and she let me go. Just goes to show you that "Little Miracles (Happen Every Day)," even on Aurora Boulevard. NATHAN THORNBURGH

SOLENOID, J-LAB, 2-UP TECHNOLOGIES
(I-Spy) Glitch. Click techno. Bleeps and bloops. IDM (intelligent dance music). Call it whatever you want, but one thing's for certain, something is definitely going on in techno, and people, it isn't pretty. Thank god, in this case, it isn't the music in question, it's the jones to put a label on yet another subgenre. While hipsters cling to their catch phrases and figure out what to do next, a few geeks will be sitting pretty in I-Spy witnessing Solenoid, Portland's answer to the next bright hope in electronic music, who creates intelligent and beautifully melodic music. It's just that it's accented by glitches, clicks, bleeps, and bloops, and happens to come from a laptop. Subgenre still need a name? How about "Club music made by people who don't like going to clubs." F. VENTURA-PENA

SICK BEES, SELBY TIGERS, THE LAST GREAT LIAR
(Crocodile) Like those two weird girls from fourth grade, Sick Bees are compelling because of their unorthodoxy. Whether she's cooing with a rural twang, roaring like a 300-pound trucker, or shrieking like a horse being tortured, Starla's voice carves out a place uniquely its own. Meanwhile, Julio naively hits her junkyard drums in a choppy, compartmentalized style that most drummers spend their lives trying to avoid. Their live shows are brutal, gorgeous, and undeniable, and their punk rocks as hard as anyone. DAN PAULUS

BLOODHOUND GANG, GOLDFINGER, A, SIMON STINGER
(DV8) Like a potty-mouthed, frat-uous Ween, or the Jerky Boys with a karaoke machine, Bloodhound Gang turn out gleefully lobotomized joke-rock that wallows in its lack of political correctness like a pig in poop. Frontman Jimmy Pop Ali is that horny, precocious latchkey kid who watched way too much cable and threw rocks at girls he liked. On Hooray for Boobies and One Fierce Beer Coaster, he turns out songs with titles like "A Lap Dance Is So Much Better When the Stripper Is Crying" and "I Wish I Was Queer So I Could Get Chicks" that, alas, make you chortle in spite of yourself. The hump-happy video for "The Bad Touch" ("You and me baby ain't nothin' but mammals...") managed to offend Frenchmen, homosexuals, and even monkeys in under three minutes. If that's not talent, I don't know what is. LEAH GREENBLATT

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