Music

Up & Coming

ABBY TRAVIS, MATH AND SCIENCE, ROME
(Graceland) Earnest vocals with a sweet and soft-sung delivery, laid over keyboards and rhythm à la the Cars. This is Math and Science, brainchild of one overactive imagination inside the body of John Wolf. His new self-titled release is full of hooks and has that poppy, melodic quality that makes songs about fake disguises, girl trouble, and traveling cross-country in a silver bullet Airstream seem not nearly as pathetic and mundane as they really are. Also on the bill tonight is Hollywood's Abby Travis, whose new record, Cutthroat Standards and Black Pop, is out on her own label, Educational Recordings. LISA GUNTER

GRAIG MARKEL, COLIN JESSE SPRING & THE BAND THAT MURDERED SILENCE, MICHAEL SERPE
(I-Spy) Lo-fi weirdo Graig Markel tonight joins CJS & TBTMS, this city's most intense and songwriterly roots-punk band, for what should be a compelling evening of great songs and musical cross-pollination. His new song, "Santa Domingo," is the fiercest live workout from a Seattle band since Isaac Brock caterwauled and somersaulted through "Doin' the Cockroach" when it was fresh. Spring stands almost still throughout, his compression making the piece even more volcanic. His live shows are as captivating and thorough a narrative trip as a great movie or a book of stories. Way over the heads at MTV, he'll probably be a household name (at least in indie circles) before too long. GRANT COGSWELL

SUGARHILL GANG, BUSY BEE
(EMP) Even skinheads love "Rapper's Delight"! See preview this issue.

JEREMY EADE
(Sonic Boom Records) It's a long, expensive flight from New Zealand, which is why Garageland singer Jeremy Eade is going it alone tonight. Don't know what they do to the water down there, but that country has turned out a staggering number of great pop bands per capita (the Bats, the Clean, the Chills, even Luna has ties there), and Garageland carries on that tradition. The band's latest album, Do What You Want, is full of sunny, strummy, sing-along indie pop "hits," and tonight you can catch an intimate solo performance by Eade for free at Sonic Boom. (Eade also plays tonight at the Crocodile with Left Hand Smoke and M Set). BARBARA MITCHELL

PONCHO SANCHEZ LATIN JAZZ BAND
(Jazz Alley) Poncho Sanchez is no superstar. He'll never be like Christina Aguilera, glibly cruising the Letterman-Leno circuit; he'll never be like Ricky Martin, shaking his pancakes at the president. In fact, Sanchez looks more like a Talmudic scholar than a touring musician, but his vision of Latin music will win out in the end. As a case in point, Sanchez's concert on Friday will showcase his Grammy-winning band, playing a jazzed-up conflation of soul, rumba, and funk. And while the media and music industry continue to draw sharp lines around the "Latin explosion" and its figureheads, Sanchez is the only one that's built to last; his music is an inextricable fabric of black, Latino, and white culture that is much closer to the social reality of this country than Ricky Martin or George Bush wants to admit. NATHAN THORNBURGH

KUBE AFTERSHOCK PARTY WITH JURASSIC 5, THE BEATNUTS, MINT ROYALE
(Showbox) Mint Royale is fine (if a little simple-minded) and the Beatnuts have a long and proud history of remixing and producing for hiphop stars, but if you want to cut through to the real shit, just show up a little before midnight on Friday at the Showbox. That's when Chali 2na will just be starting to cut onstage with Zaakir, Akil, and Marc 7even. The DJ will crouch over the vinyl, off to the side. Brows will sweat, tongues will bleed, and even though amps will clip and beats will muddle in the cavernous Showbox, Jurassic 5's neo-classical hiphop will make this a good weekend. NATHAN THORNBURGH

LYNCH MOB
(Catwalk) Just when you thought it was safe to throw away the hair spray, Mötley Crüe releases a new album (last year's New Tattoo, in case you missed it), Bon Jovi issues its first studio release since 1995, and the Lynch Mob re-forms. This is, for those of you for whom the '80s are a mere dim and hazy memory, the ensemble centered around former Dokken ax-slinger George Lynch, a band that recorded a couple of albums before vanishing in 1993. Following a Dokken reunion album and a side project or two, Lynch brought the Mob back. More than once, actually; this is the second Mob reunion since 1999. What is one to make of this, or of the fact that Lynch seems to have hopped on the rap and roll bandwagon, like so many of his compatriots? Not a lot, probably, but rumor has it that lately he's seen the error of his ways and made a return to his power-chord roots. At the very least, you've got to give the guy credit for persistence. GENEVIEVE WILLIAMS

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, JOHN VANDERSLICE, THIS BUSY MONSTER, LITTLE CHAMPIONS
(Paradox) A topnotch double bill from Barsuk Records--and an all-ages one at that. Local hero Death Cab for Cutie is coming off a month and a half on the road and heading straight to the studio, so tonight's show should be both well executed and full of new material. Former MK Ultra frontman, Barsuk labelmate, and Sunny Day Real Estate favorite John Vanderslice is a master of moody, quirky pop that somehow also manages to be kind of upbeat and perky. He wins bonus points for writing a song called "Bill Gates Must Die." BARBARA MITCHELL

AUTOMATON, eXBeSTFRIeNDS, PETER PARKER, SIENTIFIC AMERICAN
(Local 46) Here's a bill showcasing the versatility of rock: Automaton offers the innovation and push, eXBeSTFRIeNDS cobbles new and old into something not indicative of either, and Peter Parker plays the yapping, precocious kid who demands to be heard. When combined it should make for a compelling evening of sound. KATHLEEN WILSON

TRACK STAR, SELDOM, AVEO, ADEN
(Paradox) Track Star is, as usual, touring without a new record, but it's on the way. And the band is good enough to get away with it. See Bio Box.

RADIO NATIONALS, CHRISTY McWILSON, LOWER 48, JULIEN & FRIENDS
(Crocodile) Radio Nationals plays emotive barroom rock really well. It's not country, but the band is jangly and American enough to have opened for Buffalo Tom, playing songs that are shot through with enough lovelorn, restless desire to inspire some of the slickest, hippest, most fascistic of Seattleites to drink beer, get swept up, and genuinely listen. Last year's EP, Exit 110, is six gorgeous pieces of music from a very talented group of locals. If you want some good heartfelt rock and roll, this is the show for you. JEFF DeROCHE

H206
(Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center) For the lyrically equipped, at H206 there will be a freestyle competition with a first-place prize of $50. This is real hiphop; you can be sure to witness a battle of Seattle's finest. There will also be a best-dressed contest with a top prize of $50. Again, this is the real hiphop! Okay, there are groups playing too--some old-school Seattle, some new, all of them mainstays for tha 206: Sinsimella, Black Lotus, Vitamin D, Central Intelligence, the Almighty Seven, and DJ Kunluv on the turntables between sets. It seems like too much to try and pull off in four tiny hours, but the realest of the real hiphop always does seem like a wild feat of the impossible. I think if time gets tight, they should have the rappers freestyle about who's best dressed. THAT would be some REAL hiphop. BRIAN GOEDDE

GAS HUFFER, THE CRIPPLES, DJ TIM HAYES
(Sunset Tavern) "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" should be Gas Huffer's motto. For the better part of two decades, the Seattle band has been delivering the same high-caliber, punk-influenced garage rock to a crowd that receives it as enthusiastically as if the four-piece were playing it live for the very first time. Really, what more could a band and its audience want from each other? KATHLEEN WILSON

MxPx, GOOD CHARLOTTE, SLICK SHOES
(Showbox) MTV sucks. But I watch it every chance I get. While perusing the remote-control buttons late one evening, I happened across the band Good Charlotte. Cute as buttons, its members ripped through a catchy little number called "Little Things." While I wasn't blown away by the song, I was rather grateful that the band was out there trying to tap into my little brother's wallet and sideswipe Fred Durst's crazy ass. The pairing with MxPx is more than appropriate, given that Good Charlotte has probably listened to a lot of MxPx's records in the first place. F. VENTURA-PENA

RUINS, GHIDRA
(I-Spy) No Wave... now resurging as a genre near you. Actually the whole No Wave phenomenon has been blistering away on the outskirts of cool for decades. Bands like DNA, Boredoms, Blood Thirsty Butchers, Zeni Geva, and Cars Get Crushed all represented some form of the genre's penchant for noise and accompaniment. Who can pass up screeching vocals, bass lines that sometimes lend a funky hand, and being pummeled by drums with immediate force, so loud your ears beg for a trip to the emergency room. Ruins is a two-piece setup that compromises no sound. For those brave enough to stand in front of the stage and witness the event, it will be the best 10 bucks on a noise show you ever spent. F. VENTURA-PENA

POSEUR, 12 VOLT SEX, THE COCK-UPS
(Graceland) If support of the local music scene is any indication of a band's commitment to it, then Poseur is in for the long haul. Its members appear to be tireless supporters and can be witnessed dancing along at several shows per week. How refreshing in these stay-at-home days of fake spring! KATHLEEN WILSON

DENISON WITMER, ROCKY VOTOLATO, SUFFERING & THE HIDEOUS THIEVES, MINDHEAD
(Paradox) For years, Philadelphia's Denison Witmer has been putting out gentle singer-songwriter music that has paired him with such touring acts as Pedro the Lion, Damien Jurado, and Joseph Arthur. In accordance with all of the above, Witmer's songs are soft, folky ruminations on love, loss, and vulnerability. His is a clear, fragile voice that is offhandedly compelling, and if singer-songwriters are your bag, this one will no doubt be a welcome addition to your collection. Witmer's newest release, The 80's e.p. (Burnt Toast Vinyl), is a bright, seven-song testament to his intelligence and quiet charm. JEFF DeROCHE

BULLFROG, FCS NORTH
(I-Spy) Kid Koala, DJ extraordinaire (the guy who plays with no headphones and somehow manages to match beats impeccably), will be playing with his band Bullfrog, a live, experimental electro-jazz ensemble. FCS North, Seattle's most confident and original instrumental band, will be performing mind-bending material, as usual. And if you haven't yet heard it, pick up a copy of the group's stunning, self-titled release, perhaps the most challenging record yet put out by Seattle's great, eclectic Pacifico label. JEFF DeROCHE

SUSHI ROBO, SANFORD ARMS, JON AUER, SPYGLASS
(Crocodile) Hallelujah for the return of Sanford Arms. Three years ago, this wistful-sounding act with a sadly mournful accordion lit the local flame for bands annexing the traditional rock triumvirate of bass/drums/guitar. Sanford Arms is led by Alcohol Funnycar frontman/current EMP curator Ben London on guitar and vocals, and, with its sound firmly rooted with one foot in indie rock and the other in alt country, appeals to the downtown and Ballard crowds alike. KATHLEEN WILSON

DRUMS & TUBA, FAIRGROVE
(Graceland) Drums & Tuba began as an attempt by Tony Nozero (drums) and Brian Wolff (tuba) to create a stripped-down marching band, but with the addition of Neal McKeeby's guitar, the project has become something much greater. While Drums & Tuba defies being pinned down musically, probably a result of the diversity of tastes among members, what the band does play is far more than mere novelty. When all three get their delay pedals working, with McKeeby on two guitars, Nozero building up complex rhythmic patterns from simple parts, and Wolff playing his tuba overtime (fronting both the bass lines and the melody), the band achieves looping, rhythmic grooves that are immediately satisfying. A blend of improvisational jazz, punk, funk, and electronic space-rock. NATE LEVIN

XZIBIT, THA ALKAHOLIKS
(Showbox) I've never been a big fan of Tha Alkaholiks, who for some reason opened for Souls of Mischief, De la Soul, and A Tribe Called Quest in San Francisco's Great American Music Hall back in the mid-'90s. Sharing the evening with three far subtler groups, Tha Alkaholiks came across as completely artless and clichéd. However, Xzibit--who back then was a lesser member of the syntactically challenged Likwit Crew, which included Tha Alkaholiks--has grown up in a hurry. He emerged steadily through the California underground and last year was taken under the massive wing of Dr. Dre. With his lyrics and Dre's production, Xzibit seems unstoppable, but know this: If he were white, it would've been him up there with Elton John instead of Marshall Mathers. NATHAN THORNBURGH

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