SUPERSONIC
(Art Bar) This is the old-school hiphop night that used to appear every month or so at the Baltic Room. Now, Manny Montana and Knight Rider will bring it to the newly (and suavely) remodeled Art Bar. Supersonic used to pack the Baltic Room, resurrecting rap you'll always want to hear again, or even better, rap that you haven't ever heard before, which makes for a thoroughly stimulating night. The downside was that sometimes Supersonic would lean toward really corny songs, by people like Tone Loc and Young MC, and the entire room would drown in nostalgia-nausea. Some songs I just hate to hear so much that it collapses the entire set. Definitely check it out, but one "Funky Cold Medina" and I'm out. BRIAN GOEDDE

CHARLATANS UK
(Showbox) See Stranger Suggests.

MINUS THE BEAR, MAGIC MAGICIANS, SELDOM, SUFFERING & THE HIDEOUS THIEVES
(Graceland) Here's another one of those great bills that showcases the awesome diversity Seattle's live rock community has to offer. Minus the Bear features members of Botch, Kill Sadie, and Sharks Keep Moving. Magic Magicians is a stellar two-piece fronted by 764-HERO's John Atkins, with Joe Plummer of the Black Heart Procession on drums. The band's 2001 release on Suicide Squeeze, Girls, is a 30-minute blast of boisterous indie-rock, reminiscent at times of Flaming Lips but wholly a product of Atkins' time-proven affinity for energetic, guitar-driven pop. Keyboard-heavy Seldom is fronted by Yukki Mathews and counts Pedro the Lion's Dave Bazan among its members. Suffering & the Hideous Thieves deep-sea dives into the depths of depression with thunderous, misery-laden songs, using a mini orchestra and onstage theatrics to make theirs an affecting, startling performance. KATHLEEN WILSON

MEDUSA AND THE FELINE SCIENCE, ABSTRACT RUDE, 2MEX, DJ DREZ, CHILDREN OF THE THORN, SYNDEL, DJ WICKED
(I-Spy) Medusa, who busted out of Los Angeles' Project Blowed (the open-mic/hiphop workshop founded by Aceyalone and her billmate, Abstract Rude), isn't called the "Angela Davis of hiphop" for nothing. With steely eyes and a pretty, puffy Afro, Medusa's very presence is commanding. But the comparison is truly justified when she steps to the mic, her thick voice ringing deep and soulful, her lyrics full of strength, power, and spiritual reassurance. Most of all, Medusa is a woman of integrity. Tonight, she's performing her positive grooves with Feline Science, her 12-person live funk band. JULIANNE SHEPHERD

BOBBY WOMACK
(Paramount) Bobby Womack's career began in the 1950s, singing gospel in religious shows with his brothers. In the 1960s he played guitar in the backing bands of such luminaries as Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, and Aretha Franklin. He was a session player on recordings such as Sly and the Family Stone's album There's a Riot Goin' On, soloing on the classic "Family Affair." He had solo success in the 1970s, releasing the albums Communication and Understanding and singles such as "That's the Way I Feel About 'Cha" and "You're Welcome, Stop on By." While he reached his peak in the early 1970s, the acme of the black singer-songwriter, he does not have such gifts as Stevie Wonder's virtuosity or Donny Hathaway's vocal beauty. Instead, his appeal is basic and simple. Womack's brilliant instrumental writing is steeped in the traditions of gospel and R&B. His gravelly baritone is vulnerable and sincere and his lyrics are grounded in the enduring patterns of love. The quintessential soul singer, Womack resides solely within that genre, presenting all the beauty that it has to offer. RAPHAEL GINSBERG

THE WORD, CHOCOLATE GENIUS
(Showbox) Down South in the late 1930s, musicians of the House of God Pentecostal Church began playing their worship music on the electric pedal steel guitar, one of the most expressive instruments that man has ever known. Taking the words from Psalms 150:4 ("Praise Him with stringed instruments") and Psalms 149:3 ("Let them praise His name in the dance"), the guitarists developed unique styles, tunings, repertoires, and techniques. Unfortunately, until relatively recently, this great strain of American gospel music remained largely unknown, as its anointed practitioners rarely strayed from their adoring flocks. Helping to change all this is Robert Randolph, an early-twentysomething "sacred steel" powerhouse from the House of God in Orange, New Jersey. In "The Word," he's hooked up with the otherworldly soul-jazz organ frenzy of John Medeski and the gritty blues-rock giddy-up of the North Mississippi All-Stars to form a rocking gospel-and-beyond band of legendary proportions. JAMES KIRCHMER

C AVERAGE, BIOGRAPHY OF FERNS, THE BRONZE
(Sit & Spin) I'd like to have a moment to commemorate all the wonderful metal we're blessed with in the Northwest. We are blessed with speedy metal that is completely off-the-hook, such as Seattle's own Swarming Hordes. We're blessed with Intelli-metal with that special hardcore edge, as with Blöödhag. And finally, let us say a little prayer for the powerful role-playing artistry of C Average, sometimes also known as the perilous Cave Rage, who gave us Second Reckoning early last year, an album that is "D&D plus The Who equals LOVE." And what do these beloved rockers have up their sleeves now? Their next record for Kill Rock Stars, out later this year, is purported to be their soundtrack for the silent film Nosferatu--the same one they've performed sporadically in their hometown of Olympia for the past two years. Though I've never seen it, it's probably safe to expect a lot of sludgy, ominous chords and noodling to the most vampiric effect. JULIANNE SHEPHERD

NORIKO KAWAI
(Brechemin Auditorium, UW Campus) The auspiciously named Japanese pianist Noriko Kawai (though like most professionals, I'm sure she'll play a Steinway, not a Kawai) performs solo piano music by three contemporary composers, rarely (if ever!) heard in Seattle: Xenakis, Kurtag, and Dillon. By turns harsh, knotty, lyrical, and complex, all three orbit above the comfy, Slurpee-smooth Contemporary Classical circuit tolerated (and funded) by our Mozart-worshipping elders. Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001), beloved by turntablists for his pioneering work in granular synthesis and electronic music, composed "Mists" for solo piano in 1981. Xenakis geeks will ramble on about "arboriform structures" and "stochastic nebulae," but "Mists" is better described as an alluring (and technically treacherous) hybrid of jazz titan Errol Garner's angular cadenzas and Stock-hausen's Klavierstücke. Kawai will also play New Complexity bad boy James Dillon's "Dillug Kefitsah" from 1976, and his recently premiered "Book of Elements, vol. 2." Two pieces by the elegiac miniaturist Gyorgy Kurtag should offer respite from the evening's shards and thunder. "Sellinger's Rownde" by William Byrd (1563-1623) and two devilish piano pieces by radicals from the 19th and early 20th centuries, Franz Lizst ("Mephisto Waltz No. 1") and Alexander Scriabin ("Two Poems, op. 32"), round out the program. CHRISTOPHER DeLAURENTI

IDAHO, ACTUAL TIGERS, SETH HOWARD
(Graceland) Quietly plugging along for nearly a decade, Jeff Martin's Idaho has released nine albums, each subtly swollen with mournful soul-searching and quiet lament. Last fall's Levitate found the band at its most sparse, and rivaled like-minded slowcore act Low's deceptive, restrained sentiment. (For a taste of Idaho in a more strident mood, check out 1996's excellent Three Sheets to the Wind.) As you may or may not know, Actual Tigers used to be called Willis, and the band's mix of pop, rock, and blues has made it a favorite in the East Coast college rock scene (the band recently toured with Counting Crows). At the request of Idaho, local guy Seth Howard will open. KATHLEEN WILSON

BIRDS OF A FEATHER
(EMP) Typical of EMP, its Jazz in January program includes film, concerts, interviews, workshops, etc., as if it's some kind of obscenely well-funded community center. Tonight may be the apex of the program: a gathering of almost all the musicians Roy Haynes collected for Birds of a Feather: A Tribute to Charlie Parker, an album released last September. Tonight, the great drummer Roy Haynes--who played with Parker in the early '50s--is joined by Kenny Garrett, Nicholas Payton, Christian McBride, and Dave Kikoski. I usually rag on the poor ol' EMP as a concert venue, but this concert will be a true museum piece. BRIAN GOEDDE

KEXP BENEFIT W/JUNO, KINSKI, HALOU, JOHN RICHARDS, PEDRO THE LION, DJ RIZ
(Crocodile) Though The Stranger has certainly done its fair share of writing about Seattle's most awe-inspiring instrumental band Kinski, I thought I'd take the time to remind you why: If any of Seattle's local bands is going to wrap you up in a thick blanket of dreamy, well-textured melody, lull you into a peaceful, narcotized calm, and then tear your slumber to bits with exacting blooms and bursts of colorful guitar noise, this is the one. (Not to mention the drummer is a fucking rock star.) Kinski wants very much to move you. Your job is simply to stand there, mesmerized. JEFF DeROCHE

SILENT LAMBS PROJECT, TILSON OF THE

GRAIN, SARCASTIK
(Sit & Spin) The Silent Lambs Project makes the slipperiest hiphop Seattle has to offer. It's ambiguous, it's unforgiving, it's indirect. Because the craftsmanship is so nuanced, the music is potent--and if it isn't your thing, at the very least it challenges you to figure it out. (Most hiphop is easy to figure out, no?) Emcees Jace and Blak rap as if writing crossword puzzles, where words point to other words, and the "meaning" within the activity at large is evasive. To enhance this, the tracks are often moody and pensive, and leave you to wonder--probably my favorite state of mind when listening to music. If I ruled the world, the Silent Lambs Project would not be playing the same night as the Aesop Rock show; in fact, the group should be opening for that show, as its approach to the mic is similar to Aesop Rock's. Def Jux! Def Jux! Check out the SL! BRIAN GOEDDE

AESOP ROCK, CANNIBAL OX, SLEEP
(I-Spy) This is something of an apology show: Aesop Rock was scheduled to perform with the Def Jux tour a few months ago, but was ill. That's okay: It was a great high-energy show nonetheless, even while Aesop Rock was the emcee I was most excited to see. His entire recent LP, Labor Days, is interesting. His voice is irritating, but his poetic ambition is so compelling that it can't help but be a good record. When I say "poetic ambition" I'm referring of course to his narratives, his system of metaphors and symbols, and his fancy now-I'm-rhyming/now-I'm-not footwork, and also to the music and effects, mostly produced by him and Blockhead. It's not the most lovely hiphop to listen to, but Aesop Rock is an undeniably strong artist with a strong vision. As for Cannibal Ox, his voice is easier on the ears, but the tracks (produced by Def Jux mastermind El-P) are even more aggressively weird. At the show a couple months ago, however, he was completely amenable, so I'll be glad to see him again. BRIAN GOEDDE

DAMIEN JURADO, ROCKY VOTOLATO, ROSIE THOMAS
(Yak Room) Tonight's is the second show for new all-ages venue the Yak Room, located north of Seattle in lovely Mountlake Terrace. (Last month's Pedro the Lion show brought in over 350 fans.) Be sure to arrive early enough to catch Rosie Thomas, a new artist on Sub Pop who, like headliner Damien Jurado, has provided that label with a fine release. Jurado's I Break Chairs won't be out until mid-February, but Thomas' imminently forthcoming When We Were Small is a lovely, honest example of pretense-free, unflinchingly autobiographical songwriting, and frankly, the best example I've heard of that kind of thing since S' Sadstyle. KATHLEEN WILSON

wash car vacuum post office bread green peppers

BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA
(Cinerama) An atheist's interest in gospel music might seem strange, but as Emmylou Harris has said--paraphrasing Townes Van Zandt--"There are two kinds of music: zippity-do-da and the blues. God save us from zippity-do-da." And that's exactly what gospel offers in its invocation of hope against despair: salvation as a balm against struggle. That's why last year's Spirit of the Century by the Blind Boys of Alabama was such a beautiful blues album. Together since 1939 when they were all students at the Talladega Institute of the Deaf and Blind, the Blind Boys of Alabama have performed for over five decades, and recorded since 1948 for many small labels. With producer John Chelew and with the support of supple and inventive musicians David Lindley, John Hammond, and Charlie Musselwhite, the Blind Boys made an album that blurred the distinctions between blues and gospel, covering Ben Harper's "Give a Man a Home" and two of Tom Waits' rough gems, "Jesus Gonna Be Here" and "Way Down in the Hole." The traditional spirituals like "No More" and "Motherless Child" sound fresh and energized, and their version of "Amazing Grace" sung to the tune of "House of the Rising Sun" is haunted and transcendent. NATE LIPPENS

MATES OF STATE, TRACK STAR, POSEUR
(Crocodile) See Stranger Suggests.

SYLVAIN SYLVAIN, RED PLANET
(I-Spy) See preview this issue.

MILEMARKER, GET HUSTLE, CHROMATICS
(The Paradox) Though Milemarker's last release for Jade Tree, Anaesthetic, was rather disappointing, early audio clips from its forthcoming record, Frigid Forms Sell, finds the band sounding passionate and vital once again. Fusing anthemic, political punk with the occasional oddly placed keyboard fill and vocal hollering of the most life-affirming sort, Milemarker has thankfully not lost its edge. Get Hustle, Portland's glam-trash-piano cabaret, would be the seedy, gothic version of A Star Is Born if Barbra spent the whole time stumbling in an alley with smeared lipstick and a bottle of Jameson. Glamorous for sure, but darkly so. JULIANNE SHEPHERD