THURSDAY 1/25

NO-FI SOUL REBELLION, THE WHORE MOANS, PARTMAN PARTHORSE
(Sunset) See CD review, page 41.

EARL GREYHOUND, THE BLAKES, THE SMALL CHANGE
(Crocodile) Even among the fashionistas of Brooklyn, Earl Greyhound has the rocker look down pat. Guitarist Matt Whyte's pork chops and long locks sway with his low-slung Les Paul, bassist Kamara Thomas headbangs in a 'fro 'n' scarf combo to rival that of Hendrix, while python-armed drummer Big Ricc Sheridan pounds a bass drum the size of a dump-truck tire. Looks aside, it's the hooks that make these guys Brooklyn's heaviest rock band. On their debut disc, each Earl Greyhound track melts down a classic-rock block to pure magma, with strains of Zep, Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Blue Cheer, and the Beatles bubbling up, yet never blatantly. ANDY BETA

THE VALKYRIES, NEON NIGHTS, RECEDER, ERODER
(Funhouse) Repping an epic, appropriately ink-ready appellation fresh out of the gate, the Valkyries join Seattle's already (un)healthy sleaze-rock contingent with a sound heavily indebted to the likes of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. And as their awe-inspired moniker suggests, the city's latest (if that sort of thing is quantifiable) filth-fused foursome don't just bleed for rock 'n' roll—they bleed monthly. Which is, frankly, an awful lot of blood. Wrap that all around the girlish growl of semioperatic lead singer Katred the Merciless, and, well... you've got a pretty good idea if this is going to be up your alley. But be warned: Once it's up your alley, you might have a difficult time getting it out again. ZAC PENNINGTON

FRIDAY 1/26

RECESS, JUSTIN BYRNES, TEKGNOSIS
(ToST) See Data Breaker, page 51.

THE GAME
(Moore) See preview, page 35.

PAPA ROACH, IT DIES TODAY, RISHLOO
(Showbox) About four years ago, I caught an interview on MTV with Papa Roach's lead singer, Jacoby Shaddix (AKA Coby Dick). He claimed that since the rise of garage bands like the Strokes and the White Stripes, rock had become anemic and confused. The crown of Rock God was just sitting there unclaimed, it was time someone took it, and Shaddix (AKA Dick) said Papa Roach was just the band to take that fucking crown. The legendary nü-metal band went on to revolutionize rock music—nay, all music—as we know it, shattering sales records and enjoying massive sold-out shows around the world. It truly is a credit to Papa Roach for not being an odious, embarrassing, shitty band bleating from a meth lab in Sedro-Woolley. MATT GARMAN

TINY VIPERS, SAM MICKENS, THE PWRFL POWER
(Gallery 1412) Rare is such an evening of delightfully skewed acoustic pop—especially considering that tonight's bill focuses exclusively on homegrown fare. From the ghostly mysticism of recent Sub Pop signee Tiny Vipers to the just plain spooky quaver of Dead Science frontman (and The Stranger's resident cracker hiphop enthusiast) Sam Mickens, you'll have a tough time casting your ballot for the belle of this particularly competitive ball—but my money's on the Pwrfl Power. Having thoroughly conquered the hearts and minds of Seattle's experimental music community and beyond, Na's Kazu Nomura sets his sites on virtually everybody else with the Pwrfl Power, his latest project focused on more traditional song structures—further evidence that experimental musicians always make the best pop music. ZAC PENNINGTON

BEAT SENSELESS, PLASTER, NOH-SUSPEND
(Funhouse) The last time Noh-Suspend played here, they made the 10-hour flight from Japan just to play two shows, and one of those got cancelled. Now, a trans-Pacific trip for just a single gig in a crappy dive bar seems pretty crazy to us, but that's how much these J-rockers love playing Seattle ("A real rock town!" according to the band). Born from the ashes of the legendary Tengoku Jack, Noh-Suspend spit out a noisy brand of rock that has all the grit of the garage coupled with the majesty of the arena. A fiery girl-boy-girl power trio, they bring as much enthusiasm to the stage as a month's worth of jaded Seattle-band hipsters. You owe it to the spirit of rock to support such dedication. DAN PAULUS

SUBTLE, PIGEON JOHN
(Neumo's) Subtle have been twice knocked by the harsh pitfalls of touring. First, the band survived a terrible van accident that left keyboardist Dax Pierson literally crippled and confined to a wheelchair. More recently, the band was robbed while on tour in Barcelona—the thieves got away with $15,000 worth of tour money, gear, artwork, demos, and lyrics. But don't mistake Subtle for a charity case—their stunning 2006 full length, For Hero: For Fool, demands respect, repeat listens, and possibly psychoactive drugs, but not sympathy. Subtle are, in spite of everything, at the very top of their game—Doseone scrambles real-life tragedy and surreal imagery in impenetrable verses, while the band blurs genres and messes with sounds in perplexing and delightful ways. Subtle are unstoppable, and Doseone is still packing 10,000 backed-up words, all ready to blow. ERIC GRANDY

COMEBACK: DJS COLBY B, PORQ, FITS, MC CHOMPERS
(Chop Suey) Winter? Forget winter. We've got Comeback, the electro-dance extravaganza. It's the feel-good hit of the summer, and during winter, it's even dirtier and sexier. The disco ball says, "Bang bang, the bubble machine is on." And pow! Chop Suey presents "Laser Magnum P.I."—Comeback style. It's panty-raid, pillow-fight action. Brave the rain, children, the dance floor needs you. Your techno sweat commands you to work it out and emit the busting of your moves. Yes, these DJs pound out ignition. The Stranger's own FITS is an indie-crush dance wonderboy and a mastermind; Colby B is the crunchy mash-break power queen; Porq and Chompers further the frenzy. Catch this night fever and get fuzzy. Your ass will shake to the bass that will quake. TRENT MOORMAN

SATURDAY 1/27

Noh-Suspend, Wah-Wah Exit Wound
(Monkey Pub) See Friday's preview.

GIRL TALK, VELELLA VELELLA
(Chop Suey) See Data Breaker, page 51.

IN SUPPORT OF LT. EHREN WATADA: BLUE SCHOLARS, COMMON MARKET, GABRIEL TEODROS, PROPAGODZ, DJ DAPS 1
(Hell's Kitchen, Tacoma) Lt. Ehren Watada worries that average Americans simply don't care about the war, that we are too removed from the battle and too complacent in that distance to rally and protest the brazen criminality of U.S. aggression. But Blue Scholars care, Common Market care, Gabriel Teodros cares, Propagodz and DJ Daps 1 care, and Hell's Kitchen cares. Most importantly, you care. Don't let Watada's impending court martial go down without a sound; get yourself down to Tacoma and make noise, not war. Tonight's rising stars know how to weave a fine political yarn into a body-moving beat—you will be rocked both physically and philosophically—but don't let the movement end at the club. This show will be a spark; let it light a fire under your ass. ERIC GRANDY

THE SENATE ARCADE, JUHU BEACH, MADRASO, OPEN CHOIR FIRE
(Sunset) Don't fall for the "roots music, Japanese classic music, and Southern rock" label Juhu Beach dons on their MySpace page; we all know those MySpace genres are bullshit anyway. What Juhu Beach are for reals are a burst of cathartic and raw indie rock delivered in tight-knit packages that wax and wane between early Modest Mouse—inspired guitar wailing and snappy Shellac vocal attacks. They celebrate the release of their new EP, Scene of Abandoned Industry, tonight, which is a new collection of four (five, if you count the creepy four-second voice-mail thing in the middle) songs that better represent the messy and melodic field the band currently plays in. They're still the self-deprecating drunks though—the last song, "Less Impressive Organisms," wraps up with the repetitive and exhaustedly delivered suggestion that "now we should just keep on drinking, to forget what we've been thinking." MEGAN SELING

SUNDAY 1/28

BUDDY HOLLY TRIBUTE: DUSTY 45s
(Tractor) Dusty 45s singer Billy Joe Huels is going to play Buddy Holly in the 5th Avenue Theatre's production of The Buddy Holly Story. The 5th Avenue version focuses on the music and the band, so they've assembled Holly's "Crickets," where the actors are musicians who will be playing all the music themselves. Billy Joe has dyed his hair and is slowly transforming into Buddy Holly—he's got acting coaches and dialect coaches, but a potential character-portraying conflict lies in the fact that when Billy Joe plays with the Dusty 45s, he has a tendency to light instruments on fire. Will Billy's Buddy Holly be able to contain his Jimi Hendrix? Find out tonight at Tractor Tavern and see where Billy Joe is at with his Buddy studies. TRENT MOORMAN

MONDAY 1/29

Sounds like someone's got a case of the Mondays.

TUESDAY 1/30

ONLY CRIME, NEW MEXICAN DISASTER SQUAD, SHOOK ONES, MARGINAL WAY, DOWN WE GO
(Studio Seven) In 2002, when Good Riddance singer Russ Rankin and Bane guitarist Aaron Dalbec joined forces—and record collections—to map out a new hardcore side project, they had one inspiration in mind. But with Only Crime, the pair didn't just capture the arty, dissonant grace of mid-period Black Flag albums like My War and Slip It In; they got those albums' drummer, Descendents and ALL timekeeper Bill Stevenson, to join them and produce. Rounded out by siblings Zach and Doni Blair (both ex-Hagfish) on guitar and bass, respectively, Only Crime has so far cut two excellent albums for Fat Wreck Chords—2004's To the Nines and the new Virulence—both of which don't just venerate the godfathers; they prove how far ahead of their time Black Flag actually was. AARON BURGESS

WEDNESDAY 1/31

MAD PROFESSOR, DR. ISRAEL, GUESTS
(Studio Seven) See Data Breaker, page 51.

THE HANDS, PLEASUREBOATERS
(Crocodile) Long live Pleasureboaters with their sweet little hints of Murder City's swagger and Gossip's stomping blues-plus-punk simplicity. Statutory, their self-released EP, is just four songs burned into a CD-R that's wrapped in a computer-printed, hand-folded paper sleeve, but it's still one of the best things I bought last year by a local band. With the Hands headlining this show, we're batting two for two. MEGAN SELING