THURSDAY 3/8

RANDY JONES
(Northwest Film Forum) See Data Breaker.

DJ /RUPTURE, FILASTINE
(CHAC) See Data Breaker.

DAS VIBENBASS INDUSTRIAL REVELATION
(Triple Door) Das Vibenbass are one of Seattle's most exciting young jazz acts, occupying the nexus between fellow Emerald City units Zony Mash (for sophisticated groove science) and the Syncopated Taint Septet (for genre-mutating unpredictability). As the quartet's moniker implies, they emphasize two undeniably enticing instruments: Justin Sorenson's dexterous vibraphone and Geoff Larson's sinewy, agile double bass, augmented by Josh Clifford's piquant tenor sax and JC Bockman's athletic, often funky drumming. Das Vibenbass's second album, 2006's Mindwrestling (Hop Productions), flaunts their diverse mood-setting capabilities, melodic grace, and galvanizing rhythmic verve. Having toured the United States, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Austria, Das Vibenbass have honed their live game to a tantalizing tautness. DAVE SEGAL

THE CAN'T SEE, SEE ME RIVER, MOONDOGGIES
(Comet) As the city starts to finally usher in spring by way of sprigs of green on branches that have been naked for months, it's also time to bring in a new soundtrack—one not so suitable for the wet, depressing solitude of winter. Yes, spring deserves new musical accompaniment—something bright and clean, something a little mopey (it is still rainy Seattle, after all) but also optimistic. Something like the Can't See. The piano in John Atkins's latest project is like spring showers, switching from a pouring storm to a delicate plink at a moment's notice. And the lyrics fight away bad days with happy thoughts, but still manage to comfort the tougher moments. Get your hands on the song "Sad Version" (it's available on their MySpace) and hear what I'm talking about. You'll thank us both for the spring it puts in your step. MEGAN SELING

FRIDAY 3/9

EL PERRO DEL MAR, THE SATURDAY KNIGHTS
(Neumo's) See preview.

THE ENGLISH BEAT, NATALIE WOULDN'T
(Fenix) The 2 Tone band that scored the greatest Stateside success, the English Beat should by rights be relegated to some perpetual '80s nostalgia-circuit itinerary with, say, Culture Club and A-ha. But here they are in 2007, frisky and fighting the good ska-revivalist fight. The English Beat's lithe melodies, smoothly grinding rhythms, and soulfulness that tipped porkpie hats to '60s Motown 45s (their spirited cover of "Tears of a Clown" reflects the Beat's impeccable taste, too) remain an unbeatable combo. I Just Can't Stop It is one of the best albums of the '80s, both a time capsule of 2 Tone's brief blaze of glory and a testament to Dave Wakeling and company's songwriting and rhythmic chops. Last year's Bumbershoot set proved English Beat are still vital. DAVE SEGAL

THE DEAD SCIENCE, PARENTHETICAL GIRLS, SHOLI, BARR, MARNIE STERN, PWRFL POWER
(Atlas Clothing) Tonight, stylish vintage clothiers Atlas play host to an evening of even more stylish avant-pop, motivational electro storytelling, and finger-tapping guitar virtuosity. The show is a tour-kick-off party for the Dead Science, who will be sharing the road with the Blood Brothers, Celebration, Parenthetical Girls, and Sholi. The Dead Science's wilting jazz pop will be joined tonight by a superb lineup of diverse contemporaries. The Parenthetical Girls' dread twee makes a sensible match for the headliners, but Marnie Stern's skyward prog psychedelics and BARR's skewed spoken-word make for more bizarre juxtapositions. Seattle's always alien guitar genius Pwrfl Power rounds out the bill. ERIC GRANDY

LEBOWSKI FEST 2007: HAR MAR SUPERSTAR, THE FUCKING EAGLES
(Showbox) Har Mar Superstar seems like an odd choice for a night paying tribute to the Coen Brothers' legendary "Dude." Sure, on the surface the paunched, hairy Har Mar might bear some passing resemblance to the Jeff Bridges character, but deep down the man is a constantly sprung sex machine and a madly extroverted entertainer—a far cry from the perpetually, profoundly laid-back patron saint of this night. Har Mar won't disappoint, though. He has the ability to work even the most casual crowd into a frothy, sexual lather. Women want to be with him; men want to be with him. Whether playing solo or with a live band, Har Mar is a serious spectacle of sweat, flesh, and soul. Locals the Fucking Eagles perform following a screening of The Big Lebowski with introduction by Jeff "the Dude" Dowd. ERIC GRANDY

MISSHAPES
(Last Supper Club) Misshapes is a weekly "hipster" dance party thrown in NYC by a trio of DJs known as the Misshapes: Greg K, Leigh Lezark, and Geordon Nicol. The night has become famous for its celebrity DJs (ranging from Madonna and Kelly Osbourne to Les Savy Fav and the Rapture) and also for a reported ban on beatmatching exacted on guest DJ Princess Superstar. The indie dance night depends more on taste and aesthetic than it does on a particular genre or technical skill, and it will be interesting to see how that dynamic translates to Seattle, with the Misshapes themselves as the celebrity DJs. Will NYC's hipster culture mix with Seattle's bridge-and-tunnel crowd? Does anyone in Pioneer Square really care about the Misshapes? Will Madonna be there? (She won't.) ERIC GRANDY

STATE RADIO, THE NEW AMSTERDAMS, STREET TO NOWHERE, LOW VS. DIAMOND
(Chop Suey) The Get Up Kids gave us some stellar records in their earlier years—Something to Write Home About, Four Minute Mile—man, they rocked. In their later years, though, they got a little, sad to say, boring. Maybe you were into their campfire acoustic on On a Wire, but I found myself yawning while trying to get through songs like "Fall from Grace" and "Walking on a Wire." If you dig the slowed-down tempo of the GUK's later years, you might find a new love in the New Amsterdams, the ballad-heavy project of ex—Get Up Kids frontman Matt Pryor. Their sound is mostly acoustic piano-laden singer/songwriter stuff that's perhaps much like what Pryor wanted the Get Up Kids to be in their later days—less rock and more thought. MEGAN SELING

DOWN
(El Corazón) The Amazon entry for Down's Latino rap CD California Cowboys is riddled with one-star ratings, mostly from nonplussed fans of Phil Anselmo's Southern-sludge factory. So, for clarification's sake, tonight's show is with the "true" Down, back from a five-year hiatus and doing a one-off show in Seattle before connecting with the Dio-fronted Sabbath rehash Heaven and Hell. Down's new material, scheduled for summer release, mines a ravaged emotional core, addressing Hurricane Katrina (which displaced four members of the New Orleans—based band) and the shooting death of Anselmo's former Pantera bandmate Dimebag Darrell Abbott. Guitarist Pepper Keenan tells MTV the Dimebag tribute is "pretty intense, not a ballad or anything," but the group has started experimenting with transferring its singularly thick sonic textures to acoustic guitars. ANDREW MILLER

SATURDAY 3/10

FUJIYA & MIYAGI, PROTOTYPES
(Chop Suey) See Data Breaker.

YOUTH GROUP, SIBERIAN, SHIRTBASKET
(Crocodile) Remember back when The O.C. was good and there was that episode where Marissa and Ryan slow-danced in the pool house and Taylor made out with the creepy dean while a not-very-original cover of "Forever Young" played on the radio? That was Youth Group's big break. Which is too bad, in a way, since they actually write some fairly pleasant songs of their own, if you're into the kind of bouncy, melodic soundtrack-pop of, say, the Shins and YG tourmates Death Cab for Cutie. The fact that the band's from Australia doesn't diminish in the least their ability to make sunny, wistful, Brian Wilson—influenced tunes just right for high-school beach parties on the shores of, say, Orange County. MAYA KROTH

SUNDAY 3/11

BRETT DENNEN, TOM FREUND
(Chop Suey) There's something indescribably sexy about a guy playing stand-up bass, 'cause you know it requires strong hands, good rhythm, and a whole lotta soul—traits that would come in handy in, um, other arenas. It's even sexier when the guy can play stand-up bass while singing songs that he also wrote. All of this knocks Tom Freund's hotness quotient off the charts; the fact that his Americana road songs are actually good is just gravy. Thanks to his sandpapery rasp, Freund always gets compared to Tom Waits, but to me he sounds more like another Tom: Petty—crossed with one-time tourmate/collaborator Ben Harper. Plus, in what parallel universe would Waits be caught doing a mandolin cameo on the next Mandy Moore record? According to MySpace, that's just what Freund is planning. He's even in Mandy's Top 8. Now that's hot. MAYA KROTH

BLOC PARTY, FINAL FANTASY, SMOOSH
(Paramount) Owen Pallett is a singing violinist. That right there screams "art damage!" But working under the name Final Fantasy, this Canadian wunderkind makes music that does everything but scream; his second full-length, He Poos Clouds, full of string quartet strains and effete vocals, coos and soars and pricks the ears, and is never less than magical. Which is fitting, since it was inspired by the sorcery of Dungeons & Dragons. Seriously. Pallett also plays violin for the Hidden Cameras and arranged the strings on both Arcade Fire albums. He looks just as adorable in a leather breastplate and Robin Hood cap as he does in a plain white T-shirt and nothing else (as he appeared in the most recent issue of BUTT magazine), and generally makes being uncool so cool it opens up a wormhole in the time-space continuum. KURT B. REIGHLEY

MONDAY 3/12

CLIPSE
(Chop Suey) See preview.

SILK ROAD PROJECT
(Benaroya Hall) See The Score.

THE EPITAPH TOUR: THE MATCHES, I AM GHOST, ESCAPE THE FATE, THE HIGHER
(El CorazĂłn) For almost two decades, fans of double-bass drumbeats and high-speed harmonies could expect satisfaction from any album or concert bearing the Epitaph logo. The label has diversified lately, not only through its Anti- imprint, which houses Tom Waits and octogenarian bumpkin Porter Wagoner, but also by signing progressive-metal pointillists (Converge, Dillinger Escape Plan) and political-rap prophets (Sage Francis). For the most part, Epitaph has outgrown uniformity without sacrificing consistency: The bands might not sound identical, but they're of the same caliber. The Matches, the class of Epitaph's nascent-act showcase, blend goth, dance, and chamber-pop elements, providing a self-contained embodiment of the label's eclecticism. Unfortunately, this tour also scrapes the roster's dregs, unleashing ghastly metalcore fashionmongers Escape the Fate and sickeningly cutesy crooners the Higher. ANDREW MILLER

THE ZOMBIES
(Triple Door) I once got chewed out by a bunch of hipsters at Cha Cha for swapping a Zombies CD for Eminem. No offense to Slim Shady and his mad skillz, but the guy's simply no match for the timeless pop perfection of Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent. The duo left audiences breathless and babbling on their tour last fall—if you missed it, you can now pick up a copy of Live at the Bloombury Theatre, London, a double live album that captures their first show back together. Better yet, get yourself out to the Triple Door tonight. Almost 40 years after the release of the Odessey and Oracle (an album widely recognized as a true masterpiece), Blunstone, Argent, and a backing band that includes former Kinks bassist (and Argent's cousin) Jim Rodford are ready to show doubting hipsters and true believers that great music never goes out of style. BARBARA MITCHELL See also Stranger Suggests.

TUESDAY 3/13

CLIPSE
(Chop Suey) See preview.

WEDNESDAY 3/14

Stay home and clean your house.