NOVEMBER 21
Seu Jorge Presents: The Life Aquatic, A Tribute to David Bowie
Even if he didnât also act, the late David Bowieâs genre-spanning music would still have found its way into countless motion pictures, few more inventively than The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, a poignant father-son drama disguised as loopy underwater adventure. A less ingenious filmmaker might have shelled out for an original recording or two, but Wes Anderson instead tapped singer-actor Seu Jorge, fresh off a run as Knockout Ned in the Oscar-nominated City of God, to play a guitar-wielding deckhand who entertains the crew with Portuguese versions of RCA-era Bowie numbers, like âLife on Mars?â Jorgeâs resistance to imitation allows his own warm, expressive voice to shine through, leading Bowie himself to praise âthe new level of beautyâ the Brazilian brought to his material. KATHY FENNESSY
Temple of the Dog with Fantastic Negrito
Temple of the Dog are Chris Cornellâhonoring the late Andrew Woodâout in front of most of Pearl Jam, including Matt Cameron from Soundgarden (and Pearl Jam), and (letâs hope) Eddie Vedder, who sang on some of the most amazing shit from the bandâs album, now 25 years old (sigh) and well worth (re)discovering. Letâs not leave out the opening act, though: Fantastic Negrito is a man who waded through a failed record deal and then climbed out of a hospital bed after a near-fatal car crash, saying âfuck youâ to the permanent physical damage and going to work growing weed. Then he started playing music again. Heâs just a little bit angry. Who wouldnât be? ANDREW HAMLIN
NOVEMBER 22-27
Taj Mahal Trio
So. The Apocalypse. I didnât get much sleep, either. The Walking Deadâs squish crunch munch still stung mean if no longer fun, but didnât quite finger the zeitgeist. The Leftovers hit harder with nothing to grab ontoâeverything looks the same, including the cops, but nobody knows exactly what the rules, or if the rules, might be. So anyone anytime can throw a punch. Anyone might fall bloodied. Listen to Taj Mahal sing âCelebrated Walkinâ Blues,â which he lifted from Robert Johnson. He starts out with nothing but shoes and proceeds to survey the landscape in those lyrics and a great deal about the universe with that mandolin. Macrocosm in microcosm. Joy from deep in a rut. Weâll need those. ANDREW HAMLIN
(No show on Thanksgiving)
NOVEMBER 23
Helms Alee, He Whose Ox Is Gored, Wild Powwers
Seattle trio Helms Alee are out this time in support of their fourth album, Stillicide (Sargent House). Recorded over 10 days in Salem, Oregon, their latest has more of Ben Verellenâs trademark Viking roars and Hozoji Matheson-Margullisâs ornate percussion tossed into the ceiling fan with crunchy riffs off of Verellenâs guitar and Dana Jamesâs bass. The albumâs 11 songs of headphone metalâacoustically flawless heaviness charged with wonder rather than anger. Maybe itâs their swelling harmonies, but as hard as they rock, Helms Aleeâs music really does feel sprung from a place of hopeful energy, the kind that urges you to rise above challenges together rather than to rot separately in the valley with all of societyâs pollution. TODD HAMM
Industrial Revelation, DâVonne Lewisâ Limited Edition, Nick Drummond Band
The group has four membersâD'Vonne Lewis (drums), Evan Flory-Barnes (bass), Josh Rawlings (keyboards), and Ahamefule J. Oluo (trumpet). All are trained primarily as jazz musicians and play in a number of jazz bands and venues around town. However, IR's 2013 album Oak Head makes it clear that when these four men make music together, they cannot be classified as a jazz band. IR have a sound that is not determined by one genre, but instead is overdetermined by multiple genresâhiphop, indie rock, punk, soul, and so on. But here is what makes IR truly unique and worthy of the status of Genius: Their mission as musicians is not to save jazz or to be relevant to younger audiences. Absent from their live shows and two albums is exactly that kind of desperation and scheming. What we hear instead are tunes composed and performed by four very talented musicians who are naturally, effortlessly, constantly inventive. CHARLES MUDEDE
Romaro Franceswa with Guests
When BeanOne, one of the few heads in town I always trusted, first started hyping the work Romaro Franceswa was doing with a young Federal Waylien with a funny name, I admit, I was a tad dubious. His eponymous debut was cool and rap-forwardâbut I couldnât have envisioned him becoming the firebrand he is today, surely one of Seattleâs leaders of the new school. Following last yearâs superb Balance, Romaro is back at it with the just-released Mirror, his first output since finding new management, a new label (Black Umbrella), and a new focus. Itâs his first release sans the nimble OG Bean, but a quick pass-through confirms the goods. I ainât gotta tell you to watch the kid, youâre already lookingâjust appreciate the growth. LARRY MIZELL JR.
NOVEMBER 23 & 25
"Thankful Dead" with Andy Coe Band
Not only are the Grateful Dead their own cottage industry (still!), the venerable San Francisco psychedelic/Americana juggernaut has spun off hordes of tribute bands that form their own lucrative sonic ecosystem. In Seattle, Andy Coe Band reign in that Garcia-fied realm. Coe is the guitar hero/vocalist who captains this trip with astonishing dexterity and soulfulness. The rest of the group also possess deep knowledge of the Deadâs songbook, and their fluid, rootsy, interstellar moves reanimate the mother of all jam bandâs music for those who may have missed the originators. And damn if Andy Coe Bandâs rendition of âSt. Stephenâ isnât pure bliss. DAVE SEGAL
NOVEMBER 24
Studio 4/4: Sonny Fodera, Walker & Royce
Hailed by major tastemakers such as Mixmag, London DJ/producer/remixer Sonny Fodera has impressed house-music icons like Frankie Knuckles, Derrick Carter, and Cajmere, the latter of whom offered Fodera a record deal and a studio collaboration. If youâre a house traditionalist into the soulful, funky side of the genre, Fodera ranks as one of the new generationâs most loyal torchbearers. Trust Studio 4/4âs organizers to keep Seattleâs asses moving with verve on a Thursday night. DAVE SEGAL
NOVEMBER 25
Castle, MOS Generator, Ancient Warlocks, Teepee Creeper
To those who worship at the altar of Black Sabbath, this tourâs for you. Together, San Franciscoâbased headliner Castle and Bremertonâs Mos Generatorâboth of which happen to be power triosâchannel a healthy dose of Iommi influence through the power of their vintage metal riffs. Just this past July, both bands released killer new albums to critical acclaim. With Abyssinia, Mos Generator pack their well-formulated crushing guitar assault and partner it with soaring, melodic vocals, showing theyâve truly arrived as juggernauts of Northwest rock. Show up early for the bong-rattling heaviness of local heroes Ancient Warlocks. KEVIN DIERS
RĂFĂS DU SOL, Kilo, Yuma X
Dang, I thought the 1970s/â80s funk-soul group that charted with âTell Me Something Goodâ and âYou Got the Loveâ and featured a young Chaka Khan on vocals had reunited. But no. This new, umlauted, and all-caps RĂFĂS are an Australian trio that topped the charts Down Under with their 2013 debut LP, Atlas. The RĂFĂS sound wavers somewhere between Hot Chipâs chipper electro-house and James Blakeâs woebegone, yearning soul meditations. Itâs a very commercial approach, and RĂFĂS do it with poise and skill. Theyâre certainly better at it than the Chainsmokers, but itâs still rather mild sauce to anyone whoâs put in more than a few years of serious electronic-music listening. DAVE SEGAL
Thee Oh Sees, Alex Cameron, Mommy Long Legs
John Dwyer, founder of Thee Oh Sees, is an unstoppable force. Labels, locations, and lineups may change, but at any given time, heâs making music and creating the art that adorns his recordings. This year, he released a live album and two studio full-lengths, and now heâs hitting the road. His most recent offering, A Weird Exits, prioritizes instrumentation over vocals, and it runs the gamut from prog rock to acid folk (with Ryan Moutinho and Dan Rincon, the outfit returns to the two-drummer configuration of the Lars Finberg era). If youâve never heard Thee Oh Sees, itâs as good a place to start as any, though you canât go wrong with any of their albumsâand the incandescent live show will make anyone a believer. KATHY FENNESSY
NOVEMBER 26
Car Seat Headrest with The Domestics
Already prolific in quantity, Will Toledo of Car Seat Headrest has ascended to the high quality side of things with his bandâs latest album, Teens of Denial. Surging ahead of the pack of anxiety-riddled, string-tearing indie rock, Teens of Denial actually accomplishes a goal, building a safe space in which one can be fully surrounded by and commensurate with the cares and desires of a demographic typically accused of never caring enough. Heavy on the Built to Spillâstyle slow build that crashes into persistent oblivion, Toledo strikes the middle point between career-peak Jonathan Richman and the subtle insecurity of Jeffrey Lewis, with stridently critical and clever vocalizations. You get the feeling he woke up alone in a strangerâs home and is now just making sense of his place in each room. It is simultaneously unsettling and deeply comforting. KIM SELLING
Emancipator, Tor, Edamame, Lapa
Portland producer Emancipator creates middling, orchestral, down-tempo electronic music that seems tailor-made for TV movies (do they still make those?). His tracks skew predominantly melancholy and blandly funky, like a smooth-jazz version of Thievery Corporation. DAVE SEGAL
Encanto Holiday Opera
Featuring award-winning tenor José Iñiguez and pianist Jeremy Neufeld, Encanto pairs the diverse qualities of opera arias, classical piano, and mariachi bolero for an evening of holiday-themed genre-blending. Proceeds from this concert will go to funding scholarships for first-generation students pursuing college/university education.
James Vincent McMorrow with Allan Rayman
Irish artist James Vincent McMorrow shows off his James Blake-esque vocal chops in his latest album, We Move. His dreamy electro-haze-pop set will be flanked by a live set from Allan Rayman.
Nipsey Hussle, Choice, Tha landlord, J.D.U.B.
Rolling on the success of perma-relevant track "Fuck Donald Trump" with YG, LA rapper Nipsey Hussle graces us with his energetic presence and live theatrics, with Choice, Tha landlord, and J.D.U.B.
Sky Cries Mary, Jim Basnight & The Moberlys, Crunchbird
Old school goes to school! Crunchbird, masterminded by Jaime Crunchbird since 1984, talks about interpersonal transactions and hidden agendas plus crunch guitar, naturally, with a certain Captain Weasel and fiddler Mary C. Gross along for the ride on this new bloom. Sky Cries Mary have tried celestial/ambient, straighter-ahead rock, trancey bits, and a bass player good enough for Yes (who probably pay him better). I have never met Jim Basnight, but our paths have crossed by proxy over the years. He goes all the way back to the seminal Seattle Syndrome album from 1981âbefore that, actually. He named his band after the director of the Seattle School District. Heâs a stone unworn by water. ANDREW HAMLIN
NOVEMBER 27
Daughter with Alexandra Savior
English indie-folk trio Daughter share their darkly emotional textures with a live set pulling from their 2016 release Not to Disappear, flanked by Alexandra Savior.
Michael Christmas, Warm Brew, Kari Faux
The âWestside Christmasâ tour brings three LA-based rap acts on the come-up, all making their Seattle debut: Boston MC Michael Christmas, no seasonal novelty, slid to LA and honed his funny, every-smartass raps a couple years back and has been cooking ever since. (His latest is a project with Prefuse 73 called Fudge, which issued Lady Parts in September.) Kari Faux is a Little Rockâraised rapper whose debut, Lost En Los Angeles, chronicles her own move West via modern-funk tracks laced with her cool, almost mumblecore raps. Also on tour is Westside trio Warm Brew, signed to Dom Kennedyâs OPM. Their unvarnished beer-and-swisher-guts lyricism might fit in somewhere between the vibes of the Likwit Crew, Mystik Journeymen, and Kausionâjust for you LA rap completists. LARRY MIZELL JR.
Sloucher, Fauna Shade, Pale Noise
As Sean Nelson astutely observed in a Slog post from July, Seattleâs Sloucher have deftly assimilated the influences of several paradigmatic indie-rock bands from the 1990s and â00s, including Pavement, Elliott Smith, Yo La Tengo, Bedhead/New Year, and Sebadoh. The songs on Sloucherâs debut EP, Certainty (which you can hear on Bandcamp), tap into a humble yet beautiful melodic wellspring where that certain introspective timbre of guitar jangle and yearning white-guy vocal convey so much pathos. It isnât easy to make slacker rock sound compelling in 2016, but Sloucher nail all the moves with an easygoing charm that suggests theyâll have a long, fruitful career. If they donât play Pitchfork Music Festival by 2018, Iâll slowly shake my head in disbelief. DAVE SEGAL
NOVEMBER 27-30
X with Skating Polly, Visqueen, Small Wigs, Tripwires
Iâm gettinâ pretty wiggly knowing X have a four-night Seattle residency (!) meant for celebrating the bandâs 40th birfday! They were contemporaries of SoCal punk bands like the Germs and Black Flag, but Xâs relevance and influence can still be heard draped across the sounds of the rock underground. I reckon you could say, even as their music is deeply rooted in, well, roots rock, at this point they MIGHT be considered roots rock themselves. And donât forget they were/are universally loved by the nerdy college kids, punks, AND the goths. I bet itâs safe to say 1970s Exene is prolly still an archetype. Uh, now that I think about it, a four-day party might not be enough. MIKE NIPPER