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NOVEMBER 7
Toro Y Moi with The Mattson 2
Chaz Bundickâs Bull & Me albums always sound likeâall joking asideâa really beautiful Tumblr. Youâd scroll past pics of beautiful strangers throwing up peace signs in front of some Judd sculptures in Marfa, $45 beanies that would make you the envy of the cafe, and light shooting through venetian blinds in an artful way. Over the last six years, Bundick [of Toro Y Moi] has ridden the chill wave to the distant shores of synthy hiphop and lite funk. His latest record, What For?, really begs the answer, but ultimately provides incredibly serviceable, unassuming indie rock-ish music. Whatâs going to happen is youâre going to go to this show and heâs going to play âEmpty Nestersâ and youâre going to think, âYou know, this song has a few more surprises in it than I initially thought!â and youâre going to have a good time. RICH SMITH
NOVEMBER 8
Rae Sremmurd with Lil Yachty and Guests
Rae Sremmurdâs first full-length, SremmLife, sounds like a school project, wherein two kids had to throw a presentation on what they did over summer or some shit, and they decided to rap their story instead of make a PowerPoint like all the other Kevins in their class. Itâs disjointed but fun, and fully representative of all the interests and energies of being 19 (spoiler: good weed and bad women). Their second album, SremmLife2, takes their screeching and swirling non sequiturs and sustains them in the youthful and charmingly self-involved arena that Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi have made their own, with lyrics stretching into relationship problems, burning bridges with toxic people, and my favorite: chicks who do yoga. KIM SELLING
NOVEMBER 8-9
Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke isnât as guts-crazy as his sometime mentor, the late John Fahey. But who would want to be? Fahey first rewrote the book, and then wrote his own book, when it came to six-string steel-string guitar on planet Earth, but didnât seem to like Earth much. Kottke could outpace Fahey by a few decisive concert moves: (a) showing up, (b) showing up on time, and (c) not spending most of the gig talking and giggling with people who are not there. On the positivity flip, though, Kottkeâs got pep, verve, nerve, and a dry sense of humor when he decides to sing. And he can get to the darkness inside of happiness. Even without words, he can evoke the void behind joy. Dark brightness. ANDREW HAMLIN Through November 9) NOVEMBER 9
Andra Day, Chloe x Halle
Old soul San Diegan Andra Day brings her spin on blues, neo-soul, and R&B to the Showbox, with Chloe x Halle.
Earshot Jazz: Vijay Iyer with Wadada Leo Smith
Vijay Iyer, son of Tamil immigrants to the United States, plays mostly piano, got a degree in physics from Yale, and went to UC Berkeley. Heâs smarter than most of us will ever be and focuses on the psychology of music, and he reads at least as well as he sounds, but he still swings. He bends classical constructions to make them sound a bit like jazz, and the other way around. Wadada Leo Smith started out making an album by himself on trumpet, plus an orchestra of noisemakers. Heâs grown slightly less hell-bent-for-leather and recruited a sympatico band. His new record is titled Americaâs National Parks, whose rich, eco-vibrating soundscapes take as much time and deep vibes as they need. Smith hasnât visited many of the parks he enshrines musically. I applaud the audacity. ANDREW HAMLIN
Mo-Wave Presents: Pansy Division, Sashay, Pink Parts, DJ Mister Sister
Since the early 1990s, San Francisco queercore legends Pansy Division have dished out hilarious pop-punk championing while also criticizing queer culture with a lovable and jokey perspective (âDick of Death,â âGroovy Underwearâ). Though times have changed and support/acceptance has increased for LGBTQ rights since the band was opening for Lookout Records labelmates Green Day in 1994, 25 years later, they are still writing about gay sex and relationships to a cult fan base. Pansy Divisionâs latest record, Quite Contrary, remains lighthearted yet intensely political. On âBlame the Bible,â they take a big, culturally relevant stab at right-wing, Bible-thumping politicians: âHeâs redesigned the Bibleâs libel to justify his hate.â The night remains profoundly queer, with support from beloved local punks Sashay and promising newcomers Pink Parts. BRITTNIE FULLER
Neko Case
For country-inflected rock in the 21st century, it doesnât get much better than Neko Case. Steeped in tradition yet anything but stodgy, her songs possess a classy luster thatâs impervious to changing trends and timeâs uglifying forces. Same goes for her blessed voice, which is pure creamy velvet pulchritude and which has earned every dang comparison to Patsy Cline and Linda Ronstadt. DAVE SEGAL
NOVEMBER 9-10
Descendents, Bully, Broadway Calls
Back in the early 1980s, Descendents were one of the first bands that turned many kids on to hardcore. It was kinda easy, as they were one of the only bands that were somewhat melodic, hooky, and sang about the issues most weirdo suburban teenagers had to deal with: alienation, authority, dead-end wage-slave futures, and asshole jocksâand identifying with âem was all too easy. Oh, and Descendents made fart jokes. So they were PERFECT. Their current live set list contains all, no ALL, the hits, shits, and a couple new jams. Yeah, ânew jams,â as theyâre touring in support of their new LP, Hypercaffium Spazzinate. The album is good, it sounds like the Descendents, so no surprises! MIKE NIPPER NOVEMBER 10
Action Potential One Year Anniversary with Project Pablo & D. Tiffany
Respect to Action Potential for making it through an outstanding first year. Cecilia Corsano-Leopizzi and Nick Carrollâs curatorial acumen has been sharp so far. One of the most adventurous newish club nights in Seattle, its bookings have included Jlin, Kangding Ray, Laurel Halo, Erika, Inga Copeland, Raica, and Big Phone. For tonightâs show, Action Potential brings in Montreal producer Project Pablo (aka Patrick Holland), with his skewed, blissed-out house music taking the genre to exceptionally heady dimensions. Check out his 2015 album I Want to Believe on Vancouverâs 1080p label for proof. Fellow Canadian artist D. Tiffany (aka DJ Zozi, aka Sophie Sweetland) similarly explores the more cerebral realms of house while still keeping one foot swiveling obliquely on the dance floor. Happy birthday, Action Potential, and thanks for all the crucial sounds. DAVE SEGAL
Crater, Natasha Kmeto, DJAO
Iâve already effusively written about Crater, a group that I hope influences more local artists with their declarative electronic poetry, so Iâll try to contain myself here before rhapsodizing about their skill sets again. For equally powerful synth work and throaty, oceanic vocals, turn to their bill partner Natasha Kmeto, a Portland jewel who should be drowning in awards and accolades at this point. Her 2015 release Inevitable remains one of my favorite albums from the last decade by a Northwest artist; itâs rife with high notes carried through clashing tonal arches befitting a chapel-bound dance party. Inevitable is intensely freeing, simultaneously romantically mature and with a childlike sense of creative wonder, like what Iâd dream an Aaliyah or Kelly Price cameo on a Minimal Wave Tapes track would sound like. KIM SELLING
Fishbone, Larry & His Flask
People who believe their knowledge of American popular music is up to snuff are in the habit of stating, when the opportunity presents itself, that Fishbone should have been bigger than Red Hot Chili Peppers. Both bands were born in Los Angeles around the same time (the early '80s), regularly toured together, and approached music in roughly the same wayâblending genres. Fishbone blended punk and ska; RHCP blended punk and funk. Fishbone was a black band that didn't make R&B, and RHCP was a white band that didn't make rock. Almost everyone knows RHCP, and only critics know Fishbone. What the hell happened? Why didn't Fishbone become huge? Was it a race thing? No, I don't think this was the case. We know RHCP not because they're white but because the music they made was far more accessible to the common ear than Fishbone's. Being good at music is one thing, being popular is another. The two must never be confused as one and the same thing. CHARLES MUDEDE
Kris Kristofferson
Country Music Hall of Famer and brilliant facial hair-cultivator Kris Kristofferson showcases a career of mature Americana pop and lilting country hits to an audience of light-rock-less-talk enthusiasts at Pantages.
NOVEMBER 11
Florida Georgia Line, Granger Smith, Chris Lane
Nu-bro duo Florida Georgia Line have hit the big time making contemporary country music for the masses. They'll be joined by Granger Smith and Chris Lane on their "Dig Your Roots" Tour.
Sturgill Simpson: "A Sailor's Guide to Earth"
So much negativity has come to pass since April. Between the celebrity deaths, political climate, and new Russian nukes, youâd be forgiven for forgetting that country maverick Sturgill Simpson released his third album, A Sailorâs Guide to Earth, which is a shame, since itâs the brightest ray of sunshine this year aside from maybe that little bird landing on Bernieâs podium. Thatâs fine, Simpson is going to play it for us. And while its predecessor, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, will probably go down as the more classic record, Guide is a real masterpiece. Simpsonâs secret ingredient? A massive Memphis funk brass section that gives his new tunes a hot urgency to balance out his relentless optimism. JOSEPH SCHAFER
NOVEMBER 11-12
Andy McKee
World-renowned acoustic guitarist and YouTube community favorite Andy McKee plays a two-day set rife with steel string guitar standards. NOVEMBER 12
The Beach Boys: 50 Years of Good Vibrations
If youâre going to accept the premise that oldies tours, however square, are basically harmless fun, youâre eventually going to have to admit that itâs fine for the Beach Boys to do a â50 Years of Good Vibrationsâ tour without Brian (or any other) Wilson. The current iteration of the group features lead singer Mike âI thought TM was supposed to make you less of an assholeâ Love, Bruce Johnston, and a bunch of ringers, offering a 40-song set heavy on the surf/car/girl songs that were always the best thing about the Beach Boys. As the tour name indicates, youâll get âGood Vibrations,â a strong contender for greatest artwork of the 20th century. Because Mike Love is at the helm, youâll also get âKokomo,â a strong contender for the nadir of Western civilization. Bonus: If you have any strength left over for confronting Trump supporters for the hell theyâve been putting us all through, this show is guaranteed to be a target-rich environment, because the Beach Boys have always been the true sound of the Republican jock oppressor. Fun, fun, fun, indeed. SEAN NELSON
Dave B, Ye Ali, Jamie Blake
As far as rap monikers go, âDave Bâ is about one notch less intriguing than âYoung Thug.â And yet, like Thug, the name purposefully understates what amounts to a deep intelligence and understated swagger. Dave Bâs album Punch Drunk combined melodic, West Coast throwback production (think Souls of Mischief) with Bâs recollections on heartbreak and self-deprecating humor. Itâs a refreshingly ambitious entry to Seattleâs young hiphop canon, and the dude always brings the easy-going heat to his live shows: His appearance at this yearâs Capitol Hill Block Party was a (rained-out, gray-skied) blast. Thereâs a reason this kid won the Vera Projectâs underage Sound Off! Competition back in the day; hell, his new joint gives you about nine reasons. KYLE FLECK
D.O.A. with Coffin Break and Boxcutter
Hardcore historians often argue about who was first. Some say Washington, DCâs Bad Brains were the first to push punk to the next level, while others point to Black Flag as the true pioneers. Any of these arguments would be incomplete without acknowledging the importance of the now-legendary Vancouver band D.O.A. and specifically their breakthrough album, Hardcore 81. It was raw, packed a punch, and most importantly gave a name to the movement. Thirty-five years and 14 studio albums later, D.O.A. are still going strong. Surviving with one original memberâJoey âShitheadâ Keithleyâand a rotating cast, these scene-starting originals seemingly will go on for as long as Keithley can sing and play guitar. KEVIN DIERS
Musiq Soulchild
R&B machine Musiq Soulchild has been cranking out smooth, smoldering records for two decades now, and will grace the EQC stage for a night of rhythmic romance in celebration of his sixth studio album, Musiqinthemagiq.
Shovels & Rope
Witnessing the rise of this swampy, seedy, sweaty, sublime duo from side stages and small clubs to bigger and better stages over the past five years has been a thrilling confirmation that despite all the horrible cognitive dissonance going on in the world today, sometimes we really can agree on something that matters. Regardless of your disposition to the lousy term âAmericana,â Shovels & Rope have more heart, skill, and power than any 10 pious, harmony-drenched septets desperately trying to locate the indie-folk revival they thought they had concealed in their beards. Drummer/guitarist/singer Cary Ann Hearst is a major star, and so is her husband/bandmate/drummer/guitarist/singer Michael Trentâthe only reason you may not notice this is because heâs standing right next to her. But together theyâre one of the only bands I feel confident recommending to everyone who isnât dead inside. SEAN NELSON
Vibragun, Merso, Freeway Park
Formerly known as Leatherdaddy, Seattle quartet Merso have cut an unusually ambitious new full-length for Good to Die Records titled Red World. Itâs a firmament-strafing prog-rock opus that flaunts exceptional dynamics and melodies that virtuosically pluck heart strings. Sure, it possesses some of the heaviness that fans have come to expect from Good to Die, but Red World is more of an emotional roller coaster of an experience than a headbangerâs banquet. In some ways, Merso recall fellow Seattleites Wah Wah Exit Wound in their complex convolutions, albeit in a less noisy context. Merso singer Tristan Sennholzâs falsetto curlicues gracefully around the artfully surprising arrangements, and the album is one of those intense journeys that reveal new intricacies with each listen. DAVE SEGAL
NOVEMBER 12-13
Sequentia: The Monk Sings The Pagan
What Sequentia does is like sci-fi for the past. Sequentia is an ensemble led by Paris-based Benjamin Bagby, whose âart is speculative reconstruction,â wrote Allan Kozinn of The New York Times in 2012. For this program, Bagby and Cambridge University musicologist Sam Barrett have created reconstructions of how Boethiusâs classical text Consolation of Philosophy was performed in European monastic centers between the 9th and 12th centuries. Whoa! To me, that sounds like nerd heaven. Okay, but if you think you are not nerdy enough for this, then consider that Boethius wrote his text about the nature of evil, God, and happiness while awaiting execution for treason, and in the late 19th century, these poems were called âby far the most interesting example of prison literature the world has ever seen.â So hear the medieval monks sing the superlative pagan. JEN GRAVES
NOVEMBER 13
Daughters, The Body, Loma Prieta
When Daughters started, they were part of the lineage of late-â90s spaz-grind bands that cranked through a dozen songs in a dozen minutes, aiming for little more than to make as much racket and cause as much destruction as possible. But by the time the band released their sophomore album, Hell Songs, in 2006, theyâd ditched the unrestrained blast-and-breakdown template of their peers in favor of a methodically precise, razor-sharp amalgam of no waveâs kinetic fits, hardcoreâs heft, and the Birthday Partyâs rancorous drawl. It was a polarizing move, and the obvious pitfalls that plague artists who thrive on antagonism finally killed Daughters in 2009. Difficult art is rarely recognized in its time, and consequently the bandâs reunion shows have been a well-deserved victory lap. BRIAN COOK
Purling Hiss, Bigfoot Wallace & His Wicked Sons, Psychic Death
Mike Polizze, founder of Philadelphiaâs Purling Hiss, emerged from the same guitar-centric scene as Kurt Vile and Steve Gunn, but while those singer-guitarists left bands to record under their own names, his outfit grew from a one-man operation into a trio. On the basis of their discography, including this yearâs incendiary High Bias, they would fit right in with the postâPaisley Underground acts to record for SST in the 1980s and 1990s, like Dinosaur Jr. and Das Damen (wiggy videos filled with VHS-era optical effects only reinforce the throwback impression). Purling Hissâs studio approach involves slightly twangy vocals, power-pop hooks, and an indestructible wall of guitar. On stage, Polizze, bassist Dan Provenzano, and drummer Ben Leaphart stretch the material into louder, heavier, more feedback-drenched configurations. KATHY FENNESSY
SassyBlack, The Seshen, Tay Sean
SassyBlack is one half of the now-defunct galactic powerhouse that was THEESatisfaction, and dropped her solo album this past May. Prepare your brain for a deep submergence in gorgeous afro-futuristic soul and the heart of one of the most talented musicians in Seattle right now, with The Seshen and Tay Sean.
Vienna Boys Choir
The Vienna Boys Choir, an internationally renowned preteen sensation for more than 500 years, bring their dulcet tones and confusingly adorable sailor suit outfits to the Pantages Theater for a night of childlike reverie, Austrian folk songs, vignettes from classical masters, and well-loved pop songs.
