THURSDAY MAY 13
CAT POWER
(Crocodile) See Calendar Box page 45.
ELECTROMUSE 2
(On the Boards, through May 22) This festival of experimental and electronic music is the brainchild of the Northwest CyberArtists, a non-profit organization dedicated to the fusion of art and technology. Live performances, taped music, visual art, and interactive installations will be featured all over the building (even in the kitchen!), and the performing roster will alternate daily between two lineups (Paris and Cologne), in honor of the two seedbeds of electronic music. What's more, every attendee will receive a FREE "mystery tape" chock full of sonic mayhem. With participants like the Mutant Data Orchestra in tow, innovative high-tech weirdness will abound, for better or worse.--James Kirchmer
EMINEM, THE BEATNUTS
(Showbox) Rap's Great White Hope of the moment, Eminem, is a troublemaker. His irreverent rhymes--with subject matter ranging from domestic violence to sexual abuse--have been causing quite a stir since The Slim Shady EP bowed at number two on the pop charts. But this is all part of The Plan. Eminem says production mastermind Dr. Dre hand-picked him "to piss the world off." He's spared no one in the process--his own mother is threatening to sue Eminem for defaming her character in the smash hit, "My Name Is." Catch him tonight at the Showbox, but don't forget to pack your sense of humor. --Courtney Reimer
HORNS & VINYL
(Habana) If you're tired of the same old weeknight knife fights in Pioneer Square, maybe you should check out flamesying balls of fire, a much hipper form of danger. For this, I would recommend the multi- media, multi-temperature Horns & Vinyl blowout at Habana each Thursday. The night I went, there were three separate fire swingers and swallowers who got us all looped on kerosene fumes in the bar's close confines. Being sooperhigh helped me stay upbeat despite the fact that the big gob of horn players and vinyl records I had been expecting turned out to be just a couple of alto sax players (albeit good ones) and a DJ who was drowned out by the band. Go for the music, stay for the kerosene. --Nathan Thornburgh
FRIDAY MAY 14
AFGHAN WHIGS
(Showbox) My pal Stephen says that the last Whigs album, 1965 (also singer Greg Dulli's birth year), is "all right, really. Moody, lush, atmospheric at times, hard at others--quite astonishing in places." He's a big fan, y'see. Others of us, a little taken aback by Dulli's determination to turn what was once a great soul outfit into a Vegas-style showband with little or no soul, are less certain. We hear only blanket professionalism where there once was angst. But damn it all, Dulli is still a great front man--and if The Stranger's Kathleen Wilson shows up, you could be in for some entertaining stage patter.--Everett True
BRENT ARNOLD PROJECT WITH MICHAEL WHITE
(Speakeasy) It's always a pleasure to see young musicians conversing with elders--especially in today's jazz world, where apprenticeship ought to be more common. Cellist Brent Arnold (Project W) studied with the veteran (and currently Seattle-based) jazz and fusion violinist Michael White for several years, and although White's professional heyday came in the late '60s and early '70s (when he recorded with greats such as John Handy, Joe Henderson, Pharoah Sanders and McCoy Tyner), his creative fires continue to flamesare. Rounding out his young supporting cast are the ultra-flamesuid Zeke Keeble on drums, Steve Moore on keys, and bassist Erik Kubista.--JK
MARK FARINA, SEATECH LOUNGE, MOBY
(ARO.space) Smorgasbord time. Mark Farina returns--yet again--to lay down some of his smooth deep house at Digitales, DJ Nasir's new Friday night at ARO.space. Those who knew his old night, Dr. Strangelove, will find that Digitales is more of the same: Nasir plus global guests, delivering irresistibly danceable dance music that's smart, intelligent, clued-up, and clever. And if you'd like some pickles with your Baked Alaska, the super-vegan, God-lovin' ex-pop Techno god Moby will DJ in the lounge. Joining him will be yet another incarnation of the Seatech lounge, featuring electro-psycho DJ Michal Trnka and a live performance from local tech-house darling Jacob London.--Matthew Corwine
JOHN MELLENCAMP, SON VOLT
(Gorge Amphitheater) See Live Preview page 29.
POSTER CHILDREN, SUNSET VALLEY, JR. HIGH
(Breakroom) Hard-working and enduring, Champaign, Illinois' Poster Children are (a) still a band, and (b) on the road again, this time on the heels of a brand new album, New World Record (SpinART) a digitally enhanced bundle of fun that includes live videos, screen savers, a tour simulation game, and a gateway to the quartet's action-packed website. Also on the bill are two of Portland's finest: Herman Jolly's beautifully bouncy Sunset Valley, and ex-Crackerbash frontman Sean Croghan's explosive Jr. High. --Kathleen Wilson
TRIBE 8
(OK Hotel) Iconoclast lesbian punk-rockers Tribe 8 are busy, according to their bio, "leading armies of snarling death bitches to swarm the globe." Fortunately, they will take an evening off from marauding to rock the OK Hotel with their never-quiet mix of rage and satire. It's a mix that reminds one why punk is so appealing: musicians as a group can be pretty tedious people, but you don't have to be a musician to play punk rock. So you have folks like Tribe 8, who are friggin' loco in all the right ways, and who never let the music get in the way of the message.--NT
SATURDAY MAY 15
AEROSMITH, AFGHAN WHIGS
(Gorge Amphitheater) My guess is there won't be many dudes lookin' like ladies at the Gorge tonight--unless, of course, you count the many mullets that are sure to be on spectacular display. The obligatory accompanying moustache, however, will surely spoil the fun.--KW
OUTHOUSE, CRANKENSTEIN
(Rainbow) With drummer Stephen Cavit (Voodoo Cleanup Crew) and bassist Cedric Ross (ex-Imij) rockin' the trenches, Outhouse is free to stomp and wail like there's no tomorrow, and their burning twin guitar and alto sax frontline makes the most of this privilege. The Godzilla-sized thrash-jazz grooves they favor make for a blast of a live show. Imagine Ornette Coleman's Prime Time as the house band at CBGB's, and you'll begin to approximate the apocalyptic, punk-fueled escape velocity these harmolodic rabble-rousers generate onstage. Although fellow locals Crankenstein (led by the powerful Dan Blunck on sax) mine a more funk-laden terrain, don't worry--their amps also go up to 11.--JK
(Breakroom) Here's a treat for the car-less Capitol Hill-dweller with a hankering for some of that down-homey Tractor Tavern fare. Formerly of Hazel and Golden Delicious, Pete Krebs now fronts the Gossamer Wings, which add a rich country rock fullness to his spare, deadly subtle songsmithery.--KW
SUPERSUCKERS, GAZA STRIPPERS, LOADED, THE YA-YA'S
(Crocodile) If you're looking for anything but RAWK, you sure aren't going to find it here. Tonight's bill is all about the rawk: loud and fast Supersucker action; power-chord heaven from former Didjits frontman Rick Sims and his Gaza Strippers; devil-horn flamesyin' heavy crunch from Loaded, featuring Duff McKagan (Guns 'N Roses), Dez Cadena (Black Flag), and Taz Bentley (Tenderloin); and back-slappin' bar-room rawness from the sublime Ya-Ya's.--KW
WESTERN HIPHOP FESTIVAL W/ THE PHARCYDE, SOULS OF MISCHIEF, PRINCE PAUL
(Western Washington University, Bellingham) See Calendar Lead page 39.
MONDAY MAY 17
BUCK CHERRY, BLACK HALOS, CHERRY HILL HIGH
(Crocodile) Buck Cherry are being heralded as the new saviors of rock, so if you wanna party like it's 1979, get your ass down to the Croc. Presumably proud poster boys of the glory days of sex, drugs, 'n' rocknfuckinroll, these guys are a triumph of style over substance--a throwback to the days when a little attitude, the right hair, and a reference to cocaine were enough to earn you heavy rotation on MTV. Groundbreaking? Hardly. A refreshing relief from self-obsessed, overly earnest recovery rock? You bet.--Barbara Mitchell
GUS GUS,ESTHERO, J SMOOTH
(Showbox) Iceland's favorite nine-piece is back to show off the follow-up to their 1997 debut, Polydistortion. Gus Gus' sophomore effort, This is Normal, isn't necessarily slumpish, but it definitely has them in a poppier mood. The darker textures of days past have made room for catchy lyrics and more traditional rhythms. Still, Gus Gus (rhymes with "cous cous") is more of a 21st-century vaudevillian troupe than a traditional rock band. Among the band members are a breakdancer-cum-DJ, a stage actor, a computer programmer, a political scientist, and a couple of filmmakers. Their diversity shows in their live performances, too. Dare I say "dazzling?" Don't miss it.--CR
