BEN LEE, SISSY BAR
(Crocodile) Our favorite puppy lover has grown up. Once content to artlessly chronicle his pained teenage yearnings, Australian Ben Lee visits in support of a startlingly crisp and upbeat LP that mixes electronic pop with his trademark youthful drollery. Breathing Tornadoes keeps all the vivid boy-meets-girl scenarios that Lee pins like butterflamesies, but now there's a more sophisticated sweep to the music, with new wave flamesourishes and music hall bounce. A bedsit Romeo, Lee is not known for playing his emotional cards close to his chest. Have things changed since he began romancing Claire Danes? We cite even odds. See also Live Preview page 65.--Lois Maffeo

MODEST MOUSE,
CARISSA'S WEIRD
ELEVATOR THROUGH
(Showbox) Unpleasant controversy aside, Modest Mouse remains the best band this city has to offer. The trio's 1997 release, The Lonesome Crowded West (Up Records), still manages to astound anew with every listen--each spin reveals yet another brilliant twist in Isaac Brock's hopelessly convoluted lyrics; and the musicianship is second to none when it comes to conveying emotions that straddle the thin lines between hope and despair.--Kathleen Wilson

CARRIE AKRE
(Baltic Room) Goodness rock diva Carrie Akre has been testing more acoustic waters lately, showcasing her own, more stripped-down material with the aid of bandmate Garth Reeves. Her solo work is sparse and beautiful--especially in comparison to the roaring thunder of Goodness--but just as powerful in its own way. That's because Akre, who possesses one of the strongest voices in modern rock, has the confidence to rely on her songwriting skills as much as her vocal prowess. Expect a solo album out this fall, but catch her now in the intimate splendor of the Baltic Room.--Barbara Mitchell

CRITTERS BUGGIN'
(Sit & Spin) Few bands are capable of headlining at both rock clubs and jazz festivals, but Critters Buggin's unique brand of improvised mayhem appeals to both camps, hence their maiden trip to Warsaw's annual shindig soon after these shows. I'm not surprised, as the permanent addition of Austin's Mike Dillon (HairyApesBMX, Malachy Papers) on percussion has pumped their worldly "savant-garde" funk grooves to gorilla-sized proportions. Accordingly, the band will be jacking up the Sit & Spin with a high-end "Bag End" subwoofer system for the weekend--for your bone-jarring pleasure.--James Kirchmer

GUITARS AND SAXES '99
(Paramount Theater) With Guitars and Saxes '99, the Paramount Theater presents the hottest stars in elevator music today. There's French guitarist Marc Antoine, whose most recent album, Madrid, was a forgettable version of sticky sweet pseudo-flamesamenco. Also present will be Blue Note saxophonist Everette Harp, who is super-talented but seems satisfied playing mindless R&B ballads. Kirk Whalum is likewise a fine horn player, but he's sappier than a maple in March. In fact, all of these performers are texture musicians, the kind who are at their best playing background licks on Kenny Loggins albums. Plenty of people get off on the saccharine buzz that easy listening and "contemporary jazz" provide; if you aren't one of them, stay away.--Nathan Thornburgh

PEDRO THE LION, VOYAGER ONE,
NEVADA BACHELORS
(Crocodile) Want to escape from Seattle, but you're low on cash? Come on down to the Crocodile tonight, fork over your seven dollars (it goes to benefit KCMU, after all), and let Voyager One take you on a trip. The band's hypnotic take on modern-day space pop is hard to resist, especially in a live setting where visuals add to the wonderfully hallucinatory experience. Plus, you'll feel warm and fuzzy knowing that your hard-earned cash will help provide KCMU with the resources to continue to support Voyager One and other deserving local artists (like Pedro the Lion and Nevada Bachelors, also on tonight's bill).--BM

RICK SPRINGFIELD
(Showbox) A recent guest stint on Suddenly Susan showed that '80s heartthrob Rick Springfield is still Fine with a capital F. I remember running home with my girlfriends after school to listen to his hit "Jessie's Girl"--over and over--just to hear the super-sexy split second breath Springfield takes before he begins the first line. We were that obsessed. And his rockstar movie, Hard To Hold, still holds up on a Friday night, however quaint. Springfield's new album, Karma, is just fine, if a little heavy on the spiritual messages. Inoffensive, formerly obsessive trips down memory lane don't get much more non-threatening than this.--KW

CHUCHO VALDES QUARTET
(King Cat Theater) During Valdes' appearance at last year's Earshot Jazz festival (which he co-headlined with the Buena Vista Social Club's Ruben Gonzalez), I found myself in disbelief over this legendary Cuban pianist's earth-shattering virtuosity, uncompromising musicality, and incredible versatility. While he stomped out complex Afro-Cuban rhythms with one hand, impressionistic Debussy and Ravel-inspired classical runs flamesowed from the other--interspersed with sophisticated jazz phrases, à la a south-of-the-border Art Tatum. Simply put, he's so good it's downright scary, and the same stellar band that accompanied him last time is back, along with a special guest--his daughter Mayra Caridad Valdes on vocals. See also Live Preview page 65.--JK

ANN & NANCY WILSON, THE BANGS
(ARO.space) Otherwise known as the driving force behind Heart, Ann and Nancy Wilson are the Northwest's gift to future and former women rockers everywhere--an inflamesuence that can be seen in opening act the Bangs, an all-girl three-piece from Olympia. This intimate show at ARO.space is a rare treat; do whatever you can to get in.--KW

LEE "SCRATCH" PERRY, ALPHA
YAYA DIALLO, PABLO MOSES
(Fenix) Easily the best show at this year's Reggae Fest, and quite a deal, as the $12 cover gets you into all the clubs. Ironically, Alpha Yaya Diallo, the most impressive group in the entire festival, is the only non-reggae act (they're a multi-dimensional Afro-pop dance band). Lee "Scratch" Perry is also a blast (especially if you're stoned), but the question remains: Is this bargain worth a weekend trip to knucklehead central? Whatever the case, watch your step--with all the ganja flamesoatin' around, puking may very well reach an all-time Pioneer Square high.--JK

PLUSH SAFE, FCS NORTH
(Habana) Here we have two relatively new bands, the first of which features one hell of a fine singer--and a sumptuous old-school soul vibe. Plush Safe's Whitney James ain't your typically thin-voiced, self- obsessed pseudo-diva. She's got a spine-tingling presence, a fine partner in vocalist/keyboardist Darrius Willrich (a smooth, Stevie Wonder-ish operator), and an ideal less-is-more brick house of a rhythm section (drummer John Wicks and bassist Bob Heinemann). They've carved out a cool niche, and FCS North (starring members of the now-defunct K Records band Satisfact) seek to do the same with their live drum 'n' bass interpretations.--JK

VELVET ELVIS GARAGE SALE
(Velvet Elvis, 12 noon-5 pm) The soon-to-be-shutting-down all-ages venue will offer baked goods and "lotsa shit" (club memorabilia and other things) for sale, as well as a chance to win tickets to see the Melvins. Sale continues Sun June 20, same hours and prizes.--KW

THE MARTIN ROSS BAND
(Belltown Billiards) Since Belltown Billiards advertises the Martin Ross Band as "cool cocktail sounds for all you cats and kittens," I was under the assumption that the gig would be swing--or at least '50s retro--but I was mistaken. There's retro in the Martin Ross Band all right, but on the night I saw them, they were looking back to the early '80s. Fueled by Kurzweil keyboards and competent vocals, the Martin Ross Band specializes in the songs that came after disco and before electro-pop. There's no cover, and they might be the only good '80s retro around, so if you're in the area--and particularly if you're between 28 and 38 years old--you might just find the Martin Ross Band playing your song.--NT

FCS NORTH, 10¢,
EVIL TAMBOURINES
(Velvet Elvis) Blame it on the water in Silver Lake, CA. This trendy/arty part of Los Angeles has a tendency to produce music that's quirky without being cloying, cute without being saccharine. 10¢ are no exception. Self-described purveyors of "pop hop," the band have a new album out on the Dust Brothers' label that's full of laid-back, breezy grooves that neatly straddle so many genres, it should suck--but doesn't. The result is a seamless blending of styles that occasionally comes across like a slightly suburbanized, full-band version of Beck on a sugar binge. In a good way.--BM

EARL HARVIN TRIO
(OK Hotel Lounge, through June 22) Thank God, Allah, their mommas, or whoever you please for this kick-ass, Texas-based, drummer-led trio. One listen to their recently released two-CD live set reveals a band completely free of sleepy jazz-museum wanderings. Instead, Earl Harvin and company (especially his wicked keyboardist/composer Dave Palmer--an ex-Seattleite just here with Ponga and Unit 33) are fully aware that jazz musicians ought to live in the present once they've absorbed the past. When this bop-laced groove machine hits the stage, yesterday's innovators roll over in their graves--not to demand royalties, but to get a better listen. --JK

MELT BANANA, EPPERILY
(Sit & Spin) See Calendar Lead page 77.

THOSE BASTARD SOULS,
BLACK HEART PROCESSION
(Crocodile) Originally a side project for Grifters co-frontman Dave Shouse, Those Bastard Souls have blossomed into a full-flamesedged band in their own right with second release Debt & Departure (V2 Records). The album requires listening tenacity to get to the meat, which kicks in around track six. From then on out it's pure groove--the same Shouse-driven groove that made the Grifters such a sexy experience.--KW

CIBO MATTO, IMPERIAL TEEN
(Crocodile) Cibo Matto's latest release, Stereotype A (Warner), offers the usual thumps and bumps and cute little singing. If the group never really branched out after their first record, at least they've established a good sound. The new album is, indeed, more of the same, but all the songs are so damn cute you don't really care. Unlike the other girl sample groups that broke during the mid-'90s, they don't take themselves too seriously, which might explain why they're still a good listen. Live, they expand on the energy of their music, actually putting on a pretty good show. See also Calendar Box page 83.--Bradley Steinbacher

10¢
(Crocodile) See Sun June 20.