SHUGGIE/THE NOW
(Crocodile) There's nothing that makes me want to hate a band more than having people repeatedly gush about how great the band is. But in the case of the Now, I'll not only admit that they're good, I'll join the ranks of the converted. Their last show at the Crocodile was one of the most fun live rock experiences I've had the pleasure of experiencing lately: tons of energy, a well-developed sense of the absurd, great songs, and a dash of maniacal glee. Feel free to be skeptical, but see for yourself, and you'll be gushing, too. BARBARA MITCHELL
THE MAD TEA PARTY FEATURING PAULEY
ETHNIC & HIS FAT ROACH
(Sit & Spin) While on my way to check out this anything-goes, hiphop-groove house party, I expected to see folks in costume (it grants you free admission), but I didn't come across any, other than the amped-up dancer who decided to wear one of the mushroom-cap props on his head. Suffice to say that it didn't stay on, unlike the hot band, who were livin' large all evening. With recent New York-transplant Pauley Ethnic at the MC helm, they didn't have any choice: His refreshingly sweet East Coast flava is incredibly infectious, and musically fearless. JAMES KIRCHMER
JOSH WHITE
(OK Hotel) You know, sometimes bad music happens to good people. So, while I was unimpressed by Josh White's album Coming Undone, I've since seen him play a more moving live show, albeit doing stellar Bowie covers at the Croc. The moral of the story is this: Keep seeing the same bands over and over again, and they might surprise you. ERIN FRANZMAN
JERRY JOSEPH & THE JACKMORMONS
(Tractor Tavern) Jack Rabbit, Jack Pot, Jack Knife, Jack Cheese, Jack Mackerel, Jack Beans, Jack Salmon: Jack Mormons, Jack Jerry, Jack Joseph, Jack Singing, Jack Indie, Jack Country, Jack Ballads. Jack Beautiful, Jack Shit. NATHAN THORNBURGH
ALIEN CRIME SYNDICATE/NO. 13 BABY
(Crocodile) Well, well, well. Looks like it's Pixies Night at the Crocodile. No. 13 Baby's straight covers of Pixies tunes usually pack the room more than bands who play original tunes, but Alien Crime Syndicate's Pixies-inspired joyful pop can hold its own. Celebrating the release of their delightful new album Dust To Dirt, Alien Crime Syndicate's relentlessly bouncy tunes will send you into the weekend with a light heart. ERIN FRANZMAN
SUNSET VALLEY/VOYAGER ONE
(Tractor Tavern) If their last sold-out show was any indication, it seems folks are finally starting to get hip to Voyager One's mesmerizing space-pop. Good timing, since the band should have a new album out later this spring. As for Sunset Valley, it's about time more of you succumbed to the charming eccentricity and twisted genius of Herman Jolly and his band-mates. Their latest album, Boyscout Superhero, is a gem -- the monumental "Jackass Crusher" alone is worth the price of the CD. BARBARA MITCHELL
PROJECT LOGIC
(OK Hotel) DJ Logic's status as Medeski, Martin and Wood's skratch-man of choice certainly contributed to the birth of this creatively funky new project, perhaps best described as "jazz-hop." Unfortunately, bass impresario Melvin Gibbs (Arto Lindsay, Rollins Band, Harriet Tubman) can't make these shows as he's home in NYC with a new baby, but don't dismay: Local improv-heroes and kindred future-groove purveyors Wayne Horvitz and Skerik will be guesting tonight. JAMES KIRCHMER
FLOATER/SLOWRUSH
(Sit & Spin) Well, here's your chance to decide for yourself if Slowrush are soon-to-be superstars or should be sentenced to a life in Pioneer Square without possibility of parole. Their Epic debut hits the streets later this month, which means that if the radio folks take a liking to them, you'll soon be paying top dollar to see them strut their glammed-up version of post-industrial pop in much bigger venues. If you're at all curious, you might want to take advantage of tonight's KISW-sponsored "low dough" show. BARBARA MITCHELL
TREY GUNN BAND/LAND
(I-Spy) Emerald City King Crimson fans take note: Trey Gunn now lives around here, and his new trio features Seattle native Tony Geballe. Both play various types of guitars, including Trey's "WARR" guitar, a radical 8-string "touch" model with the range of a piano. Land, another Seattle-based outfit (starring fellow string virtuoso Fred Chalenor, a veteran of Pigpen, the finest punk-swing band of all time), makes for a perfect opener. JAMES KIRCHMER
TIGHT BROS. FROM WAY BACK WHEN/
RAFT OF DEAD MONKEYS
(Paradox) Here's hoping that eventually the Tight Bros. from Way Back When and Raft of Dead Monkeys will tour with godspeed you black emperor! and ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. Where's X when you need them? ERIN FRANZMAN
ARTURO SANDOVAL
(Jazz Alley) More than 40 years after Fidel Castro, a.k.a. El Maximo, kicked their asses clear out of Havana, the Cuban-American exiles are still trying to convince other Cubans to join them in Miami. The results haven't always been impressive: Their only catch this year was Elian Gonzalez, a 6-year-old boy who is slowly going insane while surrounded by fascist congressmen, stuffed animals, and Superman underwear. It just highlights how fortunate the exiles were to lure the actually talented, not insane Arturo Sandoval out of Cuba 10 years ago. He's a complete trumpeter: His clean tone and sharp tongue make him truly the prize of the exiles. NATHAN THORNBURGH
RADIO NATIONALS
(Sit & Spin) The Radio Nationals are so damn good. This is the CD release party for their Exit 110, which will surely place this band in the upper echelon of the local scene, where they belong. And that means more shows for lucky us. ERIN FRANZMAN
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
(Breakroom, two shows) The most thrilling aspect of the proliferation of mixed/all-ages shows is that all those lazy musicians now have to work TWICE AS HARD! Two shows in one night also means there's more of the bands we love for more people, and there's nothing bad about that. And more Death Cab is what we're going to get very soon, as their breathtakingly honest new CD, We Have the Facts, And We're Voting Yes, is due to be released in March on Barsuk Records. Death Cab play the early show with Little Champions, who deserve to play twice as often as they do, and the second show with the so-so Eureka Farm and the superlative Britt Daniel. ERIN FRANZMAN
GEORGE JONES
(Paramount) You could see him cuz he's the man even Johnny Cash was warned to stay away from. Or cuz when the queen of his country Camelot, Tammy Wynette, hid the keys so he wouldn't drive drunk, he clambered onto a power-mower and rode three miles to the closest bar. But the best reason to snatch up a remaining ticket to the performance of this Still Living (though-for-how-much-longer-who-knows) National Treasure is Ole Possum's fabled pipes. He wraps that Velveeta-smooth, tear-soaked, whiskey-limbered voice around lyrics about divorce, busted-down cars, and open caskets with so much wounded feeling that even the most jaded urban listener believes "He's singing about my damn life!" TAMARA PARIS
U-ZIQ/LUKE VIBERT
(I-Spy) Mike Paradinas and Luke Vibert -- members of that loose experimental crew which includes cool kids like Aphex Twin and Mo Wax's James Lavelle -- each have about as many aliases as Jennifer Love Hewitt has tank tops. Paradinas tends to do his most accessible stuff under the U-Ziq hood -- many call his works "soundscapes," but that doesn't mean it's easy listening; he works plenty of harsh breaks. Vibert tends to go a little wackier as Wagonchrist, while his Plug alter ego sticks to the more straight-up drum 'n' bass. Who they'll be this Saturday night is hard to predict. Just count on the headphones-in-the-basement music geeks to have big silly grins on their faces when these two hit the decks. LEAH GREENBLATT
MICHAEL BLAKE'S SLOW POKE
(Old Town Alehouse) This relatively new Big Apple-based quartet, led by one of John Lurie's longtime Lounge Lizards, will be looking to stroke your pleasure centers with some evocative instrumental covers of classic songs by the likes of Neil Young, Johnny Cash, Burt Bacharach, and the Rolling Stones. Blake's a tasty arranger, and has recruited just the right guys for this job: slide-guitar whiz David Tronzo, and Sex Mob's nasty rhythm section, Tony Scherr and Kenny Wolleson. JAMES KIRCHMER
SOL INVICTUS/KOMMUNITY FK
(Graceland) Funny. I could have sworn that I saw the final Kommunity FK show almost eight years ago at a club in downtown L.A. I was surprised when a friend announced he was doing a KFK tour a couple of years after that, so I guess I shouldn't be shocked to see that this seminal L.A. goth/rock band is back again. I'll forgive them only because I never tire of hearing "Something Inside Me Has Died." On the other hand, this is the first time that Sol Invictus (the post-Death in June project of Tony Wakeford) have visited the States. BARBARA MITCHELL
CASBAH
(Contour) Located just north of Pioneer Square on First Avenue, this classy new bar ain't called Contour for nothing: There are curved lines all over the place, highlighted by a far-out wrap-around structure surrounding the modest-sized stage and dance floor. Every Saturday brings the Middle Eastern fusions of this new tabla- and electric sitar-equipped collective, starring a couple of the Kultur Shock boys. Belly dancers are on the way. JAMES KIRCHMER
GARY HOEY
(Ballard Firehouse) Gary Hoey, with his silly name, big hair, and soulless rock technicality, is a classic 1980s guitar virtuoso. He and Vai and Satriani were Gods back then, squeezing off epic solos for sold-out arenas. Then Nirvana came and rocked twice as hard with just three chords per album, and exposed the guitar virtuosos for the Olivia Newton John look-alikes that they were. Since then, players like Hoey have either retreated to studio work or kept touring small clubs, waiting for the day that the neon lights will shine on them once again. NATHAN THORNBURGH
CAPITAL! CAPITAL/
AUTOMATON ADVENTURE SERIES
(Breakroom) A slightly less churning Drive Like Jehu is one way to describe Capital! Capital. Loud-then-soft, yelly guitar rock is another. It all boils down to an album, Antarctica, that's as hypnotizing as it is rousing. It's good, and so are headliners Automaton Adventure Series, which means don't go showin' up late, especially since this mixed 21+/all-ages action starts at 6 pm. KATHLEEN WILSON
DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND/HENRY BUTLER
(King Cat) If the raw rhythms and tight tunes of these legendary Big Easy groovemasters don't turn your Valentine on, you might very well be wasting your time. "Jazz," you see, used to be spelled "jass" -- and also referred to someone's sexy, self-assured way of carrying therself. If some late-night research is required, consider taking your ass to tonight's other (weekly) "jass" shows: El Guzano (Sit & Spin) & One Two Three (700 Club). JAMES KIRCHMER
MILHOUS/LOAD LEVELER
(Crocodile) In what could be dubbed "Are You Feeling Lucky?" night at the Croc, a full bill of local bands get a chance to play out. Though the past month has seen a lot of stinkers, there was one Tuesday-night band that wowed me: City Of, whose singer has the voice of a more relaxed PJ Harvey. That night I was feeling lucky, and City Of has given me hope for Tuesday nights. Let's see if Milhous and Load Leveler can keep it going. ERIN FRANZMAN
PRETENDERS/GAY DAD
(Paramount) It's probably weird to read a journalist praising a rock star for caustic remarks directed at interviewers. But whenever I see Pretenders front woman Chrissie Hynde take out a prying journalist by answering the question with "WHO THE FUCK WANTS TO KNOW?!" I have to marvel at her unyielding commitment to just being her cranky self and not making nice for the music-buying public. The Pretenders kicked ass, and Hynde will kick ass 'til the day she dies. She's the hero all female rockers should aspire to. KATHLEEN WILSON
LOVECATS PROM
(ARO.space) Ah, sweet, sweet memories. For those who couldn't get enough the first time around, your chance to be Pretty in Pink again is here. Here's a post-Valentine's prom night for all those hipster regulars, and that hard-drinking, rug-cutting posse better mousse up their Rod Stewart shags and replace their tight leather jackets with some serious pastels, because I will kill them if I have to stand alone on the dance floor in my Gunne Sax dress. Sure, it's more ironic '80s nostalgia, but what else are you gonna do on a Wednesday night? LEAH GREENBLATT
JILL COHN
(Gordon Biersch) Yeah, I don't know who she is, either. But she reportedly plays harmless, nondescript "chick rock," which will probably go over better with the yuppies who congregate at the Gordon Biersch than does most of the good music that the rest of you refuse to support. BARBARA MITCHELL
