GARTH REEVES, KIM VIRANT, THE ROCKFORDS
(Crocodile) Kim Virant, coincidentally the vocalist of the band called Kim Virant, is a "white soul" singer, a thirtysomething woman with a bass guitar, more baggage than a mail car, and a great singin'-in-the-shower voice full of operatic twang. This band will make you drink like you'd scarfed a whole bowl of salted peanuts. GRANT COGSWELL
ED RUSH, MATRIX, & RYME TYME, with ZACHARIA & SAKEL
(Last Supper Club) The boys of supreme U.K. collective Metalheadz are coming to town. Ed Rush is something Seattle junglists should not miss. Matrix has his own label, Metro, and has done work on Grooverider's label and Moving Shadow as well--he's kind of the rising star of the group. Matrix was originally a hiphop/electro kind of guy, and the past will rear its head, fortunately, when he's on the decks live, giving his sets an interesting depth. With Ed Rush, expect the usual dark, crunchy sound, and prize MC Ryme Tyme should put a pretty good face on it. LEAH GREENBLATT
MODERN ENGLISH
(Catwalk) Modern English had a hit and then sort of faded away. You may not remember them. They only had one hit, and that was a long, long time ago. But "I Melt with You" is an '80s icon: It is bread-and-butter for '80s flashback radio shows the world over, a staple for '80s compilations the world over, and probably one of the most recognizable '80s songs the world over. I rest my case. KRIS ADAMS
SONIC YOUTH, THE GOSSIP
(Paramount) See Stranger Suggests.
DEL THE FUNKY HOMOSAPIEN, BLACKALICIOUS, SOURCE OF LABOR, V AND LEGACY
(Showbox) No article about Oakland born-and-bred Del fails to mention that his cousin is Compton superstar Ice Cube--and admittedly, it's a good place to start. Though Cube's stamp was all over Del's manic, comical debut, I Wish My Brother George Was Here, the more sophisticated follow-up, No Need for Alarm, was all his. Though he's a little unpredictable, his loopy free-association style is truly unique, and watching him is quite the spectator sport; it beats the gangsta posturing and lazy, sample-heavy boasting of most current hiphop any day. LEAH GREENBLATT
NEW AMERICAN SHAME, COMB OVER, JACK THE HOTROD
(Central) Well, the existence of tonight's show settles the question as to whether New American Shame are still around or not. What remains to be seen is if they've expanded beyond their one-note, we-wish-we-could-rock-like-AC/DC schtick, and if anyone still cares (although if ever there were a crowd that would appreciate the Shame's pre-fab rock, it would probably live in Pioneer Square). BARBARA MITCHELL
LIQUID SOUL
(Fenix Underground) When rapper Guru toured in support of his Jazzmatazz album in 1993, every night brought a new injustice to legendary trumpeter Donald Byrd, who had been brought along to provide credible jazz to Guru's hiphop. The problem was that Byrd was consistently drowned out and beaten back by huge drumbeats and the loud grunting of Big Shug, Guru's childhood friend. Horns have their revenge in Liquid Soul, where the beats are live and the horns are fierce, not cowed in the least by the band's DJ and emcee. The funk that is merely a tinny loop in standard hiphop is larger than life and meaner than hell in this Chicago supergroup. NATHAN THORNBURGH
THE MAKERS, LOVE AS LAUGHTER, THE BLACK HALOS
(Crocodile) Ah... an evening of rock done right. The Makers are one of those rare bands who can effortlessly walk that fine line between stupid and clever, utilizing rock star style and posturing to accentuate their music rather than to distract from the fact that there's no "there" there. It's good fun and it proves that style and substance are not two mutually exclusive concepts. Labelmates the Black Halos second that motion with their own uniquely trashy, glammy version of vintage punk, while the stellar Love as Laughter round out the bill. BARBARA MITCHELL
CAUSTIC RESIN, DEAD & GONE, SWARMING HORDES
(Graceland) Boise in the late 1980s was home to a sort of secret scene. Treepeople were from there, along with other lesser-known bands. Caustic Resin were one of the others. They are still going strong, playing their backwoods shack rock, painting weird pictures onstage, and collaborating with guest artists. They have a fairly new record called The After Birth. Anyway, if you're into this band, this is a good chance to see them, as they may not be back for a while. JUAN-CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
BLACK EYED PEAS
(Pier 62/63) It seems the Black Eyed Peas are cursed by goodness, never greatness. They're somehow reminiscent of the Brand New Heavies, though the genres are different: It's all smooth and down, without ever becoming really compelling. Granted, the Pea's beats are consistently solid, but it's hard not to snicker a little at song titles like "Karma," "Be Free," and "Love Won't Wait" off their album Behind the Front--who let Lenny Kravitz sneak in, anyway? They get points for being so anti-Hilfiger/ Benjamins/bitches, but in the end you sort of just wish they'd be a little less earnest and have a little more fun. LEAH GREENBLATT
JOHN ZORN'S MASADA
(Meany Hall, UW campus) Started in '94, this klezmer-infused jazz quartet alternately charms and shreds your ears, palpitating your soul before tearing off your skin. It'll seduce you then piss you off, because John Zorn is a punk and a brilliant composer. Reinforced by Joey Baron (percussion), Dave Douglass (trumpet), and Greg Cohen (bass), this narrative will be retold, the defense of a group of Jews that ended in mass suicide. KREG HASEGAWA
HOVERCRAFT, CARISSA'S WIERD, IQU, KINSKI
(I-Spy) See Stranger Suggests.
KISS, TED NUGENT, SKID ROW
(Gorge Amphitheatre) Some things are eternal. The sun rises in the east, it rains in Seattle, and KISS goes on tour. They say this is a farewell tour, but we've heard that one before. In fact, if KISS can hang on a little while longer, they'll find themselves in the vanguard of a renewed wave of hair metal: There are an awful lot of greatest hits, reissues, compilations, and even new albums in the genre coming out in the next two months. That may explain what Skid Row is doing on this tour; though they haven't released an original album since 1995's Subhuman Race, and former frontman Sebastian Bach is busy playing Jekyll & Hyde on Broadway (no, really!), they're apparently planning to go back into the studio. Then there's Ted Nugent, whom no introduction or explanation can do justice. GENEVIEVE WILLIAMS
BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA featuring CLARENCE FOUNTAIN, JOHN HAMMOND, THE ROBERT CRAY BAND
(Pier 62/63) Robert Cray's done a lot of maturing in the 1990s. His special brand of blues-with-more-than-a-touch-of-soul has gotten more soul-inflected of late, so that last year's Take Your Shoes Off recalled the heyday of classic labels such as Stax Records. Contemporary blues can mean almost anything nowadays, but Cray's one of the few blues players of any stripe to get airtime on MTV (back when they played videos). Supported by John Hammond, who can tackle any style of blues and come off sounding authentic, plus the gospel wailings of Clarence Fountain and the Blind Boys of Alabama, this comes out as a well-rounded bill indeed. GENEVIEVE WILLIAMS
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, GARDENER, PINEHURST KIDS
(Showbox, early) I spend an inordinate amount of time at work trawling indie-rock weblogs--the sort of online journals kept by earnest, bespectacled young college boys who don't seem to work but manage to afford every single Guided by Voices rarity--looking for new bands and gaining outside opinions on Seattle's beloved. There's only one weblogger I've come across who despises Death Cab for Cutie, but he also writes incessantly about his television-viewing habits and complains that his mom is going to make him get a haircut. But it seems like around the country, indie and emo punks alike agree with Seattle: Death Cab rule. Appearing with them are Gardener, whose seven-inch cover of "The Boys of Summer" is an impressive update of the only decent Don Henley song ever, and yes, that includes Eagles-era hits like "Hotel California" and "Heartache Tonight." ERIN FRANZMAN
KRONOS QUARTET
(Meany Hall, UW campus) The overall mission of the Kronos Quartet seems to be the eradication of the boundary between high and low culture. Having played classical music from every era and a kick-ass rendition of "Purple Haze," and having composed music to play behind Ginsberg's Howl (just to recount a few of their projects), they will be pulling tunes tonight from their last CD, Caravan. As the name connotes, this is a musical odyssey of various Californian, European, Mexican, and Middle Eastern folk traditions by modern composers. My favorite is "Misirlou Twist," a gypsy-infused rendition of Dick Dale's surf-guitar classic. KREG HASEGAWA
MELODY UNIT, VOYAGER ONE, DIAMOND FIST WERNY, THE DROP
(Tractor Tavern) The fine folks at CMJ have assembled a topnotch bill of eclectic local pop bands for your listening pleasure. Well, maybe "pop" isn't the most accurate description, although each of these four groups does experiment with a basic pop sensibility, with an imagination that runs wild from there. The results this evening veer from the out-there world-groove weirdness of Diamond Fist Werny to the exquisitely Euro-lounge-influenced Melody Unit out to Voyager One's deep space excursions and back to planet Earth with up-and-comers the Drop. BARBARA MITCHELL
MARC OLSEN, SNAPLESS
(Central) God bless the Central Tavern, a fine example of what it means to "use the power for good." The club's location--right in the heart of Pioneer Square--makes it a hub for the city's well-paid, less culturally savvy weekend warriors. The fine folks at the Central are using those folks' disposable income to pay great local bands good money to play for that audience, exposing them to good music while providing the artists with the opportunity to perform for a crowd that doesn't worry that expressing enthusiasm might subtract cool points. Tonight's show features the considerable talent of Marc Olsen, fresh from recording a new album. BARBARA MITCHELL
BANGS, C AVERAGE, TWO TON BOA, MECCA NORMAL
(Graceland) See Stranger Suggests.
JUNO, JOEL R. L. PHELPS, FCS NORTH, AUTOMATON ADVENTURE SERIES, WELCOME
(Crocodile) See Stranger Suggests.
WEEZER
(Showbox) Reports from folks who've caught Weezer's (poorly kept) secret warm-up shows in Southern California find the band in top form. In fact, words like "amazing" and "unbelievable" were actually used, which is confusing since Weezer have traditionally been a band whose charm emerges through recorded media like albums and videos and whose live shows have always strangely lacked that same endearingly nerdy charisma. Regardless, it's good to see them back, and it should be interesting to see what changes the past few years have wrought. BARBARA MITCHELL
MISFITS, IGNITE, REACH THE SKY
(Graceland) The Misfits without Danzig. Hmm. Satan without horns. Unrequited love. The next best thing. A marriage of one. The Price Is Right sans Bob Barker. A wild goose chase. A warm beer when you want a cold one. A flying penguin. A mirage. A baseball game with no umpires. A trip to the bathroom... oops! No toilet paper. A couch with no cushions. A hamburger, no patty. JUAN-CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
THE CATHERINE WHEEL, TRACY BONHAM
(Showbox) See also Bush. ERIN FRANZMAN
BABYLON WHORES, KING DIAMOND, SHADOWS FALL
(Catwalk) There I was, parked in front of MTV's Headbanger's Ball during my hopelessly antisocial teenage years, when I found myself watching some kind of mini horror movie that appeared to have been filmed in a Victorian basement. There was a guy wearing makeup that KISS would've envied, sitting on a throne, and from time to time he'd emit these terrifying, ear-splitting howls. Thus was my introduction to black metal. It's not the sort of thing you get used to easily, which is part of its appeal. The Danish King Diamond is supported by the Finnish Whores of Babylon and Shadows Fall, who also sound like they should hail from Scandinavia but are actually from Massachusetts (another place with the sort of long, depressing winters that seem to inspire this brand of music). GENEVIEVE WILLIAMS
BOTTOM, SLUDGEPLOW, THE RUBY DOE
(Graceland) Somehow, when everyone was predicting the "return of rock" a couple years back, I envisioned something entirely different from the current crop of Limp Rage Against the Korn imitators. Mercifully, the bands in Seattle's Head Trauma Coalition are attempting to make the local scene safe for more imaginative music of the heavy variety. Go see what you're missing. BARBARA MITCHELL
ALTAN
(Century Ballroom) Celtic group Altan inhabit the hazy land somewhere between staunch traditionalists the Chieftains and soft-pop sensations Clannad, though they're definitely closer to the former. While they sound more up-to-date than do the Chieftains--who, after all, have been around far longer--they lack some of Clannad's more annoying characteristics, notably a tendency to write power ballads. Though Altan's move from world-folk label Green Linnet to Virgin in the mid-1990s has been accompanied by a move toward more of a pop sound (perhaps precipitated by the death of Altan co-founder Frankie Kennedy), they're still great fun live. GENEVIEVE WILLIAMS
THE LAST GREAT LIAR, THE RUBY DOE, VERA
(Crocodile) The Ruby Doe is playing more these days, and you should definitely go see them. They are influenced by Nomeansno and Fugazi, among others, but they have a strong personal identity as well. Not a lot of bands sound like they do. Really tight and pretty heavy, they sound like they try to test their musicianship often. Their full-length album is good, so you should check that out, too. JUAN-CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
