THURSDAY 10/10


ESTRUS RECORDS NIGHT WITH THE DT'S, FEDERATION X, FIREBALLS OF FREEDOM
(Liquid Lounge) If you have a rock 'n' roll bone in your body, you know about Estrus Records. And if you don't, you goddamn should. Everyone from the Makers to the Immortal Lee County Killers to Monkeywrench has done time on Dave Crider's most excellent Bellingham label. And now the man himself is coming to Seattle with his new hard-soul band, the DT's, whose singer, Diana, has a voice that's both fierce and fawning. She's quite the vocal knockout, and Dave's guitar-playing skills are purely insane. He brings with him two other Estrus luminaries, Federation X and Fireballs of Freedom, both of whom just go apeshit on stage. JENNIFER MAERZ
THE NEW MEXICANS, VERMILION, GUESTS
(Graceland) See Stranger Suggests, page 37.

FRIDAY 10/11


THE CATHETERS, FITZ OF DEPRESSION, AKIMBO
(The Vera Project) See preview, page 44, and Stranger Suggests, page 37.
EUGENE CONRAD, DYPAK, THE QUARTERHORSE
(2nd Avenue Pizza) This is the kind of shit that makes me love my job. I get an e-mail from this guy Matt down in Olympia, saying he's read my stuff and knows I like the heavy, loud, bowel-busting rock. He asks if he can send me a CD--some band called the Quarterhorse that he drums for. They have a record out on his label, Radio Is Down. A couple days later, I Was on Fire for You arrives. I put it in, and CHRIST this is some good stuff. Part Bleach, part Man's Ruin skuzziness, the Quarterhorse are a whole new generation of Melvins spawn: nasty sludge oozing through the speakers, and a no-bullshit intensity they claim to build "by volume and progressive repetition" alone. Damn right. The blows are delivered in the kinds of slow, heavy, meticulous motions that get all the heads banging in unison, while the vocals scream holy fucking hell as they get crushed by guitar. We need more bands like the Quarterhorse, more weighty metal upside the head. Remember the name the Quarterhorse, and even better, go see 'em live. JENNIFER MAERZ
IMPERIAL TEEN, VISQUEEN, THE DIVORCE
(Crocodile) Sweet Imperial Teen. Hitting the scene in '96, they were one of an army of verse-chorus-versers banging out cleverly recycled riffs and fighting to fill the Nirvana void. But anyone who paid attention to Seasick, the band's brilliantly addictive debut, understood that this band had more smarts and artistry in one stolen hook than most bands have in their whole stolen careers. To those of us thirsting for innovation or even just inspiration among the crush of post-grungers, Imperial Teen was close to a revelation; sure, we'd heard it all before, but not like this. Record #2 (1999's fuzzy What Is Not to Love) brought Imperial Teen more acclaim without fame, and there's no reason to think Record #3 (2002's bracing On) will fare any differently. But who cares? By now, as others have noted, they're in it strictly for the art and the kicks, and, as always, they execute it like they're the Greatest Band in the World. After seven years of flawless faking, they're as worthy a contender as anyone. DAVE SCHMADER
JIMMY EAT WORLD, THE DONNAS, NO KNIFE
(EMP) Jimmy Eat who? I'm sorry, I wasn't listening; I was distracted by this incredibly awesome No Knife record that came out last month, Riot for Romance, and wondering how anything so totally emo (meaning, there is an abundance of arrow-through-heart love songs) can still be so truly well written. The longtime San Diego band applies the proper hooks and distorted guitars to huge, gaping harmonies (the kind that make your heart grow wings and fly away) and complicated riffage. But No Knife doesn't condescend to listeners by forcing them to listen to the same two chords over and over, nor are their romantic lyrics bursting with thinly veiled misogynistic rants against their ex-girlfriends. Their lyrics and guitars are thoughtful and sublime, a poetic blend between non-jaded rock and airy pop. No Knife is just smart, I guess. JULIANNE SHEPHERD
ANTS INVASION, THE ROTTEN APPLES, THE THERMALS
(Graceland) Last week at Chop Suey, the Rotten Apples brought out an impressive crowd (including some of Seattle's power-pop lovers and a lot of the "back in the day" fans who rarely make it out to clubs). They were not disappointed, as this female-led, L.A.- and Seattle-based band is a blast of vitriol and a living guarantee of a good time for all. If you like punk rock, the Runaways, classic girl groups, or even Zeke, you need to see the Rotten Apples NOW. KATHLEEN WILSON
STARFLYER 59, DENNISON MARS, ROOTS OF ORCHIS, OMA YANG
(Paradox) By blending deep-groove bass, great beats rooted in hiphop, and the occasional scratch into dreamy, instrumental-guitar terrain, Roots of Orchis avoid being yet another tired post-rock/downtempo snore-athon. In fact, their very metered, serene sentiment will actually result in something more like a melt-athon. Labelmates Oma Yang have a song entitled "Roots of Orchis Drinks Cheap Beer" and provide a good, more rock-based counterpart to the Roots. Oma Yang are complicated without getting all mathy and making you feel like you're stuck in a wormhole on the way to Narnia. It's the subtleties that count, I tell ya. JULIANNE SHEPHERD
BLOOD BUNNY
(Rendezvous) Fresh from their stellar performance at this year's Pizzazz! talent show, artsy rock trio Blood Bunny grace the stage at the Rendezvous with their stark sonic theatrics. Think Kurt Weill meets LiliPUT at the VH-1 Fashion Awards, and go. DAVID SCHMADER
SUPREME BEINGS OF LEISURE, THE BALDWIN BROTHERS, BEN NEILL
(Chop Suey) Ben Neill plays an instrument called the mutantrumpet, which is "an analog processing system custom-designed for Neill by famed synthesizer inventor Robert Moog." Put simply, it is a cyborg version of the trumpet: It's half electronic, half acoustic. Despite all of its futuristic features, the way Neill plays the mutantrumpet recalls classic Miles Davis. It is a lonely sound that, with its back turned to the active world, faces, and plays into, nothingness. The music that accompanies Neill's bionic trumpet is not jazz but very conventional (if not generic) drum 'n' bass, hiphop beats, dub, and electronica. But the vapidity of the background helps to emphasize Neill's talents on mutantrumpet. (Incidentally, Toshinori Kondo--who plays a standard trumpet, and is famous for his collaboration with DJ Krush on Ki-Oku--also plays like Miles Davis.) CHARLES MUDEDE
SATURDAY 10/12


JOSEPH ARTHUR, RUSTY WILLOUGHBY
(JBL Theater) See It's My Party, page 47.
SING-SING, VENUS HUM, DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
(Crocodile) I am officially on a quest to find the original recording of the Geoff Love Orchestra's "A Man, a Horse, and a Gun," and I blame it all on Sing-Sing. Through some feat of black magic, the British duo--consisting of former Lush guitarist Emma Anderson and Locust/Kid Loco vocalist Lisa O'Neill--has managed to get a two-second sample from this 1960s kitsch classic permanently lodged in my head. And there's plenty more where that came from: Their debut, The Joy of Sing-Sing, is full of catchy little bits that hover over sweet girl vocals and serpentine guitars. I should be angry at Sing-Sing for causing me to scour eBay like a maniac, but the samples are so expertly applied, all I can really do is thank Emma and Lisa for making them known--and for finally deciding to load the samples up on a keyboard and tour the U.S. TIZZY ASHER
FCS NORTH, THE VELLS, COBRA HIGH
(Chop Suey) Former and current members of Firebrat and Modest Mouse comprise the Vells, who sound like the Shins, Zumpano, and even the Undertones. The band just recorded a demo and it sounds nothing short of heaven. See also preview, page 50. KATHLEEN WILSON
SUPER FURRY ANIMALS, FOUR TET
(EMP) If Fridge's cut-up electronics, slyly cacophonous field recordings, and chamber music from the heavens sweep you off your feet, direct your beeline to leader Kieran Hebden's rhythmic solo project, Four Tet. Of course, it's aesthetically similar--brooding, gorgeously messy instrumentals that appeal to emotion before structure--which means it's still as heartfelt and head-swimmy as Fridge can ever be. Wacky Welsh pop band Super Furry Animals will tip the scales more on the fun factor, but with no less of a unique approach--they splice electronics and other random shit into their overdriven guitars and fuzzy melodies. It's most exciting when they sing in their native language, as on the excellent Mwng. JULIANNE SHEPHERD
THE BRIEFS, RC5, THE SPITFIRES
(Sit & Spin) I reckon most everyone in town knows and LOVES the Briefs. Easy, as they, at every turn, meld sticky sweet POP with the "make no piss-take about it" cheeky, melodic "punk" of once spirited bands like the Dickies and the Weirdos. And I'll be damned if their strict "remaking" of the past ain't spot on too. However, do consider, unlike them bands of yore, the Briefs ain't no revolution... they ain't reacting to an environment, or the lack thereof... they're a pop band. Anyhoo... also on the bill is another mighty local combo, the RC5, a.k.a. RobClarke5, a.k.a the "Ramma-lamma they always gots the HAMMA down, loaded up AND motherfuckin' truckin'!" A-HA! A Cannonball Run reference!? In other words, the RC5 smoke "high octane" as an adjective... they burn their heavy ROCK clean. And THEN there's them Spitfires! Shit... so if the left one don't getcha, the right one... or the other left one WILL! MIKE NIPPER
THE BEATNUTS, NON PHIXION, CANDIDT
(I-Spy) Coming from the streets of Queens, NY, the Beatnuts are a Latino duo who have been around for a while (in hiphop time). In the mid '90s, they were endorsed by the rap media as the next big thing, but gradually they were eclipsed by the Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, and other Latino acts, like Big Pun and Fat Joe. Of all the songs they've produced, only one has had a significant impact on me: "Do You Believe," which samples a kind of '60s rock organ (it sounds like the Doors, but I'm not sure) over a severe drum loop. The chorus is the startling part of the song, though: "You believe in God? you do/tell him to save you/'cause me and these niggaz here we ain't tryin' to save you/regardless of the fact that it's close to home/I gotta finish your life, so I can start my own." I just love bleak hiphop. CHARLES MUDEDE

SUNDAY 10/13

NEW FOUND GLORY, FINCH, SOMETHING CORPORATE, FURTHER SEEMS FOREVER
(Showbox) I was going to mercilessly make fun of New Found Glory. I was going to make fun of them for being the goofiest-looking kids to hit MTV (and with Avril Lavigne on TRL every day, that says A LOT). I was going to attack their prescribed pop punk with a fervor. But then, after talking to my friend Jason (a semi-closet NFG fan), I changed my mind. Because people like that band, as retarded as they are, and here's why (says Jason): "It's the same thing as all the other pop out there--ear candy. It's formulaic, so it's instantly familiar. Verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge/mosh part, chorus, out. Every time, no variation. There's nothing not to like." Well, Jason may be right, maybe there is no reason to hate their music (unless you hate all pop punk), but I'll continue to make fun of 'em. Because to me, New Found Glory are like a terrible Britney Spears joke--pointless, way too easy, but completely unavoidable and always hilarious (in a very stupid, stupid way). MEGAN SELING

MONDAY 10/14


ENON, HELIO SEQUENCE
(Graceland) Members of Skeleton Key (Rick Lee and Steve Calhoon) and Braniac (John Schmersal) figure into the amazing band Enon, whose last 2001 release, High Society, attracted fans who have an affinity and appreciation for artists who like to blend pop with noise, kick-ass drumming, and variance of sound from track to track. Enon is one of the very best bands of the new millennium: energetic, full of smart attitude, and liable to make devotees jump up and down with abandon. KATHLEEN WILSON
NEW FOUND GLORY, FINCH, SOMETHING CORPORATE, FURTHER SEEMS FOREVER
(Showbox) See Sunday's listing.

TUESDAY 10/15


RILO KILEY, FRENCH KICKS, ARLO
(Crocodile) In what may be 2002's grandest moment of unhipness, L.A. quartet Rilo Kiley seems to draw from the early 1990s Brit pop of James for its sophomore full-length, The Execution of All Things. In what may be the second grandest moment of unhipness in 2002, I will admit that I like James a good deal. Okay, a lot. Thus, while Rilo Kiley may cause some listeners to find the nearest television and hit it with a sledgehammer, the band has provided me with countless hours of furtive, guilty pleasure. Like James, they have the perfect balance of guitars that crescendo into glorious chords, off-kilter keyboards, and bounding rhythms, and they know just when to throw in a downtempo crooner. To boot, watching singer Jenny Lewis perform should be fascinating; it's a mystery as to how such a huge sound can come out of such a small person. TIZZY ASHER
THE CHAMELEONS, THE LONG WINTERS, SPYGLASS
(Showbox) Formed in the early '80s in Manchester, England, the Chameleons specialized in a sound that joined harder rock with melodic, moody atmospherics. They began at a time when that sort of thing was far from the norm for those whose heads were too far up their jaded asses to notice that AOR was rife with that very genre. All we should care about is that the Chameleons no doubt paved the way for what was to come out of the U.K. a decade later, bands such as Faith Healers, the Verve, Ride, House of Love, Ocean Color Scene, etc. Thank you, Chameleons. KATHLEEN WILSON

WEDNESDAY 10/16


LOU BARLO, EARLIMART, ALASKA
(Crocodile) See preview, page 50.