EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, LAZARUS, THE PURRS
(Crocodile) See Stranger Suggests, page 27.
THEE FLYING DUTCHMEN, TRACTOR SEX FATALITY, THE SHACKLES, THE BUGS, DJ KEN DIRTNAP
(Fun House) Thee Flying Dutchmen, YEAH, that's the stuff... RIGHT THERE... these mofos were made for scratchin' THAT garage rock itch. It's the one you can never seem to reach... uh, like the Sonics turned UP with the treble knob turned OUT! You know... that ONE! Hmmm... and then there's Tractor Sex Fatality. Okay, look, I have a very special non-relationship with TSF. See, I HAVE NEVER SEEN 'EM PLAY, not live. Odd, I know, 'cause I LOVE their face-down ass-up FUCKED mess of sweet, sweet noise... BUT, at this point it's funnier, to me, to have never seen them. Or... it could be a cry for help... that they should show up and play my backyard... for hugs. MIKE NIPPER
SHAWN SMITH, HAPPY CHICHESTER, BRIAN VANDER ARK
(Sunset) So many atrocities are committed in the name of "blue-eyed soul." For every genuine masterpiece lumped under this dubious distinction (Dusty in Memphis), the public must also contend with questionable fare like the collected oeuvre of Paul Young. With his seductive voice and float-like-a-butterfly, sting-like-a-bee delivery, local Shawn Smith could coast quite easily--and probably rather successfully--through this territory, but instead, over the past decade he has lent his formidable gifts to a wider array of projects: Brad, Satchel, Pigeonhed, the Twilight Singers. Concentrating again on his solo output, Smith returns with Shield of Thorns, an eight-song set of polished modern rock roughed up with generous doses of funk that owes more to Sly and the Family Stone than Hall & Oates. Shawn Smith is one of the finest living singers, not just in Seattle, but anywhere--and the color of his peepers has nothing to do with it. KURT B. REIGHLEY
PLEASURE CLUB, THE BLACK PANTIES, MARK PICKEREL
(Tractor Tavern) You have to admire Pleasure Club's James Hall for hanging in there despite not receiving the level of attention he deserves. A Geffen Records contract survivor, Hall saw his smashing 1996 debut for the label, Pleasure Club, gathering accolades from critics who found the album's bracing rock an unexpected, out-of-fashion treat, even if audiences didn't. Hall returned in 2002 with a new band called Pleasure Club and a self-released album that, while another great record of fiery rock, had to fight for attention and distinction among a huge crowd of fiery rock bands seeking the same attention and distinction. If for no other reason, you should see Hall play just to pay tribute to his gumption. You'll go home a fan, so what's to lose? KATHLEEN WILSON
107.7 THE END'S DECK THE HALL BALL W/LINKIN PARK, RANCID, AFI, CHEVELLE
(Moore Theatre) This year's Deck the Hall Ball (an annual holiday concert sponsored by radio station 107.7 The End) sold out in 10 minutes. And say what you want about radio-sponsored shows, but with both Rancid and AFI on this year's bill, it's easy to see why tickets were snatched up so quickly. Energetic and full of punk rock passion, Rancid and AFI thrash, jump, and sweat all over the stage, engaging the crowd, and pouring their hearts out to their audiences (and the Linkin Park fans) without any reserve. And I can't wait to see them do it again. Years ago I saw AFI when they opened for Rancid at DV8, and it remains one of the best shows of my life. Things have changed--now they're playing the Moore Theatre--but one thing's the same: Both bands completely rock. MEGAN SELING
FRIDAY 12/12
DOOMSDAY 1999, SCHOOLYARD HEROES, THE ASSAILANT, IRON LUNG
(Downtown YMCA) See Underage, page 57.
MARK LANEGAN BAND, ENEMY, MIKE JOHNSON
(Showbox) See preview, page 41.
DAMIEN JURADO, ROSIE THOMAS, DOLOREAN
(Crocodile) See Drunk by Noon, page 41.
LYDIA LUNCH, GLASS CANDY, KRMTX
(Graceland, late) Usually I find myself supremely irritated with women who exude feminist ideals but are too chicken to call themselves feminists; it's just cowardly and disrespectful to discount groundwork laid by other women when you're reaping the benefits. However, there is one artist I forgive in this regard: Lydia Lunch. She's often expressed an aversion to the "F" word, even as she continuously embodied everything that third wave feminism aspired toward, and her work is just too evocative to discount, regardless of political perspective. Hell, I give Lunch credit on work ethic alone--this woman never rests. Whether it's her earlier collaborations in film and music with New York icons like Richard Kern and Sonic Youth, or her current spoken word opus with British multi-instrumentalist Terry Edwards, Lunch has always been fiercely intelligent, unabashedly confrontational, and refreshingly humble. HANNAH LEVIN
THE DT'S, THE MAKERS
(Rendezvous) Anyone who's followed the Makers for any amount of time knows the band has gone through somewhat of a makeover over the years. It's obviously a fact not lost on the band, either, who have decided to perform a "tribute to themselves"--or a tribute back to their earlier selves--by leaving the newer retro-glam stylings behind for this show and focusing on the hits from 1991-1996, what frontman Michael Maker is calling their "most evil and dirty" garage punk classics. In town for the big event is their drummer Jim Chandler, on leave for this week from his new L.A. post as drummer for the Cramps. JENNIFER MAERZ
SATURDAY 12/13
CALI AGENTS, OF MEXICAN DESCENT, JEAN GRAE
(Chop Suey) See Data Breaker, page 55.
THE HANSON BROTHERS, THE GIRLS
(Graceland) According to a website dedicated to recording not only the passing of rock musicians but whatever it was that eventually killed them, a disproportionate amount of punk artists were done in by aneurysms. It could be due to all the hollering, but I'm willing to believe it has to do with some twisted example of natural selection, because without such instances of quick and sudden death, those guys would tour until old age finally, blessedly, made it impossible to go on. To wit: the Hanson Brothers, the sophomoric and still kinda fun joke band that features Rob and John Wright, formerly of NoMeansNo. KATHLEEN WILSON
SLEATER-KINNEY, CAT POWER, SMOOSH
(Showbox) One thing I really respect about Sleater-Kinney is that despite their rise up the ranks from indie superstardom to mainstream adoration, they always seem to find time to give the concept of "giving back to the community" more than just lip service. Among other things, they volunteered at the Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls last summer, teaching aspiring young musicians the history and skills of the trade, and now they're playing the Showbox's annual holiday benefit concert. Tonight's show, which also features the delicate songwriting and performing skills of Cat Power and the sister pop of Smoosh, will raise money for Green Lake Elementary School's Team A program, which helps severely handicapped kids. JENNIFER MAERZ
MINUS THE BEAR, UNITED STATE OF ELECTRONICA, THE LASHES
(Vera Project) So you want to mix bright-vibed indie rock with math punk, manipulating electronics, and a pile of foam-rubber hats, except Minus the Bear already got it sorted out. This local five-piece makes music with a great kind of likable complexity--a bunch of average guys like Too Much Joy were, if they got bored with smiling pop songs and wanted to play Slint guitar lines to titles like "You're Some Sort of Big, Fat, Smart-Bug, Aren't You?" and "Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!!" Minus the Bear don't complain and they're interesting a lot of the time, which might be just what our city needs to boost its global reputation. GUY FAWKES
SUNDAY 12/14
SLEATER-KINNEY, CAT POWER, SMOOSH
(Showbox) See Saturday's preview.
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT
(Moore Theatre) See preview, page 43.
WAYNE HORVITZ
(Rendezvous) I once had a friend who decided to become a jazz trumpeter. After a month of training, and very little in the way of progress, he decided to skip learning the instrument altogether and join a band that played "free jazz." The noise his new group made was simply awful. I took the poor chap to a jazz club one evening to watch local jazz pianist Wayne Horvitz perform free jazz with some hardcore cats from New York City. I explained that this was great free jazz because the musicians knew what they were bloody doing. They make those noises in response to a refined understanding of the fundamental forms and structures of music. My friend rejected my position on the matter, and instead moved to New York City, where, as well as playing very free jazz, he works for a small company that imports and distributes Jamaican beef jerky. CHARLES MUDEDE
MONDAY 12/15
SAM JAYNE, THE MAGIC MAGICIANS, BLESSED LIGHT
(Chop Suey) See preview, page 41.
PETTY BOOKA, DJ TIKI SUPREME
(Sunset) Petty Booka, a team of Japanese ukulele-strumming hula girls, turn every song into a summery sing-along, giving the age-old art of being a cover band a loungy swivel from the hips. Under their tropical pop reinterpretations, everything from Nancy Sinatra and Madonna to the Ramones and Loretta Lynn gets a little Hawaiian flavor. Since they're touring on the release of the button-cute Christmas Everywhere, I'd expect classics about Santa and the reindeer to get rewrapped as kitschy confections. JENNIFER MAERZ
TUESDAY 12/16
BLACKBELT, CALIFORNIA CASUAL, KISSKISSKISS
(Graceland) The only time I've seen BlackBelt was in a room with one speaker blown out, no stage to speak of, and the band members cramped around each other as the frontman rushed his way into the audience. It was great. The band's post-hardcore blend of spacy atmospheric sounds and an aggressive punk thrust sets their dynamics in perfect order. Although they're a fairly new act in this city, BlackBelt are already onto something good. JENNIFER MAERZ
PINBACK, ASPECTS OF PHYSICS, THE LIGHTS
(Showbox) Pinback's sound might best be described as minimalist lush--the songs on their first release for Ace Fu, Blue Screen Life, were pretty but not magisterial, and lyrically weighty without leaning toward ponderous. Last June the band released Offcell, a testament to Pinback's maturation and progression that finds core members Robert Crow and Armistead B. Smith IV laying it on thick with harmonies and a keyboard-enhanced electronic sound, but still remembering to convey the right amount of incandescence. Built to Spill fans should take note, but anyone with an appreciation for flowing indie rock will find much to like in Pinback. KATHLEEN WILSON
WINFRED E. EYE, LARA VEIRS, AMY BLASCHKE
(Tractor) My prescription for Xanax ran out, so I'm going to say that Winfred E. Eye is an acquired taste. But my trust in the tastes of Seattle's Luckyhorse Industries label is deep, so I'm also going to say that the band's somewhat nerve-jangling yet tight compositions are probably best observed live and on stage rather than through headphones. Amy Blaschke's cool smoothness might seem to be a stark contradiction to the headliner; her lyrics are nerve-jangling in a way that soothes the soul with honesty and intelligence. KATHLEEN WILSON
WEDNESDAY 12/17
THE SHOEGAZERS BALL W/THE HIGH VIOLETS, THE TURN-ONS, HYPATIA LAKE, AND MANY MORE
(Chop Suey) See Stranger Suggests, page 27.
THE DISTILLERS, THE BRONX
(Graceland) See preview, page 45.
MARK KOZELEK, MARC OLSEN, GLORIOUS
(Crocodile) While enthusiastic Nick Drake fans might loathe Mark Kozelek's new Sun Kil Moon project with the intensity of an existentialist black-and-white Scandinavian film, others can take it as an interesting and gentle tribute to the massive acoustic emotion of songs like "Place to Be" and "Free Ride." With members of American Music Club and Black Lab, and old Red House Painters bandmate Anthony Koutsos, Sun Kil Moon often rumbles to an edge of quavering dream-pop, too, without electrically undercutting the low-light and slipping into self-aware tragic drama, which is a nice surprise. A RHP reunion, of sorts, we really wouldn't mind much at all. GUY FAWKES
