THURSDAY 7/27

BOY EATS DRUM MACHINE, CANTONA, STUPORHERO
(Comet) Ready for your new summer crush? Portland's Boy Eats Drum Machine should have your heart aflutter and your pulse racing in two shakes of a lamb's tail—maybe even faster. The brainchild of one golden-throated Jonny Ragel, BEDM's infectious and ridiculously catchy synth-pop concoctions carry the giddy sugar rush of a dozen snow cones or a month full of sundaes. Pop gems like "Let's Get Lost Sometime" will stick in your head like gum on hot pavement—and you'll feel just as gooey inside. The live show is fleshed out by a full band for extra punch. Get ready to swoon. BARBARA MITCHELL

THE WET SPOTS, THE VON FOXIES
(El Corazón) Whether it's an orally challenged partner, the proposition of a three-way, or a friend so deep in the closet R. Kelly couldn't sing him out, we all have sexual topics that are hard to broach. Save yourself the awkward conversation, gather all offending parties, and take them to see Canadian "sex-positive" duo the Wet Spots. Endorsed by sexologist Susie Bright as "Savage Love meets School House Rock!," their video for "Do You Take It" (exalting the virtues of backdoor love) is an internet sensation. Live, the duo blend a range of genres—from boogie woogie to bossa nova—and approach their lurid subject matter with the humorous sincerity of a dirtier Tenacious D. MA'CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR

THE LIGHTS, PARTMAN PARTHORSE, MANSIZED HEARTACHE, DJ MAMA CASSEROLE
(Funhouse) Rejoice as the Lights finally unleash their latest album, Diamonds and Dirt! Live and unhinged, the Lights rock and captivate with melodies that slide and stumble between expected notes. Propelled by pulsing bass lines and primal rhythms, vocalist Craig Chambers's deadpan delivery invokes dueling moods of manic paranoia and dry absurdity, mirroring the sort of parallels invoked by their latest album's title (as with Wood and Wire, their 2004 EP). Along with spazzy punk satyrs Partman Parthorse, the show will balance the joyous mood created by the Lights' latest and the inevitable tragedy of spilling your beer among a celebratory crowd. CHRISTOPHER HONG

THE RACONTEURS, KELLEY STOLTZ
(Moore)

THE LONG RANGER, PROSSER, BIRD SHOW OF NORTH AMERICA
(Skylark) The Long Ranger are part of a local network of bands that share members and an unbridled joy for pop melodies and ass-shaking dance rhythms. Along with Velella Velella and the Stereo Future, the Long Ranger are taking their fun seriously; crafting electro-pop confections with a solid four-on-the-floor rhythmic kick. While their beats may be canned, do not expect a static or staid performance. Musically even more whimsical than their contemporaries, the Long Ranger are also armed with an array of b-boy (and b-girl) skills, leading the dance party by high-intensity example. CHRISTOPHER HONG

TARA JANE O'NEIL, NICK CASTRO & THE YOUNG ELDERS
(Sunset) Belying his sunny Californian roots, singer-songwriter Nick Castro hears his inspirational calling from the archaic realms of British folk tradition. Devotees of Pentangle and Roy Harper should feel right at home as Castro shares acoustic offerings from his new album, the warmly titled Come Into Our House. DIY songbird, Tara Jane O'Neil's work may not be as deeply steeped in historic lore, but it's no less compelling. Cutting her teeth in seminal '90s bands Rodan and Retsin, TJO is an infinitely talented woman with a rare vocal chutzpah that's equally sweet, powerful, and crush inducing. JOSH BLANCHARD

LAURA VEIRS & THE TORTURED SOULS, JOHANNA KUNIN, MIKE DUMOVICH
(Tractor) If you've hoisted a drink on Ballard Avenue in the past few years, chances are good you've been in close proximity to Mike Dumovich. This unassuming, self-deprecating singer/songwriter might be the closest thing Seattle has to Mark Eitzel—a tortured, talented soul for whom (to quote Homer Simpson) alcohol might be the cause of, and solution to, all life's problems. Dumovich's understated, self-released album occasionally hints at a sleepy, penitential Long Winters; sometimes toward a deeper, more comprehensively darker end of the singer/songwriter spectrum. Don't be deceived, though, the man is no fool. He just plays one on the barstool next to you. BARBARA MITCHELL

CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG
(White River Amphitheatre) Imagine how many kids would soil themselves if Thom Yorke, Dave Grohl, Jack White, and Jeff Tweedy all dissolved their respective groups and pooled their talent into one kick-ass megaband. Well, such was the comparative buzz for the original "supergroup": Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Decades of rehab, breakups, kidney transplants, and artificial inseminations of Melissa Etheridge (ew!) may have dulled these rock stars' once-brilliant glow, but the songs that defined their shared career still haven't lost their luster. Unlike, say the Stones, CSNY's laid-back country-rock vibes seem a perfectly natural niche for a bunch of 60-year-old longhairs to continue without looking like complete jackasses. JOSH BLANCHARD

FRIDAY 7/28

CAPITOL HILL BLOCK PARTY: PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES, BAND OF HORSES, BIG BUSINESS, VISQUEEN, THE COPS, AND MORE
(10th Ave & Pike St) See Block Party pullout.

BLUE CHEER, GOBLIN COCK, KALAS, MOS GENERATOR
(El Corazón) See Stranger Suggests.

CYSTIC FIBROSIS BENEFIT: TRAIN CITY SHWILLERS, ZIPTYE THE THEM, SLACKHABIT
(Funhouse) This benefit is in honor of David Newman, who passed away from cystic fibrosis in April, and if that's not good enough reason to come out and rock, it features two criminally overlooked local bands. The Rain City Shwillers mix their own special brew of classic Rancid and Social Distortion, followed up with a shot of country moonshine, and they've been distilling under the radar for far too long. The Them, meanwhile, are a cocktail of five parts virgin's blood to one part pure ether, infusing their Misfits-inspired horror epics with an intense sense of depravity that is genuinely affecting. BILL BULLOCK

PANIC! AT THE DISCO, THE DRESDEN DOLLS, THE HUSH SOUND
(Premier) Panic! at the Disco showcase several multi-instrumentalists, an impressively literate lyricist (Ryan Ross), and an elastic sound that incorporates techno thumps, piano pop, and accordion-accented show-tune theatrics. Yet the Las Vegas–based band's first two singles pegged them as an electro-friendly emo act with a curious fixation on gender dichotomies ("testosterone boys and Harlequin girls," "trophy boys and trophy wives"), and, because no one plays entire albums anymore, Panic! became mischaracterized as a Fall Out Boy/Killers hybrid. The group's debut album, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, splits sequentially between buoyant pop-punk and symphonic songwriting, though early reviews focused entirely on the former, perhaps because listeners didn't make it past the dividing interlude. Fever's late-album tracks deliver real substance, and their stage show, complete with elaborate props, demonstrates genuine style. ANDREW MILLER

THE HISTRIONICS, MAUSER, LAKE OF FALCONS
(El Corazón, early) With so many bands striving to be marketable these days, local all-girl trio the Histrionics bravely summon all that is not easily sold. Their sound has the grit of early Nirvana, the punked-up, jam-band aesthetic of Sonic Youth, and the dismissive attitude of strong women artists like PJ Harvey. It's a sound that would've been fucking huge in 1994. But it's 2006, and sadly, the Histrionics' abrasive "don't give a fuck" garage rock has gone mostly unnoticed. But now with the release of their debut full-length, Let's Move the Meat (tonight's show is a CD-release party), perhaps the rest of the world will have an easier time catching on to these ladies' ballsy rock. MEGAN SELING

STEELY DAN, MICHAEL McDONALD
(White River Amphitheatre) Screw the Residents and GWAR and Beefheart's Magic Band—Steely Dan is the weirdest group in rock history. Submerging deeply twisted ditties in smooth-jazz trappings and Donald Fagen's otherworldly croon, prime Steely Dan is so rich and itchy and ironic and gorgeous it can make me almost queasy with pleasure. And while reports from the road confirm the new tour leans heavily on the band's later years, when the smooth jazz overwhelmed the pop perversion, true fans won't want to miss experiencing the band in action. (Show up late, unless you want to be subjected to the opening-act shenanigans of former Doobie Brother/current Motown raper Michael McDonald.) DAVID SCHMADER

SATURDAY 7/29

CAPITOL HILL BLOCK PARTY: MURDER CITY DEVILS, COMMON MARKET, THE BLACK ANGELS, MINUS THE BEAR, SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE, AND MORE
(10th Ave & Pike St) See Block Party pullout.

THE BUZZCOCKS, THE ADORED, THE STRAYS
(El Corazón) If I had to do a shot every time I opened a demo from a band that said they sounded like the Buzzcocks, I'd be the office's resident Bukowski. In defense of young bands, it's understandable that they'd cite the brash and witty British pioneers as touchstones: Aside from the Pixies and the Ramones, it's difficult to think of another band to which promising pop-minded punks have such an immediate reaction. As for the Clash comparisons that openers the Adored keep getting—sorry, I don't buy it. The Adored are just too damn clean and toothless. HANNAH LEVIN

JON DEE GRAHAM
(Tractor, early) See Border Radio.

EDWIN McCAIN, ROBINELLA
(Crocodile)

KUBE SUMMER JAM: LUDACRIS, T.I., E-40, BOW WOW, RAY J
(White River Amphitheatre)

SUNDAY 7/30

TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS, TREY ANASTASIO
(White River Amphitheatre) A number of wonderful things happened in pop culture in 1977. The Clash unleashed their eponymous debut, Star Wars and Annie Hall hit the big screen, and Tom Petty finally caught a break. "Breakdown" went to number one on the U.S. charts, and the original rock 'n' roll scoundrel has been dragging my heart around ever since. There's much talk about this being his last tour, and it's astonishing how much boyish charisma he's retained, so don't let the prospect of a trip to White River deter you from catching him while you can. HANNAH LEVIN

MONDAY 7/31

ROBBIE FULKS BAND
(Tractor) While he cracks wise with smart suits and a 10-year career of independent country, Robbie Fulks has been one of the scene's most welcome focal points, flicking '50s rockabilly, warm-blooded pacing, and ironic wordplay ("White Man's Bourbon") in front of him like a sarcastic kid at the back of a class full of Wilco-safe y'allternative students. Equally Hank Williams and Your Arsenal–era Morrissey, Fulks doesn't take it all too seriously, and is removed enough to add the right spin and do something a little different. GUY FAWKES

TUESDAY 8/1

Ain't nothing going on but the rent.

WEDNESDAY 8/2

MELLOWDRONE, MONSTERS ARE WAITING, MODWHEELMOOD, THE TALLEST BUILDING IN THE WORLD
(Chop Suey) Any band that has nearly 17,000 friends on MySpace and resides in L.A. is suspect in my book, and Mellowdrone is no exception. The world definitely does not need more hammy, '80s-aping Anglophiles, and Box (their debut for 3 Records/Red Ink) is such a soulless-sounding effort that they probably should be fined for sonic littering. Sample lyric, from "Fashionably Uninvited": "I take in a breath and let out a sigh/I don't know how much of this I can handle/Excuse me, is my rant taking too long?" Yes, dude, it is. HANNAH LEVIN

MORE

THE VELVET TEEN, SPARROWS SWARM & SING, THIS WILL DESTROY YOU, ELPHABA: Sat Aug 5, Paradox

ENDFEST: RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, THE MARS VOLTA, SNOW PATROL, WOLFMOTHER, EAGLES OF DEATH METAL, ROCK KILLS KID, NINE BLACK ALPS, THE SUBWAYS, THE GOSSIP: Sat Aug 12, White River Amphitheatre

GORILLA BISCUITS, SINKING SHIPS, SHOOK ONES, THE VOWS: Wed Aug 16, El Corazón

COMETS ON FIRE, KINSKI,, 16 BITCH PILE UP: Sat Aug 19, Neumo's

WOLF PARADE, FROG EYES: Mon Aug 21, Showbox

CRACKER: Tues Aug 22, Crocodile

HASTE THE DAY, SCARY KIDS SCARING KIDS, AUGUST BURNS RED, INHALE EXHALE: Thurs Aug 24, El Corazón

MAE, THE NEW AMSTERDAMS, VEDERA: Fri Sept 8, El Corazón

DEVO: Sat Sept 9, Paramount

MOE.: Fri Sept 15, Showbox

MARITIME, SPEAKER SPEAKER,BOAT: Tues Sept 19, Paradox

RANCID, THE AQUABATS: Tues–Wed Sept 26–27, Showbox

SUFJAN STEVENS, MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND: Sun Oct 15, Paramount