Thursday 1/20

Mark de Clive-Lowe feat. Sy Smith

(Nectar) See Data Breaker.

Voltage Control: the Naturebot, Electrosect

(Living Room) See Data Breaker.

Lovetone: DJs Christian Science, Jon François, Thomas Cowgill

(Arabica Lounge) Tonight marks the second edition of this ambitious multimedia-psychedelic thingamajig in the cozy Capitol Hill coffeehouse/bar Arabica Lounge. Hosted by two of Dug's stalwart DJs, Lovetone proves that Christian Science and Jon François are as savvy about psychedelia as they are about funk and soul—which is to say, there's an astronomical level of knowingness. Seriously, these crate-diggers shocked me with how deep they went. Give it up—and turn it loose—for these versatile, vinyl-loving DJs, who are augmented each month by a special guest who will surely bring many special records. DAVE SEGAL

Jake One, Freeway

(Neumos) Last year, two forces of contemporary hiphop, Freeway and Jake One,dropped the beat-heavy and rap-thick The Stimulus Package. Freeway, the rapper, is from Philly; Jake One, the producer, is from Seattle. Philly is one of the three main hiphop cities of the East; Seattle is one of the three main hiphop cities of the West. Philly's population: 1,547,901; Seattle's: 617,334. Philly's hiphop pop figure: the Fresh Prince; Seattle's: Sir Mix-A-Lot. Freeway rose to national attention by way of Roc-A-Fella; Jake One with the G-Unit. Freeway's raps were forged in the rugged and gritty streets of old Philly; Jake One's beats were forged in a flower of a city, a new city that's surrounded by mountains and lakes. The Stimulus Package is the tale of two cities. CHARLES MUDEDE

Cumulus Festival: Master Musicians of Bukkake, Scriptures, Perish the Island, Lowmen Markos

(Chop Suey) Now in its third year, the locally produced Cumulus Festival brings forth 15-plus hours of skull-dozing amplifier worship and ethereal atmospheres through three days of forward-thinking post-rock and ambient noise. One promise: You won't hear any vocalists asking for their microphone or headset to be turned up, as Cumulus leans on the instrumental side of things. Headlining day one is psychedelic drone squad Master Musicians of Bukkake. Because they're draped in dark robes and accented by cowboys hats, don't expect to "get to know" these dudes; expect only two things from a band featuring members of Sunn O))) and Earth—mystery and noise. Day one also features a stacked lineup of Northwest-based opening acts. From the complete mindfuckery of Master Musicians to the minimalist soundscapes of Scriptures, be prepared for a night of technical prowess and WTF moments. KEVIN DIERS

Friday 1/21

The Thermals, Unnatural Helpers, White Fang

(Neumos) Dear Kelly: What's wrong with you? Why are you just now listening to the new Thermals record, Personal Life? It's been out since September! You love the Thermals! And this, the Kill Rock Stars–affiliated indie-punks' fifth LP, is a concept album about love: being in love, falling out of love, smashing love to bits. Some have criticized Personal Life for being too soft—for having too much navel-gazing and not enough of the messy, frantic energy that the Portland trio is known for. But you don't believe any of that. Nope, especially not after hearing the second song—the album's standout track "I Don't Believe You." KELLY O

Cumulus Festival: AFCGT, Panther Attack, the Tron Sack, the Luna Moth

(Funhouse) Cumulus Festival drifts into earshot for its third year of post-rocking in the semi-free world. Tonight's the second installment of a three-day extravaganza (see elsewhere in this section for further commentary). Seattle's Panther Attack engage in fluid, melodic post-rock ruminations to knotty math-rock conflagrations—often within the same song. The Luna Moth patiently float storm clouds of stoic instrumental rock that uncannily makes you ponder the glories of nature—especially thorns. AFCGT typically raze the roof with their guitars-as-flamethrowers approach to genius-thug rock. They're making it up as they go along—and then maliciously torching the edifice shortly thereafter. I tried and failed to hear the Tron Sack's music, but with a name like that, they have to be dudely. DAVE SEGAL

Is That Jazz? Festival: Sun Ra Tribute Band, Empty Cage Quartet

(Chapel Performance Space) How daunting it must be to form a Sun Ra tribute band. Even if you focus on the late jazz iconoclast's most accessible material, you simply will never match the magical spirit the eccentric space cadet beamed into heads that are attuned to weird frequencies. But that intimidating prospect's not stopping 10-strong local ensemble Sunship from interpreting Sun Ra compositions from the late 1950s and early '60s. Led by guitarist Brian Heaney, Sunship also include trombonist Stuart Dempster, clarinetist William O. Smith, New York saxophonist Michael Monhart, drummer David Revelli, and bassist Andrew Luthringer. Expect flamboyant robes, processions, unison vocals, possible UFOs, and some of the most out-there jazz pieces of the era, all in the service of delivering cosmic tones for mental therapy. DAVE SEGAL

Saturday 1/22

Dialed: Luke McKeehan, Ramiro, Jeromy Nail

(Baltic Room) See Data Breaker.

Glass Candy, Chromatics, Desire

(Chop Suey) See Data Breaker.

Cumulus Festival: You May Die in the Desert; SNDTRKR; Moraine; They Rise, We Die; Joy Wants Eternity

(Black Lodge) Whether it speaks to an increasingly connected world, the cosmopolitan nature of music, my failings as a local music writer, or simply the exceptional strength of their work, I find it somewhat amusing that the first time I heard the reverb-drenched grandeur of Seattle instrumentalists Joy Wants Eternity was in a friend's car while driving around Singapore. But it's also reassuring to think that while Joy Wants Eternity might not be the kind of band to generate wild internet hype and pack the big venues in town, there is a subtle grace, universal language, and ethereal beauty to their material that resonates with a small but attentive cross section of the music community. That appeal transcends the 206 area code—and it's gone international. BRIAN COOK

Viper Creek Club, Tea Cozies, Katie Kate, Concours d'Elegance

(Columbia City Theater) Tea Cozies have gotten some decent exposure and accolades since the release of their 2009 release Hot Probs, but it's still a shame that the name Tea Cozies isn't uttered as often as other local bands like, say, Fences and the Head and the Heart, who've found national support since making their debuts. Tea Cozies' garage rock is angsty yet poppy—full of big guitar riffs and addictive female harmonies that flirt with acts like Veruca Salt's and Elastica's work. Maybe 2011 will be Tea Cozies' year. They're off to a good start—on January 1, they released a new song, "Dead Man's Sister," which you can download for free at www.tea-cozies.com, hinting at an imminent full-length. MEGAN SELING

Sunday 1/23

Elizabeth Cook, Tony Fulgham & the Blood, Rachel Mae

(Tractor) In the vast traditionalist swamp of good old-fashioned country music, Elizabeth Cook never stops distinguishing herself. Her 2007 LP Balls earned its title with the hit "Sometimes It Takes Balls to Be a Woman" and a gorgeous cover of the Velvet Underground's "Sunday Morning," and Cook's 2010 LP Welder leaves Balls in the dust. The music of Welder runs the gamut, from the twangy stomp of "El Camino" to the stripped-down acoustics of "Follow You Like Smoke" and beyond, but the lyrics are of a piece—simply witty, deeply telling, packed with the kind of pristine details that make you think songwriters should be eligible for Pulitzers. And, oh yeah: Five days a week, she hosts Elizabeth Cook's Apron Strings, a Sirius XM radio show featuring four hours of music, recipes, and household cleaning tips. DAVID SCHMADER

Night Beats, Shivas, Basemint, Airport

(Comet) Night Beats belong in a van. A van that's on the verge of breaking down, with as much smoke spewing out from under the hood as from their backseat stoner cave. A van whose speakers have been tested and properly blown out, as well. A van whose tires have been worn bald from the thousands of miles of asphalt meeting rubber. A van that has no brakes. The Seattle garage-psych trio takes its stories from the Midwest to the Nile River, seeking salvation from a backwoods Pentecostal preacher who speaks in tongues and making deals downtown with the devil. Their music is early Vietnam in a modern-day Iraq, like a wounded veteran shell-shocked by the hard psych. It's a trip few soldiers these days brave to take, so Night Beats are picking up recruits along the way. TRAVIS RITTER

Loudon Wainwright III, Shelby Earl

(Triple Door) There's a whole generation of folks (myself included) for whom Loudon Wainwright III is more familiar as an actor (having appeared in M*A*S*H, three Judd Apatow productions, and G-Force—2009's Jerry Bruckheimer production about guinea pig secret agents). Wainwright the actor, while delightful, is nowhere near as interesting as Wainwright the musician, who's been recording and performing sardonic folk commentaries since his beatific 1970s self-titled debut. His long and storied career is still going strong, even if his new material is no longer about growing old (like his early stuff was) so much as it just plain sounds old (now he sings about things like "Cash for Clunkers"). Still, it would be worth it to hear some of Wainwright's older gems. Maybe he'll even do some dialogue from G-Force. JASON BAXTER

Monday 1/24

The Colour Project, Vox Mod, Lazer Kitty

(Comet) See Data Breaker.

Tuesday 1/25

Ween

(Paramount) While you weren't paying attention, Ween became a fucking cottage industry, a cult band that's blown up in slow motion. So here we are now in 2011, and Ween are playing a big, respectable house like Paramount without much airplay or media attention. I once thought that Ween squandered too much of their considerable talent on juvenile musical pastiche and shock-jock lyrics. But now, 20-plus years into their career, Ween have proved themselves to be seriously accomplished, eclectic musicians who simply had a periodic weakness for scatological tomfoolery and half-assed genre parodies. When they want to, which has been happening with greater frequency over the last 15 years, Ween can pen gorgeous, moving rock songs with serious psychedelic ramifications (e.g., "A Tear for Eddie," "Springtheme," "Marble Tulip Juicy Tree," and much of The Mollusk). The brainiacs in Autechre consider Ween geniuses, and there's some truth in that. DAVE SEGAL

So Percussion

(Town Hall) Brooklyn's So Percussion weave intricate webs of percussion (duh) through the striking of conventional and unconventional objects. That sounds pretty dry (sorry, I'm in deep sleep debt), but the results aren't aridly academic. Rather, as their recent collaborative album Treasure State and tour with electronic-music dadaists Matmos prove, the four unassuming white guys in So Percussion wrest great fun from their plucked cactus needles and malloted woodblocks, bicycle tires, and bird cages—and even trad drum kits. They are matter-of-factly technically dazzling, generating weirdly oblong patterns of beats that make a kind of sublime, rickety racket from unlikely sources. They are also among the foremost interpreters of the great minimalist composer Steve Reich's work. This is sure to be a mesmerizing performance. DAVE SEGAL

Wednesday 1/26

Stay home; take a bubble bath.