Wednesday 6/15

Mountainss, Monogamy Party, Footwork, White Coward

(Comet) Interested in up-and-coming, eardrum-bruising rock? If your brain just said "Yes," you have no excuse to miss this show. Mountainss fire out a spastic noise-rock din. Monogomy Party take a bass guitar, complex and heavy drumbeats, and one hell of a pair of lungs and create glorious hardcore/rock somewhere in the neighborhood of two past Northwest greats: These Arms Are Snakes and Karp. Footwork find forebears in yet a third: Talbot Tagora. GRANT BRISSEY

Thursday 6/16

Virgin Islands, Western Hymn, Hot River, North Fork

(Funhouse) Western Hymn are a newish Olympia three-piece consisting of ex-frontman of the Old Haunts Craig Extine, ex-Bangs guitarist Sarah Utter, and drummer Kris Cunningham (also of I'm a Gun). The sound is much like you'd expect from such a combination—the eerie, minor-chord self-described "swamp rock" of the Old Haunts gets beefed and punked up all Bangs-style. Extine's vocals ring more guttural than devilish, and Utter balances it all out with her sugary tones. GRANT BRISSEY

The Mountain Goats

(Showbox at the Market) As if the Mountain Goats needed to wiggle further into my heart, just last week the band covered "Boxcar," one of my favorite Jawbreaker songs, as part of the AV Club's "Undercover" series (which is required viewing for music fans—check out Ted Leo's version of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" while you're there). Instead of killing cops, though, MG frontman John Darnielle sang about "watching" them. Instead of reading Kerouac, he chose Didion. Then he threw his glasses to the ground because, fuck, man, it's a punk song! The performance made my heart flutter. If we as a city join together and chant "Boxcar" at tonight's show, perhaps we can get our own exclusive performance of the song. If they choose to stick to their own heart-tugging material, though, that won't be so bad, either. MEGAN SELING

The Sun Goddess Tour: Ramsey Lewis and His Electric Band

(Jazz Alley) Ramsey Lewis's 1974 LP Sun Goddess went gold, a massive hit for what is ostensibly a jazz record. Growing up in the Detroit area, I heard the title track in heavy rotation throughout the mid '70s—happily so, as it's a phenomenal piece of soaring yet languid jazz funk, buoyed by Earth Wind & Fire member Maurice White's levitational falsetto scatting. The album's other six tracks strike several sweet spots, too, with the funkily filigreed cover of Stevie's "Living for the City" and "Tambura" standing out. The whole record's saturated in the electrified, pimp-strutting funkiness that inhabited so many releases from the first half of the '70s. For this tour, Lewis will bring his piano and Fender Rhodes, along with guitarist Henry Johnson, bassist Joshua Ramos, keyboardist Tim Gant, and drummer Charles Heath. DAVE SEGAL

The Black Lips, Cerebral Ballzy, Grave Babies

(Neumos) The Black Lips' latest, Arabia Mountain, is a slow grower, but when it finally crops up, you get as a fun a party as you'd expect from the brash Atlanta garage-rock quartet. Thing is, it doesn't really matter what you think of the record (or what I think of it, for that matter), because the live show is gonna be unhinged and liberating like a drunken luau in the swamp. Drinks will be drunk. Dances will be danced. Moderation will be railed. Libidos will be flared, and later tonight a bunch of people will get laid. In short, mission accomplished. GRANT BRISSEY

Friday 6/17

The Sun Goddess Tour: Ramsey Lewis and his Electric Band

(Jazz Alley) See Thursday.

Religious Girls, Prawnyxx, You.May.Die.in.the.Desert, Herocop

(Healthy Times Fun Club) See Underage.

Blue Scholars

(Neumos) See album review.

Mark Lanegan, Sean Wheeler & Zander Schloss

(Neptune) The low, ghostly rumble of Mark Lanegan's voice deeply affects people. The raspy, foreboding call of the smoke etches out shrouded vocal images of murder scenes, alleyways, and ditches dug for body dumping. The Ellensburg native may very well be Satan. Or if not Satan, he is a demon. Or possessed by a demon. Lanegan's work is well known. From Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age, and the Gutter Twins to his collaborations with Belle and Sebastian's Isobel Campbell, he's remained vital. On Lanegan's 2004 solo Bubblegum song "Driving Death Valley Blues," he sings, "Remember her kiss is kerosene/the exile lives in a memory/a scarecrow singing a mourning song, so sing along." See what I'm saying? How could he not be Satan? I can't sing along, because he's Satan. This will be a good, dark time at the new Neptune digs. TRENT MOORMAN

Grant Hart, Cali Giraffes, Event Staph, Detective Agency

(Funhouse) Grant Hart has secured a spot in the rock pantheon for his excellent, impassioned drumming, singing, and songwriting in punk-pop-sike juggernaut Hüsker Dü. After dropping classic albums like Zen Arcade, New Day Rising, and Candy Apple Grey, Hüsker Dü split in 1987, partially due to Hart's struggle with heroin addiction. Nevertheless, he went on to release the strong 1989 solo debut LP Intolerance and later formed the solid Nova Mob. In whatever configuration he toils, Hart is a magnificent crafter of melodies, imbuing his songs with familiar folk and soul tropes that wallop you into wholehearted empathy, thanks largely to his huskily modulated Midwestern vocalese. (Check out "2541," one of the most slyly affecting songs ever.) Post-Hüsker, Hart hasn't been very prolific, but he's issued enough gems to make this appearance an intriguing prospect, even at this late date. DAVE SEGAL

Martyrdod, No Statik, Walls,Slowmotions, Crazy Spirit, Criminal Code

(Black Lodge) You don't need to understand the lyrics being sung by Swedish crust-crushers Martyrdod to realize they're pissed. The punishing riffs and staggeringly heavy backdrop of raw, unpolished D-beat hardcore translates this message well enough. Aside from ABBA, Swedish's main musical export for the last 20 years has been filled with rage—with metal, Meshuggah, Entombed, and At the Gates (plus so much more); with punk, Skitsystem, Driller Killer, and Martyrdod. Bay Area tour mates and relative newcomers No Statik bring it just as hard, providing a dose of unfiltered, unfuckwithable fury in a similar form: harsh, driving, metal-tinged punk, only this time, you can sorta understand what they're saying. That is, if you can decipher the piercing shrieks escaping the tongue of former Scrotum Grinder (yikes!) vocalist Michelle "Ruby" Koger. KEVIN DIERS

Saturday 6/18

Trouble: Vockah Redu and the Cru, Raja, DJ Sammy Jo, Savage Love Sex Advice Booth

(FRED Wildlife Refuge) See Homosexual Agenda, and Stranger Suggests.

Blue Scholars

(Neumos) See album review.

The Sun Goddess Tour: Ramsey Lewis and His Electric Band

(Jazz Alley) See Thursday.

Stephanie, Witch Gardens

(Cairo) See Underage.

Space Rock Saturdays: Chad Neiro, Ctrl_Alt_Dlt, DJ Kynd, Eugene Fauntleroy

(Electric Tea Garden) See Data Breaker.

Okkervil River, Titus Andronicus

(Neptune) See Stranger Suggests.

The Intelligence, Kid Congo Powers & the Pink Monkey Birds, Tacocat

(Crocodile) No one could blame guitarist Kid Congo Powers if he whiled away his days nibbling bonbons in his fuzzy slippers as he peddled autographed memorabilia on eBay. Instead, the garage rocker—who's played with the Gun Club, the Cramps, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds—continues to crank out groovy platters like Gorilla Rose. If you've ever stayed up late to watch a marathon of The Avengers and danced the Frug to your vintage ? and the Mysterians 7-inches during commercial breaks, you'll be powerless against the Pink Monkey Birds. But save some energy as you twist your wig to "Hills of Pills" and "Goldin Browne"—you'll need it when Kid blows the dust off "Goo Goo Muck" or "Sex Beat." KURT B. REIGHLEY

Taking Back Sunday, Thursday, Colour Revolt, the New Regime

(Showbox at the Market) If you plan on attending tonight's Taking Back Sunday/Thursday show, be warned: According to the Westboro Baptist Church's schedule posted on its website (godhatesfags.com—classy) the controversial (and confused) organization plans on protesting the concert because Taking Back Sunday "have the ear of millions and refuse to use that platform God gave them to teach obedience to God's standards." I thought that picketing concerts was an act reserved for the likes of Marilyn Manson, Ozzy Osborne, or other more "evil" performers. Are Taking Back Sunday really that bad? They sing guitar-driven emo songs about broken hearts and daddy issues. And last I checked (which was just seconds ago), God didn't have anything against overly styled hair. How weird. MEGAN SELING

Sunday 6/19

The Sun Goddess Tour: Ramsey Lewis and his Electric Band

(Jazz Alley) See Thursday.

Monday 6/20

Sløwpøke: Ill Cosby, Donte Parks, Shawn Dempsey

(Living Room) See Data Breaker.

A Benefit for the Family of Cameron Veloria: Ghost of Kyle Bradford, Tit Pig, King Dude, Copper and Brass

(Chop Suey) TJ Cowgill is one busy chap. In addition to running the inventive and successful clothing line Actual Pain (P. Diddy wears that shit!), fronting Book of Black Earth, and being an all-around RAD DUDE, he also plays gorgeous and enthralling dark folk music under the name King Dude. Tit Pig are just a bunch of crazies who will unload a bunch of hardcore on you while sometimes throwing shit all over the place. Tonight is a benefit for the family of Cameron Veloria, who passed away well before his time. GRANT BRISSEY

Holly Golightly & the Broke-Offs, Mark Pickerel and His Praying Hands, Thee Midnight Creep

(Funhouse) Holly Golightly scares me the same way my dad's notorious Aunt Que—a hard-drinking, shotgun-owning, strong Texas woman—did. Straight-shooting and tough as nails (she reportedly once shot a boyfriend in an argument—he lived), her word was law. There are consequences for breaking laws, and even when Golightly purrs, there's never a doubt that she's a scrappy alley cat and no domesticated pet. Cross her at your own risk and always make sure she gets the last swig of the bottle, if you get my drift. She and partner Lawyer Dave churn out spunky, garage-y twang that's remarkably authentic coming from a limey. Er, Londoner. Damn it—duck and cover, but pass me the bottle first... BARBARA MITCHELL

Tuesday 6/21

By Proxy, Ill Cosby, Introcut

(Lo-Fi) See Data Breaker.

Times New Viking, Idle Times, Sister Wife

(Sunset) What separates Times New Viking from a lot of their lo-fi, garage-dwelling counterparts is perhaps their conceptual completeness. From the half-borrowed band name to the found, collaged, cut-and-paste album art to the title of their latest record, Rip It Off, they're dedicated pop-art auteurs. Their music, too, draws heavily from familiar sources, but never fails to sound concentrated and raw in a way that's entirely theirs. The band dropped their ear-shredding, purposely primitive production style when they headed into the studio to record Rip It Off. The results are a superb blend of sugary hooks and subtle psychedelic nods over churning, guitar-driven pop songs. DAN OBERBRUNER

Puro Instinct, John Maus, Geneva Jacuzzi

(Chop Suey) John Maus's music will likely remind you of his former collaborator Ariel Pink's, with its casual, hazily pretty melodies and quasi-tongue-in-cheek, melodramatic tone. His third album—We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves—sounds as if it's coated in slick gauze. Maus seems to be wearing his heart on his sleeve, waxing romantic in a deep croon, but, as a former philosophy professor, he may be putting us all on with a simulacrum of a throwback heartthrob retooled for our current hypnagogic-pop moment ("Pussy is not a matter of fact," he sings, poker-facedly). He creates the illusion that he's singing in a mausoleum, with slicked-back hair, using a chintzy drum machine, third-hand synths, and a four-track. But Maus's tunes quickly insinuate themselves into your memory, even as you wonder if dude's taking the piss. Panda Bear, Aziz Ansari, and Lil B are fans, if that sways you. DAVE SEGAL

Cibo Matto, Chain Gang of 1974

(Neumos) Oh, man, remember the awesome and goofy "Know Your Chicken"? Or the pretty, spooky "Sugar Water" ("la-la-la, LA-LA-LA-LAAAA")? Cibo Matto (which means "crazy food" in Italian) was such a sweet and lovable girl band in the late 1990s, known for collaborations with the Beastie Boys, Buffalo Daughter, and director Mike Mills. I haven't really thought much about Cibo Matto since the '90s. They reunited in March of this year in New York to perform at a benefit for Japanese tsunami victims, alongside Yoko Ono, Mike Patton, and Sonic Youth. Welcome back, ladies. May the '90s never die. KELLY O