Wednesday 6/27

Jake Shimabukuro, Leo Kottke

(Woodland Park Zoo) See preview.

Black Hills, Hustle & Drone, Ships

(Barboza) Tonight is the live debut of Seattle's newest supergroup, Black Hills, which features Erin Tate of Minus the Bear, Eric Sturgeon of the Lonely Forest, David Totten of the Quiet Ones, and Matt Benham of Argo. Look at all those impressive names! And what do they sound like? Nothing like what you'd expect, really—or everything like you'd expect, but the 1960s version of it. A friend, rightfully, got a Cream vibe when he first heard their newly released song "Messenger of the North," while their song "Under My Skin" summons an acoustic Led Zeppelin. Continuing the "featuring members of" trend, Hustle & Drone and Ships open the show. Hustle & Drone are a smooth electro duo featuring members of Portugal. The Man, and Ships are a great indie-rock band featuring members of Ships. MEGAN SELING

Thursday 6/28

Balkan Beat Box

(Crocodile) See Data Breaker.

Jackie Hell, Ade, Vintage Youth, the Witches Titties

(Re-bar) See the Homosexual Agenda.

Truckasauras Sausage Party: Dingus and the Buttfucks

(Barboza) Analog electronic four-piece Truckasauras have become a fixture of the Seattle music scene over the last several years, thanks to their two excellent, nationally recognized albums—Tea Parties, Guns & Valor and Quarters—and their American flag/pro wrestling/monster truck–laden live sets at house parties, venues, and street corners. And their 2010 "Kevin Collabo" show—which featured Truck performing with more than 30 local rappers—is fast becoming town folklore. After lying low for a bit, the Truck are back (performing here under their alias Dingus and the Buttfucks) with new material and are preparing a forthcoming album. Hear new tracks and old favorites, likely set to some freshly edited background visuals. Show up early to peep a video premiere from Alive & Well affiliate Sausage Skateboards. MIKE RAMOS

Friday 6/29

Rob Angus

(Chapel Performance Space) See Data Breaker.

Ensemble Economique, King Dude, Tunnels, Grave Babies

(Cairo) Ensemble Economique (California's Brian Pyle, also of the experimental/drone duo Starving Weirdos) excels in creating unsettling soundtracks for horror films that would be too subtle and cerebral ever to get green-lighted by a major studio—and probably by many independents, too. For a potent dose of Ensemble Economique's foreboding, blackened soundscapes and drifting, desolate dub, check out the 2010 LP Psychical (on Not Not Fun Records) and prepare for uneasy dreams. DAVE SEGAL

Cafe Racer Benefit: Star Anna, Kasey Anderson, the Maldives, Cathy Sorbo, Kermet Apio, Liam McCormick

(Neptune) Once the freshness wears off a tragedy, it can sometimes get brushed aside, as we all move on with our lives. Don't let that happen for the Cafe Racer shootings, y'hear? For all the love in that place, we should be celebrating them for months and years to come. This night, billed as "An Evening of Music, Comedy & Silent Auctions to Benefit the Victims of the Cafe Racer Shooting," features such local favorites as Star Anna (whose voice should really come in an edible or topical format as well as aural), solid country-rocker Kasey Anderson, plaid beardo charmers the Maldives, and comedian Kermet Apio. Laugh, dance, remember, give dollars. ANNA MINARD

Lemolo, Lost Lander, Kayee Cole, Slow Skate

(Columbia City Theater) When it comes to Seattle's Lemolo, I can't help feeling a little like Jan Brady. "All day long, I hear how great Lemolo is at this or how wonderful Lemolo did that. Lemolo, Lemolo, Lemolo!" Because EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT LEMOLO! And I never found out for myself because, well, do you know how many bands there are in the world? But I'm glad I finally came around—Lemolo are wonderful. Their new song "On Again, Off Again" (at www.lemolomusic.bandcamp.com) features dreamy, gorgeous vocals, ethereal guitar, and drumming that paces along like a heartbeat. But it's not all sugar and spice—there's an attitude in there. There's a backbone and an energy that makes their music not only calming, but also invigorating at the same time. Like magic! MEGAN SELING

Velella Velella, OC Notes, Continental Soldiers, Screens

(Crocodile) Local party-funk masters Velella Velella are back in action, with a new EP due this fall, their first release since 2010's excellent Atlantis Massif. The few rough mixes I've heard from this forthcoming work find Andrew Means and company pushing yet further into good-times-mongering territory. The melodies are ultra-bright, the vocals falsetto'd into Prince's domain, and the rhythms geared to elevate your heart rate and your mood with a quickness. With United State of Electronica keeping a very low profile these days, Velella Velella fill the sunny-as-hell dance-music void with perma-grinned, bubbly funk brilliance. DAVE SEGAL

Leftöver Crack, Skarp, Snuggle, Juicy Karkass

(Neumos) Leftöver Crack, as a name, is a perfect oxymoron, 'cause as any good crack smoker knows—there ain't never no leftovers. The name is the only thing ironic about the band, though—otherwise, they're 100 percent anarcho-ska-punks that formed in 1998 in New York City; this Seattle show is part of a reunion tour. There are also rumors of a brand-new album—which would be the first full-length in more than eight years, following the legendary Fuck World Trade. That album was pure politico gold, featuring Bush, Cheney, and Giuliani gassing the towers on the cover—an image that got the album banned from chain stores like Best Buy and Walmart. The Cracks are also banned from many venues, so I high-five Neumos for its bravery. KELLY O

Saturday 6/30

Meat Loaf

(Snoqualmie Casino) See Sound Check.

Seacats, Special Explosion, Muscle Tower, Neighbors

(Fusion Cafe) See Underage.

The Numbs, Hausu, Pleasure Beauties

(Cairo) See Stranger Suggests and Underage.

Nu:Tone, Aaron Simpson, Nervous Breakdown, Hodgi, Sonic MC

(Deep Down Lounge) See Data Breaker.

Conan Canyon, Mike Scheidt, Mercy Sounds, Pipsqueak

(Comet, 4 pm) You may know Mike Scheidt from his vocalizing in the great ethereal Oregon metal band YOB. However, he's just issued the solo album Stay Awake for top experimental-rock label Thrill Jockey, and it's a tough record to love, initially. At times, Scheidt sounds like an introverted, wispy folk goddess on the mic more than he does the frontman for a heavy-rock group, which is actually pretty subversive for a guy in his position. He puts his odd, high-pitched voice to some lovely gothadelic folk reveries, with results toggling between haunting and ponderous. Stay Awake gets major points for going against expectations but deductions for not being riveting for too much of its six-track, 42-minute duration. DAVE SEGAL

Ostad Hossein Omoumi, Jessika Kenney

(Cornish) Ostad Hossein Omoumi is a Persian classical music master (he performs on the ney, the traditional reed flute); he was born in Iran in 1944 and has performed all over the world. He's now based at UC Irvine, but he's worked in Seattle before, and one of his students here is the remarkable independent vocalist Jessika Kenney. They'll be joined in music and poetry by Iranian writer/scholar Fatemeh Keshavarz. It's the culmination of a four-day Classical Persian Music & Poetry summer workshop at Cornish that's open to anyone. JEN GRAVES

Beastie Boys Jazz Tribute

(Lucid) The first thing that came to my mind when I read "Beastie Boys Jazz Tribute" is the bass line for the "Pass the Mic." It's simple, somewhat sinister, and more than ready for a saxophonist or trumpeter who wants to explore at length the dark side of his/her instrument. The Beastie Boys have other tracks that can easily be translated into jazz ("Get It Together," "The Update," "Remote Control"), but none has more potential than "Pass the Mic." This tribute is, of course, not really about the Beastie Boys, but about the recently departed MCA, one of the saints of hiphop culture. To use the words of Intelligent Hoodlum: "We miss to this day, since you passed away." CHARLES MUDEDE

Undertow, Integrity, Harkonen, Serenity

(Neumos) When Northwest hardcore pioneers Undertow perform onstage, things get moody, angsty, raw, aggressive, angry, cerebral, and so many other adjectives. After more than 20 years, the band fronted by ex-Himsa and current Heiress vocalist John Pettibone resurrected their teenage craft in 2009 to play a handful of sold-out reunion shows. Now, three years later, it's time to hammer down the nails in the coffin and call it good. Joining them for this final funeral are '90s Clevo metalcore greats Integrity and the true masters of Tacoma rock fury, Harkonen. Prepare yourself for the old-man mosh. KEVIN DIERS

Tu Fawning, Slow Skate, Shana Cleveland

(Sunset) One thing a music critic hates (do know that there are so many things, but this one is high on the list) is when a band provides a description of its music that is so accurate, it makes the critic's task seem redundant. Such is the case with Portland's Tu Fawning, who have the gall to describe themselves with appalling specificity as "Antique-Dance/Tribal-Gospel." Yep, all four words here just captured Tu Fawning's unearthly appeal, although the dance part may not exactly be as frenetic as you'd prefer. Nonetheless, this is some distinctive sonic art. Going out on a limb, I'll call Tu Fawning the best antique-dance/tribal-gospel band in America. DAVE SEGAL

Sunday 7/1

El-P, Killer Mike, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, Despot

(Neumos) See My Philosophy.

Monday 7/2

Practice your "patriotism."

Tuesday 7/3

Mayhem Festival: Motörhead, Slipknot, Slayer, Anthrax, As I Lay Dying, more

(White River Amphitheatre) Between Slayer and Motörhead, you have two of the most archetypically powerful metal bands ever, practically a Beatles and Stones of heavy music. You already know this and you already have your tickets and your secret stash of hmmm hmmm stowed away. Your devil-horn-throwing and headbanging regimen has gone into overdrive—because you were born to raise hell south of heaven. DAVE SEGAL

Detroit Cobras

(Neumos) There's nothing fancy or novel about Detroit Cobras. These veterans of the scene simply give you Motor City garage rock and soul with lifer zeal and an acute sense of what cuts to the quick most effectively in both styles. The Cobras' creative core—Rachel Nagy and Mary Ramirez—have this shit nailed down tight, and they have the keen instincts to cover the Flirtations' "Nothing but a Heartache," the 17th greatest song ever. They're still touring behind 2007's Tried & True, but no matter. Detroit Cobras have enough killer songs and foxy moxie to make the concept of brand-spanking-new material a moot point. DAVE SEGAL

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

(Snoqualmie Casino) "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" is one of those songs that's been played so many trillions of times, it's lost its cool. Joan Jett, however, has always been cooler than you or me, and she remains so today. No one can touch her. It was painful to watch Twilight's Kristen Stewart play Jett in The Runaways film, not because she's a bad actress, but because she's not a badass. Jett is still all-time Queen Badass Musician—just see her recent performance with Against Me!'s Laura Jane Grace covering the Replacements song "Androgynous" if you don't believe me. KELLY O