I guess no matter how good they are, some artists still get depressed after a show and feel they've let the crowd down--like Joseph Arthur, even when a sold-out crowd demanded three encores to his EMP performance Saturday night and hailed him with a standing ovation. I was parked in the front row and noticed him get uncomfortable three or four songs in, even though he was doing an astounding job of running all kinds of loops and samplers and crazy effects by himself, sounding very triphop and like a full band all on his own. Seriously, no tech guy was assisting him. Arthur apologized, explaining it had been his third concert of the day (a friendly in-store at Easy Street, a radio show, and now the EMP, which earlier in the day he kept referring to as "Jimi's House," having never heard of EMP) before closing out a rather short set. Luckily he was convinced to continue, and again played brilliantly, mostly songs off the new album Redemption's Son, which comes out in November. The highlight for me was "You've Been Loved," a song about how you can't be happily miserable if you've ever been loved. He ended the show with a gorgeous rendition of "Speed of Light," and I heard a few folks sniffling around me before Arthur left the stage for good. Afterward, in the green room, he seemed certain he'd let the crowd down, and I kept thinking about all the local bands who, despite obvious crowd love, apologize and drag themselves around for days because they think they sucked. I used to think it was partially a shtick, but if Joseph Arthur, one of the best performers EVER, feels he stinks the joint up sometimes, then I guess it's just a case of everyone feeling inadequate at times. Trust me. I've seen you, and you aren't.

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That same night Cobra High blew the roof off of Chop Suey, a club which has seen several staff members leave in the past week. As noted in last week's It's My Party, booker Kerri Harrop resigned, and now we know that former I-Spy booker Steven Severin will take her position. At least three bartenders/servers quit soon after Harrop's departure was announced. Anyway, back to Cobra High and all the people who ran up to inform me they were awesome: DUH!

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Here's another new band that wowed from the get-go: The Whip (Scotty and Jared from Karp, and the Thrones' Joe Preston). I really don't need to explain it any more than to say the band was loud and fantastic, and I was in the front row at their recent Re-bar show--and those of you who know me can attest that I am usually a back-row lurker. I even head-banged a bit.

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So Duff McKagan is back with Slash and Matt Sorum, possibly Neurotica singer Kelly Shaefer, possibly Izzy, and possibly Loaded guitarist David Cushner, possibly doing something? Rumors are flying.

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One last bit: Standup comedians like Frankie's (from Graceland) after-hour parties. Todd Barry stopped by after his Giggles gig (I sat in the front row there, too--what's become of me?), and the guys from Mr. Show were rumored to be in the house last Friday.

kathleen@thestranger.com