The fact that my skinny body hasn't been found hanging from the rafters of my house's laundry room is a true blessing. The zombied faces and demeanor of Seattle's students and young people lately is a sure sign that it's been finals week. We've been too stressed to eat, too occupied with papers and tests to function, and certainly too busy to go out to shows.

It's been hectic, for sure, but it's all over now. While it's almost guaranteed to be cloudy until the end of July, summer is finally here. No more teachers, no more books—rain or shine, it's time to get after it!

A few recent shows have been promising previews of the fun in store for us—Japanther at the Booty Cave, Matt & Kim at Neumo's, the Old Fire House's End of School Bash—but now what?

Eastside veterans the Last Slice of Butter may not be traditional summer fun music, but their show at Healthy Times Fun Club on Saturday, June 21, will be hot, sweaty, good times regardless. Imagine kids throwing the binders and notebooks they'll no longer be needing into a flaming cauldron as the duo egg them on, stirring the pot with noisy drum-and-bass punk, fanning the flames higher with their explosively aggressive songs.

The band's thrashing combination of thick bass lines and Ziploc-tight drumming doesn't exactly inspire images of sunny beaches or sleepy afternoons, but seeing the huge grins and unmistakable fun they have playing live will put you in the right state of mind for revelry.

Also playing the show is Portland's 10- to 13-member orchestral pop phenomenon Typhoon. The collective have been playing huge and haunting ballads since 2005, and it's guaranteed that their alternating epic instrumentals and vocal buildups will give you goose bumps on top of a chilled spine. On songs like "Shallows," instruments drop in and out, group vocals rise and fall, and the big band bring the music to incredible peaks of emotion. Their eerie songs would be the perfect soundtrack for the moment your oxygen mask drops down and your plane plummets toward the bottom of the ocean.

So maybe the show at Healthy Times isn't going to be a crazy beer-swilling party, but with the Last Slice of Butter and Typhoon, it should definitely be a very special experience. Consider it a relaxing reward after all of that end-of-school stress, then rest your body for what is sure to be a crazy summer vacation! recommended

ccatherwood@thestranger.com