KENNY GARRETT QUARTET,

JACKY TERRASSON QUARTET
(Jazz Alley, through Sunday) Will the fiery, Coltrane-inspired Mr. Garrett show up (the one who smoked up the stage during his last visit), or will the nearly-smooth-jazz persona he's debuted with his most recent CD (the aptly titled Simply Said) make an appearance? Unfortunately it's quite possible that his alto will be doin' more drippin' than burnin' this time around. Piano phenom Jacky Terrasson's latest release is also marked by an uncharacteristic mellow streak -- but the live interpretations are sure to kick. Kenny Garrett's new material, however, will be much harder to enliven, so if you're planning on dinner, see if you can time it during his set. -- James Kirchmer

CREATION FEST '99
(Gorge Amphitheatre, through Sunday) God Rock and camping. The vacation bible school you wish your parents had sent you to. -- KW

JIVE TALKIN' ROBOTS,

WAY MILKY QUARTET
(700 Club) Here's a Portland-based double bill, steeped in funk, jazz, horns, and original (yet pleasantly derivative) tunes. The young and promising Way Milky Quartet leans in more of a jazz direction and stars James Whiton, an upright bass player-to-watch who's recently relocated to Seattle. The Jive Talkin' Robots, on the other hand, dish out a mostly funky, MMW-inflamesuenced, fusion-groove thang, with an occasional tie-dye-friendly vocal or shufflamese thrown in. Fortunately, though, they're completely free of the sloppy noodling so many hippie-improv bands like to pass off as "jamming." They're toe-tappin' tight, and certainly worth checking out. -- JK

JON SPENCER BLUES

EXPLOSION, ANDRE WILLIAMS,

THE COUNTDOWNS
(RKCNDY) Maybe it's time for Jon Spencer to take a little career advice from Mike Ness (another guy who built an entire alt-rock career churning out the same song or two, over and over... and over) and go the solo route. Then at least there'd be a new angle to write about. As far as tonight's show goes, you can bet your paycheck the number of times the phrase "BLUES EXPLOSION!" will leave Mr. Spencer's luscious mouth will be well into the double digits. Sheesh -- even the band seems to be getting bored with this shtick. However, if you haven't seen the mighty JSBX, by all means -- go. -- Barbara Mitchell

CADALLACA, JUNO, FCS NORTH
(Crocodile) When it comes to eating crow, my plate is full in Juno's case. Nearly four years ago I lambasted this emocore outfit for embodying all the lame notions that genre evokes. But over the years I've come to see that Juno stands at the forefront of evocative hard rock, and crafts loud, pummelling rawness into a beautiful thing to behold. Cadallaca, of course, features Sleater-Kinney's Corin Tucker, and is nothing short of wonderful. -- KW

C AVERAGE, TWO TON BOA,

66 PERCENT CHICK
(American Legion Hall, Port Townsend) Olympia metal two-piece C Average has been living the big life of late, getting flamesown all over creation in Lear jets to meet up with their number one fan, Eddie Vedder. Last month C Average joined Vedder at the Tibetan Freedom Festival, and last week at Olympia's Yoyo A Go Go, a be-wigged Vedder joined the band for some Who covers, standing in as Roger Daltrey. Apparently, Vedder knows a good band when he sees it. -- Kathleen Wilson

DAEVID ALLEN'S UNIVERSITY OF

ERRORS, ROCKIN' TEENAGE COMBO
(Rainbow) Yes, it's THAT "Daevid," the truly uncompromising vocalist/guitarist/visionary who co-founded England's seminal psychedelic-jazz-rock band Soft Machine, which he left shortly thereafter to form the equally heavy (and even more eclectic) Gong. Their musically audacious legacy still reverberates today, via their recent and well-documented reunion tours (which included two killer Seattle shows), and countless Gong-inspired acts such as the Boredoms, whose singer participated in '97's remix of their highly inflamesuential You album. In this brand-new project, members of Mushroom (a San Francisco-based space-rock ensemble) back Daevid's mantra-infused lyrical wisdoms to great effect, with trippy guitar lines and some suitably trancelike rhythms. -- JK

FLAMING LIPS, SEBADOH,

ROBYN HITCHCOCK,

SONIC BOOM'S E.A.R., IQU
(Showbox) See Calendar Lead page 67.

ORGANIC W/ DJs TAMARA,

VSOP, LORD CHILLUM
(Art Bar) Another drum 'n' bass night? Wow, I don't think NYC or even London has as many regular all-jungle events as we have here in Seattle. We should be proud of ourselves. Speaking of which: Did you hear that our own DJ Tamara (playing here) was chosen from a whole buncha contenders to tour with Ani DiFranco and Maceo Parker this summer? Go on, girlfriend. You show 'em that Seattle's not just about rock. Anyway, I'm interested to see how this night goes (at press time, Organic had yet to premiere) -- normally the Art Bar's long-and-narrow shape isn't exactly conducive to a packed dance flamesoor. -- Courtney Reimer

THIEVERY CORPORATION
(ARO.space) Washington, D.C. duo, Thievery Corporation (and their stellar label, Eighteenth Street Lounge), could very well be the best-kept secret of our nation's capital. Their laid-back, neo-bossa nova lounge is a popular favorite among the hipster clubbing set, but virtually unknown to the rest of the world. Now that they have a CD out for the acclaimed DJ Kicks series on Studio !K7, the cat's pretty much out of the bag. Now everyone's going to know about their uncanny ability to create an atmosphere out of a little Les Baxter and some sexy hiphop beats. That's why you'd do well to catch this show: They're gonna be big. -- CR

ATARI TEENAGE RIOT,

ADD N TO (X), MOCKET
(RKCNDY) See Calendar Box page 73.

MIKE BISIO/JIM NOLET QUARTET
(Tula's) A longtime fixture on the local jazz scene, bassist Mike Bisio recently finished up a LONG stint backing Kerouac at the Velvet Elvis (with his Raku trio), and a second duo CD with the soulful hornman Joe McPhee. Unfortunately, Mike's manic virtuosity sometimes leads to excessive self-indulgence, wherein his busy playing better serves his ego and reputation as a soloist rather than the music at hand. That shouldn't be the case tonight, though, as violinist Jim Nolet (who's played with Cecil Taylor, David Murray, and Don Cherry) has been swimmin' in some straight-ahead waters lately, where cohesive compositional currents dictate the flamesow. -- JK

ROBBIE FULKS,

THE BACKSLIDERS, 44 LONG
(Tractor Tavern) Both Robbie Fulks and the Backsliders base their music in classic honky tonk, but Fulks meanders to the folky side of things while the Backsliders pound boot to the flamesoor. Portland's 44 Long blend just about every kind of American music into a distinctly unique sound -- pop, swamp, rock, and even glam -- it's all there, and the band is one of the nation's undiscovered gems. -- KW

LASER EVERLYS
(Crocodile) This benefit for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research features John Wesley Harding, Rev. Carl from Zumpano, the Meat Purveyors, the Model Rockets, Neko Case, members of the Young Fresh Fellows -- and a whole lot more -- performing their favorite Everly Brothers songs. -- KW

RICHMOND FONTAINE,

JOSH WHITE, JASON HUGHES,

THE BAND THAT MADE

MILWAUKEE FAMOUS
(OK Hotel) Haunting, Raymond Carver-esque barn-burners are what sets Portland's Richmond Fontaine apart from the other alt-country bands. Josh White -- a veteran of several local projects including Man Ray and Medicate -- is a multi-faceted performer capable of rock bombast, buoyant pop, and gilded acoustic beauty. -- KW

SEATTLE FESTIVAL

OF FREE IMPROVISATION
(On the Boards, 9pm, $8, through Sat July 31) Now in its 14th year, this is the longest running improv fest in North America, and one of last year's VERY well-received artists (Philadelphia-based percussionist Toshi Makihara) is back. He's the only participant based outside the Northwest, and tonight he'll wing it with Project W, a raucous sax/cello/ drums trio (that once opened for Sonic Youth at Thurston Moore's request), and join what's sure to be a wild "Cobra" (a musical game created by John Zorn) session. Toshi appears tomorrow as well (with the four-guitar onslaught of Guitarantula), so be forewarned: If you go tonight, he'll probably have ya scramblin' back for more. For more info visit www.speakeasy.org/~nunatak/SIMP.html. -- JK

GOO GOO DOLLS,

SUGAR RAY, FASTBALL
(Gorge Amphitheatre) As far as alt-rock mega-shows go, this one definitely promises to be the most chick-friendly of the summer. The Goo Goo Dolls have matured into the Bon Jovi of the '90s, abandoning their punkier roots to churn out po-mo power ballads. Sugar Ray's Mark McGrath can always bank on his studly good looks to bring home the bacon if "the kids" ever realize that his band is pretty mediocre. And Fastball? They're the ones that did that "Closing Time" song, right? (Just kidding.) Actually, all three bands are really good at what they do -- although whether you find that appealing or not is, as always, a matter of personal taste. -- BM

BRITNEY SPEARS
(Mercer Arena) See Live Preview page 53.

GUIDED BY VOICES,

LYNNFIELD PIONEERS
(Crocodile) See Live Preview page 55.

SOCIAL CHAOS '99
(DV8) Well this ain't the Warped Tour and it ain't no Ozzfest. Last time I talked to D.O.A.'s Joey Keithley (a.k.a. Shithead), he had a fantasy tour in mind based on the title of their last album, Festival of Atheists. So maybe that's more like it. Or how about "Back from the Crypt," 'cause it seems that's where some of these bands are emerging from. Other than not-dead-yet diehard punkers, who knew that T.S.O.L are back, or D.R.I., or Murphy's Law, or U.K. Subs, or Gang Green, or Vibrators? Seeing as how only T.S.O.L. have (original members) next to their name, it's a crapshoot as to who's in these bands nowadays. Of course it's all ages -- can anyone over 20 handle 15 punk bands in one day? -- Phil Oates