SMOKE AND SMOKE, ME INFECTO, THE ABODOX
(Chop Suey) More heaviness for a city that appreciates it like nowhere else. Smoke and Smoke reunites the duo of godheadSilo with Murder City Devils singer Spencer Moody. KATHLEEN WILSON
THE BUTTLESS CHAPS, THE GAY, THE RELUCTANTS
(Sunset) For those who see every glass of water as half full, Vancouver, BC's the Gay are a squeaky clean choral pop act who sound so happy you'd have to, like, kill one of their pets to get anything resembling the blues into their music. Personally, I prefer the Polyphonic Spree myself, but Mint Records/New Pornographers fans lavish these guys with high praise, and they've been called an indie supergroup because their members include people from Superconductor, Maow, Tennessee Twin, and Vancouver Nights. They're touring with fellow Mint band the Buttless Chaps, who on name alone seem like a good pairing with the Gay. JENNIFER MAERZ
BONFIRE MADIGAN, AARON SPRINKLE, SOUND TEAM
(Crocodile) Austin's Sound Team texturize ambient pop with instruments like the minimoog, electric piano, electric organ, and synthesizers, creating melodies that rise and expand in colorful ripples through your mind in sugary instrumental songs inspired by Brian Eno as well as the Elephant 6 Collective. When they do add vocals to the mix, it only brings an extra sweet hum to their lo-fi engine, and their delicate delivery is infinitely charming. JENNIFER MAERZ
AUTONOMADIC, THE FEMURS, STAY TUNED, DJ KEN DIRTNAP
The Femurs is actually just Rob Shaeffer, perhaps the biggest fan of the Ramones I've ever met. His self-titled solo album is full of well-crafted pop hooks that get stuck in your head for days, and there's even a sweet love song uniting escaping home, relationships, and Peter Wolf. How can you not help but be charmed by that? His tribute to Joey Ramone, "Joey," is uplifting but heartbreaking at the same time (I saw Shaeffer sitting on a barstool that day he heard the news of Joey's death looking sadder than almost anyone who'd ever been a fan). KATHLEEN WILSON
FRIDAY 3/12
MASON JENNINGS, THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS
(Chop Suey) See Drunk by Noon, page 45.
BRITNEY SPEARS, KELIS, SKYE SWEETNAM
(KeyArena) Some men need drugs to get it going on, but all I need is Kelis' voice. I've said this before, and I will say it again--and again every motherfucking time she visits this goddamn city: Play her songs and, aha! There it is, up and ready. I don't care if she's singing about how big her milk shakes are, or how much she hates some guy right now--neither the meaning of the lyrics nor even the steaming visuals in her music videos arouses me one bit. It is just her voice. Something in her delivery has in it a force I can't resist. It's not the sexiest voice in the universe--Donna Summer has by far a sexier voice--and yet everything in my pants remains calm when Summer sings. Kelis, and only Kelis, does the trick. I don't know why, but she does. For obvious reasons, I will not attend this show. CHARLES MUDEDE
X, VISQUEEN, THE BLACK PANTIES
(Sky Church) If you've seen The Decline of Western Civilization, have read We Got the Neutron Bomb, or, most likely, know a thing or two about early L.A. punk, you already know who X are, and you're well familiar with the pairing of John Doe and Exene Cervenka as two performers who not only cross often between punk and country but also blur the lines between the silver screen and the recording studio (I think it'd be impossible to count the number of cameos Doe's played over the years). Tonight the band headlines on a bill backed by local acts--the lovely and harmonious pop of Visqueen and the groove-heavy hard rock of the Black Panties, a band that just finished recording a debut disc with Jack Endino. JENNIFER MAERZ
SATURDAY 3/13
DOOMSDAY 1999, HIGH PRIESTS OF PANIC, BOOK OF BLACK EARTH
(2nd Avenue Pizza) See Stranger Suggests, page 21.
GATSBY'S AMERICAN DREAM, SURROUNDED BY LIONS, GRAYSKUL, BLUE SCHOLARS, MARC SENSE
(Chop Suey, early) See preview, page 37.
SUPERSNAZZ, ONCE FOR KICKS, SGT. MAJOR
(Crocodile) One of the Northwest's most loved Japanese bands, Supersnazz recorded their 1993 album Superstupid! with Kurt Bloch and released it on Sub Pop. Energetic doesn't even begin to describe the level of enthusiasm the band has for retro-rock, with an equal love of bubblegum pop flavoring this delightful, elusive band. The once four-woman act now features two guys, and they've lost guitarist Kanako, but they've been brought into town by Mariners super-fan Deuce Bender for an album he wrote that will feature Supersnazz feting none other than our beloved Ichiro. Conrad Uno is recording that song and hopes against hope that he'll get another album out of them, since their last full-length, Diode City, self-produced on the Sympathy for the Record Industry label, came out ages ago in 1999. Supersnazz will be in town for nine days total, playing at least two live shows in the process, so if you're curious or a devoted fan, don't miss these dates. Kathleen Wilson See also Stranger Suggests, page 21.
THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES, HARKONEN, AKIMBO, BRASKI
(Hell's Kitchen) If you're not in the Tacoma area for this show, one step out your door tonight should slide you south down I-5, as these bands bring on songs heavy as asteroids packed with industrial magnets. Akimbo may be classic-rock-influenced, but their music also takes cues from hardcore, a statement that could also be made about Harkonen. These Arms Are Snakes lighten up the bill just a bit, adding space-rock atmospherics to a sound that's otherwise dark and brooding in mood. JENNIFER MAERZ
BOBBY McFERRIN, SAVION GLOVER
(Paramount) "Don't worry be happy was a number one jam; damn if I say that you can slap me right here."--Chuck D CHARLES MUDEDE
SUNDAY 3/14
HELL PROMISE, A TASTE FOR MURDER, SIX DEMON BAG, BLUE MOUSE THEATRE, MY VICE, BREATHLESS MAHONEY, FIVE GOOD REASONS, AND MANY MORE
(Studio Seven) You're probably looking at this long list of bands and thinking, "Holy shit," right? Well there's a good reason for this daylong show, and that good reason is Adele Collins. Adele, who has been a fixture in Louisville's independent music scene, was diagnosed with a "pseudo-tumor" last year (that's a fancy way of saying that there is fluid forming at the top of her spine). Recently, her medical expenses have dramatically increased, and not only that, but she's also having to travel to Cincinnati once a month for treatment. So, because Adele has done so much for independent music and bands (she's the woman behind the zine I Stand Alone, and has also released a couple of 7-inches through the zine), fans and friends of hers are doing what they can to return the favor by hosting benefit shows in her honor to help pay off climbing medical bills. Today's all-ages show starts at noon and goes until 11 pm (there will be reentry). It's kinda pricey at $12, but the money will be going to a great cause. MEGAN SELING
POP SHOPPE RECORD SWAP 2
(Crocodile) Vinyl addicts unite--today marks the second Pop Shoppe Record Swap, where collectors and vendors hawk their merch during optimum brunch time (noon to 4 pm). Musical guests at today's all-ages event are the young sister pop act Smoosh and Sgt. Major, a band that includes the wonderful Kurt Bloch. JENNIFER MAERZ
MONDAY 3/15
BLESSED LIGHT, THE DEATHS, DOWNPILOT, MINES
(Chop Suey) Every band that has played with Blessed Light since the release of their latest album, Love Lights the Way, has come out from the experience saying the same thing to me--they all express embarrassment at having shared a bill with such an immensely talented band. Congratulations to its members and singer Toby G. for their latest full-length, which is nothing short of gorgeous. KATHLEEN WILSON
ODESSA, VIA, LUNCH BUDDY PROGRAM
(Green Room) Atmospheric and rocking, Via certainly have a handle on the pleasing shock value of soft/loud dynamics. Their 2002 album Deception Pass (Woodson Lateral Records) is melodic and pretty with all the lovely bridges built in for those essential changes in mood. KATHLEEN WILSON
TUESDAY 3/16
THE BUILDING PRESS (CD RELEASE), OLD TIME RELIJUN, WATER KILL THE SUN
(Chop Suey) See CD Reviews, page 39.
SIR MIX-A-LOT, UNITED STATE OF ELECTRONICA, KISSKISSKISS
(Showbox) See the Truth, page 43.
SOME GIRLS, DAUGHTERS, THE CHINESE STARS
(Studio Seven) See preview, page 34.
WEDNESDAY 3/17
LUOMO (AKA VLADISLAV DELAY), BRUNO PRONSATO, CODEBASE
(Chop Suey) See Data Breaker, page 51.
THE CATCH, THE MANGLES, ELECTRIC KISSES
(Crocodile) Here's your chance to watch the Catch in one of their first headlining gigs, and see what all the fuss is about. You want cute and sassy and assured songs about love and such? The Catch is your band. KATHLEEN WILSON
