LEVATOR, MINI-LIFE, RED MARTIAN, 1985, GUESTS
(Rendezvous) Levator is Sky Lynn, an almost offensively talented multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriter, whose self-produced debut CD, Midnight, will be released tonight at this show. The music on the record is beautifully detailed, veering from dreamy girl pop to heavier, more grown-up rock tones, all marked by distinguished musicianship (Lynn sings and plays every note on every song) and adventurous handmade production. And as if making a record and playing a show weren't enough, Lynn has shot and edited video presentations for each of the seven solo performers on the bill tonight. So here's one CD-release party that might actually become one. SEAN NELSON
KINKY, DJ DAREK MAZZONE
(Chop Suey) Brought to you by local promotion outfit UFO (Chris Porter and Heather Rogers), Kinky return to spice up your dismal Seattle December. These Mexican eclectics blend house, funk, hiphop, and rock in order to generate jalapeno-hot party vibes without suffocating you in queso. Their two albums on Nettwerk America--2001's Kinky and 2003's Atlas--burst with songs that go down like tequila shots in Tijuana, and they'll leave you as giddy as that scenario implies. The infinitely adaptable Darek Mazzone is Seattle's foremost world-music selector, so get there early. DAVE SEGAL
IRON COMPOSER FEATURING ROBB BENSON VS. HEATHER DUBY
(Crocodile) Heather Duby sends shudders down my spine with her luscious, velvet voice and her starkly indifferent, poignant lyrics. Robb Benson makes my heart patter when he croons and belts his songs of loves lost, or never found. Heather and Robb are two of the strongest singer-songwriters in Seattle. Their collective talents generate immense respect from their peers and fans. At this month's Iron Composer, we will see which of these two musical virtuosi can drink the other under the table--and onto the stage. For those who haven't caught a previous Iron Composer competition, Heather and Robb will be challenged to write and perform a song within one hour amid treacherous barriers to creativity such as chaotic music videos, audience-participation karaoke challenges, mystery turmoil, and of course, a shot of tequila every 12 minutes to lubricate the process. It rules. Check out www.ironcomposer.com for more info on the wackiest thing to happen to Seattle since Bill Nye. CARISSA VALENTINE See also Stranger Suggests, page 33.
SCHOOLYARD HEROES, ALIEN CRIME SYNDICATE, POST STARDOM DEPRESSION, GOSLING, THE LONELY H
(Graceland) This show is all about givin' rock to the kids. Literally. Not only has Graceland been kind enough to waive its fee on ticket sales, but all of tonight's bands are playing for free as well. Why? Well, it is the season of giving, after all, and these bands and the show's generous sponsors (which includes The Stranger, along with 107.7 The End, Sonic Boom Records, Vain, and Thingmakers) will be handing over all the profits to the Seattle Public School District's Performing Arts program. That way, local public schools can afford to keep instruments and music programs in the schools. Tickets are only $7 and can be bought in advance at Sonic Boom Records. Today's band geek is tomorrow's rock star. MEGAN SELING
FRIDAY 12/17
THE STRANGER'S OFFICIAL HOLIDAY BALL
(Crocodile) See Stranger Suggests, page 33.
DILLINJA, LEMON D
(Catwalk) For seasoned jungle fans, seeing the monikers Dillinja and Lemon D on a flyer is akin to classic-rock aficionados peeping, say, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin on a handbill. Schwing! Graying drum 'n' bass heads will not want to miss this rare appearance from these vital players of the '90s UK scene and esteemed members of Goldie's Metalheadz stable. And young D&B fiends need to get schooled by Dillinja and Lemon D, who run Valve Recordings together. While their own productions from back in the day feature brainy, serpentine rhythms and enough soulful vocals to please an aging Stax-Volt connoisseur, Dillinja and Lemon D now rinse cuts that pack a much fiercer punch, with extra dancehall flava for your bass-bin-riding enjoyment. DAVE SEGAL
IQU, THE GIRLS, MOON RAYS
(Neumo's) Fresh off their European vacation--I mean tour--where the Germans apparently went so hog wild for the Girls they showed up with bootlegged shirts, the band is back to perform a winter homecoming show. Following honing their chops on such a long road tour, the Girls will probably deliver a tight performance of Cars-flecked synth punk and some of the catchiest rock tunes written in this city. The Girls are a local favorite for a reason. JENNIFER MAERZ
MIGUEL MIGS, WESLEY HOLMES, JEROMY NAIL
(Chop Suey) Miguel Migs? How can a guy with a name like that let you down? He can't. He won't. Just seeing the name Miguel Migs in print fills you with warmth, and when it's combined with the sensuous, curvaceous artwork that adorns his production albums and mix discs, the effect is utterly seductive. This stalwart DJ from the Naked Music stable is the epitome of California house music: sunny, soulful, perma-grinned, 118-124-bpm bumptiousness. If you like your house sets tinged with darkness or bristling with some experimental edginess, though, Migs ain't your man. This congenial brother would sooner eat his record box than harsh your mellow. DAVE SEGAL
PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES, COBRA HIGH, THE NEW MEXICANS, FOURTHCITY DJS, DJ COLBY B
(CHAC Lower Level) No matter how many times you've seen them play, if you're a New Mexicans fan you better hit this show. Tonight's performance marks the band's finale under this moniker/in this incarnation, as their members have promised a reshuffling of their name, members, and sound. Let's hope the hilarious songs titles will stay, however. JENNIFER MAERZ
LIL JOHN & THE EASTSIDE BOYZ, BYRDIE
(Moore) To much of the world, "King of Crunk" Lil Jon can be summed up in one to three words: What?!? WHAT?!? YEAH!!! Thanks to Comedy Central's Dave Chappelle and Usher's single, "Yeah," which takes on crunk's inescapable growling exclamation, the pimp-cup-toting impresario Lil Jon is even more an identifiable illustration from Atlanta than Izzy the whazzit from the 1996 Olympics. Get past the hyper-saturated caricature, however, and you'll find a deft, in-demand producer rejigging hiphop's formula with brazen, shrieking figures torn from digital workstations still rippling and causing a buzz like the junk in a plus-size trunk. The riffs are woozy and flammable like Hennessey guzzled from a plastic gas can, and the bangin' beats will leave you bug-eyed like a gravity bong. OKAY?!?! TONY WARE
SATURDAY 12/18
HARVEY DANGER, KANE HODDER, RACETRACK
(Crocodile) See All Ages Action, page 64.
HARVEY DANGER, JON BRION, RACETRACK
(Crocodile) See CD Review, page 50 and preview, page 48.
SHOEGAZER'S BALL: THE HIGH VIOLETS, HYPATIA LAKE, THE UPSIDEDOWN, TELEPHONE, BLACK NITE CRASH, JOY WANTS ETERNITY, CHARMPARTICLES, THE JEUNES, BIRDS OF PREY
(Chop Suey) Seattle. We're a city of self-effacing, non-dancing music aficionados, more at ease nodding our heads to a swirly, distorted guitar than disco dancing to, well, anything. No wonder we're hosting "The Fuzzy Ball: Shoegazer's Ball III," a thrice-celebrated tribute show that showcases some of the Pacific Northwest's darkest bands, basking in the hazy, reverbed glow of their favorite influences. This event also gives you hope of hearing those dreamy songs you enjoyed not dancing to back in the '90s performed live. Come and ponder: Will brooding local trio Birds of Prey attempt My Bloody Valentine? Who will play the dreamy Catherine Wheel: High Violets or Charmparticles? Will Hypatia Lake have the greatest number of foot pedals per reverb? And most importantly: Will Black Nite Crash reprise their performance of Adorable's "Homeboy" for the third year running? DANA BOS
J. BOOGIE'S DUBTRONIC SCIENCE
(Mirabeau Room) J. Boogie's track on the OM Lounge 8 comp, "Golden Nectar," is sublimely blissful downtempo exotica, all languid sitar, rococo flute trills, and post-coital funk beats. It's but one facet of the prolific OM label's most consistently interesting artist's buttah-smooth repertoire. On this tour, J's bringing a band to flesh out his many-styles/many-smiles turntable tactics. Dude's one of San Francisco's most popular radio and club DJs, and in that jock-infested city, that actually means something. Sitar, flute, congas, horns, and vocals will lend an appropriately worldly air to tonight's Globalista party, hosted with utmost competence as usual by Darek Mazzone. Bring the Nag Champa! DAVE SEGAL
THE BRIEFS, THE DISKORDS, NICE BOYS, THROWAWAY ANGELS
(Graceland) While Interscope sat around licking Fred Durst's ass and refusing to release the Briefs' second album, the band recorded a whole 'nother record and released it on Seattle's Dirtnap under the guise of it being an EP. Pretty killer move in my book--one that should come as no surprise, though, as these dudes have played the game before. Back during the grunge days a couple of the members got signed in Green Apple Quickstep, a band about as influential on Seattle music as that commercial where that old guy from Letterman goes, "Thanks, phone dude!" Don't hold that against the Briefs, though. They play classic punk rock the way it was supposed to be played and with more energy then bands half their age. JED MAHEU
EXILE ON BALLARD AVENUE FEATURING THE SUPERSUCKERS, RADIO NATIONALS, KIM VIRANT, THE COPS, BLACK PANTIES, AND MANY MORE
(Sunset) I'm weary of hearing people complain about the banality of cover nights. When they're well-coordinated and the subject matter is truly worthy, they can be ridiculously entertaining and a heart-warming opportunity to see fresh configurations of local musicians having a blast playing the music that made them pick up their instruments in the first place. Triple Door booking agent and all-around fret-burner Andrew McKeag has assembled his peers to cover the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street in its entirety. Among the expected highlights are the Cops roughing up "Happy," performed by the trouble-making team of McKeag, Scott Giampino, Danny Bland, and Jeff Fielder. Come down and get your rocks off. HANNAH LEVIN
ASAHI, THE CATCH, SOME BY SEA, WESAFARI
(Vera Project) For a band whose singer was once lauded--in these very pages, no less--as having the most beautiful singing voice in Seattle, Asahi continue inexplicably to duck the detection of national radar, though not for much longer, I imagine. The band's richly layered songs of love and loss unspool slowly and carefully, the simmering mixture of violins and keyboards conveying an emotional urgency that's all the more amplified by Tomo Nakayama's famously affecting vocals. On the other end of the emotional spectrum, the Catch, who recently found a home with Made in Mexico Records, will also be performing, forgoing sentiment for sass with their flirtatious dance-floor pop. Throw in the orchestral Some by Sea, and you have three of Seattle's best-kept secrets. NICK KOCH
SUNDAY 12/19
CRITTERS BUGGIN, THRUSTER!
(Tractor) Led by dynamic guitarist Tim Young (Zony Mash, Wayne Horvitz, and loads more), Thruster! earn their exclamation mark with the sort of jazz rock that stiffens the arms hairs of NYC avant-garde venue Tonic patrons. The trio (including drummer Matt Chamberlain and bassist Kaveh Rastegar) alternates between Red-era King Crimson's thorny, brainy convolutions, Hendrix's well-articulated bombast, and Calexico's blasted, beatific prairie meditations. I've told you many times already about the abundantly diverse pleasures of Critters Buggin, but if you've never caught these Seattle shapeshifters, you need to lose your CB virginity pronto. You never know what they're gonna lay on your noggin, but you can bet it'll leave you cock-eyed and intoxicated. DAVE SEGAL
MONDAY 12/20
DOLLY PARTON, THE GRASCALS
(Everett Events Center) See preview, page 45.
TUESDAY 12/21
JAPANTHER, CAT BEES, DJ FUCKING IN THE STREETS, DJ PACO
(Neumo's) Japanther often get dismissed for ripping off Lightning Bolt and the Misfits or for being pop-punk jocks disguised as indie rockists. I know that these are meant as insults, but this makes me even happier to see the irony-laden subculture from which Japanther emerged torn a fresh one via infectious "whoah" sing-alongs and karaoke posi-core wailed at top volume. Ian Vanek and Matt Reilly always seem to be on tour or breaking up or fighting, but I only see them as a pair of pop geniuses who probably imbibed too much godheadSilo and hiphop. With a setup of cassette-backing tracks, tap bass, drums, and telephone microphones, the pair get away with chants about loving their moms and pleading with them not to get a divorce. These are anthems for your inner sugar-addled latchkey kid who doesn't give a toss about "guilty pleasure" and scarfs melodic riffs like so much Cap'n Crunch. GEORGE CHEN
WEDNESDAY 12/22
PORTABLE
(Mantra Lounge) See preview, page 47, and Stranger Suggests.
