BARBARITO TORRES
(The Showbox) Barbarito Torres got his improbable taste of fame as a member of the Buena Vista Social Club; but how far can he take his traditional Cuban dance music and unique instrument (he plays a kind of lute)? Miami's own Cuban Stallion swears on Castro's grave that these guys absolutely tore down the house at the Starfish Cafe in Miami Beach. If they can do it to Cuban exiles, they're gonna do it to you, too. -- Nathan Thornburgh

TORI AMOS
(KeyArena) Is Tori a goddess, or is she just a whore? Is it just me, or is piano humping at $29 a head a lot more like prostitution than religion? Why Ms. Amos, shame on you! Somebody has to wipe that nasty instrument off when you're finished with your dirty little rock concerts! If you're 13 years old, and you're very excited about Tori's upcoming show, then by all means, rock on. However, 13 is the cutoff. After that you're a fucking john. I'm serious. -- Jeff DeRoche

LA LOCA
(Mona's) The "loca" one is Cindy Hughen on piano; Chris Stromquist, with his new Cuban chops, is on congas; Jeff Busch, author of Mambrasa's worldly grooves, is on drums. Add Miguel Garrito, bassist to the mighty Jovino, and you have La Loca, one of Seattle's best homegrown jazz/Latin combos. You will hear these players sooner or later -- it might as well be now, when there's still no cover charge. -- Nathan Thornburgh

RICHMOND FONTAINE
(Crocodile) Richmond plays a fittingly Croc-like set of heavily textured rock/folk songs in which his plaintive voice is washed out by twangy, amplified acoustic guitars. The West is well-invoked, however, by the driving folksiness of it all, and you might want to go to this gig if you've ever lived in Montana, Colorado, or either one of the Dakotas. If you're an ex-Californian (people from the city of Lodi excepted), you won't get it. -- Nathan Thornburgh

BLINKER THE STAR
(Metropolis, Olympia) Though much hoo-ha was made of his collaboration with Courtney Love on Hole's Celebrity Skin (resulting in a single song), Jordan Zadorozny's own band, Blinker the Star, is a better showcase for his knack of pure pop songcraft. August Everywhere (DreamWorks) transforms Blinker from its former rawness into a full-fledged pop band resplendent in clever arrangements and lush choruses. -- Kathleen Wilson

INSANE CLOWN POSSE
(Fenix) No one is going to argue that KISS and Gwar are going down in history because of their songwriting prowess. The problem with Insane Clown Posse is that there's nothing behind the grease paint and soda-spraying. It's all been done before, and with more creativity and to better effect. Clowns and pro-wrestling? You're only excused for going to this show if you're too young to drive. -- Barbara Mitchell

SUBSET
(Crocodile) Aw, c'mon. My overactive imagination can come up with far worse combos than Sir Mix A Lot and the Presidents (Courtney Love meets G. Love, for example). The problem here is that, unlike peanut butter and chocolate, these two great tastes don't taste great together. Hiphop-meets-quip-pop? Looks better on paper. -- Barbara Mitchell

LOU RAWLS
(Emerald Queen Casino) Lou Rawls began his career in entertainment with a gospel outfit, Pilgrim Travelers, in the early '50s. After garnering attention for his distinctively sexy, throaty croon, he made that fabled trek to California, where he hooked up with the legendary Sam Cook on a duet entitled "Bring it on Home to Me." While Rawls' last chart hit was in 1987, he resuscitated his career by providing the baritone croak for those Budweiser commercials. -- Rick Levin

311
(DV8) 311? Which ones are they? I can't keep them all straight. They're the ones that are more funky than Cake but less metal than Rage, right? The ones with that singer who... no, wait. That's Third Eye Blind. Didn't they do that song with the really creepy vid... oh, no. That was Better than Ezra. -- Barbara Mitchell

JONATHAN BUTLER
(Jazz Alley) South African Jonathan Butler has been described as a "R&B/fusion performer with a slight debt to jazz," but the Jazz Alley is a Seattle club with a very large debt to jazz. How will it pan out when Butler takes the jazzy stage? Who's behind Jazz Alley's string of folk/R&B performers? Jazz Alley hasn't been this tense since Tito Puente nearly cut his big old wagging tongue on a crash cymbal in late September. I predict that Butler will make Jazz Alley a sexier place: Maybe the regular jazz duffers will put those dark corners to good use and start making out for once. -- Nathan Thornburgh

THE BIG WU
(The Highliner) I was hoping that the Big Wu would be another manifestation of Asian-American cultural power: selling records, touring the country with a Chinese name. Unfortunately, I don't know where the hell they got the name from -- the Big Wu are five stony white guys from Minneapolis, playing unexceptional HORDE-jam schlock. Plus they have lyrics like "My kangaroo, it ain't so hard/For you to bounce in my backyard." Even Phish can do better than that. -- Nathan Thornburgh

GUITAR WOLF/THE WOGGLES/THE GIMMICKS
(Breakroom) See Live Preview page 45.

THE GET UP KIDS/MANDARIN/JOSHUA
(RKCNDY) See Stranger Suggests page 53.

MURDER CITY DEVILS KIMBALL ROESER EFFECT/ ZEKE
(Breakroom) Get ready to hear some big sound from the nicest punk rockers around. Murder City Devils, returning from a nationwide tour will play, and also on the bill are the Kimball Roeser Effect (one part Eddie Roeser from Urge Overkill and one part Jim Kimball from Jesus Lizard) and Zeke. Look for Zeke to complement the Murder City Devils with their dirty punk rock antics. One word of advice: Don't wear nice shoes because they'll just get beer-soaked. -- Pete Savignano

PAUL REVERE & THE RAIDERS
(Kitsap Mall, Silverdale) Paul Revere & the Raiders, who were the very first band to sign to the Columbia label, have not had a hit single in the last 25 years. Despite this fact they are the most televised group in the history of the universe. Since the early '60s they've shown up 720-plus times on the glorious boob tube, and at one time they even hosted their own weekly program. Obviously, the American people love Paul Revere & the Raiders. How could you not? The song "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" is an irrefutable masterpiece. -- Rick Levin

B-SIDE PLAYERS
(OK Hotel) San Diego's B-Side Players aren't named after the flip side of a single, as most people assume. Rather, they named themselves after San Diego's "brown side," the Latino part of town. Despite having clouded the ethnic origin of their name, the B-Side players are at their strongest playing up their pan-Hispanic musical heritage. Their only weak point is the lead singer, but if his barrio is as tough as the lyrics suggest, maybe somebody will "go loco" on him and the B-Side crew will need a new singer. Ha, just kidding. -- Nathan Thornburgh

SYCOPHANT
(Tractor Tavern) Sycophant's live shows are invariably good, and very often great. There usually comes a point during the performance when the three separate and equally-talented parts hit on all cylinders -- they find that pocket, that groove, and then stay put unto exhaustion, especially if the crowd is with them. The songs are smart and catchy, tinged with melancholy but unashamed of cutting loose every once in a while with a momentarily naive grin. Or maybe it's a smirk. -- Rick Levin

BEVIS FROND/GREEN PAJAMAS
(Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center, 9 pm, $8, all ages) Nick Salomon emerged from his English home studio in the mid-'80s as the Bevis Frond and quickly found that his highly personal brand of lo-fi neo-psychedelia had a rather sizable audience, comprised both of acid-rock vets and an eager new generation of teenage experimentalists. Inspirations are, by nature, dated, but witty deliveries never go out of style. -- James Kirchmer

OCTANT/HARPY/OTA-PROTA
(Crocodile) Sandwiched between Octant's mechanically driven pop and Ota-Prota's accessible fusion is the music of Harpy, a similarly angular and hard-to-categorize band visiting from Japan. Their short set last October at the Rendevouz's intimate Jewelbox Theater left me craving for more jerky melodicisms from their soaring, dervish-like female singer. With two promising local bands also on hand, this is an unusually strong Sunday night bill, so arrive early and stay late. -- James Kirchmer

BEBOP & DESTRUCTION
(New Orleans Cafe) A Bebop & Destruction gig at the jazz-heavy New Orleans deserves extra mention. After all, with their rebel yell name and "young lion" sheen, Bebop & Destruction have made a living playing straight-ahead music in non-jazz bars like the Owl 'N' Thistle. But the test for them is whether they will continue to rely on the novelty of young players playing old music, or whether they will use their substantial talent to actually make the unique jazz hybrids that would truly set them apart. -- Nathan Thornburgh

TYPE O NEGATIVE
(RKCNDY) Combining brutal metal riffs with preternatural sexuality, Peter Steele and company made a big splash with 1994's Bloody Kisses, but some- where along the way the band's fierce anger and sinister proclamations smothered under the weight of their own disdain. These guys feel the Apocalypse approaching and are content to suffer every excruciating moment. A horde of teenage nihilists will welcome the spectacle. -- David Slatton

WAYNE HANCOCK/GERALD COLLIER AND EDDIE SPAGHETTI
(Crocodile) Unlike the current crop of wimpy, Johnny-come-latelies, Wayne "the train" Hancock is a rough-hewn diamond in the raw. His music is good for drinkin' AND fightin', and should fit quite nicely with that of Seattle's own Gerald Collier and Eddie Spaghetti, who have lately been exploring their own honky-tonk roots. -- Barbara Mitchell

SEATTLE FOLKLORE SOCIETY SONGWRITER CIRCLE
(Tractor Tavern) There are certain five-word sequences which are universally synonymous with bad news: "We should have a talk." "Hey dude, pull my finger." "Couldn't we just be friends?" "Please use the emergency exits." "I really like you, but... " "Your credit card was denied." "George Bush leads all candidates... " And finally: "Seattle Folklore Society Songwriter Circle." -- Rick Levin

CLAN OF XYMOX
(Fenix) Frontman Ronny Moorings tried to shake the gothic label through several lineup changes, a name change (to the abbreviated Xymox), and a misguided experiment with techno in the early '90s. After a few years in hibernation when the band was rumored to be dead, Moorings resurrected the original name and much-improved sound. Their new album, Creatures, offers heavy, retro-goth dance tracks à la Sisters of Mercy as well as some of their trademark dirges. -- David Slatton

BLACK HALOS/THE NERVES/THE CATHETERS
(Crocodile) See Stranger Suggests page 53.

THE PROMISE RING/BURNING AIRLINES/JUNO
(RKCNDY) The Promise Ring are perfect. I'll spare you the litany of gushing compliments, because I know that you'll trust my recommendations implicitly (if you've been paying attention, you know it's rare that I'll say nice things in this space). -- Erin Franzman

BEN HARPER
(Mercer Arena) Some say he was born in Pomona, some say he's from the Inland Empire. Regardless, he's here now, so we have to deal with him. He dresses like a cowboy and sings like a girl. He wants to make a lot of money. Only you can stop him! The Stranger recommends a complete boycott of Ben Harper and perhaps a hunger strike, too. -- Nathan Thornburgh

QUASI
(Glass Factory, Portland) Wednesday is always and ever will be the exact smack middle of every slogging, rainy week. Which means it's the perfect time to execute a recklessly extravagant yet life-affirming rock-and-roll road trip to Portland's Glass Factory to see a band that, on paper, makes no sense whatsoever. But why ask how it works, when it does, and so very well. Drums and synthesizer? But Quasi have discovered some strange emotional alchemy to mix disparate means to an end which is incredibly powerful. -- Rick Levin

DANNY BARNES & THE OLD CODGERS
(Galway Arms) Via his fruitful association with Bill Frisell and the Willies, Barnes got to know bassist Keith Lowe, who now stars with him in "the Heathen" (one helluva shit-kicking country-rock outfit) as well as this sure-to-please acoustic trio. Expect some gritty, Bad Livers-style material, and stay tuned for more of Danny's unforgettable live action in the months to come. -- James Kirchmer