THURSDAY 10/13

AGAINST ME!, THE EPOXIES, THE SOVIETTES, SMOKE OR FIRE
(Neumo's) See All Ages Action, page 78 and Stranger Suggests, page 41.

AVERAGE WHITE BAND
(Jazz Alley) In the '70s, Scotland's AWB were like a highlight reel of stone-fox funkitude. With their tracks sampled over 200 times by various artists, AWB have vaulted into the hiphop pantheon with a clutch of hits to which b-boys/girls still pop 'n' lock. (The bass/drums/sleighbells intro to "School Boy Crush" remains one of the greatest breaks ever.) Alan Gorrie has one of the most soulful falsettos among melanin-deficient humans, and he's plucked some of the most memorable bass lines ever to give your pelvis whiplash. Guitarist Onnie McIntyre has that sparse, chicken-scratch ker-chink down cold. But can AWB still get on the good (fallen-arched) foot? DAVE SEGAL

THE SUN-UPS, MARLO, ICE AGE COBRA
(Cafe Venus) Marlo's dance party belongs on the moon. The Lake Stevens duo's electro-pop shines with bright flourishes and charming lyrics about stars, spacesuits, and galaxies far away. They've yet to release anything, but you can get a taste at www.marlomusic.com. This free show is also a CD release party for the Sun-Ups, another local band who play clean, mellow indie rock with female vocals. MEGAN SELING

FRIDAY 10/14

XBXRX, THE KING COBRA, BONUS
(Vera Project) See preview, page 59.

E-40, BOSKO, COOL NUTZ & MANIAC LOK, E-DAWG, UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL, MR. BENJAMIN, WISE ONE
(Neumo's) Now if I had me a platinum whistle, coated in diamonds, on a chain around my neck, I'd blow it and call bullshit-times-infinity on anyone not at Neumo's when Bay Boss 40-Watter E-40 touches down. If you ain't in there, every time you pop your collar or say, "You smell me?" you're getting TAXED. Besides him, you got ya Portland sahob Bosko in there doing his thug thizzlemajiggadale—he just dropped a heatery comp called That Fire—as in, "What's that CD ya got there?" "Oh, it's That Fire." Kinda says it all, right? LARRY MIZELL JR.

SATURDAY 10/15

HARVEY DANGER (CD RELEASE), THE LASHES, THE SATURDAY KNIGHTS
(Crocodile) See CD Reviews, page 62.

THE HOLD STEADY, THE CONSTANTINES, TIM FITE
(Neumo's) See preview, page 61.

DEAD SCIENCE (CD RELEASE), JIM YOSHII PILE UP, 31KNOTS, EMMA ZUNZ
(Paradox) See previews, page 51 and page 61.

ROSIE THOMAS (CD RELEASE), GRAHAM TRAVIS
(Triple Door) See CD Reviews, page 62.

VOYAGER ONE, THE HELIO SEQUENCE
(Seattle Art Museum) For The Stranger's annual Genius Awards, a grand gala that celebrates everything arts-related in this city, what better band to perform live than Voyager One. The Seattle act sets gauzy shoegazer ablaze, fanning the flames of space rock with pop songs that lodge in your brain before they've even finished their starry-tiered orbit. Live, the band is something to behold, working with graphics artist Projectorhead, who gives their songs added cinematic vision. Also on the bill for this free party, the expansive pop of Portland's the Helio Sequence. JENNIFER MAERZ See also Stranger Suggests, page 41.

SUNTZU SOUND, JOHN ARNOLD, JEREMY ELLIS
(Baltic Room) Local broken-beat eclectics SunTzu Sound hail their eponymous label's debut release tonight; it features tracks by AC Lewis and Dr. J's 1LUV project, with additional production and vocals from MC Capital A. The record is reportedly causing much dance-floor movement abroad and is receiving play on England's BBC 1xtra. (You can purchase it on CD or vinyl at the gig.) Soulful, rhythmically intricate broken-beat illuminati John Arnold and Jeremy Ellis fill out the stellar bill with a live freestyle set of "electro-funk and broken boogie." Woo-ha! Wear your finest nu-jazz kicks for this one. DAVE SEGAL

OPETH, PELICAN, FIREBALL MINISTRY
(El Corazón) At a recent Between the Buried and Me show, during a crystalline interlude, a 30-something observer within earshot gushed, "I'm so glad guitar solos are cool again." Indeed, after a decade during which many heavy bands considered the expansive melodic solo to be an ungainly prog-rock relic, virtuosity has made a vaunted return from exile. Pelican might be masterpiece metal's purest practitioners, because the Chicago-based group focuses exclusively on adventurous wordless instrumentation. Their epic ebb-and-flow compositions, "heavy" in terms of density rather than double-bass drums or drop-D tuning, evoke imagery that no vocal narrative could communicate. (If you're reading this early in the week, Pelican also perform an in-store at Electric Heavyland on Friday, October 14, at 6:00 pm). ANDREW MILLER

DRAGON'S EYE RECORDINGS SHOWCASE
(All City Coffee) Local experimental electronic label Dragon's Eye Recordings today celebrates the release of Wyndel Hunt's Fascillations CD. Formerly of the outstanding ambient duo Soov, Hunt on this disc delves into blissful drones, Pan Sonic–like motor tones, cryptic field recordings, lots of between-stations static, and—surprisingly—angular funk. This free show starts at 4 pm; Hunt plays at 9; Hakea (8 pm) and Son of Rose (10 pm)—who put on dazzling performances at this year's Decibel fest—also play, along with Tyler Potts (7 pm) and DJ Starterkit (4 pm). DAVE SEGAL

WOLF EYES, PRURIENT, CHRIS CORSANO/PAUL FLAHERTY, WITHDRAWAL METHOD
(Sunset Tavern) Has anyone ever compiled a complete Wolf Eyes discography? Everywhere I look there's a 3-inch CD in an edition of seven or a lathe-cut laserdisc glued to an LP in an edition of 40. I honestly recall a tape that was titled "The Members of Wolf Eyes Sitting Around After Practice Watching TV." And the band has been going since 1996? While they're definitely an acquired taste, these Sonic Youth– and Sub Pop–approved noisemongers deliver an educated reinterpretation of such classics as Throbbing Gristle and Whitehouse. Plus, there's bound to be a spray-painted CD-R at their merch table that only you and four other souls could claim ownership to. BEN BLACKWELL

VERONA, TRIPLE X AUDIO, NEW YORK RIFLES
(High Dive) With a name like New York Rifles, it'd be easy to peg this band as more Dead Boys–style scum floating up from the gutter. But such a quick assessment belies the kinks and quirks layered into this Portland act's topsy-turvy ride. There's no easily distilled spirit of '77 here, as they instead fly between X's L.A. barnyard grit, garagey new wave, and the slight hint of a disco shuffle. With so many styles to pick from on their Faraway Faster disc, it can be difficult to remember if you're listening to the same band from song to song, but those seeking a band with sprawling styles and influences may find a home in the sonic schizophrenia of New York Rifles. JENNIFER MAERZ

SUNDAY 10/16

DIOS (MALOS), SWORDS, TIM SEELY
(Chop Suey) See preview, page 51 and CD Reviews, page 62.

CRYPTOPSY, SUFFOCATION, DESPISED ICON, ABORTED
(Studio Seven) Of all the super-mega-jumbo metal package tours this fall, this is the one to see. Montreal death metal virtuosos Cryptopsy are always a worthy live attraction, if only to gawk at superhuman drummer Flo Mounier—but on this tour, they've got original vocalist Lord Worm back in the fold, too, thank goodness. Their new album, Once Was Not (Century Media), is a return to form, and easily their best since '95's classic None So Vile. New York's Suffocation are one of death metal's most influential (and best) bands, period. They managed a comeback album last year, the excellent Souls to Deny (Relapse), and when I caught them live last spring, they made the headliners sound fat and old in comparison. WILLIAM YORK

MONDAY 10/17

SUPERPITCHER, ADA, METOPE, GUESTS
(Chop Suey) See Data Breaker, page 51.

TUESDAY 10/18

MCCOY TYNER
(Jazz Alley) See preview, page 55.

GOGOL BORDELLO, THROW RAG, THE SCOTCH GREENS
(Chop Suey) When he's not appearing in indie flicks like Everything Is Illuminated, Eugene Hütz DJs Original Gypsymania—a night comprising "Balkan reggaeton," "sex-crazed gypsy punk," "speedball dub," and "flamenco dancehall"—at New York's Bulgarian Bar. It's a weekly event displaying the wide spread of influences Hütz uses for a setting of "transglobal debauchery"—the same attitude he takes toward his multi-culti mishmash of a band, Gogol Bordello, an international musical party for gypsy punk riffraff and the riffraff-in-training. JENNIFER MAERZ

TORTOISE, DANIEL LANOIS
(Neumo's) The prospect of a Tortoise show was once cause for spectacle-trembling excitement. In 2005, it inspires a shrug. The Chicago post-rock figureheads' most recent album, It's All Around You, signaled a descent into flavorless jazz-rock meandering that neither blazed nor blissed you out. Yet one holds faint hope that the old Tortoise will come out of its shell. Esteemed producer/Brian Eno cohort Daniel Lanois occasionally releases solo albums that showcase his meticulously clear and aqueous studio techniques and gorgeous miasmas of pedal steel. His new disc, Belladonna, oozes languorous, fluid beauty like an opiated Ry Cooder. DAVE SEGAL

WEDNESDAY 10/19

PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS, TIME MACHINE, GIANT PANDA
(Chop Suey) See preview, page 56.

NADA SURF, SAY HI TO YOUR MOM, DJ ROY
(Neumo's) See CD Reviews, page 62.

BAUHAUS: Fri Oct 21, Paramount

IRON AND WINE, CALEXICO: Sat Oct 22, Moore

FOO FIGHTERS, WEEZER, HOT HOT HEAT: Wed Oct 26, KeyArena

THE DECEMBERISTS, CASS MCCOMBS: Thurs–Fri Oct 27–28, Showbox

311: Mon Oct 31, Moore

BRIGHT EYES, SONS AND DAUGHTERS, WILLY MASON: Fri Nov 4, Moore

PIEBALD, HOT ROD CIRCUIT, PISTOLITA, GUESTS: Fri Nov 4, El Corazón

FALL OUT BOY, THE STARTING LINE, MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK: Sun Nov 6, Premier

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS: Mon Nov 7, Moore

HENRY ROLLINS: Sat Nov 12, Moore

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, HELLA, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME: Wed Nov 16, Neumo's

SAVES THE DAY, SENSE FAIL, EARLY NOVEMBER, SAY ANYTHING: Fri Nov 18, El Corazón

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, STARS: Fri–Sat Nov 18–19, Paramount

GWEN STEFANI, M.I.A.: Mon Nov 21, KeyArena

CHILDREN OF BODOM, TRIVIUM, AMON AMARTH: Mon Nov 21, El Corazón

ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN, INNAWAY: Sat Dec 3, Showbox