THURSDAY 6/1

PANDA & ANGEL, YOUNG SPORTSMEN, MATH & PHYSICS CLUB, GHOST STORIES
(Crocodile) Ghost Stories' Ron Lewis has one heck of a resumé: He's toured as a member of the Fruit Bats and Joggers, played in Colin Meloy's old band back in Missoula, and made a racket with the Dismemberment Plan's Joe Easley in D.C. Even more impressive is the music he creates as Ghost Stories: imminently catchy, bouncy, breezy indie pop that's brainy but not self-conscious; immaculate but not fussy. The record won't be out until August, but one exposure is all it takes to fall under the infectious spell of Lewis's smartly crafted tunes. You'll be humming "Even a Vampire" to yourself all summer long. BARBARA MITCHELL

JUCIFER, PLAYING ENEMY, GIRTH, THE ABODOX
(El Corazón) There are plenty of high-quality, guitar-and-drums-only rock bands these days (see Death from Above 1979, Big Business, et al.), but the nomadically inclined Jucifer distinguish themselves with a unique fusion of Melvins-esque sludge, swirling psychedelia, and the occasional, unexpected touch of vaporous melody or bluegrass twang. The malevolent metal served up hardcore-style by local trio Playing Enemy is the perfect palate cleanser before Jucifer's more nuanced noise, while the truly experimental, long-division freak-outs of Girth make this a bill worth showing up early for. HANNAH LEVIN

TWO GALLANTS, MURDER BY DEATH
(Neumo's) Murder by Death are as audacious as the 1976 Neil Simon flick from which they nicked their name, but eminently more entertaining. Who knew Indiana grew 'em so weird? Counting cello and piano among their primary instruments, the band unfurl sordid tales of criminals, misfits, and all-around screw-ups on their third album, In Bocca Al Lupo (produced by Jawbox vet J. Robbins). The ensemble's madcap midway vibe will appeal to fans of Firewater and the Bad Seeds, and although singer Adam Turla tends to gnaw his consonants à la Stan Ridgway of Wall of Voodoo, MBD share a knack for cinematic originals that rivals the latter's best, too. KURT B. REIGHLEY

FRIDAY 6/2

CALVIN JOHNSON & GUESTS
(Kirkland Teen Union Building) In spite (or perhaps because) of the etymological connotations of such a distinction, it's difficult to view Calvin Johnson's contributions to the Northwest's punk history as anything short of seminal. With his own K Records imprint and countless bands (Beat Happening, Halo Benders, and Dub Narcotic Sound System among them), dude's spent roughly the last quarter century making arguably the Northwest's most important contribution to American punk rock's fuzzy history. And if his latest solo release, last year's Before the Dream Faded..., is any indication, he's not gonna be applying for historical-landmark status anytime soon. ZAC PENNINGTON

SCHOOLYARD HEROES, VAUX, SIRENS SISTER
(Neumo's) The last time the Schoolyard Heroes went on tour, they ended up meeting Lil "Get Crunk!" Jon and returning home with many stories about their favorite places to eat dinner. I can't wait to hear what tales come from this tour, which will take them across the country and back. The first leg is with the electronically inclined screamo act Vaux, and the second half is with Action Action and Mindless Self Indulgence. That means you local kids won't have another chance to see the Heroes until July... better get your fix now. But don't fret, they won't be out of your lives completely. There is a good chance that the band will be sending in the occasional tour report, which I'll post on Line Out, The Stranger's music blog (www.thestranger.com/lineout). MEGAN SELING

FIFTH HOUR HERO, NONE MORE BLACK, THE SAINTE CATHERINES
(West Seattle American Legion Hall) "It's like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black." Hahaha! Sigh... that's a classic. But None More Black are more than a This Is Spinal Tap reference, they're also one of the bands that emerged from the ashes of Kid Dynamite. And though None More Black's lineup has seen a number of changes since their early-2000 inception, the most current roster is a sturdy one—Jason Shevchuk (Kid Dynamite), Paul Delaney (Kill Your Idols), Colin McGinniss, and Jared Shavelson—and their latest release, This Is Satire (produced by J. Robbins), proves it. If you like your rock rounded out with a sharp, ass-kicking, hardcore edge, this is your new favorite band. MEGAN SELING

SATURDAY 6/3

VELELLA VELELLA, MERCIR
(High Dive, early) Velella Velella use slinky, skulking bass lines to pilot an electro-funk pleasure cruise through layers of shimmering hooks and sharp percussion. Live, they utilize a small orchestra's worth of instruments and an infectious exuberance to get hips shaking and hands clapping. VV's rich, ringing textures via vibraphones and keyboards intersect with understated vocals and downtempo party grooves. Get to the High Dive early tonight to start your weekend with a gig that's sure to provoke summery smiles and sweaty dancing. CHRIS HONG

PELICAN, MONO, ELUVIUM
(Neumo's) If you missed the Mogwai show in May or you've been lamenting the demise of Unwound since they broke up four years ago, then you'll find much comfort in this bill. Pelican aren't as massive in scale as Mogwai or as caustic in tone as Unwound, but they share both groups' skill for lyricless, guitar-driven sprawl, judiciously edited for impact and creatively arranged for intrigue. That they're sharing the bill with Japanese post-rock purveyors Mono is further incentive for fans of intelligent, angular hard rock. HANNAH LEVIN See also Data Breaker.

BOYZ II MEN
(Paramount) Like a lotta people I know, I thought Cooleyhighharmony was the shit; back when I was wearing purple jeans, I wouldn't have dared front on "Motownphilly," and their "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" is bulletproof. Those good feelings dried up with their second LP, II, and its seemingly endless string of sappy-ass Number One ballads and soft-focus videos. Their last LP, an '04 collection of covers, was the first brick they've caught yet; shit, how do you go from selling Diamond to being on Koch? And what happened to those electric-blue blazer-and-shorts sets? LARRY MIZELL JR.

HIS NAME IS ALIVE, NOMO, JOSH OTTUM & THE SEASONS OF LIFE
(Tractor) For better or worse, Michigan's His Name Is Alive have always kept their fans guessing. The band's early albums for shoegazer elders 4AD, especially Home Is in Your Head and Mouth by Mouth, are sensual collages of echo-laden balladry and twisted noise pop. Head honcho, Warren Defever is clearly a man of many musical tastes, which have leaked into the band's subsequent work with increasingly mixed results (Warren, please leave R&B to the experts. We implore you!). Still, seek out the band's beautifully disturbing video collaborations with the Brothers Quay; you will not be disappointed. JOSH BLANCHARD See also Data Breaker.

SUNDAY 6/4

EELS, SMOOSH
(Showbox) Smoosh and Eels? The kid-rock duo paired with a band that trades in depression, suicide, and people lying in puddles of their own (literal and figurative) shit? What sadistic fuck cooked up that bill? I'm not saying that Smoosh can't take it—the sisters are sweet but fierce, made of sterner stuff than you or me—I'm saying we can't. Smoosh will remind us how we felt before the idiocy of adulthood set in. We'll be vulnerable as balloons, primed for Eels to puncture us with their miserable oeuvre and turn the Showbox into Suicide Central. BRENDAN KILEY

SHOPLIFTING, KIOSK, FINALLY PUNK, MIDWIFE
(ConWorks) See preview.

MONDAY 6/5

FAUN FABLES, DEGENERATE ART ENSEMBLE
(Triple Door) Faun Fables, unlike many of their nü-folk contemporaries, are more at ease in black, craggy woods than in Arcadian lands of waterfalls and unicorns. Led by the Washington-born, singer-songwriter Dawn McCarthy and Nils Frykdahl (moonlighting from his guitarist duties in the outlandish Sleepytime Gorilla Museum) Faun Fables' archaic affectations are drenched with pagan imagery and recall the more ominous moments of British folk-rockers like Comus and Pentangle. Their newest and most ambitious offering, The Transit Rider, is an operatic song-cycle adapted from a 2002 theatrical performance. Ooh, dramatic! JOSH BLANCHARD

TUESDAY 6/6

THE COURT & SPARK, OAKLEY HALL, WHALEBONES
(Crocodile) There's an unmistakable California haze that hangs over the Court & Spark—muted sunlight filtered through Laurel Canyon smog, billowing clouds of Humboldt County pot smoke, and late afternoon fog rolling in off the San Francisco Bay. On the band's new release, Hearts (Absolutely Kosher), this Bay Area outfit has delivered its finest, most focused recording to date; 12 lush and laidback songs filled with longing and tinted gold. Equally suited for late-night listening or desert drives, Hearts finds the band drifting away from twang and into more richly varied (and far more fascinating) sonic landscapes. BARBARA MITCHELL See also preview.

HOWLIN' RAIN, LIVERBURST, TINY VIPERS
(Sunset) Howlin' Rain's Ethan Miller conjures a convincing rural rasp that fits this trio's country-tinged classic rock, but he betrays his allegiance to his day-job outfit Comets on Fire with sporadic feedback freak-outs. When his guitar erupts midway through the folksy foot-stomper "Calling Lightning with a Scythe," it's like a spectacular electrical storm interrupting a front-porch jamboree. Howlin' Rain's Southern-style jam segments and artful noise outbursts both demand live expansion. Liverburst, another brand-new experimental-band offshoot (featuring members of Kinski and Climax Golden Twins), prefers a brutally efficient approach, speed-churning several genres into its self-explanatory song "Album in 1 min 36 sec." ANDREW MILLER See also Stranger Suggests.

IMAGINATIONAL ANTHEM TOUR W/SHARRON KRAUS, JAMES BLACKSHAW, SEAN SMITH
(Tractor) See preview.

WEDNESDAY 6/7

THE STREETS, LADY SOVEREIGN
(Showbox) See preview and Stranger Suggests.

GLEN PHILLIPS, DAVID MEAD
(Triple Door) In this singer-eat-songwriter world, David Mead should occupy the best seat in the house. Yet while his work isn't too smart for his own good, it probably does get lost on the industry insiders who might bring him widespread acclaim... or at least a cult following on par with Jill Sobule and David Poe. Regardless, Mead's latest album, Tangerine, ranks as his finest to date, integrating vibrant arrangements littered with ukulele, vibraphone, and glockenspiel, plus the best calliope you're apt to hear this year without riding a carousel. Glen Phillips used to be in Toad the Wet Sprocket, but he is feeling much better now, thank you. KURT B. REIGHLEY

MORE

MOUNTAIN GOATS, BARBARA MORGENSTERN, GUESTS: Fri June 9, Neumo's

HARVEY DANGER, TIM SEELY, RACETRACK: Fri June 9, Crocodile

HE IS LEGEND, THE FALL OF TROY, SHOWBREAD, CLASSIC CASE: Fri June 9, El Corazón

KOOL KEITH, TASH OF THA ALKAHOLIKS, PIRATE SYGNL: Sun Jun 11, Chop Suey

JOHN DIGWEED: Sun June 11, Showbox

BUILT TO SPILL, BRETT NETSON, HELVETIA: Tues–Thurs June 13–15, Showbox

SNOW PATROL, AUGUSTANA, THE DUKE SPIRIT: Thurs June 15, Paramount

HIMSA, SKARP, HELL PROMISE, WIZARDS OF WOR, GRIEVOUS: Fri June 16, El Corazón

AQUEDUCT, SLENDER MEANS, SIBERIAN: Fri June 16, Crocodile

THE FUTUREHEADS, FRENCH KICKS: Fri June 16, Neumo's

THE COPS, THEE EMERGENCY, GUESTS: Sat June 17, Crocodile

THE BRONX, PRIESTESS, RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS, WIRES ON FIRE: Tues June 27, Crocodile

SOCIAL DISTORTION, SUPERSUCKERS, NINE BLACK ALPS: Fri July 7, Moore

TILLY & THE WALL, NOW IT'S OVERHEAD, JASON ANDERSON: Tues July 11, Paradox

DIGABLE PLANETS, GUESTS: Thurs July 20, Neumo's