JOHN HIATT, WILCO
(Pier 62/63) Even though their albums are swell, Wilco are one of those bands who are meant to be seen live, which means that catching them outdoors as part of the Summer Nights at the Pier series should be a most excellent experience. Jeff Tweedy writes mighty fine songs that transcend any sort of narrow-minded genre classification--forget "alt-country" or "y'alternative"; Wilco are just plain great. And live, they're the kind of band that possess that rare ability to make you forget your cares AND restore your faith in music. BARBARA MITCHELL

JON LANGFORD, BINGO
(Tractor Tavern) Here's cause for celebration: a show by the Mekons' Jon Langford. If life were fair, Langford would be bigger than Madonna; then again, talent and intelligence aren't really populist traits (see also: the Spice Girls, the Backstreet Boys, Third Eye Blind, etc.). So until I rule the world (soon, very soon--I promise) and I can rectify that situation, I'll have to be content to sit back, down a few, and enjoy Langford in the intimate confines of the Tractor Tavern. Which, come to think of it, is probably a much better venue to catch him at than the Tacoma Dome, anyway. BARBARA MITCHELL

SIN ROPAS, SUSHI ROBO
(I-Spy) On any six-song local CD, one can be pretty sure that tracks three through six are going to be the musical stepchildren, hiding deep in the album, trying not to attract attention so they don't get beat. The measurement of a band, then, lies in the quality of the first songs, which function as the comely firstborn children of the band. By that measurement, Sushi Robo excel: Half dissonance and half anthem, songs like "Fried Eyes" from their new CD brim with pleasing guitar sounds that still make room for catchy melodies. If they can disown those stepchildren, Sushi Robo will have nothing but bright-eyed, successful alt-rock songs springing forth from their loins. NATHAN THORNBURGH

BLUE SPARK
(OK Hotel) I like surprises just fine, as long as they're of the positive variety. "Your great-aunt you didn't know just passed away and left you a million dollars" is fine. "Hi, it's your mother. Guess what? I'm in town!" is not. Which leads us to Blue Spark. Goodness were a kick-ass rock band, so it would lead to reason that former guitarist Garth Reeves' project would follow a similar vein. Surprise! And I mean that in the best possible way. Blue Spark shows off Reeves' rootsier side and it's the kind of material that suits him just fine. BARBARA MITCHELL

SMP
(Catwalk) Like many bands containing one or more electronic components, SMP add visual elements to their live show, which at worst give you something to look at while they play their music, and at their most sublime add a great deal to the experience. Duh. But this isn't empty rhetoric where SMP are concerned; the show is quite impressive visually. They dub their music "elektro-punk-cyber-rap"; really, I couldn't have done better myself without inventing a new word. SMP are danceable, yet musically interesting. Their new CD is called Terminal and is on the local ADSR label, which is just one more reason to attend what promises to be an evening of highly energetic entertainment. GENEVIEVE WILLIAMS

HANUMAN
(Tractor) When bands name themselves after mythological monkeys, especially gentlemen-warrior monkeys who play instruments, something inside me cringes, then laughs, then doesn't care. But all that matters is that their blend of jazz, bluegrass, country, and rock 'n' roll with African beats sounds damn good. These guys play acoustically with mandolins, guitars, bass, and percussion, and structure their songs around tight improvisations, which alternately swing, groove, and rock. So come on down, because let's face it... monkeys are fun. KREG HASEGAWA

REVOLUTION PRESENTS STACEY PULLEN, JUAN ATKINS, SWAYZAK
(Consolidated Works) How very nice to get so much high-caliber talent in a comfortable, spacious venue that isn't somewhere south of the former Kingdome. Party sponsor Revolution, the latest entry into the "future music"-type magazine sweepstakes, is partly to thank for that, but aside from snapping up a free copy at the door, attendees will probably be too busy stampeding into the main room to catch Detroit techno royalty Juan Atkins and Stacey Pullen, or Brits Swayzak, whose mix of hiphop, d 'n' b, ambient, house, and dub is far greater than the sum of its parts. Really, this should be one of the only bona fide capital-P Parties of the summer, one that oldsters and raver pups alike can enjoy. (Pre-sale tickets available at Platinum Records.) LEAH GREENBLATT

ESZTER BALINT, SEBASTIAN STEINBERG, SAMO, MANALIVE
(Breakroom) The waif from Jim Jarmusch's Stranger Than Paradise picks up a violin and fronts an eponymous, melodramatic, overwrought rock band. Yawn. ERIN FRANZMAN

CARISSA'S WIERD, SUMACK
(Crocodile) I have no criticisms of Carissa's Wierd, they are perfect even at their most flawed. At a certain point all critical tools are moot, and if it sounds good, it is good. And Carissa's Wierd's fine-spun musical threads are so, so good. Go see them--you won't be sorry. ERIN FRANZMAN

DEAD MOON, STARLITE DESPERATION
(Graceland) The husband-and-wife team that make up the core of Dead Moon first met in 1967 and have been more or less playing music together ever since. The current incarnation officially got together circa 1987, but if you follow the band's history through a plethora of names, they've actually been around a lot longer. They may not be headlining stadiums, and they may have grandkids, but Dead Moon have played all over the world (they're based near Portland) and, in the best indie tradition, pretty much oversee all aspects of their business themselves. Now that's dedication. GENEVIEVE WILLIAMS

CARRIE AKRE, JODIE WATTS, BRAILLE STAR
(Sit & Spin) See Stranger Suggests.

DEDICATED FEATURING NOEL SANGER
(Showbox) One doesn't usually think of house and techno DJs as having to pay their dues, but Noel Sanger may be an exception. No, he wasn't born in a one-room shanty on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain like a zydeco singer. And he didn't grow up in a hail of bullets like a gangsta rapper. Rather, he paid his dues by coming up in west central Florida, a 900-square-mile strip mall populated only with carnies and retired folks. And even if he escaped Naples only to wind up living in Orlando, Sanger is still in Seattle this week, selling his small-town pain and big house beats at the Showbox. NATHAN THORNBURGH

LOVECATS PRESENTS 10:15 ON A SATURDAY NIGHT
(Baltic Room) The Baltic Room plans to celebrate its new expanded self--with the addition of liquorliquorliquor--not with some swanky, glass-clinking soiree but rather an '80s bacchanalia, headed up by Lovecats denizens TVC15, Lady Nagle, and Mannymontana, purveyors of the Prince, the Cure, and the Duran Duran you know and love. For extra points, be sure to dress period-appropriate, and prepare to regress shamelessly to the finger-snapping, elbow-swinging Molly Ringwald dance within minutes. LEAH GREENBLATT

RAFT OF DEAD MONKEYS, TEEN CTHULHU, DIVE KISSERS
(Breakroom, early) Okay. They sing about the apocalypse and encourage wanton violence and chaos. But wait just one minute here, these aren't your average Sid-worshipping punks. No, friends, these are some deep-thinking religious folks out to mock and question the rock subculture. The band is made up of ex-Roadside Monument (Christian band) and Ninety Pound Wuss people who wanted to mix up their religious message a little. Their theatrical stage performances and New Agey/Christian lyrics are the test tube through which we can view their mad little experiment. But with a full-length album released and shows aplenty, one may reasonably wonder if Raft of Dead Monkeys is still just a funny idea to the people in the band. JUAN-CARLOS RODRIGUEZ

ALI FARKA TOURE AND AFEL BOCOUM
(WOMAD at Marymoor Park) Aficionados of West African music will surely recognize Ali Farka Toure's name. Having collaborated with such luminaries as Taj Mahal, the Chieftains, and Ry Cooder, and having released his extremely good first album when world music (an overly broad umbrella term if ever there was one) was becoming hip anyway, Toure's garnered a fair bit of attention with his stomping rhythms and often growling delivery. Afel Bocoum, who began his career as one of Toure's backing musicians, recently released his own album, which has a somewhat more traditional sound. GENEVIEVE WILLIAMS

STING, K. D. LANG
(Gorge Amphitheatre) So she's a little schizophrenic. That's what I love about her. First there was her torchy country western phase, all rhinestones and smirks; country fans just couldn't handle her, couldn't deal with that scrubbed face, the hair that was not like Reba's or Dolly's. With 1992's Ingenue, she gave Nashville an official "Fuck you!" and thrust her passion and longing elsewhere, becoming a media darling, a "chanteuse," a butch diva who gave me goose bumps. Then there was the whole Mainstream Lesbian Vegetarian thing; the sensual power pop of All You Can Eat (wink, wink); and even the smoldering vamp of Drag. And now, Kathryn Dawn Lang returns, ready to convey a little seasoned maturity with Invincible Summer, an exuberant release that might surprise longtime listeners. There's no trauma, no politics, no cross to bear: just some upbeat, almost-silly pop songs and the stunning voice of a lady in love. MIN LIAO

LOVE AS LAUGHTER, PLEASEEASAUR, OCTANT, SUPERSPRITE
(I-Spy) Back in it with a new band and a shiny new album, Sam Jayne and LAL are ready to take this city and this country and probably the rest of the world on a rock ride. The new album has a different feel than USA #1, probably because there are now four people in it. But it still rocks, you better believe. JUAN-CARLOS RODRIGUEZ

HANSON
(Moore Theatre) See Stranger Suggests.

MIRIAM MAKEBA
(WOMAD at Marymoor Park) Miriam Makeba is a righteous woman. That's why she was exiled from her native South Africa in the early 1960s. So she came to the United States only to find out that we were running our own brand of apartheid. Because of her marriage to Black Panther Stokely Carmichael, the recording industry canceled her tours, broke her contracts, and effectively exiled her from the States. Since then, she's survived plane crashes, car wrecks, and cancer. She's been honored by Haile Selassie, J. F. K., and Fidel Castro. Even at Marymoor Park in Redmond, Makeba will sing beautifully, an unapologetically proud African artist in the heart of Microsoft country. NATHAN THORNBURGH

PROJECT W
(I-Spy) Project W is a punk trio with jazz sensibilities--or maybe that's the other way around. Regardless, tonight they'll be ready to rock, with Michael Biseo replacing the usual bassist, Brent Arnold, and Greg Camell on the kit. W's saxophonist, Wally Shoup, should have a tasty new CD out by tonight, which he cut with Thurston Moore. KREG HASEGAWA

CHARLIE HUNTER
(Century Ballroom) Guitarist Charlie Hunter moved from the Left Coast to New York in order to find a more expansive jazz scene. Ironically, it's himself that he's found in the Big Apple, and he sounds more Californian than ever: laid-back grooves, a Latin tinge, and lots of trippy guitar pedals. NATHAN THORNBURGH

KEN STRINGFELLOW & JON AUER, JOHN WESLEY HARDING, SEAN NELSON & JOHN RODERICK
(Showbox) See Stranger Suggests.

...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD, RONDELLES, MOONEY SUZUKI
(Crocodile) See Bio Box.

CLARENCE "GATEMOUTH" BROWN
(Jazz Alley) Mixing styles ain't nothin' new. It's at the heart of the American music tradition, and "Gatemouth" Brown has been doing it for many years now. Hailing from Texas-Louisiana border country, Gate has been creating his own blend of blues, jazz, country, swing, and zydeco since the late '40s. His early recordings on the Peacock label influenced just about every guitarist from Albert Collins to Frank Zappa. With over 50 years of recordings, tours, and awards behind him, Gate is still going strong. He'll be blessing Seattle with his masterful guitar and fiddle playing in celebration of his latest release, American Music, Texas Style. But please, don't go see him because he's a "living legend," or a Grammy winner, or Eric Clapton's guitar idol--go for Gate's good old Southern blend of swinging blues. PETER LUCAS

CRACKER
(Showbox) Mention Camper Van Beethoven to any Cracker fan and they'll invariably scrunch up their face and say, "Wasn't...?" That's because nobody could listen to David Lowery's hollow ur-alternative for more than an album side if they were familiar with "Take the Skinheads Bowling" or Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart. These were by no means the monuments of their age, but Lowery's former band was an exhilarating start for an indie-rock generation's initial turn from the television glow. GRANT COGSWELL

BEACH BOYS
(Pier 62/63) The drives to visit my grandparents in Los Angeles when me and my sister were kids were often hot, cruel, godforsaken hell-trips. We'd take two or three days to get from Olympia to L.A., stopping in Ashland, OR and Santa Cruz to visit more family. Of course the music we listened to was a serious topic along the way, and my sister and I heard more Anne Murray and quirky Catholic folk singers than anybody has a right to. But when we got to around Santa Barbara, and then into Malibu and the Pacific Palisades, life began to brighten and chirp again. It was like the Beach Boys were in the air down there. Folks having fun in the sun on the beach, good looking people everywhere, cool cars, it was all so... California. You should check out this classic band at least once. Especially if you can sneak in. JUAN-CARLOS RODRIGUEZ

GINA BIRCH & IDA AKESSON
(Crocodile) Nirvana's vast legacy includes such generous acts as revitalizing the Meat Puppets' career and causing the rediscovery of the Raincoats. Thanks to a nod in Nirvana liner notes, the band (one of the first all-gal post-punk outfits) finally got their due when Geffen reissued their albums a few years ago. Founding member Gina Birch is now a local resident, so hopefully this show won't be a one-time-only affair. BARBARA MITCHELL