THURSDAY 8/31

CLUB POP: THE CATCH, THE JETSONS, DJs COLBY B, CURTIS, AND PACO
(Chop Suey) The Catch have been undergoing some changes lately. Justin Harcus, who moonlights as bassist in the Pale Pacific, recently took over Catch bass duties (replacing the Divorce's Shane Berry), but he left all those indie-rock habits at home. As the Catch's new tunes attest, the band are shedding the cute-girl pop image for which they were once known, and are starting to draw influence from the darker electro-pop of the '80s. There are still a lot of hooks, but the Catch are dropping the sugar and bringing in a little bite. MEGAN SELING

EAGLE*SEAGULL, INVENTION, ARTHUR & YU
(Crocodile) Stravinsky, Picasso, and T. S. Eliot have all been famously quoted on the subject of artistic theft, concluding that good artists borrow and great artists steal. Nebraska's Eagle*Seagull and Seattle's Arthur & Yu adhere to this idea and take it further, by stealing from the very best. E*S are a seven-piece art-rock collective you could call the greatest Roxy Music cover band ever. Their acclaimed self-titled 2005 debut is a masterpiece of sweeping melodies, pop sensibility, and mournful disquietude. Come early so as not to miss acoustic duo A&Y, whose nectarous mélange of the Velvets, Lee Hazlewood, and Brit pop is so spot on, I predict they'll be played on KEXP till your ears bleed. MA'CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR

OSCAR PETERSON
(Jazz Alley) Oscar Peterson is a true jazz virtuoso, not in the sense of today's bebop-as-classical music, jazz-college-defined sucker MCs, but in the same sense as the visionaries that defined the music—Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, et al. He has stunning technique—a modernized (back in the 1950s) version of his idol Art Tatum's crushingly intricate and rapid stride piano style sent into even more furious and dizzying overdrive. Having recently notched his 81st birthday, Peterson has maintained a ridiculously prolific recording and touring career throughout his tenure on this earth and shows no sign of the slightest artistic relenting. SAM MICKENS

HOPSCOTCH BOYS, HOLLYWOOD LIGHTWEIGHTS, MADRASO
(High Dive) See Rocka Rolla, page 40.

DEF LEPPARD, JOURNEY
(White River Amphitheatre) As someone who must listen to Def Leppard's 1981 masterpiece High 'n' Dry on a regular basis, I wish I could recommend this show. But that was then, this is now, and Def Leppard have done a bang-up job of desecrating their legacy, starting with 1992's Adrenalize (hell, even 1987's Hysteria sounds pretty fucking lame at this point) and most recently with a disastrously titled and downright offensive record of covers. Yeah! shamelessly pisses all over fantastic songs by Thin Lizzy, the Kinks, Marc Bolan, and the Faces. Blech. And don't go getting all excited about Journey, either—Steve Perry is nowhere to be found. HANNAH LEVIN

FRIDAY 9/1

AKIMBO, GENGHIS TRON, THE ABODOX, SEAN
(El Corazón, early) Clearly this show was put together in the event that you've recently lapsed into a coma and need something to wake you the fuck up. Sean play grinding and thick hardcore with a piano! And Genghis Tron's terrifying vocal attacks are set to industrial-electro sounds that melt into the heaviest metal you've heard since, well, Akimbo. Akimbo's shredding and sweaty swamp of metallic noise swarms fast and bright until falling into the muddiest wall of noise at the drop of their guitar tuning. Consider yourself lucky if you can walk afterward—half the crowd will be left on the floor, shaking, in the fetal position. MEGAN SELING

RADIO BIRDMAN, A FRAMES, THE COPS, NUDITY
(El CorazĂłn, late) See Rocka Rolla, page 40.

JOHN LENNON JAM
(Seattle Public Theater/Bathhouse on Green Lake) See Rocka Rolla, page 40.

826 SEATTLE BENEFIT: DAVE EGGERS, SARAH VOWELL, DANIEL HANDLER, STEPHIN MERRITT, JOHN HODGMAN, JONATHAN COULTON, ZACH ROGUE, SMOOSH, Colin meloy
(McCaw Hall) See Bumbershoot pullout.

M. WARD, MIKE COYKENDALL
(Neumo's) For the past few years, M. Ward has been quietly building a nice little buzz, buoyed by support from peers like Giant Sand's Howe Gelb and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst as well as My Morning Jacket's Jim James and Neko Case—the latter two of whom appear on his fine new album, Post-War. Looks like the rest of the population is starting to get hip to Ward's delightfully unhurried folk pop, too. Fresh off an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, Ward and his band swing through Seattle, promising an evening's worth of material that blends sun-drenched California pop influences with a Northwest acoustic vibe. Highly recommended. BARBARA MITCHELL

WAYNE "THE TRAIN" HANCOCK, MARSHALL SCOTT WARNER
(Tractor) Guitar-slinger Wayne "The Train" Hancock is a shockingly democratic bandleader. On his latest album, Tulsa, the reigning king of juke-joint swing—a concoction of Western swing, rockabilly, blues, and honky-tonk styles—allows ample opportunity for all his cohorts to strut their stuff. He even calls 'em out by name, so you can easily identify your favorite players after a few listens. The performances are sweet and juicy as a ripe tangerine, with negligible grandstanding, so the overall effect is closer to the big bands of Art Blakey or Bob Wills than, say, Brian Setzer. This is feel-good music, interspersed with the occasional ballad (the melancholy "Ain't Gonna Worry No More") for put-your-head-on-my-shoulder slow dances, to get your holiday weekend off to a delightful start. KURT B. REIGHLEY

CEREMONY, THE FIRST STEP, ALLEGIANCE, THE ANSWER, THE VOWS, GET THE MOST
(West Seattle American Legion Hall) Hardcore isn't rocket science. Once you have the formula down, you could probably write a decent-sounding record in a matter of hours. And that's what the Vows did with their new self-titled EP on Indecision Records. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the Vows' members have all been doing this since you were crapping your diapers. Their roster includes Himsa frontman John Pettibone, former Champion members Chris Williams and Aram Arslanian, Unbroken's Rob Moran, and Undertow's Ryan Murphy. Rocket science or not, these dudes got it figured out. Bow down. MEGAN SELING

OSCAR PETERSON
(Jazz Alley) See Thursday.

SATURDAY 9/2

THE HANDS, THE HUSBANDS, THE MONSTER WOMEN, APE CITY R&B
(Funhouse) While I'd probably blindly buy anything that Swami Records owner (and former Hot Snake and Driver of Jehu) John Reis put out, I'd dig the Husbands even if they weren't on his label. Their latest release, There's Nothing I'd Like More Than to See You Dead, continues their tradition of sweet-and-snarl-filled garage punk, flavored with just enough Motown spirit that it sounds more like something from Detroit than the work of three foxy ladies from San Francisco. HANNAH LEVIN

COGBURN/SIELAFF/BURNS
(Gallery 1412) Seattle's hearty improvised-music scene is fortunate to enjoy a fruitful relationship with the brilliant, Austin-based drummer Chris Cogburn. A tireless musician and organizer with a crusading commitment to the health and development of modern free improvisation, Cogburn has lent his bristling artistry to everyone from elder free-jazz man Joe McPhee to the damaged-folk anchorite Jandek. This concert is one of the main events in Cogburn's welcome weeklong residency at Seattle's experimental music hub, Gallery 1412. He will be joined in what is becoming a consistent trio by local prodigious pianist Gust Burns and clarinetist/multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Sielaff. SAM MICKENS See also The Score, page 53.

BUMBERSHOOT: BLONDIE, GOSSIP, ERASE ERRATA, THE THERMALS, DEERHOOF, THE BLOOD BROTHERS, KORBY LENKER, JAMIE LIDELL, LADY SOVEREIGN, OF MONTREAL, BADLY DRAWN BOY, LAURA VEIRS & THE TORTURED SOULS, MORE
(Seattle Center) See Bumbershoot pullout.

RAT CITY ROLLERGIRLS' BUMBERSHOOT AFTERPARTY W/DJ BOBCAT & ROCK-A-ROKE W/CFO
(Showbox) See Rocka Rolla, page 40.

OSCAR PETERSON
(Jazz Alley) See Thursday.

SUNDAY 9/3

BUMBERSHOOT: KANYE WEST, THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS, BLUE SCHOLARS, COMMON MARKET, MATES OF STATE, JEREMY ENIGK, AS I LAY DYING, VASHTI BUNYAN, JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ, ZERO 7, MORE
(Seattle Center) See Bumbershoot pullout.

OSCAR PETERSON
(Jazz Alley) See Thursday.

MONDAY 9/4

BUMBERSHOOT: STEVE MILLER BAND, A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, ATMOSPHERE, FEIST, METRIC, SERA CAHOONE, COCOROSIE, THE ENGLISH BEAT, SPARTA, CANCER RISING, NOUVELLE VAGUE, KANE HODDER, MACKLEMORE, MORE
(Seattle Center) See Bumbershoot pullout.

AGENT SPARKS, CONTROLLING THE FAMOUS, OSLO, GREENWOOD
(Chop Suey) If Nirvana were Seattle's answer to the Pixies, Agent Sparks are L.A.'s. Drawing comparisons to Black & Co. from nearly every music publication on the planet, their bass-driven songs and "girl versus boy" dueling vocal style warrants the analogy. However Sparks' Red Rover is a distinctly California record, made by attractive, well-dressed people who prize pristine production, lacking the unpredictable edginess of their punk-rock mentors. Keyboard/vocalist Stephanie Eitel is this band's star, with a vocal and stage presence that invokes Kathleen Hanna channeling the sisters Deal; her standout track, "Make Up Friend," is a relevant, unaffected take on the pretentious scene that surrounds her. MA'CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR

TUESDAY 9/5

THE PLASTIC CONSTELLATIONS, TEETH AND HAIR, PETALS LIKE BRICKS, THE NEON WILDERNESS
(Funhouse) Minneapolis band the Plastic Constellations play the kind of jagged, maniacal rock for which Frenchkiss Records (Syd Butler of Les Savy Fav's label) has become known. Their latest record, Crusades, is a lively mix of fractured post-punk anthems and smart, snarky rock. The band have been honing their sound for 10 years (since they were barely teenagers) and it shows. Their songs are tight and loose in all the right places, chaotic but never falling apart, and the musicians possess an easy enthusiasm onstage even if they hate each other by now. Teeth and Hair are a promising local trio that mine similar musical veins, but with considerably less time under their belts. ERIC GRANDY

WEDNESDAY 9/6

LITTLE CLAW, NICE SMILE, COCONUT COOLOUTS
(Comet) The Coconut Coolouts have decent day jobs, so they don't take the rock-show thing too seriously. Instead, they have a good time, dance around, dress up as bananas, and just generally throw a party. It's a refreshing alternative to the deadly serious careering going on at so many local rock shows. But it's not all bananas and monkeying around—the Coolouts are actually skilled musicians, deploying synth-spiked garage punk with talent and flair. Frontman (and occasionally drummer) Ruben Mendez throws himself into his role with abandon, recalling the witty everyman shtick of Art Brut's Eddie Argos and the dance-party ringmastery of Quintron. Seriously, this shit is bananas. ERIC GRANDY

MATISYAHU & ROOTS TONIC, THE POLYPHONIC SPREE
(Marymoor Park) See preview, page 35.

THE BLACK KEYS, BEATEN AWAKE
(Showbox) See preview, page 37.


MORE

MAE, THE NEW AMSTERDAMS, VEDERA: Fri Sept 8, El CorazĂłn

DEVO: Sat Sept 9, Paramount

THE TRACHTENBURG FAMILY SIDESHOW PLAYERS, BABY GRAMPS: Sat Sept 9, Crocodile

DRAGONFORCE, ALL THAT REMAINS, HORSE THE BAND: Wed Sept 13, Showbox

MOE.: Fri Sept 15, Showbox

LAWRENCE ARMS, THE DRAFT, THE BLACKOUT PACT: Mon Sept 18, El CorazĂłn

MARITIME, SPEAKER SPEAKER, BOAT: Tues Sept 19, Paradox

DJ SHADOW, LATEEF: Wed Sept 20, Showbox

RANCID, THE AQUABATS: Tues—Wed Sept 26—27, Showbox

CANDLEBOX, DRIVEBLIND, WHITESTARR: Thurs—Fri Sept 28—29, Showbox

PELICAN, DAUGHTERS, NACHMYSTIUM: Sat Sept 30, Neumo's

PENNYWISE, CIRCLE JERKS, IGNITE: Mon Oct 2, El CorazĂłn

SCISSOR SISTERS: Mon—Tues Oct 2—3, Showbox

MUSE, THE LIKE: Wed Oct 4, Paramount

THE KILLERS: Thurs Oct 12, Paramount

SUFJAN STEVENS, MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND: Sun Oct 15, Paramount