THURSDAY 9/14
DECIBEL FEST: NORTEC COLLECTIVE/STATIC DISCOS SHOWCASE, FAX, PANOPTICA, LATINSIZER, PLANKTON MAN
(Neumo's) See Data Breaker.
FAVOURITE SONS, MARTIAN MEMO TO GOD, THE GLASSES
(Chop Suey) See Rocka Rolla.
BRIEF CANDLES, BLUE LIGHT CURTAIN, FLOWERS FROM THE MAN WHO SHOT YOUR COUSIN
(Comet) Every few years, little NW bands start to pop up with individual styles but a strong common element. This can vary from guitar tone to politics to the latest craze I'll call "indie pro": small electronic collectives who regard production as an additional band member. Cock and Swan (whose producer appears in band photos), the Braille Tapes (a production team who enlist musicians for shows), and shoegazers Blue Light Curtain are creating a tech-infused wave that will have A&R reps salivating. The biggest winners in this musical movement could be local pioneers Voyager One and the Turn-Ons, whose longevity has them poised to be the Melvins and Mudhoney of a burgeoning scene. MA'CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR
CHRIS DELAURENTI, WOBBLY
(Gallery 1412) On his Live 99>00 CD (Phthalo), Wobbly (Jon Leidecker) alternates between eerie Non-like ambience and John Oswaldian Plunderphonics. Pranksterish disorientation is Wobbly's default mode, and this disc will make you feel weird in novel ways. With Wild Why, Wobbly uses "corporate" hiphop (snatched off the radio) as a sonic horn o' plenty to pillage for his spasmodic, warped sampladelic collages. The results will offend keepers of the bling and tantalize those who appreciate the mainstream's mundane familiar getting twisted into new, fascinatingly grotesque shapes. Wobbly reportedly will be playing selections off his next three albums at this show. Opening is Chris DeLaurenti, whose perceptive writing animates this paper every week in his column The Score. He's also a respected microsound producer who's collaborated with Artemiy Artemiev. DAVE SEGAL
ELLEN FORNEY
(NW Film Forum, Vera) Endlessly subversive and miraculously empathetic, comic artist and Stranger contributor Ellen Forney is a true Northwest treasure. Tonight the Northwest Film Forum hosts a splashy, multimedia blowout to celebrate the release of Forney's new Fantagraphics collection, I Love Led Zeppelin. Among the offerings: the hosting skills of the one and only Sarah Rudinoff, artsy flesh from burlesque queen Miss Indigo Blue, and big-screen video adaptations of select Forney comics with live narration by the artist herselfâall followed by the lemon-squeezing stomp of the all-female Zeppelin cover band No Quarter. DAVID SCHMADER
FRIDAY 9/15
DECIBEL FEST: ALEX SMOKE, APPARAT, TELEFON TEL AVIV, LUSINE
(Neumo's) See Data Breaker.
THE MEAT PURVEYORS, CAROLYN MARK,TOM HEINL
(Tractor) See Stranger Suggests.
DECIBEL FEST: CLAUDE VONSTROKE, JACOB LONDON, MISTER LEISURE, BRETT JOHNSON, JEROMY NAIL
(Chop Suey) See Data Breaker, and preview.
THE TRASHIES, THE CHEATS, BUG NASTIES, SUSPICIONS
(Comet) With gleefully lo-fi keyboard riffs, often ingeniously stupid lyrics, and a flair for male nudity and cephalically challenged visual high jinks, tonight's headliners the Trashies are on the forefront of a loose confederacy of new bands filling the post-Dirtnap void with a simpatico breed of big fun, big hooks, and classic weirdo/queer-o energy. Now that the Briefs and Epoxies have graduated to full-blown international touring acts, the Spits are in a never-ending state of playing their "last show ever," and Dirtnap itself has joined the Great Portland Exodus, someone must carry on the crusade for not taking yourself too seriously in the dive bars of our rapidly upscaling little burg. For God's sake, the Trashies have a song called "Sweatpants Boner." Go have some fun. BILL BULLOCK
MISSION OF BURMA, 50 FOOT WAVE
(Crocodile) It's time to add Mission of Burma to the list of recent respectable resurfacings that includes Radio Birdman, the Buzzcocks, and Gang of Four. Mission of Burma's new record, Obliterati, not only does justice to their all-too-brief legacy, it also surpasses it on many levels. As tautly intelligent as they were back in the '80s, Roger Miller and company have matured beautifully as songwriters and players, while retaining a visionary perspective (creative sound manipulation by official fourth member Bob Weston undoubtedly helps in this regard). What's more, they're as articulate and pissed off as they ever were (see closing track "Nancy Reagan's Head" for vivid evidence). Miss this one and you'll regret it, guaranteed. HANNAH LEVIN
RATATAT, ENVELOPES, PANTHER
(El Corazón) Dear Ratatat: Please stop cock teasing us. We all know that your true desire, your true calling, in fact, is to produce the finest hiphop/R&B/pop albums ever made. You need to become the Brian Eno(s) of this genre. "Seventeen Years," the masterstroke of your self-titled debut, sounds like the backing track for the most amazing Beyoncé/TLC song never written. For the love of God, I sit in my room coming up with elaborate music-video choreography to the thing! Your new album, Classics, is equally beautiful and booty-shaking. We are ready for the jelly, you bastards! Now bring it! Thank you. BILL BULLOCK
SATURDAY 9/16
DECIBEL FEST: SUBTLE, STATIC, PLAN B, FOSCIL
(Chop Suey) See Data Breaker, and preview.
DECIBEL FEST: GREEN VELVET, [A]PENDICS.SHUFFLE, CAMEA AND INSIDEOUT, JERRY ABSTRACT, TIM XAVIER
(Neumo's) See Data Breaker, and preview.
DECIBEL FEST AFTER-HOURS SHOW: SOULTEK, ANDREAS TILLIANDER, JON MCMILLION, DAVIDE SUILLACE
(Neumo's, late) See Data Breaker.
ADAM GREEN, WHITE WHALE, JEFFREY LEWIS BAND
(Paradox) See CD Reviews.
SCRATCH ACID, GORCH FOCK
(Showbox) See Rocka Rolla.
THE DIVORCE, SIRENS SISTER, SIBERIAN
(Crocodile) Most Vendetta Red fans probably don't know who Echo and the Bunnymen are, seeing as how many of their admirers are under the age of 20 (not that there's anything wrong with that). But now that Vendetta Red are dead, Sirens Sister (featuring VR vocalist Zach Davidson and guitarist/keyboardist Leif Anderson) have risen from the ashes, and they're waving their moody '80s-pop-influenced flag high and bright on their debut, Echoes from the Ocean Floor. If you went to high school with Robert Smith clones, the sound will be warm and familiar with a catchy modern twist. If your classmates look more like Pete Wentz, though, you might naively praise them for their innovative songwriting, naively thinking its never been done before. Either way, it's an impressive debut. MEGAN SELING
THE DRUG PURSE, PLEASURECRAFT, PLEASE GIVE BLOOD, FRISKEY
(Hell's Kitchen) Were there a musical war between Seattle and Tacoma, the latter city's scrappy but resourceful guerrilla music scene would be pulling a serious man-in-the-black-pajamas job on us right now. Recently embracing the full psychological implications of its geographic placement between Seattle and Olympia, T-Town seems to have found the glorious midpoint between the former's ambitious big-city rawk and the latter's insouciant small-town experimentation, minus the jaded scenester-ism of either. Two excellent examples will be on display tonight; the Drug Purse, who have the somberly good timing of channeling the spirits of both Arthur Lee and Syd Barrett through their own psych-rock mélange, and Please Give Blood, who show the positive influence of early Cure and Joy Division without aping either. BILL BULLOCK
SUNDAY 9/17
DECIBEL FEST: SPEEDY J, BOLA, SCOTT PAGANO, GREG SKIDMORE
(Neumo's) See Data Breaker, and preview.
MONDAY 9/18
THE LAWRENCE ARMS, THE DRAFT, THE BLACKOUT PACT
(El CorazĂłn) See Underage.
TUESDAY 9/19
MARITIME, SPEAKER SPEAKER, BOAT, THE LONELY FOREST(Paradox) See Stranger Suggests.
SERENA MANEESH, WOVEN HAND, EVANGELICALS
(Neumo's) Once in a while the Pitchfork hype machine gets it right. Case in point: Serena Maneesh. The Norwegian sextet burn with a passion that would impress a Woodstocked Jimi Hendrix. That makes them a very rare breed of postâMy Bloody Valentine rock unit indeed. Frontman Emil Nikolaisen and his sisters Elvira and Hilma mirror MBV's erotic coo (elongated vowels do most of the heavy lifting; always works like a charm) while the band grind with libidinous torque and churn with first-fuck fervor. Their self-titled album on PlayLouderecordings is a surging, radiant gem that occasionally glints melodic beauty, but Serena Maneesh really thrive onstage, where their intensity treblesâand crowds tremble. Woven Hand (16 Horsepower's David Eugene Edwards) may be the finest proponent of that difficult fusion, goth-Americana. Check out his blackly tumultuous new disc Mosaic for proof. DAVE SEGAL See also CD Reviews.
MUTE MATH, SHINY TOY GUNS
(Showbox) The last time Mute Math brought their smooth yet intense indie electro-rock to Seattle, they were without a label, touring on their own, and selling their record at shows without the help of a label or distribution, proving that if bands work hard enough, they can get by with a little help from their friends (and dedicated fans and the internet). Mute Math's efforts paid off. Not long after that tour, the New Orleans outfit inked a deal with Warner Bros., and now they're headlining bigger venues across the nation (they're on the road through November!) and officially rereleasing their self-titled album with three extra tracks and a limited-edition bonus disc that features live footage. MEGAN SELING
WEDNESDAY 9/20
DJ SHADOW, LATEEF
(Showbox) See preview.
AMERICAN PRINCESS, DAN WARNER, SWAYBACKS
(Sunset) Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter need to put their new record out pronto. Much like the Highlander, there can be only one Queen of Seattle Alt-Country, and Swaybacks' frontwoman Claire Tucker is positioning herself to snatch the crown off Ms. Sykes's lovely head. This trio's gem of a demo showcases Tucker's diary-invasive, deeply personal lyrics (she laments in "Two Drugs at Once" that "quitting two drugs at once is easier than quitting young love") with piquant vocals that reside somewhere between Chan Marshall, Joni Mitchell, and a twangified Aimee Mann. Swaybacks have three shows coming up in the next four weeks, so you'll have ample opportunity to let their simply crafted, elegant sound sweep you off your feet. MA'CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR
