THURSDAY APRIL 29

JOHN SCOFIELD
(Jazz Alley through May 2) John Scofield is bald. Yes, his tire has lost its tread. I mention this only because, as my legal counsel astutely pointed out to me, there is a massive media cover-up surrounding the top half of the jazz guitarist's head. Every recent publicity photo and CD liner picture of Scofield has been meticulously cropped to make it seem as if he has, at worst, a prominent forehead. But long-time fans know better: Bald is Beautiful, and so is Scofield at Jazz Alley this week. Having conquered fusion in the '80s, Scofield has turned his axe to funk, and his latest album, a match-up with Medeski Martin and Wood, is one of his best yet. While MMW won't be backing Scofield for this gig, a different and more genuinely talented organ trio will. A must see for the smooth groover. -- Nathan Thornburgh

TASTE OF HONEY, JANICE MARIE
(Parker's Casino) If you're thinking you're too cool to boogie, then boy, oh, boy, have I got news for you! Taste of Honey will be performing their classic disco hit "Boogie-Oogie-Oogie" at Parker's, along with other songs like... well, I don't know any of their other songs. But with a tune as great as "Boogie-Oogie-Oogie," they can play it over and over all night for all I care! Get... down! Boogie-oogie-oogie! Get... down! Boogie-oogie-oogie! -- Wm. Steven Humphrey

WESLEY WILLIS, PLEASEEASAUR, CATS & JAMMERS
(Crocodile) How do you spell a fun evening? How about a wacko doped-up on meds, ranting with a backup band? Wesley Willis is a train wreck on stage, not really forming songs per se, but always entertaining. If you can get past that bleeding-heart liberal pang in your chest from watching a man reduced to a night club sideshow freak, you're bound to enjoy yourself at least as much as he does. -- Bradley Steinbacher

FRIDAY APRIL 30

CITIZENS UTILITIES, 44 LONG
(Tractor Tavern) See Calendar Box

THE KENT 3, THE WIRETAPS, VON ZIPPERS, EVAPORATORS
(Breakroom) See CD Review Revue

SATURDAY MAY 1

764-HERO, FREQUENCY DB, DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, PEDRO THE LION
(Ground Zero, Bellevue) Thank GOD for Ground Zero! The little-all-ages-place-that-could has put together one of the best indie-rock shows of the year, and it's just for the kids! All us fogeys take for granted shows like this, but for a mere $5 the Bellevue brats can actually have something to do on a Saturday night. And with Pedro the Lion opening, they'll get a little bit of The Almighty thrown in for good measure. If only this happened every weekend. -- BS

HARVEY DANGER, PETER PARKER, REVOLUTIONARY HYDRA, RAT CAT HOGAN
(Nu Black Arts West Theater) Harvey Danger have survived stardom and are using their new clout for a worthy cause -- a benefit for Printer's Devil Theater. With a new record waiting in the wings, the boys aren't going away any time soon, and if their brainy pop is your bag you won't want to miss them in such an intimate setting. But alas, the show is 21 and over, so the kids will have to wait for another night. -- BS

RUSTY WILLOUGHBY, BUGS IN AMBER
(The Elysian) Ex-Flop and Pure Joy man Rusty Willoughby's debut CD has been rightfully drooled over in these pages for the past several months. Here he'll unveil a collection of new material, alongside songs from the gorgeous record that's finally scheduled for self-release this July. Bugs in Amber is a darling new seven-piece Seattle band (flute, violin, organ, plus basic rock ensemble), blending melodies of almost Brian Wilson sweetness with the sonic ambition of a pretension-free Radiohead. The Bugs made a big noisy splash at the Pete Krebs record release at the Croc a few weeks back; here they'll pare down to just acoustic stuff. Expect beauty. -- David Schmader

TENTACLE BENEFIT CONCERT
(Speakeasy) What started as an e-mail-distributed concert calendar has grown into a comprehensive website (www.tentacle.org), with a free monthly print edition. The Tentacle's motto ("Sounding the depths of Northwest Creative Music") is inappropriate, though, as creativity exists in ALL musical genres, but they don't cover the entire spectrum! It borders on snobbery, and substituting a term such as "new" or "non-mainstream" would better reflect the diverse array of exploratory styles they cover, such as out-jazz, electronic music, avant-rock, and everything in between. That said, The Tentacle collective is to be commended for highlighting many deserving local artists, and tonight's mini-festival (six bands!) features quite a few of them, such as the world-class bassist Fred Chalenor, who'll be appearing with Radio Chongching -- an ambient-groove trio better described as an opium-den house band. All proceeds go to extending the not-for-profit Tentacle's reach, so if you dig far-out horizons, go -- and consider an expanded donation. -- James Kirchmer

WOODY WOODHOUSE
(Crossroads Shopping Center, Bellevue) Right in the thick of a never-ending tour of Seattle-area shopping centers and restaurants like Serafina, where they don't even have the decency to turn the musicians up louder than the buzz of yuppie conversation, Woody Woodhouse seems remarkably unperturbed. Here is a musician who knows and accepts the part he has to play in Seattle's music scene: shockingly unfashionable, quite out of shape, and at least 20 years older than Belltown's jazzers, Woody Woodhouse is not here to be famous or even trendy. Rather, he is here to enjoy himself and sing his songs of love, pop, and jazz in the kind of voice I've always liked, clear as a bell and a half beat ahead. -- NT

SUNDAY MAY 2

GOMEZ, MOJAVE 3
(Crocodile) The Brits went crazy for this Gomez band, a '70s Southern rock rip-off that's pretty good if you expect nothing more than that. Go as an American expecting something new and fresh, and you'll be very disappointed. -- Kathleen Wilson

MONDAY MAY 3

THE MARRIOTT JAZZ QUINTET
(Tula's) When I went to see the Marriott Jazz Quintet at their first-Monday-of-each-month gig at Tula's, a couple things just didn't seem right. First off, why the hell don't these guys play more often? I'm sure the band members have plenty of other projects, but this group is good, and when you consider the number of barbaric bands in Seattle that gig non-stop, it makes you wish that the Brothers Marriott would buck up and hit the club circuit a bit harder. Second, where the hell was the audience? There were more people crowded around the South Park pinball machine at Shorty's next door than there were at Tula's. That's a shame, because the group's selection and treatment of jazz covers are excellent, and Thomas Marriott's tone on the trumpet is just the right combination of sandpaper and silk. On the first Monday of every month, the $4 cover at Tula's will buy you more good jazz than $4 will anywhere else . -- NT

TUESDAY MAY 4

BILL FRISELL AND THE WILLIES
(Tractor Tavern) When this new group hit the stage at Tacoma's Wintergrass Festival in February, Bill Frisell had a case of the "willies," and I ain't talkin' 'bout his band. He wasn't sure how his country-jazz visions would go over with the hardcore bluegrass fans and pickers in attendance. Everything worked out fine, though, as Keith Lowe's killer upright-bass anchor gave Bill and violinist Eyvind Kang a sturdy improvisational springboard. The Bad Livers' Danny Barnes struggled at times to fit in on banjo (and fiddle!), but that's the way it often goes when you're breakin' in new shoes. -- JK