Wednesday 6/13

Porter Robinson, Mat Zo, the M Machine

(Showbox at the Market) See Data Breaker.

Patternmaster, Airport, Megabats

(Comet) Tonight you can get an earful from some of Seattle's underground electronic-music elite in the Comet's archetypically rock-and-roll milieu. Patternmaster is the solo project of Jonathan James Carr, keyboardist for the ever-questing kosmische-synth-and-drums unit Brain Fruit. As Patternmaster, Carr works in a more techno-oriented vein, and due to their improvisational, analog nature, his tracks never sound as quantized and gridlike as most techno does. He transforms the sonic vocabulary of that genre's early innovators, as well as that of avant-garde composers like Stockhausen and Xenakis, into vibrant audio works for 21st-century ears. Judging from what little I've heard of Airport (aka Midday Veil bassist Jayson Kochan, also in TJ Max), he plies a windswept, dramatic, and gritty brand of disco, at times coming off like a bedroom Daft Punk. I'm betting more facets to his sound will be revealed in a live setting. DAVE SEGAL

Tony Lewis Trio

(Lucid) This local trio plays progressive black music. What do I mean by this? There is regressive black music—music that's about the singer or musician making as much money as possible, usually at the cost of his/her culture's legacy. Progressive black music does two things: reinforces and contributes to the tradition (jazz, funk, hiphop, soul, rock, gospel). This is the Tony Lewis Trio—a bassist, a keyboardist, and a drummer. The trio is progressive and performs regularly at Lucid and also Faire Gallery, a local black establishment that's just closed, sadly. Wherever they play, expect to see other progressive headz in the place. CHARLES MUDEDE

Thursday 6/14

Bill Frisell: All We Are Saying... the Music of John Lennon

(Jazz Alley) Many Beatles fanatics would view a musician tackling the John Lennon songbook with suspicion and skepticism; good luck finding a sacred cow more sacrosanct than Yoko Ono's late husband. But when you have an artist like Seattle master guitarist Bill Frisell at the helm of such an undertaking, attention must be paid. On Frisell's All We Are Saying..., he and his deft quintet transform 16 Lennon solo and Beatles tracks—including "Please Please Me," "Revolution," "#9 Dream," "Mother," and "Woman"—into muted auroras of chamber-orchestra minimalism, aided by Jenny Scheinman's violin and Greg Leisz's steel guitars. Tonight is the first of a four-night stand for Frisell's subtle, gorgeous interpretations of classics that will be loved by millions for as long as ears exist. DAVE SEGAL

Addaura, Theories, Occult SS, Old Iron

(Comet) Sandwiched between the experimental black metal of Addaura, the crusty D-beats of Occult SS, and Old Iron's pretty metal melodies are Theories, a vicious-sounding grind-metal band starring Joe "Grindo" Axler on the drums. You may know Joe from Skarp, Book of Black Earth, or Samothrace. He never stops drumming. He can't. He won't! This is a welcome-home show for Theories—they've been out on tour, burning up the Chaos in Tejas festival and sharing stages with Ghoul and Toxic Holocaust. It'll be heavy. Wear black. KELLY O

Serial Hawk, Same-Sex Dictator, the Anunnaki, No World

(Funhouse) In the majority of today's metal bands, the bass guitar isn't looked at as the primary source of shred, even though it's always an important element in keeping rhythm and setting tone. Instead, it's the six-stringers who get to really rage, solo, and lead the band. So when you see a group like Same-Sex Dictator, a local sludgy grind unit that features only two members, a drummer and a bassist, it's damn refreshing. Also hailing from Seattle, the Anunnaki shape glorious melodies into skull-dozingly heavy doom. KEVIN DIERS

Friday 6/15

Wussy, Tea Cozies, the Purrs

(Barboza) See preview.

Bill Frisell

(Jazz Alley) See Thursday.

Blockhead, the New Law, novaTRON, Chris Null, Loki, Innerflight DJs

(Lo-Fi) See Data Breaker.

Vockah Redu, Hoot N Howl, Witch Disco

(Chop Suey) Vockah Redu (pronounced "Vah-ka Ra-du"), aka the Gap-Tooth Bandit, recently recorded a song called "Shake Ya Bones Loose" at Sir Mix-A-Lot's studio. It's a song about shaking off hatred, negativity, and self-doubt. Have you ever let yourself loose—made yourself free enough—to try shaking your ass to New Orleans bounce music? I know it's often called "booty-spinning," but I'm telling you, it's both a mental and a spiritual thing. Vockah is your perfect shamanic guide to this new state of consciousness. Fall into a trance so that you can dance! KELLY O

Posse, Out on the Streets, French Letters, Jaguar Paw

(Blue Moon) Remember four or five years ago, when every band sounded like a track from the Pretty in Pink soundtrack? Everyone wanted to be Interpol and all the deep-voiced singers sounded British, even if they were from, like, Alabama. Out on the Streets are that band! They've put a modern new-wave spin on their anthemic indie-rock sound, and even if you're over post-1985 new wave/dance rock, give their song "Effigies" a listen—it has what is possibly the catchiest chorus of 2012. MEGAN SELING

Jail Weddings, Country Lips, General Motors, Speedwobbles, DJ Mamma Casserole

(Comet) Jail Weddings are a beautiful train wreck: a traveling rock 'n' roll carnival from Los Angeles with a dangerously romantic shot of soul. At the Jail Weddings shows I've attended, people tend to drink heavily, dance recklessly, and make out (sometimes with strangers). The band has around a dozen members, though the numbers fluctuate, lots of instruments (horns, guitars), and killingly gorgeous lady backup singers. Last year, singer, bandleader, and trickster-in-chief Gabriel Hart told The Stranger that he chose his bandmates for their personalities as much as for their artistry. Jail Weddings have plenty of both. Maybe too much for their own good: One of their iconic early songs, a soulful ballad that's part Buddy Holly and part Stax Records, is titled "I Am Fucking Crazy." That's not hyperbole. BRENDAN KILEY

Saturday 6/16

Sol, XV, the Physics

(Showbox at the Market) See preview and My Philosophy.

My Goodness, the Young Evils, Dude York

(Neumos) See Sound Check.

Brite Futures/Natalie Portman's Shaved Head

(Vera) See Underage.

Bill Frisell

(Jazz Alley) See Thursday.

Lazer Kitty, Metal Chocolates, White China Gold

(Vermillion) My fave rappers in Seattle: Silas Blak of Black Stax and Silent Lambs Project, Onry Ozzborn of Dark Time Sunshine and Oldominion, and Rik Rude of Metal Chocolate and Fresh Espresso. These rappers hit my soul in different and profound ways. Blak is a philosopher whose rhymes are like many arms reaching into a mirror and pulling out from the other side of reality strange and almost alien concepts. Ozzborn is a master of hiphop surrealism. Rude is the man about town—meaning, he is cosmopolitan. He is a rapper whose rhymes are like a big city: There are places to drink, places to love, places to think, place to get cold stupid, places to remember, and places to forget. CHARLES MUDEDE

You May Die in the Desert, Jenny Invert, Sad Face

(Comet) Sad Face's EP Cheer Yourself Up is a trap! It won't cheer you up! No, it's not as dreary as, say, Mount Eerie (which tempts me to open a vein), but opener "Call" is a slow-moving five-minute track that sounds like a lonely Saturday night. Singer Timothy Mendonsa calls out, "Is there something wrong?" And if you have any pain in your heart at all, you'll want to cry back, "Yes!" while weeping into your beer. At least "Batman" has a beat you can dance to, but the lyrics appear to be about giving up. So even though the album art includes a smiling bunny and laughing cloud, IT IS NOT A HAPPY PLACE. Sad Face is a sad place. Bring a friend to sway with. MEGAN SELING

Random Orbits, Smooth Sailing, Caparza, the Savage Henrys, the Loss

(Kraken) Pop Punk Summer 2K12 starts right here with the Loss, a local melodic punk band that will appeal to fans of the Shook Ones and Kid Dynamite. On Facebook, the Loss list their influences as "skateboards and alcohol." Good times! The Savage Henrys have the same gravelly vocals and punk-rock urgency with "a little ska and outlaw country mixed in." Their song "Not So Mysterious" is about selling out. It's like 2002 all over again! (I don't mean that as a dis, dudes.) Really, though, if you like Bomb the Music Industry and/or early (way early) Against Me!, then you might find an appreciation for the Savage Henrys. MEGAN SELING

Sunday 6/17

Jonti, Sonnymoon

(Neumos) See Data Breaker.

Bill Frisell

(Jazz Alley) See Thursday.

KEXP Father's Day Kids Dance Party

(Nectar) Do you long to see Seattle's reputation as "a town that doesn't dance" crushed beneath several hundred tiny feet? Then get thee and your beloved wee ones to Nectar for KEXP's annual Father's Day Kids Dance Party. Hosted by dad and DJ John Richards, this daytime bash features family-friendly activities and crafts, plus three hours of dancing to live DJ sets by KEXP's Darek Mazzone, Riz, and Richards. DAVID SCHMADER

Heiress, Wookie Party, Team CoCo

(Barboza) You may have seen the tag "featuring ex-members of" alongside any mention of Heiress, as the band includes former Himsa and Undertow frontman John Pettibone on vocals. But unlike the straightforward hardcore and metal of those two projects, Heiress possess more facets. Groovy Southern-metal riffs, post-rock prettiness, bursts of mathcore weirdness, and Neurosis-esque burliness all coalesce to create a unique monster that continues the strong Northwest tradition of bands like Botch and Harkonen. Heiress's highly anticipated new 7-inch, Early Frost, comes out soon on Converge vocalist Jacob Bannon's Deathwish Inc. label. KEVIN DIERS

Monday 6/18

Low Times, EETS FEATS, Guitars

(Black Lodge) Low Times write compact, slightly sinister garage-rock songs that sneakily insinuate themselves into your bloodstream. Their music has a ramshackle urgency and coiled thrust that will probably translate into even more exciting sounds in Black Lodge's no-frills space. Fans of the Intelligence, Ty Segall, and the Night Beats should become enamored of Low Times. DAVE SEGAL

Fingers of the Sun, Pony Time

(Comet) Denver's Fingers of the Sun hark back to the fey, beauteous pop of cultish UK label Sarah Records' '80s roster. Their songs flow with easygoing cheerfulness tempered by an undercurrent of melancholy, balancing those opposing moods with balletic grace. Occasionally, Finger of the Sun imbue their tunes with a sundownered, psychedelic languidness—especially on "Careful with Those Sleeping Pills, Percy," a brilliant 27-minute Pink Floyd homage/parody. Seattle's Pony Time churn out fun-loving garage rock that effortlessly elates with righteous, crunchy riffs and cortex-burning choruses. You can go wrong with Pony Time, but you have to try really hard. DAVE SEGAL

Tuesday 6/19

Scissor Sisters

(Paramount) See The Homosexual Agenda.

Nu Era with Raz, the Gnu Deal, J to tha E, Camila Recchio

(Neumos) Solomon "Raz" Simone formerly fronted 2009 Sound Off! semifinalist hiphop/funk/soul fusion band Razpy & the Vigilantes, but he's since gone on to pursue a solo rap career. His latest single, "They'll Speak," is four minutes of intense, emotional lyrics spit over nothing but a few orchestral string swells—a risky, minimal combination for a hiphop song that he works to his advantage. With almost no instrumentation behind him, Raz's rapid cadence becomes the beat, his heavy words hitting harder than programmed kick drums. He's definitely a local rapper to pay attention to, and this solo set should be a great early look at what else he has in store. MIKE RAMOS See Also My Philosophy, page 34.

Joshua Roman & an All-Cello Ensemble

(Town Hall) My knowledge of classical music is limited to Bach and Debussy. So what I have to say about Joshua Roman, a cellist who currently lives in New York City but was once the principal cellist of the Seattle Symphony, is not drawn from a great or deep understanding of the kind of music he has mastered. That said, the first time I saw Roman perform, it had such an impact on me that I made my daughter leave the piano (which she was studying) and pick up the cello. His sound was so sweet, so steady, so soulful that it changed my whole opinion of the full-bodied instrument. A scientist ultimately wants to be a priest (a person who tells us what's happening behind reality, behind appearances); an artist ultimately wants to be a sorcerer (a person who fucks with reality and appearances by transforming the believable into the unbelievable). Roman is a great sorcerer. CHARLES MUDEDE

Terry Malts, Permanent Collection, Devin

(Barboza) San Francisco's Terry Malts rightfully draw comparisons to the Ramones (see especially "I Do"), but the resemblance occurs in sonics only. There's no cartoon aesthetic here, and there's a tunefulness and raggedness in the guitars and tones that Queens' godfathers of punk never employed. What's more, Terry Malts' songs are so much damn fun to listen to that you might as well just turn it up and say fuck all to that whole debate anyway. It's okay to love 'em both. GRANT BRISSEY