Wednesday 1/8

Giraffage, Dutty Wilderness, DJAO, D'Nelski, DJ Hojo

(Q Nightclub) See Data Breaker.

Red Molly, Anne and Pete Sibley

(Triple Door) Folk trio Red Molly have the old-fashioned American twang thing down pat. Augmented with the occasional gorgeous three-part harmony, their sneakily seductive, banjo-laced tunes will get toes reliably tapping and squares appropriately dancing. Openers Anne and Pete Sibley play a more stripped-down, slightly haunting take on folk, elevated to moments of transcendence by Anne's beautiful, earthy voice. KYLE FLECK

Thursday 1/9

Expo 91: Black Hat, Nice & AO, Health Problems, Dragging an Ox Through Water, and more

(Cairo) See Underage.

Telekinesis, the Comettes, the Wild Ones

(Neumos) See preview.

Huge Rock, FF, Olivia Neutron-John, Naomi Punk

(Heartland) See Underage.

Maxxi Soundsystem, Pezzner, Wesley Holmes

(Q Nightclub) See Data Breaker.

Elvis Alive: Vince Mira

(Triple Door) For those who don't know, Vince Mira is the California-born/Texas-bred/Seattle-based musical artist who was discovered busking in Pike Place Market, where his so-perfect-it's-almost-eerie channeling of Johnny Cash marked him as something special. Roughly 10 years later, he's an old pro, having recorded one EP and one full-length record at Johnny Cash's legendary Cash Cabin and touring all over as the veritable second coming of Cash. For his latest run of shows at the Triple Door, Mira aims his Americana-music-making talents not at Johnny Cash but another of his Sun Records buddies: Elvis Presley, whose life and music will be commemorated by Mira and a handful of guests, including Fly Moon Royalty's Adra Boo, burlesque queen Caela Bailey, and musical comedian Mark Siano. DAVID SCHMADER

Friday 1/10

Expo 91: Black Hat, Nice & AO, Newaxeyes, and more

(Cairo) See Underage.

Krautrock Tribute: A Night of Cosmic German Music with Tredecimal, Low Hums, DJ Mamma Casserole, DJ Explorateur, DJ Veins

(Lo-Fi) Some of the greatest music in history happened in late-'60s/early-'70s Germany, as restless jugend strove to carve out musical identities detached from their parents' Nazi-tainted culture and distinct from dominant Anglo-American rock traits. Voilà, krautrock. Tonight, in the second edition of a concept spawned by DJ Mamma Casserole, several bold Seattle musicians pay tribute to this rewarding vein of adventurous rock by covering songs from the catalogs of Can, Kraftwerk, Neu!, Faust, Manuel Göttsching, Guru Guru, and others. It's going to get very kosmische. (Disclosure: I'm DJing part of the night.) DAVE SEGAL

The Posies

(Neumos) I don't think Bellingham, Washington, has ever produced a band with sweeter hooks than the Posies. Formed in 1987 and led by Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow (with an ever-changing rhythm section), the Posies signature sound is harmony-laden (those voices!), catchy power pop à la albums Dear 23 and Frosting on the Beater. They kinda, sorta, for real broke up around 1998, but then actually didn't break up because they continued to put out albums (their later efforts took an experimental turn—understandable in the tight boundaries of pop, but a little less satisfying nonetheless). They play tonight as part of the weeklong Moe's 20/Neumos 10 Anniversary in the good company of other Northwest glory-days bands (Truly, Goodness, Alcohol Funnycar, Hyperlung, and more), as well as some of the newer generation of Pacific NW (Telekenesis, the Thermals, Brent Amaker and the Rodeo, and more). EMILY NOKES See also preview.

Califone, the Luyas

(Crocodile) Califone arose out of the fertile ground of Red Red Meat, who robustly repurposed the country-blues aspects of the Rolling Stones' Beggars Banquet. For 15 years, Califone have been electrifying and twisting roots music into starkly beautiful shapes, topped by Tim Rutili's weathered drawl, his soul-stirring emissions making him sound like a septuagenarian emphysema sufferer. That they've managed to maintain their output of ramshackle blues-rock with elements of musique concrète for so long is testament to Califone's wily, emotionally resonant songwriting skills. Their latest album, Stitches, is their most conservative-sounding, but Califone's catalog runs deep with compelling, challenging gems. DAVE SEGAL

Mystery Ship, Candy's River House, Black Wolf Men's Club

(Blue Moon Tavern) Mystery Ship sound perfectly ripe for a Sub Pop contract—if this were 1989. Recording with the masterly Jack Endino, Dave Hillis, and Gordon Raphael (budgets!), the Seattle quartet plays a burly brand of Northwest hard rock that occasionally flares into psychedelic configurations or slouches into bluesy postures. Their music's usually better when it veers toward the former style. The more convoluted the rhythms get and the noisier and more distorted the guitars become, the better Mystery Ship sound. They're best when bruising your ears a Deeper shade of Purple and giving you Machine Head or zooming out into the great Captain Beyond. DAVE SEGAL

Thao & the Get Down Stay Down

(Neptune) Though their stuff has always sounded way too plucky and country-influenced for my liking (and their latest full-length, We the Common, seems to be no exception), Thao & the Get Down Stay Down have been putting out records since 2005 and are headlining the Neptune Theatre, which means they must be doing something right. And though Thao Nguyen seems to be a pretty able songwriter and lyricist by most standards, the group's twangy-folky tunes don't really seem to be that easy or inviting to get down, much less stay down, to. But if this does happen to be your thing, don't let one negative opinion impede YOUR getting down. MIKE RAMOS

Chastity Belt, Tacocat, Atomic Bride, Summer Babes, Lures

(Vera) This benefit for local nonprofit Skate Like a Girl (which is just what it sounds like—a provider of educational programs and classes aimed at teaching young girls and women how to skateboard) rightfully features an all-local and largely female-fronted lineup of bands whose songs wouldn't sound that out-of-place in a skate video. Chastity Belt, who put out one of the strongest Seattle non-rap releases of the year with their debut, No Regerts, an enjoyably rough-hewn and surprisingly deep collection of DIY power-chord jams about parties and "Pussy Weed Beer," will headline. Longtime local favorites/best band featuring a Stranger editor Tacocat also perform, and will likely be debuting new material from their upcoming Hardly Art release, NVM, in addition to their tried-and-true hits about cats, late buses, and even more weed. MIKE RAMOS

Saturday 1/11

Expo 91: Health Problems, Weed, Childbirth, and more

(Cairo) See Underage.

Lusine, Michael Manahan vs. Nordic Soul, J. Alvarez

(Re-bar) See Data Breaker.

Goodness, These Streets, Lucky Me, Gerald Collier, Faster Tiger

(Neumos) See preview.

The Pharmacy, L.A. Drugz, Brain Drain, Nervous Talk, Mythological Horses

(Highline) Now this is a lineup. Certified fuzz-pop geniuses the Pharmacy remain one of the most reliably fresh live experiences in town, but they're just the frosting on this all-too-delicious evening of noisy goodness. Mythological Horses melt hearts and shred eardrums with a grunge-infused take on Sebadoh's whiny-but-still-tough anti-folk, while Nervous Talk rock out in a stoned-sounding, lo-fi garage squall. According to L.A. Drugz's Facebook page, they "don't read Rimbaud," which is really all you need to know about those erstwhile scuzz punks. KYLE FLECK

Tulsi, Wizdumb, Sintax, DJ Able One

(High Dive) One of the many pleasures on Wizdumb's Basementality, which stands as my fifth-favorite local hiphop album of 2013, is the track "Vaudeville." Featuring raps by Man Danno, and running just under three-and-a-half minutes (Wizdumb almost never makes a beat overstay its welcome), "Vaudeville" has a drum sequence that slams without being hard, a bass that is deep and rubbery, and a happy (even circus-like) melody as its sole ornament. As for the raps, Man Danno has a chorus that swings with the melody and rhymes that have lip-exploded kicks when the track is stripped down to bass and drums. Wizdumb is one of the few who has not forgotten how to make a tune. CHARLES MUDEDE

Princess, Smooth Sailing, Grenades

(Blue Moon Tavern) Seattle is home to no shortage of excellent metal and post-hardcore outfits, but one of the most criminally under-recognized (at least thus far) is Princess, who over the summer released the stellar seven-song Selling Sulphur. Recorded by Conrad Uno at Egg Studios, Sulphur is by turns punishing and precise, and at times it's downright beautiful. (See especially the title track.) If you've not done so already, get it into thy earholes STAT. You can find it at Bandcamp, but as you'll notice while you're there, the gorgeous cover art belongs on its own big ol' record sleeve. GRANT BRISSEY

Sunday 1/12

Expo 91: Dragging an Ox Through Water, Lori Goldston with Dan Sasaki, Elissa Ball, and more

(Cairo) See Underage.

Truly, Bali Girls, Sage, Hyperlung

(Neumos) See preview and Stranger Suggests.

Monday 1/13

Andy Coe Band

(Blue Moon Tavern) Well, it's Monday night again, the worst time of the week for live-music entertainment... theoretically. But Seattle-area citizens do have an option that's better than putzing around on the internet or zoning out in front of the tube. The five-piece Andy Coe Band do free shows at the Blue Moon Tavern every Monday. This arrangement allows guitarist Coe to stretch out for hours at a time and loose his peak-time Jerry Garcia–like excursions. It helps to have a long attention span here, but you can dip in, leave, and come back at any point and enjoy Andy Coe Band's river of song. These guys can do those sing-along-worthy country-rock ramblers and improv space-outs with equal aptitude. It's like the Grateful Dead never died... DAVE SEGAL

Hey Marseilles, Cataldo

(Neumos) Orchestral-pop outfit Hey Marseilles make the sort of romantic, wide-eyed music that would be all over love-struck teenagers' mixtapes, were such things still in existence (mixtapes, that is—love-struck teenagers will be with us for eternity). Which is not to besmirch their craft: Immaculately produced, peppered with swooping strings and marching-band drums, the songs on their recently released sophomore album, Lines We Trace,sound positively panoramic, with Moleskine-worthy lyrics that could go toe-to-toe with the Decemberists' Colin Meloy any day of the week for literary-dude indie dominance. Expect to see some tears in eyes and hearts on sleeves. KYLE FLECK See also preview.

Tuesday 1/14

Benjamin Verdoes, Valley Maker

(Tractor) Today, Benjamin Verdoes (ex–Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, current Iska Dhaaf) is celebrating the release of his first solo adventure, The Evil Eye (Brick Lane Records). Verdoes is a talented songwriter, as indicated though his other projects, but Evil Eye clears away some of the more complicated tendencies (say, the mathy/changey-ness of MSHV Band) and goes right in for the honest, emotional pop song, sung in a high/sandy voice to a loved one who seems to scare, exhilarate, disorient, and complete him. With the soothing indie folk of Valley Maker. EMILY NOKES

Childbirth, Half Breed

(Chop Suey) Seattle's music scene has a history of side projects unexpectedly becoming main projects. Examples? United State of Electronica sprouting from Wonderful, Bruno Pronsato overshadowing Bobby Karate, Truckasauras usurping Foscil. Childbirth—which consists of members of Chastity Belt, Tacocat, and Pony Time—probably won't overtake the players' mother-ship groups, but they do have potential to bloom into something special. This observation's based on two songs: "I Only Fucked You for a Joke" and "Marination Station." The former's a sinister garage rocker powered by coiled guitar, hip-swiveling rhythms, and mean spirits; the latter's a chunky, moving rocker about the female astronaut who drove from Houston to Orlando while wearing a diaper in order to kidnap a woman romantically involved with her fellow astronaut lover. These songs stick in your head with a quickness, and there are surely more where they came from. DAVE SEGAL recommended