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MONDAY
ROCK/POPDua Lipa, Guests
Dua Lipa, the world's newest British pop star, has lit up the charts with her brassy break-up anthems and dance-floor-ready production. She'll return to Seattle on her 2018 summer world tour for a night of dark and fiery pop moments.
MONDAY-FRIDAY
CLASSICAL/OPERA2018 Seattle Chamber Music Society Summer Festival
Seattle Chamber Music Society is, once again, throwing their Summer Festival, with free informal recitals and full orchestral performances for all ages throughout the month of July. The cabal of esteemed artists involved this year will include Mary Lynch, Andrew Wan, Benjamin Beilman, Jonathan Vinocour, Astrid Schween, George Li, and many more. Plus, don't miss the Music Under The Stars series, during which a student ensemble sets up in a park and plays to whoever shows up, often folks with picnic blankets in tow and maybe a surreptitious bottle of wine or two, after which Benaroya Hall pipes in whatever festival performance is happening that night.
TUESDAY
EXPERIMENTAL/NOISEWeedeater, Zeke, Sierra
For 23 years, the number one musical export of the aptly named Cape Fear, North Carolina has been the ridiculously fun Weedeater. The power trio, led by bassist and absolute madman Dave "Dixie" Collins, are currently on tour celebrating the 10th anniversary of their seminal album God Luck and Good Speed. They're performing that sludge-metal masterpiece in its entirety, even their crackerjack cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Gimme Back My Bullets." Joining their redneck rodeo is Seattle's own Zeke, who just released their first album in over 15 years. Expect a very inebriated, very jubilant crowd praising the dark lord and passing the ammunition. JOSEPH SCHAFER
Who Is She?, Darren Hanlon, The Misties
Who Is She? is a supergroup of a supergroup, combining Robin Edwards of Lisa Prank, Bree McKenna of Tacocat and Childbirth, and Julia Shapiro of Chastity Belt and Childbirth into a new trio who sing about missed connection ads, Friends veterans, time lords, and the hot goss trailing around our fair city. Get their album, out now on Father/Daughter Records, at this skate party with Darren Hanlon and the Misties.
THURSDAY
HIPHOP/RAPBlueprint, Diveyede, GUNSGODSGHOSTS, Sammy Warm Hands, hERON, DJ Av
Blueprint is a busy man. When the Columbus, Ohio, hiphop artist isn’t working with RJD2 in Soul Position, Illogic in Greenhouse Effect, or with someone off his long list of collaborators (Aesop Rock, Sage Francis, and J. Rawls among them), he’s delivering deliberately spoken verses and producing his own fine beats. Currently, he has a handful of EPs and 10 solo albums to his credit, the most recent, Two-Headed Monster, featuring stand-outs like the inspiring, retro-vibing “Don’t Look Back,” (“You never see a child tripping out about the past/They're living in the now, trying to make it last/Too young to reminisce about anything/Sometimes we should do the same things”), and the darker, social-commentary-laden “Hoop Dreamin’.” LEILANI POLK
THURSDAY-SUNDAY
JAZZWill Downing
Known widely as "The Prince of Sophisticated Soul," legendary singer Will Downing will showcase his talents for interpreting soul, jazz, and R&B classics for a four-night stint in support of his latest release, Soul Survivor.
FRIDAY
METAL/PUNKNeurosis, Converge, Amenra
It’s a bicoastal battle royale, as Boston-based metallic hardcore heavyweights Converge team up with Bay Area underground icons Neurosis to form the metal equivalent of Macho Man Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan joining forces back in 1988. Both bands are unapologetically intense, with Converge’s thrashing onslaught creating the perfect juxtaposition for Neurosis’s slow, crushing freight train of riffs. Joining these two iconic acts is Belgian band Amenra, whose 2017 album Mass VI is a haunting and brutal mix of post-rock passages and assaultive doom-metal dirges. All three of these bands are innovators of left-brained heavy metal awesomeness. KEVIN DIERS
Ann Wilson of Heart
It seems wild to me that it would be necessary to qualify Ann Wilson’s name with “of Heart,” considering that her widely renowned vocal prowess, expansive personality, decades of chart-topping tracks, and taste in velvet blazers should speak for themselves, but that’s basic promotional marketing for you. I grew up on Wilson’s power ballads of love lost and confidence gained, and I heavily credit her (and her also incredible sister, Nancy) for carving out a wide swath in pop culture for strong womxn making complex rock in a time when it was definitely easier to simply go down the fringed groupie route of her lesser male counterparts. KIM SELLING
Baywitch, Nadu, Porn Bloopers, FLRT
Baywitch’s winning combo of spunky strums and ethereal vocals is a must-have for the spookiest—and most colorful—beach parties this summer. However, don’t get too comfortable in this haunt, because Nadu’s punk-as-hell take on surf-rock hits hard like a rogue wave, but you’ll quickly be getting up for more. For even more fun, Porn Bloopers are here to smash in all of the band’s delightfully messy, party-punk glory (check out their 4 Track Demos 2018 on Bandcamp—bloopers are included, but no porn, unless you count an eargasm). With a lineup like this, it’s irresistible to rock the boat, and FLRT oblige with rhythm-forward fuzzy garage-rock that has a life of its own. SOPHIA STEPHENS
Dean Ween Group, Mike Dillon Band
Breakups can be good for a band. In the case of Ween—purveyors of ironic and absurd rock music—coleaders Dean and Gene Ween focused on their respective solo selves. Deaner reunited his hard-rock group Moistboyz and started a new one, too, the Dean Ween Group, releasing two albums under his old (new) moniker: The Deaner Album in 2016, and a sophomore follow-up this March, rock2. Both are high-quality outings and what you’d expect from the brasher, louder, readier-to-initiate ball-busting member of the group. Sonically, he draws heavily on elements of hard-rock, prog, and psych-rock, more lightly from metal and twang, and adds dashes of nasty funk and soul; “Dicky Betts” is a homage that sounds like straight up Allmans, and cheeky brown humor is intact in songs like “Pussy on My Pillow” and the greasier “Someone Greased the Fat Man.” LEILANI POLK
Deep Creep, Autogramm, Dyed
Deep Creep includes members of Seattle legends Murder City Devils (Derek Fudesco, bass) and Pretty Girls Make Graves (Andrea Zollo, vocals), plus contemporary rippers from Spesh (Brian Yeager, guitar) and Medicine Bows (Jeff Alvarez, drums). The lick-driven foursome don’t play out often enough, so when they do, their chiller rock ’n’ roll and raconteur vibes aren’t ones you want to miss on a Friday night. Local eccentrics Dyed have quickly established a name for themselves and will deliver on well-fashioned, new-wave, synth-and-bass grooves, while Vancouver’s Autogramm will act as the 1980s rock-pop filling for this night of raucousness. ZACH FRIMMEL
Quintron and Miss Pussycat, Scott Yoder, Triggerwords
The first time I saw Quintron and Miss Pussycat was opening for ex-Gories group the Demolition Doll Rods in the Rendezvous theater, like 50 years ago. The show was great, but made exponentially greater by Q&MP. I’d never experienced anything like ’em: They incited magical mayhem—a cult-like frenzied, danceable magic mayhem! Speaking of mayhem, Scott Yoder (Band) will also be bringing some “WHOA” via their full-frontal collision of Sensational Alex Harvey Band glam and Mothers of Invention nonsense. Right, so obviously you oughta bring extra glitter in your fanny pack. MIKE NIPPER
We Are Scientists, Beverly
We Are Scientists’ April release, Megaplex, occupies the space between heartbreak and holding on. Keith Murray’s emotive vocals and the band’s newly introduced synth charm shine in tracks like “One In, One Out” and “Not Another Word.” But this album isn’t always about keeping it lively: “Your Light Has Changed” brings the down-to-earth truth (and a healthy rip) into that one person you’re waiting for to change—that is, if you’re even waiting anymore. Meanwhile, opening act Beverly’s swoon-worthy fusion of soulful English/Japanese lyrics and sparkling array of heart-stopping beats will have you dancing on in—just check your language barrier at the door. SOPHIA STEPHENS
MirrorGloss, NAVVI, Leava
MirrorGloss's brassy vocals and punchy electronic backing earned them "Best New Band of 2014" from the Tacoma Weekly. See them with NAVVI and Leava.
SATURDAY
BLUES/COUNTRY/FOLKKenny Chesney
Country music golden boy Kenny Chesney will come to Seattle with a full lineup of star-studded supporters like Thomas Rhett, Old Dominion, and Brandon Lay on his Trip Around The Sun Tour.
Black Lives Matter Hiphop Show and Fundraiser
This loaded lineup of local hiphop acts—including Nubion, Ethos, Mr. Rooks, King Flyz, and the Artist Keli—directly supports Black Lives Matter and the Rainier Valley Food Bank. If you’re looking to have a good time while supporting some worthy causes this summer, this show is for you, so hold onto your Fourth of July patriotism and put it where it matters. To take a hint from the event description: “If Black Lives Truly Matter—we must not only support the #BlackLivesMatterMovement but also the Black community through music and donations and reparations… we must live in a society… where we love and support each other and break the bonds of oppression by expressing ourselves.” SOPHIA STEPHENS
Slum Village, Illmaculate, DoNormaal, Taylar Elizza Beth, Mic Flont & Massiah of OTOW, DJ Indica Jones
You know Slum Village because you know the late J Dilla, one of the greatest and most prolific producers of all time—so great that his productions are still coming out posthumously. But Dilla left Slum Village in 2001, and then passed in 2006. The other founding member, Baatin, who exited in 2002 (or, rather, was asked to leave), returned to the fold in 2008, but died in 2009 at the age of 35. Seems like bad luck, especially for a group that has some long-lasting, fantastic, soul- and funk-infused hiphop joints (“Fall in Love,” anyone?). But MC T3 has managed to soldier on quite fine, and he’s currently touring by himself under the SV moniker with producer Young RJ in tow. LEILANI POLK
The Damned
While the Clash and Sex Pistols might be the most well-known bands to rise from the UK’s late-1970s punk scene, they weren’t the first. That feat belongs to the Damned, who released their debut studio album, Damned Damned Damned, a couple months before Joe Strummer and his Clash rockers. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow and brooding, the Damned were a dynamic band that influenced both the hardcore and goth music scenes. Led by original vocalist Dave Vanian and guitarist Captain Sensible, the band continues to tour the world and just released a new album—Evil Spirits—in April. KEVIN DIERS
Air Supply
Can the hedgehog still hit the high notes? And no grown-up will ever understand that this is a matter of so much importance! Well, okay, no non–Air Supply fan. Air Supply fans don’t mind or laugh off their silly clothes (me, I searched the web in vain for a bright-white dress shirt with a yellow tiger over the right breast), unapologetic use of French horns, Jim Steinman’s confession that they almost bored him to death (“but I found that fascinating”) while he recorded one of their hugest hits. Air Supply rarely bother with new albums. They’re about the hits and the memories of those tiger-shirt days. Graham Russell looks like he never leaves the beach. Russell Hitchcock’s the hedgehog. Hope he’s still got it! (That shirt, I mean, which may be too much to hope for.) ANDREW HAMLIN
The Cripples, Cape Fury, Date Night with Brian
I’m so stoked on this reunion show! For serious, I remember back in the olden days when the Cripples broke through the stranglehold Estrus bands and Sub Pop’s “Halifax Experiment” had on the scene. Their synth-stabby, DIY-confrontational, weird-ass noise rock was the first toe into the now stock angular “thing” of the ’00s, and those things they were doing then have since been revised into what the kids call "post punk." Y’all, the Cripples are kind of a big deal. Oh, we’ll also be getting some punk from SF’s Cape Fury and pop punk from locals Date Night with Brian. MIKE NIPPER
Harry Styles, Kacey Musgraves
In a world in which One Direction didn't set teen hearts afire, Texas troubadour Kacey Musgraves might be headlining this stadium show. Her third studio effort, Golden Hour, is among the year's best. It’s the kind of lovingly crafted work that feels like the warm embrace of a good friend, as she sings about sisterly love and fading romance. Fellow reality-show veteran Harry Styles has only one solo album to his name, but his self-titled debut is a surprisingly mature, if inconsistent, effort that splits the difference between the sophisticated pomp of the Beatles and the breezy Britpop of Blur. KATHY FENNESSY
Kilcid Band, Eldren, the Hoot Hoots
It's exceedingly hard in 2018 to hit the indie-rock sweet spot, in which bands avoid excessive cuteness and rhythmic feebleness and create memorable melodies that don't cloy. Thankfully, Seattle-via-Port-Townsend quintet Kilcid Band brilliantly thread that needle, as their new EP, The Good Get Gone, proves. Its three songs display seductive dynamics, elegant hooks, and tantalizing guitar, bass, and keyboard tones. Add some luscious, layered vocal harmonies that show deep immersion in the Queen catalog and you have a radio-friendly unit to whom you can listen while still respecting yourself the next morning. Mark my words: Kilcid Band are going to be big—or at least slightly more popular than medium-sized. DAVE SEGAL
The Posies
The Posies are on tour in honor of their 30th anniversary (their first cassette-only album, Failure, came out in 1988, and was reissued through PopLlama Records in 1989), and they are bringing their distinct brand of indie melancholy to a venue near you. However dark things may seem, there is still a light somewhere—however small, and however lost you may be—and the Posies have delivered that surviving light throughout their three decades as a band and in their discography. Celebrate the survival of your emotional, vulnerable self in all its glory at this show—and if you do cry, make them tears of joy. You made it. SOPHIA STEPHENS
KEXP Rocks the Dock
Join KEXP for a day of live soul and R&B on the water, featuring OCNotes, Stas Thee Boss, Nappy Nina, Breaks and Swells, Misundvrstood, and Gypsy Temple.
SUNDAY
ELECTRONICFlammable: Stefan Goldmann, Eugene Fauntleroy, Brian Lyons
Long-running house-music weekly Flammable went the extra kilometer with this booking. Berlin's Stefan Goldmann is one of the planet's most interesting producers and DJs working in the hazy nexus between experimental techno and microhouse. His recordings for Perlon, Cocoon, Mule Electronic, and his own Macro label reveal a mind attuned to subtle gradations of darkness balanced with efficient, minimalist rhythms. Goldmann's productions skew slightly toward the weirder end of the techno spectrum, but he remains cognizant of keeping the dance floor bustling. Back in 2009, he released an excellent mix called "The Empty Foxhole" that solidified his turntable ethos of building drama through ebbing and flowing dynamics and emphasizing heady, dark moods. Check out the "Macrospective II" and "Dublab" mixes on SoundCloud for further insight into Goldmann's labyrinthine explorations of 4/4 mesmerism. DAVE SEGAL
A$AP Ferg, IDK, Buddy
While A$AP Rocky may be the A$AP crew's flagship artist, Ferg has become something of their MVP, with an ear similar to Rocky's for effectively synthesizing regional styles into either a street anthem or pop missive. After reintroducing the rap world to the classic Three Six Mafia track "Slob on My Knob" via his cover hit "Plain Jane," Ferg brings his unique vocal stylings and ear for banging beats to town for what's sure to be a party of a live show. NICK ZURKO
Big 10 Jazz Brunch
The museum will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a live jazz brunch replete with signature cocktails, mimosas, a spread from Chef Tarik Abdullah, and a live performance from Ben Hunter.
4th Ward Afro-Klezmer Orchestra, the Debaucherauntes, Shpilkis
Atlanta represent! The Big Peach sends us nine folks in casual attire who play horns, guitars, and drums, and look and sound like they just got together on a street corner. A street corner with some magic to it, though, because something settles deep into the hybrid klezmer/Afro grooves. A walking, strutting magic, something that’s almost like New Orleans funk legends the Meters, where galaxies, and galactic secrets, hide between the beats, and you’re almost sorry the next beat comes down. Almost. Not quite. ANDREW HAMLIN
Bazzi
Snapchat may be one of the easiest social media apps to make fun of, but it's the platform that made Michigan songwriter Bazzi famous for his lovelorn single "Mine," which he debuted to the world in a filtered snap.
George Thorogood & The Destroyers
Rock and roll lifer George Thorogood has walked the line between hoarse country singer and barfly rocker for decades. He'll pull from his decades of male stripper singles with his band the Destroyers.
