Bumbershoot looms large over Labor Day weekend, and will bring with it lots of excellent performers (all of whom we have on our complete Bumbershoot calendar), but there are also lots of other great music shows happening in town during the final days of August and first days of September. We’ve got all your tastes, interests, and confusing kinks covered, with bands ranging from rockabilly sex dreamers to the ultimate Now That’s What I Call The 2000’s hiphop love affair to hobby botanists with their own chicken and waffles franchise. As always, check out our earnestly packed music calendar for everything else going on.
AUGUST 29
Sheer Mag, SSDD, Lysol, Vacant Life
Rock is dead, the guitar is dead, blah blah blah. You’ve read the thinkpieces or seen them on social media, and you know instinctively that they’re bull. Still, the ubiquitous hand-wringing over the future of guitar rock seems justified, in part: What in modernity rolls while it rocks? Answer: Sheer Mag, a Philly outfit with punk attitude and guitar licks lifted straight from the Thin Lizzy octave harmony school. Too whitebread? Their ace of spades is singer Tina Halladay, whose lyrics draw from the Riot Grrrl rock-feminist ethos (in a reliable, not bookish, way), but whose singing evokes the soul tradition of her city. JOSEPH SCHAFER
VHS, Tenement, Black Thumb, Paranoid Time
Up-and-coming Seattle four-piece VHS (Violent Human System) recently released a sickeningly sweet new record, Gift of Life, via Suicide Squeeze. The 25-minute bout of noise-punk malaise is hospital-themed, with bleak rockers like “Wheelchair” and “Binge Everything” artfully criticizing a perpetually sick culture. This record, with its agonizingly bent guitars and metallic punk luster, is proving to be one of the year’s best local releases. On their latest LP, Wisconsin-based pop-leaning punks Tenement create ’90s-does-’60s sad bastard-esque garage rock that’s insanely earnest, but in a listenable and non-pathetic way. Although they’ve departed slightly from their earlier, more straight-ahead pop-punk chug, Tenement still provide all the fist-pump-inducing riffs one would expect. BRITTNIE FULLER
AUGUST 30
Ja Rule & Ashanti
Heartbreaking titans of hiphop Ja Rule and Ashanti resurrect their ’90s Top 40 love affair with a night at the Showbox.
Russian Circles with Cloakroom
Any attempt to describe the awesomeness that is Russian Circles seems to fall short of truly showcasing how dynamic their range is. From punishingly fierce metal riffs to soaring and beautiful post-rock, this Chicago trio—featuring Stranger freelancer Brian Cook on bass—has written six LPs worth of genre-bending instrumental music. On August 5, the band released Guidance, an album produced by Converge mastermind Kurt Ballou. If that name alone draws you in, you won’t be disappointed—this is Russian Circles at their heaviest. For something a bit more on the shoegazey tip, show up early for Cloakroom—also a three piece—who are touring in support of their stellar 2015 album, Further Out. KEVIN DIERS
AUGUST 30-31
Otis Taylor
Otis Taylor still hasn’t cut anything so essential since 2001’s White African, when, with hints of grim humor, he reminded us that the blues came from people the rest of society had forgotten. An executed killer who might have been innocent, wandering the train tracks as a ghost; a man watching his little daughter die; and other tales to still your breath. Since then Taylor hasn’t frightened us with honesty quite so much, but he makes surprising, stark, frank, brutal music to remind us that the blues is alive so long as it speaks to hurtful truth, and the desperation that drives us away from it into the arms of excess. Also, his new album contains epic discursions on “Hey Joe.” ANDREW HAMLIN
AUGUST 31
Peter Bjorn and John
“Baby went to Amsterdam, she had a funky-fresh feelin’ and can of Spam, Oh-slo, Oh-slo!” Sorry. That’s what I used to sing to these guys’ breakout hit, “Amsterdam.” They are of course from Stockholm, not Oslo nor Amsterdam. The new album is called Breakin’ Point. It’s mostly disco—disco with ruminative lyrics. This is a good thing, since it reminds us that disco never really died—not after it was “killed” in Chicago in 1979, not after all those Bee Gees posters peeled off, not when vinyl died, not even when Erasure started using acoustic guitars. Nope, disco is still disco, and you can cut a rug to this thing, or sit down and ruminate when you get tired. Both barrels! ANDREW HAMLIN
Skye with Ross from Morcheeba
Ah, Morcheeba… What a pleasant purveyor of languid triphop vibes you were in the genre’s mid- to late-’90s halcyon days. Who Can You Trust? and Big Calm spun in heavy rotation in coffee shops and chic bistros nationwide, “Trigger Hippie,” “Part of the Process,” and “The Sea” graced many a DJ mix, and Morcheeba kept the funk chillaxed with exceptional panache. And then we moved on to more exciting styles and lost track of Morcheeba’s endeavors. Sorry! Skye Edwards has released four solo albums in this century that continue to showcase her soothing, dulcet voice and delicate, confessional balladry that fuses soul and folk components with nonchalant gracefulness. Now she’s back with Morcheeba multi-instrumentalist Ross Godfrey, and you can bet they’ll bring the laid-back, feather-light funk. DAVE SEGAL
SEPTEMBER 1
Cobalt, Mantar, Into The Storm, Dogs of War
“I am not a man!” screams Cobalt vocalist Charlie Fell on the first track of the band’s new album, Slow Forever. I’m almost inclined to believe him. There’s something inhuman about Cobalt’s music. Composed by multi-instrumentalist Erik Wunder, who builds everything around the drum parts, Cobalt’s music is all about activating the reptile brain in its listeners. Sure, the lyrics reference modern literature and mythology, but the music itself—all white-hot guitar tone and plundering tom rolls—aims right at the amygdala. This Colorado black-metal two-piece almost never tour, despite their long standing as critical darlings, so their Highline show presents a rare opportunity to see one of America’s most distinctive metal bands. JOSEPH SCHAFER
Duran Duran and Chic
When I interviewed Simon LeBon for this week’s Stranger, I asked him to please please tell me now how Duran Duran balance the requirements of their older fans (hi!) with their obvious desire to sound contemporary. Turns out that, as in so many other cases throughout pop history, the answer was Nile Rodgers, who produced and co-wrote some of the greatest music they ever made, including two songs from last year’s très moderne-sounding Paper Gods. And how do the new songs fit in with the classix on stage? “Seamlessly,” LeBon assured me. “We basically segue from ‘Notorious’ to ‘Pressure Off,’ with Nile Rodgers playing guitar on both songs. They fit together so well. We’re also going from ‘Reach Out for the Sunrise’ to ‘New Moon on Monday.’ It’s the same band. It’s the same people who made the music. They ought to be compatible…. Duran Duran and Chic, it’s a great evening for entertainment.” See you there. SEAN NELSON
Lesbian with Guests
On September 1, a gateway into a new dimension of heaviness will be opened by way of Hallucinogenesis, the much-anticipated album by Seattle mushroom-metallers Lesbian. Decibel magazine’s website recently premiered the 12-minute soundscape that is “Aqualibrium.” The track adds a layer of thrash and a healthy dose of King Diamond-like falsetto vocals to their already doom-drenched sound. I can only imagine the rest of the psychedelic sludge that awaits within the remainder of the LP. Celebrate as Lesbian enter a new realm, or be left behind in a haze. KEVIN DIERS
Studio 4/4: George FitzGerald
English producer George FitzGerald deals in melodious, vocal-centric house music that inevitably prompts listeners to use the adjective “tasteful”—and maybe “soulful,” depending on which vocalist is guesting on any given track. But he also can create techno that pummels with some of the toughest practitioners in the field. Maybe Seattle will get lucky and receive all of FitzGerald’s styles for the usually on-point Studio 4/4 weekly, but judging from his latest album, Fading Love, his set may lean more toward twinkly and soft-focused romanticism. DAVE SEGAL
SEPTEMBER 1-4
Keiko Matsui
Not just her career, but Keiko Matsui’s life itself as a Japanese producer, contemporary jazz pianist, and composer spans genres, borders, and decades. She tours constantly and has brought her music to every corner of the globe with over twenty albums of original music.
SEPTEMBER 2
Life During Wartime with the Erotic City Prince Tribute
Perhaps tribute concerts have gotten out of hand. Now we’re seeing bills dedicated to a live show that became a Jonathan Demme documentary? Oy. Granted, Stop Making Sense is one of the greatest films of its kind and Talking Heads were operating at peak expanded-lineup potency when it was shot. But there’s something ridiculous about paying homage to something so reliant on its particular circumstances. Maybe that makes Life During Wartime’s endeavor even more admirable. Stop Making Sense stands as a wonderful overview of Talking Heads’ catalog through Speaking in Tongues, and as a bonus, includes Tom Tom Club’s sensuously slow funk classic “Genius of Love.” Life During Wartime promise “exciting visuals, costuming, signature licks and moves, even stage props.” Hmm. Maybe this will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience; maybe they’ll Byrne down the house. DAVE SEGAL
Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa
Experience a whole evening of hip hop and pot-related puns with Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa at White River Amphitheater, along with Kevin Gates, Jhene Aiko, Casey Veggies, and DJ Drama.
SEPTEMBER 2-3
Wilco with Jean Shelley
Wilco’s critical acclaim peaked with Summerteeth and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot—albums that elevated the Chicago group from the alt-country poster children of their early years into a zeitgeist of futurist folk music. Yes, the songwriting traditions of Hank and Woody still haunted Jeff Tweedy’s forlorn ballads, but the layered recordings, deconstructed instrumentation, and visionary production techniques stimulated your brain while Tweedy broke your heart. These days, Wilco seem less fixated on using the studio as its own instrument and more focused on being a self-contained band. So while recent albums like The Whole Love and Star Wars might not have the headphone candy of Y2K Wilco, the no-frills recordings capture a band at the height of their abilities. Not surprisingly, the band has never been better on stage. BRIAN COOK
SEPTEMBER 2-4
Bumbershoot 2016
Bumbershoot, Seattle’s biggest music, comedy, and arts festival, will take over Seattle Center for Labor Day weekend this year for the 46th year. See our complete Bumbershoot calendar for showtimes and recommendations, including Tyler, The Creator, Chastity Belt, and Tame Impala.
SEPTEMBER 3
Counting Crows and Rob Thomas
Relive the most earnest moments of the ’90s with slick Matchbox 20 frontman Rob Thomas and the deeply alt sounds of the Counting Crows.
Game Recognize Game
Game Recognize Game is a multimedia event that organizer Laura Cassidy of the band Litter Shore describes as “a show about working together and working alone—about the challenges and difficulties of partnership and the victories and defeats of solitude.” Not to diminish other aspects like paintings by A Frames’ main songwriter (and Cassidy’s husband) Erin Sullivan or Cassidy’s visual text-based pieces or a “mythological music video,” but for our purposes, GRG will be worth attending to hear Litter Shore. Featuring Cassidy, Sullivan (with whom she also played in the eerie experimental-rock group Children’s Hospital), Jessa Carter, and Ria Leigh, Litter Shore tap a similar anomic, Quaaluded vein as Children’s Hospital’s 2008 lo-fi, minimalist-psych classic, Alone Together. Besides this, there’ll be a mini market offering goods from several Seattle artists, including Derek Erdman, Sierra Stinson, Joey Veltkamp, and Erin Frost. DAVE SEGAL
Mars Red Sky, Ancient Warlocks, Teacher, The Deadrones
Plenty of astral-minded hard-rock space cases let their feet fall asleep on their distortion pedals en route to 10-plus-minute jams as aimless as a float through the cosmos. France’s Mars Red Sky are similarly inclined, but what distinguishes these Pink Floyd-ophiles is attention to that band’s skill at infusing progressive pop flourishes into even the most wayward explorations of hard rock’s outer fringe. The trio’s current album, Apex III (Praise for the Burning Soul), is sufficiently mind-melting with a good pair of headphones. But even when they’re rocketing toward another galaxy on album closer “Prodigal Sun,” this bunch never forsakes such terrestrial concerns as being able to pen a song you can hum in the shower. JASON BRACELIN
SEPTEMBER 4
Andy Stott & Demdike Stare
Andy Stott’s trajectory from workmanlike techno producer to phenomenal dub-techno brooder (the We Stay Together and Passed Me By EPs representing his peak phase) to drum ‘n’ bass dabbler to scrupulous crafter of techno-lite/synth-pop songs culminates in this year’s aptly titled Too Many Voices. It’s an evolution trending toward greater accessibility and reliance on singing (beautiful though it may be), which is great for Stott’s bank account, even if it doesn’t play to his strengths. Modern Love labelmates Demdike Stare are the main reason to hit this show. Since 2009, the British duo of Sean Canty and Miles Whittaker have forged a canon that updates and elevates the imaginary horror-film soundtrack to high, marrow-chilling art. Combining Whittaker’s aptitude for techno production and rhythms and Canty’s vast knowledge of obscure library, electronic, and film music, Demdike Stare excel at generating coal-black soundscapes that create knee-trembling suspense and profound bewilderment. The title “Suspicious Drone” off their Symbiosis comp exemplifies Demdike Stare’s vibe. Nobody does morbid ambient music and doomsday dub better. DAVE SEGAL
Black Uhuru with Onesty
“Everybody want the same thing don’t dey, don’t dey,” runs Black Uhuru’s “Solidarity,” the song that got them onto MTV and from there into living rooms across North America. And as a somewhat-sheltered middle-class teen, I found it easy enough to believe that. At a hippie college, where the DJ with the shift before mine left the song on to play for the segue, it was easy enough to believe that. Now, of course, trying to ignore the hordes swarming for Drumpf, I’m less sure. I’m glad someone still believes it in enough to sing it, though. It’s a deserving sentiment. Black Uhuru don’t have Sly & Robbie slinking through the bass and drum parts anymore, but they should invoke their classic stance. ANDREW HAMLIN
Chris Isaak
Although Chris Isaak’s considered by most to be a one-hit wonder for his 1990 mega-hit “Wicked Game,” his swoonworthy heartthrob legacy remains for all sexy times. His ultra-smooth rockabilly pop bridges the gap between Elvis Presley and Elvis Costello, as his passionately crooning ’50s rock ‘n’ roll-indebted, seductive vocals are only heightened by his chiseled and muscular James Dean-a-like looks. The soft-porn timelessness of the sex-on-a-beach-filled, smoldering “Wicked Game” video (also censored for airplay) filled a void for soccer moms and grandmas in a pre-Kindle, romance-novel world. Isaak’s overtly sensual, fleshly yacht-pop should spark fires in even the squarest of squares. Expect lots of older folks getting tipsy on Pinot noir and making out. BRITTNIE FULLER
Heiress, Family, Dust Moth, A Province of Thay
Their tunes often belie their running time, frequently feeling longer than they are. This is usually a sign of tediousness, like musical clock-watching, but not in the case of Seattle’s Heiress. These dudes are so adept at teasing out multiple strains of metallic grit and grandeur in their doom-based trudge, that their songs routinely register as sagas even when they’re shorter than a Britney Spears pop truffle—like “Clearing,” the two-minute opening salvo from the band’s equally beatific and bracing latest album, Made Wrong. Yeah, frontman John Pettibone may do his best to imitate the roar of a muffler-less hot rod, but guitarists Mark Holcomb and Wes Reed seemingly take just as many cues from Slint as from Slayer. Heiress’ approach: crush with nuance. JASON BRACELIN
Mark Farner (Grand Funk Railroad)
Mark Farner—the singer, songwriter, and guitar picker who once fronted the mighty Grand Funk Railroad—is due to turn in an all acoustic set at the Triple Door. Whoa! I know an acoustic set seems appropriate for the intimate sit-down scene of that venue, but looking back at Farner’s heavy back catalog of rock-and-roll mayhem—remember he’s said in that #1 single from 1973 he’s always ready to “help you party [your town] down”—I’m super curious how he will translate some of those big Grand Funk hits! He still has his voice and his chops though, so here’s reckoning he will be able to steer the evening directly into the sun. MIKE NIPPER
