We realize that it is now summer, the season of deciding not to do anything despite the unceasing whirl of activity that surrounds us, but since there are still lots of worthy events happening across town, we suggest you pull your body up from the beach towel you definitely haven’t washed since last summer and drag that bod to these upcoming shows. Our music critics have hand-selected nuggets of jazz improvisation, Detroit heartbreakers (only thematically, but maybe also literally), rippling psychedelia, and much more for you to choose from this week (there’s even some JT vs. Bieber action). Find them all below, and, if nothing here appeals to you (or you’re looking for something further into the future) you can always check out our complete music calendar.
JUNE 13
1. The Salute Sessions: Charles Mingus
It isn’t clear what Charles Mingus we’ll hear on this evening, but the Ivan Arteaga website lists a dozen or so titles the ensemble might draw from, and that’s more than enough. Mingus, for those of you joining us late, made Mingus music. Jazz, okay, it more than qualified as jazz, but Mingus, like Monk, like Miles, carved out a category unto himself alone. He saluted the past, including Duke Ellington (with whom he played until, legend has it anyway, he tried to kill trombonist Juan Tizol with an ax onstage), Lester Young (the Mingus standard “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat”), and church music, but he built elaborate compositions that answered to only one head. Fortunately, he let us a little ways inside. ANDREW HAMLIN
2. Maxence Cyrin
Maxence Cyrin, a classically trained pianist, crosses the barriers from orchestral standards to jazz to electronic to new wave pop, all with a single instrument (his baby grand, don’t be gross).
JUNE 14
3. John Carpenter
Shocking plot twist: Horror-film director extraordinaire John Carpenter has become one of this century’s most influential musicians. Initially creating his own soundtracks out of necessity, Carpenter has fashioned creepy, minimalist electronic scores that resonate with today’s burgeoning wave of analog-synth fetishists seeking to capture subliminally infernal vibes. For example, his soundtracks for 1970s and ’80s films like Halloween, Assault on Precinct 13, and Escape from New York (the latter two done with Alan Howarth) stealthily frazzle your nerves with a few coolly efficient gestures. Tonight the 68-year-old Carpenter will perform some of his treasured older pieces as well as works from his two Lost Themes collections of majestic, forlorn synth studies that the Sacred Bones label has recently issued. Could be legendary. DAVE SEGAL
4. Fred Hersch and Anat Cohen Duo
If you are into getting to the core of an artist (meaning, coming to understand what makes him/her great), in the case of Fred Hersch, I recommend listening first to Bill Evans’s “Spartacus Love Theme,” which is on the jazz classic Conversations with Myself, and then listening to Hersch’s version on Let Yourself Go: Fred Hersch at Jordan Hall. What do you hear? Evans, the pianist responsible for the jazz canonization of “Spartacus” (the other famous version of this tune is by the recently departed Yusef Lateef), plays the piece with all the mystery, magic, and messiness of French impressionism. Hersch’s version, on the other hand, is actually played with greater sensitivity and mastery. The great Bill Evans sounds like a raw or unpolished genius when compared with Hersch. Tonight, the great Hersch plays with Anat Cohen, a New-York based jazz clarinetist. CHARLES MUDEDE
JUNE 15
5. Pete Rock and CL Smooth
You say I am repeating. Something I have said before. I shall say it again. I shall. I rate Pete Rock as the third greatest producer in the history of hiphop. First is, of course, RZA, second is DJ Premier, and fourth is J Dilla. But what makes Pete Rock truly exceptional in the A-list of beat creators is he could not only produce but also rap. CL Smooth, his partner on the groundbreaking album Mecca and the Soul Brother (1992), once boasted that no one but him ever did it better (rapping) on a “Pete Rock track.” But I could argue with some confidence and evidence that really no one ever threw down on a Pete Rock beat better than Pete Rock himself. CHARLES MUDEDE
6. Battles, X Suns
As a listener, it’s not hard to picture each Battles song beginning at a racetrack starting line, the bevvy of eager racers—human and electronic—set to sprint out front and be heard, striding forward at mathematically precise intervals. The band uses a frantic Lego-ing of multipronged rhythms and a dog-piling of programmed loops to build their tracks, which drummer John Stanier offsets with a thunderous display of human force. Organism and machine come together in a clanky, beautiful sparring session. Last year’s La Di Da Di again defied the critics who doubted the post–Tyondai Braxton lineup’s ability to produce inspired music, which, coupled with their aerobic live set, makes this show well worth the ticket. TODD HAMM
7. Miscomings, TEETH, Newlywed, Paranoid Time
Get weird on a Wednesday at Seattle’s most off-the-wall DIY radio station with some up-and-coming punk acts to watch. Local freaks Miscomings churn out a manic brand of noise rock that bludgeons its listener playfully with sheer discord à la Arab on Radar. Guitar feedback is wielded in an organized-chaos sort of way that would blend in well with bands on the 1990s Skin Graft roster, or as an opening act for AIDS Wolf in 2007. New band Newlywed stem out of local punk bands like the fiercely bleak Clank and Iron Lung Records–released hardcore weirdos Vacant Life, and is at least partially improvised, so that’s all very promising. Edmonton-based punks TEETH offer a more disheveled aesthetic that falls somewhere between goth-tinged post-punk and black metal, while locals Paranoid Time blaze through their songs with a discontent that’s as insistent as it is infectious. BRITTNIE FULLER
JUNE 16
8. Action Potential: Laurel Halo, You’re Me, Bardo:Basho, DJ Explorateur
Straight out of liberal paradise Ann Arbor, Michigan, Laurel Halo has recorded for top labels like RVNG Intl., Hyperdub, and Honest Jon’s. Her output is poised between artful abstraction and strangely beautiful song-based structures. Using her own rich voice to augment and ground her abstruse compositions, Laurel Halo has proven herself to be a reliable creator of oblique, electronic-pop wonders and, on releases like Behind the Green Door and In Situ, complex rhythmic pieces that defy easy categorization. 1080p proves yet again to be one of the world’s finest electronic-music imprints, this time with Plant Cell Division by Vancouver’s You’re Me (Yu Su and Scott Johnson Gailey). The nine-track album is a beatific slice of misty, microscopic Cascadian ambience, calming bass frequencies, and chakra-aligning beats and ghost pulses. It slices through the glut of mediocre music I must wade through daily with wheatgrass-juice vitality. You’re Me are one of the best new discoveries of 2016. DAVE SEGAL
9. Metz with Lithics and Nail Polish
Toronto-based rippers METZ play impudent noise rock with the sort of rugged rigor that makes them one of Sub Pop’s most exciting artists. I’ve not seen METZ perform, but I bet that they’re even more bulbous and chaotic onstage than in the studio. If you don’t get bruised, you’re doing it wrong. Portland group Lithics (June 16) assimilate with utmost accuracy and skill the astringent melodiousness and urgent, spasmodic rhythms of early-’80s post-punk. Fans of LiLiPUT, Au Pairs, Delta 5, and Family Fodder need to immerse themselves in Lithics’ incisive tunes. Seattle’s Nail Polish (June 17) keep No Wave alive and scratching with sub-two-minute songs that exhilarate and exhaust you in equal measure. Scathing social commentary bubbling atop caustic sonics is a foolproof formula for maximal stimulation. DAVE SEGAL
10. Taake, Young and In The Way, WOLFVHAMMER, Adaura
True Norwegian black metal is hard to come by these days. Since Darkthrone are not going to be touring and there’s no way Gorgoroth and Emperor will make it past the US Border Guard—criminal records and all that—you could do worse than Taake. Sole member Hoest has been indulging in the most frigid and wicked variety of the devil’s music since 1993, but only started getting his due recently. In 2012 he was nominated for a Spellman award, Norway’s equivalent of a Grammy. This will be his first show in Seattle, and word has it he’s bringing out a banjo to perform fan-favorite song “Myr.” JOSEPH SCHAFER
11. Heron Oblivion, Boogarins, Low Hums
Throughout their career, Led Zeppelin flirted with folk, most famously when they recorded 1971’s “The Battle of Evermore” with Sandy Denny, but they never stopped being a hard-rock band. Bay Area quartet Heron Oblivion, on the other hand, pick up where that Celtic-inspired collaboration left off on their self-titled Sub Pop debut. Formed from members of Espers, Comets on Fire, Sic Alps, and Six Organs of Admittance, they’re an acid-folk supergroup with two guitarists (Charlie Saufley and Noel Von Harmonson), one singing drummer (Meg Baird), and one bassist (Ethan Miller). The four have played together before in various permutations, like the Baird-Miller duets on Howlin’ Rain’s Mansion Songs, and it shows in the indelible chemistry that permeates one of the year’s finest albums. KATHY FENNESSY
12. Sonny and the Sunsets, Sarah Bethe Nelson, Zebra Hunt
Apply here for ambitious musicians projecting slacker vibes and playing precisely sloppy variants of indie rock—mostly surf, garage, pop (I’ll let you add your own hyphens)—and doing it well. Sonny Smith and his Sunsets come to us from San Francisco. When not playing bittersweet love songs, the band does these weird and wacky narrative numbers that balance goofiness with gravity. “Well but Strangely Hung Man,” the single from their latest album, Moods Baby Moods (Polyvinyl), is about a guy who saves trapped miners and stops a riot using his particularly large Johnson. The song both is and is not as juvenile as you’re thinking it is. RICH SMITH
13. Joshua Redman Quartet with Aaron Goldberg, Reuben Rogers, and Gregory Hutchinson
In my review of Don Cheadle’s recently released biopic of Miles Davis, Miles Ahead, I complained that it was very disappointing to see one of the most brilliant American musicians “characterized as a gangster and not an intellectual.” My point is that the mastery of jazz takes years upon years (what I call aristocratic time), which is why the 12-year-old jazz pianist Joey Alexander is so freaky. How did he pack into himself so much information in such a short amount of time? But one of the things that jazz does is transform musicians into intellectuals. An intellectual is simply someone who has absorbed a large body of knowledge—such a body is jazz. Indeed, one of the musicians in the Joshua Redman Quartet, the technically brilliant pianist Aaron Goldberg, not only studied music but also holds an advanced degree in philosophy (he studied under the noted American philosopher Daniel Dennett—this is something to think about while he is playing). This kind of thing makes perfect sense. Goldberg, as with the leader of the quartet playing tonight, the famous jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman, is a man of the mind. And so was Miles Davis. And so is Joey Alexander, who I can’t get enough of. CHARLES MUDEDE
14. Scott Yoder, Brain Drain, Polariser
Former lead singer and guitarist of The Pharmacy, Scott Yoder has been touring all over Europe for the last few months. He now returns to Seattle to expand and showcase the spit-shined and hard-won balladeering of his impassioned solo work.
JUNE 17
15. Venom Inc, Wormreich, Sunlord, Inquinok, Slutvomit
The “Sons of Satan” are without big brother, a heavy-metal family feud mediated by the “Demolition Man.” Cheekily demonic British metallers Venom, who pioneered the black-metal designation if not the sound, are the latest in a long line of metal bands to splinter into separate outfits. And so now we have Venom Inc., which features original members Jeff “Mantas” Dunn (guitars) and Anthony “Abaddon” Bray (drums), but not classic-era singer/bassist Conrad “Cronos” Lant, who helms his own version of the group. Fronting Venom Inc. is Tony Dolan, he of the explosive nom de plume, who stepped in for Cronos when he first split from the band in the late 1980s and has returned once again. Despite this tangled history, Venom Inc.’s appeal remains refreshingly straightforward, their tunes as dirt-simple as the soil shoveled on a fresh grave. JASON BRACELIN
16. Gregory Porter with Kandace Springs
Triple threat vocalist, poet, and songwriter Gregory Porter showcases his ability to turn a phrase into soul-jazz fluidity. Porter headlines, with smooth alto songstress Kandace Springs as bill support.
17. Grex and Citizens Band
Here’s a slight diversion from Chapel’s usual experimental-music menu. Bay Area duo Grex purvey a freaky jazz-rock sound that surges and feints in surprising ways. Karl Evangelista’s guitar squawks and sizzles like a Fred Frith and Sonny Sharrock death match while drummer/keyboardist/vocalist Rei Scampavia keeps the tempo jittery and the tonal palette vividly splotchy. There’s a wonky Ralph Records vibe on releases like Monster Music that’s more MX-80 Sound than the Residents. Seattle’s Citizens Band are a jazz trio featuring some of the city’s boldest sonic explorers: drummer Chris Icasiano (also in Bad Luck), saxophonist Ivan Arteaga (Table & Chairs catalyst), and bassist Jeff Johnson. DAVE SEGAL
18. Justin Timberlake vs. Justin Bieber
The Justin you choose will say something about you, but what? JT is suave. He’s great. He’s so great that it’s a little suspicious. He’s even almost so great that he’s above suspicion, which is very suspicious, indeed. And then you’ve got the Beeb. The man with no control valve. The man who will say or do just about anything uningratiating any moment. He is so tragic that he’s a little lovable again. We know she’s not really hitting your phone up, Bieberlove. You don’t have to try so hard. And Timberlake, try a little harder. Let the competition begin. JEN GRAVES
19. Nothing, Culture Abuse, Wrong
Philadelphia shoegaze revisionists Nothing are Tired of Tomorrow, as the title of their latest record informs, so naturally they look to yesterday for inspiration. These dudes spell out their love of hypnotic 1990s alt-rock in all caps on songs like “Nineteen Ninety Heaven,” where guitars thick as the earth’s crust anesthetize and vocals float by as if delivered in a semiconscious haze. “I’m living in a dream world,” frontman Dominic Palermo purrs. “Life’s a nightmare/And I don’t ever wanna wake.” Throughout Tired of Tomorrow, Palermo seldom raises his voice, as if doing so might disrupt him from his reverie—and yours. JASON BRACELIN
20. Soul-Fi
Get your summer started right with Soul-Fi, bringing you everything soul, R&B, funk, hiphop, disco, house, dancehall, reggae, and more. Enjoy a live performance by DoNormaal, with DJs Riff-Raff (Night Crush/Bottom 40), hoTEP (Black Constellation), J-Nasty, and Reverend Dollars (Darqness/Soul-Fi) on the decks all night long.
JUNE 18
21. Block Party at the Station 2016
Beacon Hill is Seattle’s best neighborhood. It’s changing, yes, but it remains what it has been for decades: an affordable place for Seattle’s diverse working-class, immigrant, and communities of color, complete with beautiful views, the fruit trees of orchards long past, and a “live and let live ethos” that encourages everyone to shine. Beacon Hill’s meeting place is the Station, a cafe where the baristas are artists, the artists are activists, the activists are customers, and the customers are neighbors and friends. Today the Station, along with the all-volunteer nonprofit Beacon Arts and the radical environmental justice organization Got Green, is throwing the best neighborhood its best party. Local artists and performers include Nikikita Oliver, Stasia Mehschel, JusMoni, DoNormaal, Black Stax, Silas Black, Otieno Terry, Draze, Youth Speaks Seattle, and Northwest Tap Connection. Food options include Chamorro, Southern, Filipino, and Jamaican fare. Unlike other so-called neighborhood block parties that bring in profits through corporate sponsorships and admission fees, this one’s supported by local businesses and is free. See you out there. ANGELA GARBES
22. Holy Fuck, Suuns, Doomsquad
Holy Fuck are the perfect band if you’ve ever wanted to streamline the dissonant clash of an explosion into a simplified pleasure experience. Their tight-knit choreography of thumping pulsations is exactly what would be scoring your brain waves as you prepare to jump off a large structure into a helicopter while looking very cool and saving a hot chick in an Eastern European city, or if you wanted to have an emotionally stilted sex party and Rammstein seemed like too much. If you want some cushioning before the onslaught of Holy Fuck, get to the Croc early for the euphoric disco trance of Doomsquad and horizontal electro-Presbyterianism of Suuns. KIM SELLING
23. Samuel A. Crome, Greg Kelley, Cameron Schafii, DJ Degenerate
Owner of the San Francisco–based label Ge-stell, Cameron Shafii also creates penetrating works of minimalist sound art, as evidenced by his Anòmia album. Using piano and computer, Shafii forges rigorous, equilibrium-threatening pieces full of striking tonalities that prick your ears into flinch-or-flight mode. His work recalls that of Ryoji Ikeda, Alva Noto, and Iannis Xenakis. Trumpeter Greg Kelley—a member of Nmperign, Heathen Shame, and Kestrel—is one of those musicians who voraciously appear on loads of releases by loose collectives and in short-lived concert configurations with experimentalists and originals like Pauline Oliveros, Keiji Haino, Jandek, Anthony Braxton, Weasel Walter, and Wally Shoup. Suffice it to say, Kelley’s an adaptable, ingenious player full of eccentric ideas about how sound should be arrayed. Seattle underground-music veteran Samuel A. Crome—who has no music on the web—will perform Delicate Air, a work for prepared electric guitar, alto saxophone, bells, and radio. Those wanting to hear his output should look for his series of limited-edition cassettes coming out later this year; they include collabs with Nick Forte, Work/Death, Snack Bastards, and others. DJ Degenerate (TUF, my partner in the Estranged Sensation night) spins vinyl between sets. DAVE SEGAL
24. Research, DJ Stingray, LNS, 214
If your wheelhouse includes heady, liquid electro of a sinister bent, you can’t do much better than a set by Detroit’s DJ Stingray (aka Drexciya and Urban Tribe member Sherard Ingram). His 2014 Boiler Room performance, which is on SoundCloud, is a master class in sparse, funky dynamics, pacing, and track selection. Stingray’s own productions keep things eerie and danceable, as well. Vancouver’s LNS (aka Laura Sparrow) peddles an almost ambient strain of electro on her 2016 release on the excellent 1080p label, Maligne Range. It really is some of the chilliest—and loveliest—electro material I’ve ever heard. 214 (aka Chris Roman) is straight-up Seattle’s most accomplished electro producer; on his 2015 album, North Bend, he’s risen to a new level of melodic and rhythmic sophistication. DAVE SEGAL
JUNE 19
25. Morgan Delt, Froth, Killer Ghost
Morgan Delt made a wonderful, kaleidoscopic splash in 2012 with his debut full-length, Psychic Death Hole (later reissued as Morgan Delt). This time-warping Southern Californian laid on the guitar effects liberally and with a keen ear for disorienting reverb and flange, creating a sensation of sugary dissolution. Clearly—or murkily, as the case may be—in thrall to late 1960s psychedelia, Delt somehow eludes crass mimicry and generates a stunning simulacrum of your favorite Nuggets-y one-hit wonder. Phase Zero, Delt’s long-awaited (by me, at least) Sub Pop debut, casts a similar spell, although it sounds ever-so-slightly more refined and composed than previous efforts. But fret not: Morgan Delt’s hazy, shivery songs still lift you out of earthly concerns and weave iridescent tapestries of electric and acoustic guitar that make you wonder who spiked your kombucha. “Mssr. Monster” is a rewarding diversion, with sinister undercurrents of Zabriskie Point soundtrack-era Pink Floyd creeping into the mix. Phase Zero is carefree, sigh-inducing psychedelia done with a pitch-perfect sense of gentle disorientation. DAVE SEGAL
26. JMSN, Snoh Aalegra, jamie blake
Hailing from the undistinguished northern Detroit suburb of Warren, JMSN is a neo-soul man who could be viewed as a Midwestern Allen Stone: a wunderkind with surprising emotional depth and vocal dexterity. On his 2015 album JMSN (The Blue Album), JMSN excels in vaporous balladic mode. Although his songs sometimes tilt into the sort of maudlin territory that marred Michael Jackson’s later albums, JMSN overcomes those lapses with sheer voice control, expressive improv instincts, and textural smoothness. He modulates his sincerity just right. Taking after Motown stars like Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye circa their early-/mid-’70s heyday, JMSN shows vaulting ambition and talent to (slow) burn. He’s gonna break a lot of hearts if he keeps this up. DAVE SEGAL
