This week, our music critics have picked the best shows our little town has to offer, from a rapidly ascending golden-throated local (Taylar Elizza Beth), to a Japanese producer whose complexity baffles even our most learned electronic music critic (foodman), to the only English prog rock band you'll ever need (King Crimson), to a three-day exploration of dark, gritty music (Northwest Terror Fest). Click through the links below for complete details and music clips, and find everything else you could want to attend this summer on our music calendar.
Get all this and more on the free Stranger Things To Do mobile appâavailable now on the App Store and Google Play.
Jump to: Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday
MONDAY
Morbid Angel, Suffocation, Revocation, Withered, Beltfed Weapon
Morbid Angelâs promised album doesnât seem to be out yet, but theyâve got a new cop-killer song that probably wonât outrage our right wing Ă la Body Countâs âCop Killer,â but which presents passionate if not coherent paeans to dark sides, animal sides, and anarchism. Suffocationâs music is faster than Morbid Angelâs, and possesses those annoying de rigueur Cookie Monster vocals, though proggy subtexts show up in their guitar solos. Revocation are faster still, but they generally forgo those Cookie Monster vocals. Instead, their singer sounds as if heâs begging to be let inside away from the flesh eaters. Even faster are Withered; the Cookie Monster sneaks back in only to be buried in his own mix! ANDREW HAMLIN
MONDAY-TUESDAY
An Evening with King Crimson
When British prog-rock icons King Crimson last hit Seattle in 2014, they boasted three drummers, and through some form of rhythmic telepathy, made familiar, exceedingly complex songs expand and contract with mind-boggling precision. Now theyâre coming at us with four drummers, and one wonders how in the hell master guitarist/composer Robert Fripp and company are going to pull off the multifaceted splendors of their catalog, which ranges from 1969âs In the Court of the Crimson King (the genesis of prog, so to speak) to 2003âs The Power to Believe. If thereâs one thing Iâve learned over the years, though, itâs that Fripp will devise a way to optimize his band membersâ talents. Expect King Crimson to harness their impeccable chemistry and extrapolate their classics and deep cuts, leaving you wondering how neoclassical grandeur and acid-rock freakiness can coexist so harmoniously. DAVE SEGAL
TUESDAY
The Specials with Guests
The elder statesmen of the UKâs late-1970s 2 Tone ska movement appropriated the mod style and Jamaican-grown, ska-rocksteady sounds of the 1960s and infused it with the punk effusiveness (if not its raw kick-ass sonic qualities) of their era as led by the lazy, brogue-soaked singsong lead vocals of Terry Hall. In all likelihood, youâve heard âFriday Night, Saturday Morningâ (âI go out on Friday night and I come home on Saturday morningâŚâ) at a party; they also covered the upbeat, skanky âMonkey Manâ (the one by the Maytals, not the Stones) and produced the spooky, vaguely exotic âGhost Town,â which you may remember being tapped for 2000 Brad Pitt flick Snatch. In sum, the group has chops and longevity, having performed together on and off for the past four decades. LEILANI POLK
Taylor Elizza Beth, DoNormaal, Guayaba, PSA, Toya B, Cousin Chris
In the rap game, often the loudest voice with the most brawn behind it gets the attention. In Seattle, though, thereâs a new wave of emcees preparing to flood the market. At the forefront is White Centerâs Taylar Elizza Beth (aka Taylar White), a loquacious but soft-spoken talent looking to sonically solidify a new space for herself in the Seattle hip-hop movement. JAKE UITTI
Weeed, Blackwater Holylight, Chris Cheveyo, Ealdor Bealu
The search for Seattleâs freakiest psych-rock band may be over. For several years, itâs been Fungal Abyss, and theyâre undoubtedly still delivering a gargantuan payload of headfuckery with every gig and release. But sneaking up from Bainbridge Island, and now reportedly signed to the great New York label Important, WEEED seem poised to supplant our favorite mushroomheads. WEEEDâs new META album (available on their Bandcamp page) features a blissed-out 25-minute title track that could pass for a communal folkadelic jam by kraut-rock illuminati like Popol Vuh or Dzyan, and a couple of other peace-inducing space-outs thatâll make you want to emulate Timothy Leary circa 1967. And there is heaviness and controlled chaos, too. WEEED earn that extra âEâ and those lock caps. DAVE SEGAL
TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY
Donny McCaslin Group
You could pour everything I know about jazz into an airplane-size liquor bottle and still have room for enough bourbon to get a buzz going. And yet even my ignorant ass knows enough to know that Donny McCaslin and his band coming to Jazz Alley is an event. McCaslin and company were handpicked by David Bowie to help him create the sound of his triumphant final album, Blackstarâthe majesty of which continues to deepen with age. And lest it seem gauche not to let more than two sentences of a McCaslin preview go by without mentioning the late great Mr. Jones, the band seems to have no qualms about embracing the associationâtheir most recent album, Beyond Now, was dedicated to and inspired by Bowie. SEAN NELSON
WEDNESDAY
Boogarins with Bod
Dinho Almeida (vocals and guitar) and Benke Ferraz (multi-instrumentalist), cofounders of Brazilian psych-rock outfit Boogarins (Portuguese for a kind of jasmine flower), joined forces in 2012. When DJ Chilly interviewed them on KEXP last year, Ferraz recalled that they started writing songs in high school. In 2013, the Goiânia band expanded to a quartet and released their debut, As Plantas Que Curam. By their 2015 follow-up, Manual, they knew better than to mess with their winning formula. Instead of a change in direction, itâs a more confident take on a relaxed style in which samba-esque vocals entwine with luminescent guitars and cool-jazz rhythms, like Fifth Dimension Byrds by way of Syd Barrettâera Pink Floyd. Theyâre one of the best psychedelic acts goingâin Brazil or anywhere. KATHY FENNESSY
Forms: Boys Noize
Berlinâs Alex Ridha, aka Boys Noize, is a standout among the current swell of hard-rocking techno producers. Boys Noizeâs debut full-length, Oi Oi Oi, is a relentless electronic beatdown, full of hard- punching drums, thick bass, gnarly synths, and overloaded distortion. Itâs also an exhausting hour-long dance party. Boys Noizeâs remixes of Feist, Bloc Party, Tiga, and others demonstrate his skill at the boards and his pop crossover tastes. ERIC GRANDY
Mr. Elevator, Killer Ghost, Basement Surfers, Temple Canyon
Another LA-based garage-psych freak on Burger Records? How many of these types can we feasibly support in the current economy? Have we reached peak Burger-osity yet? We seem to be approaching that point of oversaturation, but maybe we should allow room in our expanding head space for one more: Mr. Elevator. (They appear to have deleted the â& the Brain Hotelâ part of their name.) Their two albumsâ2013âs Nico and Her Psychedelic Subconscious and 2017âs When the Morning Greets Youâswirl and swerve in time-honored Nuggets tradition. Choruses soar, Farfisas parp and slur, guitars drive, melodies stick in your fevered brain, and everyone sweats through their paisley shirts. Throwback as they may be, Mr. Elevatorâs whimsical and woozy songs work their spells on you. DAVE SEGAL
THURSDAY
éŁĺăžă¤ă a.k.a foodman
Japanese producer Foodman (aka Shokuhin Matsuri, aka Takahide Higuchi) is a master of rhythmic disorientation and tonal chaos who retains a non-kitsch sense of playfulness in his tracks. The kids call what he does footwork, but to my old ears, Foodman is a descendent of IDMâs golden age. Matsuriâs uncanny knack for scrambling your senses and his quirky timbral palette recall forgotten geniuses like Bisk, Multiphonic Ensemble, and F.X. Randomiz. Iâve listened to two dozen Foodman tracks, and they all contain a wealth of joy-bringing oddness. If his music is truly footwork, itâs a very deconstructed breed of footwork that will baffle dancers more than get them juking. DAVE SEGAL
Charms, Nordra, Miscomings
Tonightâs show doubles as the record release for Charmsâ Human Error, their debut LP produced by heavy and weird music tastemaker Randall Dunn. Shifting from a jangle-driven and upbeat sound into a more layered and pervasive approach the past few years, Charms now capture a new intensity. They accent cavernous and tunneling post-punk riffs with sharp, intricate guitar stabs for a dystopian feel that seems at home in Seattle. The propulsive and hypnotic ambient doom/unclassifiable experimentalisms of Nordra (Zen Motherâs Monika Khot) never fail to surprise and engage live. Miscomings are as delightfully discordant as they come, blistering with yelps and a wall of chaotic, noisy guitar feedback reminiscent of the Skingraft and Three One G labelsâ output. The trioâs Bag of Knives cassette was one of last yearâs best (and most overlooked) local releases, so letâs hope a follow-up is coming soon. BRITTNIE FULLER
Cut Copy and Dream Journal
Bright Like Neon Love was a promising record, but it showed audible traces of its bedroom origins. For In Ghost Colours, the now-well-established Cut Copy went to New York to record with DFA producer Tim Goldsworthy, and the result was bigger and brighter. Before recording, the band and producer listened to ELO's Time, the first Eurythmics record, My Bloody Valentine, Spacemen 3, and "a lot of old disco" while making the record, but the record sounds like nothing so much as New Order during their mid-'80s peak. ERIC GRANDY
Morgan James
New York-based soul singer, songwriter, and Broadway chanteuse Morgan James will perform tracks from her recently released debut album on Epic Records, "Hunter."
Northwest Terror Fest Night One
The Pacific Northwestâs premier festival of oppressively heavy underground metal kicks off tonight with a cavalcade of West Coast acts laying siege to Neumos. The highlight for most attendees will be headliners Wolves in the Throne Room, whose epic torrents of black metal veer toward a sublime blur. Itâs a tactic that crossed into kosmische synth explorations on their recent Celestite album, though their live shows still tend to be more tormented than transcendental. It may be a work night, but itâs worth ditching your job early to catch Oaklandâs hallucinatory doom-and-death hybrid Lycus. And, really, youâll want to snag a good spot to absorb the heavy grace of King Woman and the long-arc dirges of Samothrace. Just be sure to pace yourself for a headlining set by cult sludge act Graves at Sea at Barboza and a secret headliner at the Highline after-party. BRIAN COOK
Studio 4/4: Green Velvet
With young dancers grooving around the world to EDM DJs in Marshmello and Mau5 masks, a short green mohawk might seem quaint to those unfamiliar with the masterful discography and shining career of Green Velvet (aka Cajmere, aka Curtis Jones). While Jones may be best known for his first and biggest hit, 1992âs âCoffee Pot (Itâs Time for the Percolator),â a stripped-back club monster that to this day serves as a jolt of caffeine to dance floors around the world, heâs also a primary architect of the second wave of Chicago house as founder of two of that cityâs most vital dance labels, Cajual and Relief. A born-again Christian, Green Velvet is Jonesâs Bowie-inspired alter ego for creating no-fuss house music that sees booming vocals take center stage. Expect an uplifting, high-energy night of top-shelf house and techno. NICK ZURKO
Tei Shi
Solo artist, producer, and singer-songwriter Tei Shi cranks up the bass-laced electro pop from the Big Apple.
THURSDAY-FRIDAY
The Greyboy Allstars, OG McTuff & Skerik, DJ Abe Beeson
A staple and favorite of the groove-jam circuit, San Diegoâs Greyboy Allstars have been laying down their soulful, beat-bumping brand of acid jazz since 1994. The groupâs soundâwhich also incorporates elements of boogaloo, Afrobeat, R&B, and good-olâ-fashioned funkâis fueled by the top-notch keys work of B3 Hammond whiz Robert Walter and the tight, high-octane sax play of Karl Denson, who also slings a fine flute and sings in a silky, sexy falsetto-reaching tone. Theyâve released only four albums, but itâs not for lack of creativity; over the years, each member has gotten so busy with side and solo projects that the band has taken a backseatâplus, there was an extended hiatus. They play a two-night run in Seattle, and are joined by OG McTuff, a funk-jazz trio featuring another B3 organ grinder, Joe Doria, as joined by special guest and sax-juggling phenom, Skerik. Get ready to shake your moneymaker, and hard. LEILANI POLK
FRIDAY
2017 Vans Warped Tour
Vans Warped Tour is back again, with more mid-'00s throwbacks than you could shake a longboard at. Experience true Hot Topic-laced nirvana with headliners sure to deliver a drawn-out bacchanalia of all the emo-punk, pop-punk, post-punk, and regular punk you could ever want. This year's headliners include CKY, GWAR, The Adolescents, Strung Out, Emmure, and The Ataris, with more contemporary artists like Andy Black, American Authors, Dance Gavin Dance, Jule Vera, I Prevail, Neck Deep, New Years Day, Memphis May Fire, War On Women, and many more.
Hurray For The Riff Raff, Making Movies
Alynda Segarra of Hurray for the Riff Raff doesnât make things easy for herself. Her sixth record, The Navigator, takes on the gentrification of the South Bronx, the co-option of Puerto Rican culture, and the necessity of safe spaces for queer youth. Thatâs a lot of weight to put on a pop record, but sheâs a sinuous singer with a solid melodic sense and not just a politically engaged artist with Important Messages to share (that can get old when the words overpower the music). Instead, she fuses styles from girl-group ballads (âSettleâ) to full-throated rock en espaĂąol (âPaâlante,â i.e., go ahead) into a heady combination of sounds and ideas that donât always jell perfectly, but they leave no doubt about her courage and conviction. KATHY FENNESSY
Jerry Jeff Walker
Jerry Jeff Walker is the clown prince of the original alt-country, the stuff from the middle of Texas, in the middle of the 1970s. With Guy Clark and the late Townes Van Zandt, Walker was one of the first to tear away from Nashville and lay the foundation for outfits like the Tractor and No Depression. Like his contemporaries, he has never made a single great record: 1973's Viva Terlingua comes closest, an electric campfire hootenanny that distills a haunted, aimless pause in the consciousness of the American overmind. Neil Young's work of that time filled this space with poetry; Walker fills it with beer. This is not necessarily a bad thing. He should be declared a national monument. GRANT COGSWELL
Low with Mono
Japanâs Mono always summoned film music for your headâyou supply the mind-film, and they supply supple themes building and bending around military drum cadences. For their new album, Requiem for Hell, the string section returns, but donât expect the intensity to drop. Low, on the other hand, started out with almost nothing at all. Early songs often had one delicately plucked riff with haiku-or-less lyrics. They skittered forward into one of the creepiest, most menacing bands in the world, scarier in their simplicity and quietness than any death metal. Lowâs two Mormon leaders often seem steeped in transgression, redemption, even blood atonement (that LDS precept that certain unspeakably vile perpetrators cannot be redeemed by Jesus, only by the sinnerâs blood on the ground). And theyâre fun people, too! Just donât ask about the blood atonement. ANDREW HAMLIN
Northwest Terror Fest Night Two
Night two of beards, beers, and brutality at Northwest Terror Fest continues with a lineup that injects more velocity and animation into the mix after the opening nightâs stoned onslaught. Neumos headliners Cephalic Carnage have spent 25 years perfecting their warped blend of technical death metal, razor-sharp grindcore, and the occasional Naked City jazz flourish into a brain-bending bombardment. NOLAâs hardest working band, Goatwhore, have slogged nearly as many miles over the years, pedaling their signature blend of thrash and death metal while bucking the notion that every Southern metal band is devoted to slow-hand swamp rock. While the road veterans at Neumos are certainly worthy of your attention, an undoubted highlight of the night will be Cult Leaderâs closing set at Barboza. Combining Pig Destroyerâs thinking-manâs-grind with Convergeâs dark hardcore, the Salt Lake City band is a perfect storm of technical proficiency and unmitigated ire. BRIAN COOK
SATURDAY
Adult., Sextile, Pod Blotz, DJ Kate
Not many bands make their best album nearly 20 years into their career, but Adult. have done just that with 2017âs Detroit House Guests. Nicola Kuperus and Adam Lee Miller infuse their sardonic electronic dance songs and paranoid goth-rock with anxiety and anomie, the latter trait exemplified by Kuperusâs benumbed, Liquid Skyâready vocals. However, with Detroit House Guests, the duo enlists several outside singersâincluding Michael Gira, Shannon Funchess, and Robert Loweâto shake up their formula, resulting in some of Adult.âs most interesting songwriting to date. Further respect to Adult. for tapping Pod Blotzâaka LAâs Suzy Polingâto open for them; she deserves the signal boost. Since 2002, Polingâs intelligently constructed, dystopian electronic compositions have evoked novel ways to portray a collapsing civilization, with nary a trace of hokum. Pod Blotzâs striking visuals, mystique-enhancing costumery, and ingeniously infernal music combine to make her one of underground electronic musicâs most fascinating performers. DAVE SEGAL
Block Party at The Station
Beacon Hill is Seattleâs best neighborhood. Itâs changing, yes, but it remains what it has been for decades: an affordable place for Seattleâs diverse working-class, immigrant, and communities of color, complete with beautiful views, the fruit trees of orchards long past, and a âlive and let live ethosâ that encourages everyone to shine. Beacon Hillâs 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, is throwing the best neighborhood its best party. Local artists and performers include Nikkita Oliver, Dave B., Guayaba, DoNormaal, Da Qween, Raven Matthews, Taylar Elizza Beth, Massive Monkees, ZELLi, Astro King Phoenix, and many more. 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 oneâs supported by local businesses and is free. See you out there. ANGELA GARBES
Lushloss, Shelf Nunny, Depressica
Olive Jun is the latest entrant in local electronic label Hush Hush Recordsâ catalog, and the Seattle producer and songwriter immediately becomes one of its strongest voices. This is a release show for Asking/Bearing, Junâs debut album as Lushloss, which is split in two parts. The second halfâs instrumental beat work is pleasant, but side A shows why Lushloss is worth keeping an eye on. Over tidy arrangements of keyboard, acoustic guitar, and electronic drums, Jun examines her relationship with her family in South Korea. (Each track closes with an excerpt from a Skype conversation with her mother, making this theme explicit.) The sound is something akin to Perfume Genius releasing music on Ghostly Internationalâexploratory songwriting thatâs jarringly intimate. ANDREW GOSPE
Northwest Terror Fest Night Three
Northwest Terror Fest closes without its original headliner, UK group Warning, due to unforeseen delays with US immigration. The two acts still scheduled to precede Warning serve as the perfect warm-up (and now replacement) for the headliner: Marissa Nadlerâs haunting, dark folk music captures all the forlorn yearning, while Eugeneâs YOB deliver all the monolithic end-of-days riffage. If your soul isnât thoroughly crushed by the end of the evening, run over to the Highline to watch three of Seattleâs finest heavy actsâOld Iron, Rhine, and Heiressâofficially bulldoze this yearâs festival into oblivion. BRIAN COOK
SRJO with Christian McBride: The Art of the Bass
Tonight, the famous and brilliant bassist Christian McBride leads the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra through the art and to the heart of his instrument, the bass. The program will include music by musicians McBride owes a debt to: Oscar Pettiford, Ray Brown, Jimmy Blanton, and, of course, Charles Mingusâthe greatest jazz bassist to ever breathe the air and walk the surface of this planet. CHARLES MUDEDE
Tool
Tool havenât released a song in 11 years, and none of their four albums are available to stream on Apple Music or Spotify or to purchase on iTunes. Yet their prog-influenced brand of brooding alt-metal has earned them a die-hard fan baseâso much so that they sold out the Gorge in mere minutes. The anticipation is high for their upcoming album, of which there are no details aside from reports of vocalist Maynard James Keenan entering the studio back in February. Whether we ever get that fifth album, there are thousands still willing to fork over a couple paychecks for a chance to sing along to âSchism.â KEVIN DIERS
SUNDAY
Electric Six with Northern Faces
If Ween spawned a pile of garbage in Detroit that the Dead Kennedys then pissed on, you might end up with Electric Six, except that the Motor City bandâwhich has been making music for 21 yearsâinject their own raucous brand of cheeky rock with disco synths and metal riffage. The overall result can occasionally be abrasive, but itâs often hilarious. Songs have titles like â(Be My) Skin Caboose,â âI Buy the Drugs,â and âNaked Pictures (of Your Mother),â and frontman Dick Valentine sings lead in harsh, melody-free, but mostly on-key growls and barks, which add to the overall disparate tone. Favorite track: âAdam Levine,â a quasi-serious take on the Maroon 5 singer with an unforgettable refrain (âBurn in hell, rot in hell, burn in hell, motherfuckerâ). This show falls behind the release of 14th full-length, Fresh Blood for Tired Vampires. LEILANI POLK
Mozzy with Guests
Rapper and hiphop storyteller Mozzy has a habit of being prolific, sometimes releasing four albums in a single year. He'll showcase that energy on the Studio Seven stage, with additional guests.
TajMo: The Taj Mahal & Keb' Mo' Band
We can sit here all day and talk about what an institution Taj Mahal is, be it the pièce de rĂŠsistance of Indian architecture or the icon of American blues. But we donât have all day, and this isnât an architecture column, so letâs just talk about the song âQueen Bee,â written by the latter. Possibly the loveliest, breeziest, and flat-out prettiest love song in his whole oeuvre, âQueen Beeâ encapsulates everything wonderful about Taj Mahal: his matter-of-fact lyricism, his unaffectedly nostalgic guitar work, and his rich, amber-hued voice. If youâve never heard this song before, I am confident in saying you havenât lived a full life. I have no idea if he still performs it live (it first emerged on an album from 1997), but for âQueen Bee,â I will always save a place on Heavenâs Best Mixtape for Taj Mahal. KYLE FLECK
Get all this and more on the free Stranger Things To Do mobile appâavailable now on the App Store and Google Play.
