The beer will flow freely this weekend, ladies and gents, and it’s more than possible to imbibe in some great live music whilst tippling.
Tonight (Friday, March 16):
KMRIA, The Less Than Equals @ The High Dive. $10 day of show. Show at 9:30pm.
Ain’t no better drinking music than that of The Pogues, so if you can’t have Shane MacGowan’s terrifying grill in person for reals, you can at least enjoy this first-rate Pogues tribute band (comprised of members of The Decemberists and Eels, as well as local rock godfather Scott McCaughey) on the day before all the green beer starts flowing.
The Raincoats, Grass Widow, M. Women @ Chop Suey. $18 at the door. Show at 8pm.
Aside from The Slits, The Raincoats were one of the few all-female outfits who elbowed their way into the boys’ club that was late 1970’s British punk and new wave. In short order they influenced a generation or two of musicians, as much for their willingness to slather dub, funk, and psychedelia over their skewed pop as for their all-girl status. The ladies haven’t cut a proper album in ages, but they’ve got more than enough great material to draw from, not the least of which is the wonderful “No One’s Little Girl,” which blended dance-y rhythms with a sawing violin a good decade before other bands discovered such disparate elements could be fun and cool together.
Head Like a Kite, Daydream Vacation, NighTraiN, Sports @ The Crocodile. $10 at the door. Show at 8pm.
Dave Einmo’s glorious indie-hip-hop-techno-disco-rock beast Head Like a Kite has been a rightful cause celebre in town for ages: Einmo’s eccentric brilliance never overshadows his melodic sense, and watching wiry and energetic drummer Trent Moorman in action is worth the cover charge all by itself. But the whole night’s an embarrassment of sonic riches, with Daydream Vacation (Einmo’s nifty pop outfit with Smoosh singer Asya) and the wonderfully mean, sloppy, and choppily-arty NighTraiN.
The Bushwick Book Club presents Fahrenheit 451 @ Columbia City Theater. $12 at the door. Show at 8pm.
Again, The Bushwick Book Club hurtles a literary classic at a gaggle of talented local musicians, all of whom read the book and write songs about it. Tonight’s subject: Ray Bradbury’s still-timely cautionary sci-fi saga. Amongst the artists performing tonight: Youth Rescue Mission’s Hannah Williams, Ravenna Woods’ mad genius Chris Cunningham, and BBC veteran chanteuse Tai Shan.
Saturday, March 17:
George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic @ Showbox at the Market. $25 advance, $30 day of show. Show at 8pm.
Do you really need my dorky ass to tell you that George Clinton is God, and that you’re unlikely to find a better way to spend St. Paddy’s Day than getting up on the downstroke with Clinton and his funketeers at the Showbox? Thought not.
GOD, Le Cancer, Loyal Kites @ The Rogue and Peasant. $5 at the door. Show at 9pm.
Fremont doesn’t sport nearly as many prominent live music venues as Capitol Hill or Ballard, so hats off to The Rogue and Peasant for bringing a strong local bill to their ‘hood. GOD are led by ex-Whiskey Tango leader Ian LeSage, a guy whose winning pop songs combine indie-rock snottiness with some imaginative instrumentation and a poetically-skewed lyrical sensibility.
The Staxx Brothers, The Acorn Project @ The Hard Rock Cafe. $12 advance, $15 at the door. Show at 9pm.
Don’t sell The Staxx Brothers short, just because they don’t take themselves seriously. They’re a kick-and-a-half live: a party band par excellence that serves up Memphis soul and southern-fried rock in one goofily-humorous and sonically-tight package.
Sunday, March 18:
The Past Impending, Highway Evangelism, Andrew Norsworthy @ Columbia City Theater. $6 day of show. Show at 8pm.
If you’re out drinking the night before, you’ll likely wake up on Sunday feeling like The Past Impending‘s lead singer E. J. Christopher sounds. It’s a little surreal to hear a Tom Waits croak of a voice emerge from such a fresh-faced (beard notwithstanding) guy. That swallowed-glass croon unites with the melancholy hum of Lara Lenore’s cello to lend distinction to the band’s take on Americana.
