We’re one weekend away from two big local music festivals, but this humble weekend’s no slouch in the live music department, either.
Tonight (Friday, July 19):
Black Flag, Good for You, Piggy @ El Corazon. 21+. $30 at the door. Show at 8 p.m.
If you’re not one of the 40,000-odd sentient beings packing Safeco Field tonight to see a certain reasonably-well-known singer-songwriter ply his venerated wares, Two smaller venues are offering nostalgia trips of their own for a fraction of the price.
California born-and-bred punk legends Black Flag are probably best known today as post-modern raconteur Henry Rollins‘ old punk band, but back in the day (the late 1970s through the mid-’80s) they exerted a massive influence on American hardcore by ladling on heavy metal crunch along with the usual ripsaw power chords. You won’t get Rollins at the mic tonight, but vocalist Ron Reyes is back after a 30-year-plus absence, and original guitarist Greg Ginn can still shred with the best of ‘em.
Peter Murphy celebrates 35 Years of Bauhaus, Ours @ Showbox Market. 21+. $40 at the door. Show at 8 p.m.
Then again, if hanging in the lovably grotty El Corazon with some grizzled old punks doesn’t appeal to you, feel free to jaunt over to the Showbox Market — and don’t forget the jet-black eyeliner. Peter Murphy, lead crooner for quintessential gother-than-Goths Bauhaus, jumps into the wayback machine for a set comprised of 100-percent classic Bauhaus tunes. It’s hard to imagine Murphy’s backing musicians possessing the chemistry of his old Bauhaus-mates, and it’s a little bit of a bummer that he won’t be playing any of the songs from his most recent (and pretty great) solo release Ninth. But Bauhaus’ songs remain some of the most durable in the Goth canon, and Murphy still sounds like David Bowie’s ravishingly sinister twin brother.
The Torn ACLs, Tom Eddy, The Wild Ones, My Body @ Neumos. 21+. $10 at the door. Show at 8 p.m.
The Torn ACLs provide a damn near perfect soundtrack for summer’s dog days — unashamedly wide-eyed, insidiously catchy guitar pop sung and played with the kind of youthful freshness that thaws jaded hipsters at fifty paces. Get there early for a solo set of wonderfully buoyant kitchen-sink tunes from Beat Connection lead singer Tom Eddy, sprightly Cranberries-style shenanigans from Portland’s The Wild Ones, and electronic-tinged pop from My Body.
Saturday, July 20:
Wimps, Satan Wriders, Dude York, The Narx, @ Cairo. All Ages. Show at 9 p.m.
WIth their braying, bratty vocals, primitive guitars, and call-and-response chanting, Wimps sound like the really funny bastard children of Superchunk and Sleater-Kinney. They’re reputedly a kick live, too. Endearingly lo-fi combo Satan Wriders sounds like some lost K Records band, Dude York sport galloping art-punk tunes good enough to make you forget that damned goofy name, and The Narx are straight-up crude/funny punk. Your guess is as good as mine as to a cover charge (if any).
Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Down North @ The Tractor Tavern. 21+. $20 advance. Show at 9 p.m.
Ivan Neville, son of legendary New Orleans singer Aaron and nephew to the Neville Brothers, recorded one of the great overlooked psychedelic soul songs of the last twenty-odd years, “Why Can’t I Fall in Love.” His assured and powerful soul singing rivals that of any of his rock-royalty relatives, and if his backing band Dumpstaphunkleans a little towards over-slickness sometimes, they’re also ineffably in-the-pocket tight and should provide a sound dance party for the evening. Local funketeers Down North, however, could well steal the show with an amazing rhythm section and Anthony Briscoe’s show-stopping singing.
Sunday, July 21:
Hamilton Loomis @ Jazzbones. $15 advance. Show at 6 p.m.
Blues guitarist/singer Hamilton Loomis is one of those absurdly-skilled axe-slinging prodigies that inspires slack-jawed awe from anyone who sees him live. No less a luminary than the late, great Bo Diddley recorded and played live with Loomis a few years back, and the guy’s fired off licks live at multiple jazz and blues festivals throughout the US and Europe. Sunday’s gig serves as a CD release party for Loomis’s newest long-player Give it Back, a slick modern-day blues record with flashes of mainstream pop and funk. It’s a capable showcase for the young Texan’s singing and playing, but like any absurdly-skilled axe-slinging prodigy, Loomis and his songs will shine brightest in a live setting.
Benefit for Keith Bailey: The New Originals, Load Levelers, LD and her Pretty Pretties @ Chop Suey. $10 suggested donation. Show at 3 p.m.
Beloved Anvil Tattoo artist Keith Bailey had his shinbones crushed in a nasty motorcycle accident, and the medical bills are doing him a number in a major way. This benefit at Chop Suey serves up no less than three terrific local bands. Sloppy-as-fuck-and-proud-of-it metal cover-band collective The New Originals barrel through vintage hard-rock classics like a woozy bull in a china shop, the venerable Load Levelers‘ rip-snorting brand of country-punk should be can’t-miss live , and you can’t dream of better summertime party music than the recently-reunited LD and Her Pretty Pretties’ potent brand of Runaways/Donnas-style power-pop .