Yr. Weekend, Pt. 1: Alkaline Trio + Sing Your Life Showcase + Shabazz Palaces (MP3!) + Shellee Coley (MP3!) + More
It’s that time again — Friday, and this time it’s Friday, May 3rd, with a decent-sized pile of good stuff going on. Not as much as some recent Fridays, it’s true, but hey, quality counts.
Before I get into it, though, I just wanted to note that it looks like tomorrow night’s (Sat., May 4th) show up at the Arena Theater with Gladys Knight has been moved back a bit; not sure when it happened, but “logistical issues” caused the move, and now the Arena’s schedule has her playing Sunday, May 19th. Mark yr calendars accordingly, eh?
And now, off we go:
Alkaline Trio/Bayside/Off With Their Heads @ House of Blues
Ah, yes. This one, I have to say, is the show I wish I was going to tonight. I’ve been away from the Alkaline Trio for a few years now, it’s true, but damn, I still love that band. Listening back to 2000’s Maybe I’ll Catch Fire now, I can hear echoes of pretty much every damn alt-rock/punk/post-emo band that’s come after, and that’s no small thing. Snarled/sung vocals, bitterly sharp-edged lyrics about pain and love and breakups and addictions, guitars that simultaneously rage and make you want to raise your head high, and a freaking brilliant, almost “classic” songwriting sense; they’re everything you like about all your modern “emo” bands, only without sucking. No, seriously.
The Sing Your Life Traveling Acoustic Showcase: Tres De Mayo, featuring Gilbert Alfaro, Peak Allon, Black Shepherd, Kara Melton, Will Evans, Brian Jurek, Sarah Hirsch, Jennifer O’Brien, & Jason Long @ The Big Top (9:30PM-1:30AM)
I swear I’m going to make it out to one of these things, some damn day soon. Tonight’s another installment of Gilbert Alfaro‘s ({Spain Colored Orange}) stellar Sing Your Life series of shows, now reformatted to be a “Traveling Acoustic Showcase” and hitting various venues around town.
They’re up at Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge this evening, just down the block from The Continental Club, and the lineup looks pretty damn good, a cool cross-section of local musicians and singer/songwriter types. Make sure you catch Alfaro himself and Sarah Hirsch of badass indie-rock outfit {Jealous Creatures}, in particular.
Shabazz Palaces/THEESatisfaction/Malitia Malimob @ Fitzgerald’s
Shamefully, Seattleites Shabazz Palaces were one of a too-big handful of bands I missed out on seeing at last year’s Free Press Summer Fest, and I’ve been kicking myself since, especially after finally hearing the trippy-ass hip-hop/psychedelia mashup that is 2011’s Black Up. They’re weird like cLOUDDEAD but without the headaches and much more of a sense of fun… Download & check out “Swerve…,” right here:
Shellee Coley @ Dosey Doe (The Woodlands)
Lastly, for those outer-loopers, I’d heartily recommend meandering over to Dosey Doe to catch excellent local-bred singer/songwriter {Shellee Coley}. She was kind enough to send her most recent album, Where It Began, and it surprised me with how absolutely great it was/is. It’s warm and kind and friendly and down-to-earth, in all the best possible ways.
Check out sweet, mournful, backwoodsy new track “To the Water,” below (and download it for yourself, too):
Runners-Up:
The Sellouts/Skeleton Dick/Buried Cities/Action Frank/The Minx Delilah @ Walter’s ($5)
Danse Your Arse Off, featuring FLCON FCKER, Hot Pants In, Sevastra, Madd Comrades, Sydnee JanesWorld, & Electric Bubbles @ Notsuoh/Dean’s ($5/$10)
The Trimms/La Sien/Satellite Brigade/If The War Should End @ Mango’s (free!)
Austin Lounge Lizards @ McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
Freddie Steddy/Al Staehely & The Explosives/Emily Grace Berry/Picture Book @ The Continental Club
William Cloninger @ Avant Garden
Daniel Valdez @ MECA Dow School Auditorium (1900 Kane)
Rehab/BNMC/Angels Cut/The A.D. Allstars/Brothers Grymn @ The Scout Bar (Clear Lake)
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