Dead Meadow, SubArachnoid Space, Whalebones, Patrol

Man, the stoners haven't had a pairing this perfect since Comets on Fire played the same night as Hempfest in '06. Whalebones, as we know, is our local hero of rootsy stoner rock. Listening to them is like sifting through some cool old dude's records at a flea market: heavy on the Crazy Horse, Band, Stones, '70s riff rock, etc. In a live setting, they fuckin' bring it, jamming on chords as if they're riding a bucking horse. Dead Meadow, from D.C., is all about oozy electric riffs, mixing the narcotic swell of Spiritualized, the blooze-choogle of Blue Cheer, and the spacier nod-off moments of the Verve's Storm in Heaven. Tonight, the two are joined by SubArachnoid Space, a Portland band specializing in heavy space-prog instrumentals that fans of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Explosions in the Sky, Floyd, Earth, and the like would do well to check out. See what I mean? Total stoners' paradise. With Patrol. El Corazon, 109 Eastlake Ave. E., 381-3094. 7 p.m. $10 adv./$12. BRIAN J. BARR

El Corazon

$10 adv./$12. Sat., May 17, 7:00pm

Peter Bagge

Extra Info

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery Sat., May 17, 6:00pm-9:00pm

Artist Peter Bagge will show off a form of panels from Hate, his pioneering local grunge-era comic book series. Now, with kids born in that beflanneled, befuddled, pre-hiptard era entering their teen years, it’s appropriate that local shop Manik Skateboards should put graphic history beneath their Vans—is that what the kids are wearing today?—on the decks of a new line of boards. Oh, the indignity ’90s slacker hero Buddy Bradley would feel! He’d protest! He’d get angry at the desecration of his own cherished Jet City youth and memories! Then he’d probably collect beer money from all the underage skate punks and drink it with them on the curb outside 7-Eleven. He’d tell them what it was like to hear the Melvins, Mother Love Bone, and Mudhoney for the first time. (Sigh.) This event launches the new Bagge design line, and should provide an opportunity for older riders to bitch about how kids today don’t really understand or appreciate what good music is about anymore. Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, 1201 S. Vale St., 658-0110, www.fantagraphics.com. Free. 6–9 p.m. BRIAN MILLER

Thee Emergency (CD release), the Valley, the Hands

With Dita Vox at the helm, Seattle garage-rock band Thee Emergency specializes in metal-punk hybrid songs that simply can't be contained. For the true Thee Emergency experience, you must see the band live, because no album can capture Thee Emergency's boundless energy. To truly benefit from Dita Vox's sultry, raw vocals, to rightfully appreciate Nick Detroit's smooth bass lines and Tom T. Drummer and guitarist Matt "Sonic" Smith's power riffs, you must do so in person—and you'll have several chances in the next few weeks. Plus, Thee Emergency's upcoming King Cobra show will celebrate the official release of Sonic, the band's first full-length record to date. And even if your home stereo only manages to capture a quarter of Thee Emergency's righteousness, tracks like "Heartbreaker" and "It's All in the Reflexes" pack a punch nonetheless. With the Valley and the Hands. King Cobra, 916 E. Pike St., 8 p.m. SARA BRICKNER

King Cobra

Sat., May 17, 8:00pm

I Am My Own Wife

Extra Info

ArtsWest $10-$29 Every week Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday from Wed., May 14 until Sun., June 1, 7:30pmEvery week Sunday from Sun., May 25 until Sun., June 1, 3:00pm

The Pulitzer- and Tony-winning I Am My Own Wife had a long and complicated road to Seattle. Originally scheduled for a slot at the Empty Space, playwright Doug Wright’s critically acclaimed work was left in limbo by the Space’s closure back in 2006. Then after a brief tussle over rights between the Seattle Rep and Arts West, the smaller company won; hence the belated Seattle premiere on Wednesday (it continues through June 1). So is the script worth all of the tussle? It depends on how compelling you find the true story it’s based on, that of a German homosexual who murdered his father during World War II, renamed himself “Charlotte,” and lived under both the Nazis and the Communists wearing women’s clothing and collecting antique furniture. (OK, aren’t you the least bit compelled?) The one-man show stars local actor Nick DeSantis in the large, but no doubt stylish, shoes of Charlotte. Arts West, 4711 California Ave. S.W., 938-0339, www.artswest.org. $10–$29. Opens May 14. 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., also 3 p.m. Sun., May 25 & June 1. Ends June 1. JOHN LONGENBAUGH

Fuco Uedo and Esao Andrews

Extra Info

Roq La Rue Daily from Sat., May 17 until Sat., June 7, 1:00pm-6:00pm

Depicting strange sexual acts and fetishes, Japanese shunga art was popular during the 16th and 17th centuries. You can see traces of it today in modern anime and here in the paintings of Fuco Uedo and Esao Andrews (through June 7). Japanese artist Uedo’s acrylic-based pieces feature women exposing subtle bits of skin—an elbow here, an ankle there—as they wander through perilous landscapes. The New York–based Andrews uses oil on wood panels to create figures like one woman standing doe-eyed in murky swamp water, entangled in tentacles belonging to unidentifiable creatures. The results are dreamy yet disconcerting, mysterious and vaguely arousing. Roq La Rue Gallery, 2312 Second Ave., 374-8977, www.roqlarue.com. Free. 1–6 p.m. ERIKA HOBART

To Do List

Saturday, May 17

Dead Meadow, SubArachnoid Space, Whalebones, Patrol
Man, the stoners haven't had a pairing this perfect since Comets on Fire pl... More>>
El Corazon, Sat., May 17, 7:00pm, $10 adv./$12

Peter Bagge
Artist Peter Bagge will show off a form of panels from Hate, his pioneering... More>>
Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, Sat., May 17, 6:00pm-9:00pm

Thee Emergency (CD release), the Valley, the Hands
With Dita Vox at the helm, Seattle garage-rock band Thee Emergency speciali... More>>
King Cobra, Sat., May 17, 8:00pm

174 more things to do today>>