Cody ChesnuTT Did anyone else fall in love with the Roots’ “The Seed 2.0” after one listen because of ChesnuTT’s chorus? The song is amazing on its own, but there’s just something about his soulful voice that’ll grab ya. ChesnuTT’s touring in support of 2012’s Landing on a Hundred. Check him out—maybe you’ll get hooked, too. With Jarell Perry. The Neptune. 8 p.m. $20 adv./$22 DOS. All ages. AZARIA PODPLESKY
The man born Johnny Alexander Veliotes Jr.—known the world over as Shuggie Otis—takes pains to mention on his website that he throws his brothers, Jon and Nick, into the mix on his all-too-rare tours. He thrives on connectivity, and he learned much from his own father, Johnny Alexander Veliotes Sr., better known as Johnny Otis. But in an opposite way, his work depends on distance.
Veliotes Sr., Greek, couldn’t quite pass for Caucasian, and so in his words, “I decided that if our society dictated that one had to be black or white, I would be black.” His remarkable 90-year life included discovering Ella James, charting with “Willie and the Hand Jive,” and stabs at politics and journalism.
Shuggie ignited the afterburner of his father’s self-definition, setting forth for uncharted, yet eerily familiar, musical territory. Wielding the mastery of soul, blues, and rock on one hand and the novelty of lyrics, arrangements, and production on the other, he poured strange, scintillating new wine from seemingly tapped bottles.
In his early teens, Shuggie was so good that his father smuggled his young son on stage, often disguised with a fake mustache and dark glasses. The prodigy cut his first record in his late teens, collaborated with Al Kooper, and unleashed Freedom Flight in 1971, the year he turned 18. “Strawberry Letter 23” from that set became a hit for the Brothers Johnson, but Shuggie took three years for his follow-up, 1974’s Inspiration Information. He’s been sampled by OutKast, J Dilla, Beyonce, and others, but he couldn’t catch a break as his own self. He fell silent. He lost his record contract. He went back to playing on Johnny Otis sessions.
And that, until earlier this year, was that. Now Inspiration Information’s back with four bonus tracks and a whole new set attached—Wings of Love, a full-length second CD of what Shuggie’s been working on since 1974. It’s more of the same, with testifying, worrying, contemplating, and astral-planing—not to mention the long-jam title track, which grows its own wings and glides through a few mountains. Catch him now or wait until another Nixon resigns. With Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas, Rippin Chicken. Neumos. 8 p.m. $25 adv. 21 and over. ANDREW HAMLIN
The Psychedelic Furs Richard Butler and his band may be forever associated with John Hughes films thanks to their version of “Pretty in Pink,” but that’s OK—the films hold up just as well as the band’s ’80s catalog. With The Burning of Rome. Showbox at the Market. 8:30 p.m. $22 adv./$25 DOS. DAVE LAKE
Godspeed You! Black Emperor The reigning kings of post-rock are coming to Seattle to show everyone just how epic an hour of dynamic builds can be. Steeped in cryptic mythology and post-apocalyptic imagery, GY!BE will make the end of the world feel like an ascension into heaven. With Total Life. Showbox SoDo. 8 P.M. $25 adv./$28 DOS. KELTON SEARS
The Baseball Project The recipe for this supergroup, featuring members of R.E.M., Young Fresh Fellows, and The Dream Syndicate, is right in their name: The songs are all about America’s pastime, and if you know who Mark Fidrych is or long for the days when Ichiro played for the Mariners, you’ll probably love these guys. The Triple Door. 7:30 p.m. $15. DL
