Friday, Feb. 14
Dress up in your finest and come prepared to swoon at Dreamboats! A Valentine’s Soiree and Man Auction. Some of Seattle’s dreamiest musicians will be on hand to sing you sweet love songs; after the entertainment, bid on your hunkiest music man for a private concert and some one-on-one time the rest of the evening. Blue Moon. 8:30 p.m. $10. 21 and over. MARGERY CERCADO
Tacocat, Chop Suey. Read our review of Tacocat’s new album
here
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Ball of Wax VOl. 35 Release Show It’s hard to believe that Ball of Wax, the quarterly audio zine helmed by songwriter Levi Fuller, has never in its nearly nine years chosen love songs as a connective theme. Sure, it’s a bit trite, but amore is a gold mine for the collection of singer/songwriters that Fuller often invites to lend an original song to the collaboration. For the volume’s release show, Fuller teamed with former Comet Tavern booker Mamma Casserole, who was busy planning a tribute to the excellent (and largely ignored) ’60s rock group Love. So this will be a show of love songs and Love songs. Genius. Featuring Hand of the Hills, Gonzo, Sam Russell, Robert Deeble, Virgin of the Birds, Bandolier, Harbor Island, Joshua Schramm featuring Fairy Robot. Lo-Fi Performance Gallery. 9 p.m. $7; includes a free copy of the Ball of Wax 35 love-song compilation. 21 and over. MARK BAUMGARTEN
Dancing on the Ceiling: The Music of Chet Baker “My Funny Valentine” is pretty much a traditional, a showtune-turned-jazz standard that’s been performed by everyone from child star Mitzi Green to Frank Sinatra to Chaka Khan. But the song belongs to Chet Baker. The late jazz great—who will be paid tribute by Jimmie Herrod, Wayne Horvitz, Al Keith, and Geoff Harper on this particular night likely because of that song—sings with the cool, reassuring resignation that marks his greatest work. You can’t help but wish to be that valentine, even though it probably means just sitting around the club smoking cigarettes all night. Then Baker pulls out his trumpet, and you’re just done for. The Royal Room. 8 p.m. Free. MB
If Seattle Weekly’s music department sent valentines, all these bands would be getting explicit ones. We’re hot for them hard. We called XVIII Eyes’ singer Irene Barber “one of the city’s most alluring vocalists.” We named Seacats our “Best Cat Band of 2013,” then lied to our readers by saying one of its songs was in a Jennifer Love Hewitt movie from the 1990s, so bad did we want them to buy it. We’ve been breathing heavy over Fox and the Law all kinds of ways since 2011. But as it is, we’ll just be the creeps in the back of the Sunset, trying to do some a-luring of our own. Sunset Tavern. 9 p.m. $7. Proceeds go to Jumpstart Seattle. 21 and over. DANIEL PERSON
Because nothing says romance like a three-day, 30-band metalcore festival, the third annual Tough Love Fest begins tonight, V-Day, with This or the Apocalypse headlining. Earth Crisis headlines night two, and Goliath rounds out the final show. The songs may not be romantic, but at least you can get some full-body contact down in the pit. Studio Seven. 4 p.m. $25 single day/$50 all three days adv. DAVE LAKE
Is there anything more romantic than flannel, sweet blues-rock jams, and a neck beard? Maybe. But is there a band in town any better at playing meditative and melancholy love songs that you can actually dance your ass of to than the Moondoggies? I highly doubt it. The Seattle band should be playing quite a bit from its masterful third full-length, Adios I’m a Ghost, an album perfect for the couple that likes to boogie-woogie as much as it likes to sing and sway. With Ark Life, Dean Johnson. Tractor Tavern. 9 p.m. $15. MB
Marco Collins’ “Loves Me” Valentine’s Day Show The legendary DJ hosts an evening of local talent and songs celebrating the romance of the day. “It’s so intimate,” says Collins of the all-ages venue he chose, the Volterra Drawing Room. “Have dinner next door at Volterra and then enjoy a Valentine’s Day show curated for a truly romantic listening experience.” If you really love your sweetie (and your wallet), though, one of those (heart-shaped?) pretzels from People’s Pub right down the street would be just as nice. With Shelby Earl, Shaprece, Shawn Smith, Maiah Manser, Mark Shirtz. Volterra Drawing Room. 7 p.m. General seating $15, reserved seating $25. GE
206 Zulu 10th Anniversary, Washington Hall. Read our preview of the event
here
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Saturday, Feb. 15
During his time fronting the Seattle band Flop in the ’90s, Rusty Willoughby never got rightful credit for advancing the pop-punk genre. Since Flop’s breakup, he’s had an extensive solo career, replacing his overdriven electric guitar with crisp acoustic tones. His voice can still move an audience, just in a more adult-contemporary realm. With Star Anna, Courtney Marie Andrews, Mike Dumovich. Columbia City Theater. 8:30 p.m. $10 adv./$12 DOS. 21 and over. DH
Moving thousands of miles from her then-home of Minneapolis to Durban, South Africa, in 2009 gave Americana singer/storyteller Jaspar Lepak, now based in Seattle, more than enough material for her sixth album, 2011’s Forgiving Wind. Written and recorded entirely in Durban, Wind showcases Lepak’s delicate voice and the city’s talented musicians, who contributed banjo, mandolin, dobro, percussion, and more. Couth Buzzard Books. 7:30 p.m. Free. All ages. AZARIA C. PODPLESKY
In many ways Shearwater is a “thinking person’s” Coldplay, and that’s no disservice to either group. Both bands tend toward epic and triumphant melodies and arrangements. Piano arpeggios, building drums, and rising guitar lines show up often, though Shearwater differs by leaning toward darker impulses. With Jesca Hoop, Alicia Amiri. The Crocodile. 8 p.m. $12 adv. All ages. DH
Noah Gundersen has gone from Americana-steeped folk balladeer to Led Zeppelin–indebted indie rocker and back again. Pairing with his sister, violinist and vocalist Abby Gundersen, Noah has built a formidable reputation on heartbreaking lyricism and warm acoustic arrangements. The siblings’ voices intertwine serenely in their lush and sparse folk narratives. With Silver Torches. The Neptune. 8 p.m. $15 adv./$17 DOS. All ages. DH
The Presidents of the United States of America, The Triple Door. Read our review of PUSA’s new album, Kudos to You!,
here
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Marco Collins’ “Loves Me Not” Post-Valentine’s Day Show More of the above, only on the flip side. With Jason Dodson (the Maldives), Mike Herrera (MXPS), Naomi Wachira, Ruler, S (Jenn Ghetto). Volterra Drawing Room. 7 p.m. General seating $15, reserved seating $25. GE
Sunday, Feb. 16
With Acoustic at the Ryman out this week, Band of Horses, who started in Seattle before relocating to Ben Bridwell’s birth state of South Carolina, play a homecoming of sorts on this short acoustic tour to celebrate. With lots of talented friends in town, expect the unexpected. BOH have never shied away from spontaneity. The Moore. 8 p.m. $31. DL
Royal Teeth, Neumos. Check out our write up
here
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In the second half of the 1970s, The Commodores, led by Lionel Richie (and some kick-ass afros), dominated the AM radio dial with their smooth R&B ballads (“Easy,” “Three Times a Lady”), but their funk was just as potent (“Brick House”). Richie left ages ago, but a few original members are still out on the road and still putting on a high-energy live show. Snoqualmie Casino. 7 p.m. $30–$60. 21 and over. DL
Since her radical transformation from Disney teen queen to twerktastic exhibitionist, Miley Cyrus has cut a polarizing figure and touched a real nerve in mainstream American culture. The only demographic that can’t keep its eyes off her are those who look away with revulsion—but you know they’re peeking anyway. With Icona Pop. Tacoma Dome. 7 p.m. $41.50. CORBIN REIFF
Alice Smith has a style all her own. Her versatile voice spans genres and eras—part R&B, part soul, and part Motown. Her fashion sense is also worth mentioning: It’s on display in January’s InStyle magazine. Tractor Tavern. 8 p.m. $20. MICHAEL F. BERRY
