Friday, Oct. 17
Independent label Burger Records is known for its extensive roster of garage-rock and fuzzy-pop artists and for releasing a majority of that music on cassette. Burger Records Caravan of Stars brings some of the bands behind those beloved tapes to venues across the country, giving fans outside of the label’s home base of California a taste (pun intended) of what Burgerama, Burger Records’ annual festival, is like. The Caravan’s West Coast leg features L.A. rockers together PANGEA, Danish garage-pop quartet Mozes and The Firstborn, Portland lo-fi/psychedelic quartet the Memories, and, from Puerto Rico, Spanish-singing garage rockers AJ Davila y Terror Amor. Also with So Pitted, Bread & Butter. El Corazon, 109 Eastlake Ave. E., 262-0482, elcorazonseattle.com. 8 p.m. $15. All ages. AZARIA C. PODPLESKY
Big Freedia, the self-proclaimed “Queen of Bounce,” is crafting some of the most energetic and fun hip-hop of recent years. While it’s possible to enjoy her latest album, Just Be Free, on a home stereo, it just doesn’t feel as good outside of her live performance. It’s music that requires a twerk team, a crowd of sweaty people, and Freedia’s onstage charisma. Her booming voice and banger beats are just a canvas for the audience’s asses to paint on. With Slow Dance. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9442, neumos.com. 8 p.m. $15 adv. 21 and over. DUSTY HENRY
Saturday, Oct. 18
After 30 years, Phish is still one of the most engaging touring acts around. Its latest release, Fuego, will only do more to cement that title. “555” and “Wombat,” with its groovy bass line, really bring the funk, and the Latin-tinged “Waiting All Night” will no doubt get a crowd off its feet. The title track and “Wingsuit,” though, are where the band really shines. The nine-minute “Fuego” is full of everything that makes Phish so popular—sing-along-ready lyrics and inventive jams—and “Wingsuit” practically begs to be swayed to. Now to find that Ben & Jerry’s T . . . KeyArena, 305 Harrison St., 684-7200, keyarena.com. 7:30 p.m. $73 and up. ACP
Slow Magic touts itself as “the sound made by an unknown imaginary friend.” And for all that’s known about the man behind the music, the band might as well be a product of listeners’ imagination. Slow Magic goes unnamed in interviews and wears a neon-bright, zebra-like mask onstage, which adds an even more mysterious air to an already anonymous musician. Though it may take a song or two to adjust to his stage persona, Slow Magic’s anonymity doesn’t detract from his brand of electronic music, most recently heard on his sophomore album, How to Run Away. Think Geographer sans vocals and with more percussive elements. With Kodak to Graph, Daktyl. Neumos. 8 p.m. $12 adv. All ages. ACP
The Melvins often get lauded for their massive influence on the grunge scene, and with good reason. Buzz Osborne’s erratic guitar tone alone could be credited as the inspiration for albums like Nevermind and Superunknown. All the grimy distortion that made its way into ’90s alternative radio can be traced back to this band: a group that predated Nirvana and outlived many others like it to boot. With Le Butcherettes. The Showbox, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151, showboxpresents.com. 9 p.m. $22.50 adv./$25 DOS. All ages. DH
Folk music can go from zero to 60 with just a few strums of a banjo, and few bands exemplify that quality quite like Minnesota quintet Trampled by Turtles. On the band’s latest, Wild Animals, the group builds upon its reputation as an indie-folk band, with songs like the title track and “Lucy,” and dips into country-rock territory on “Silver Light.” But Trampled by Turtles hasn’t forgotten its punk roots. The band really picks up the pace on “Come Back Home,” which features an incessant banjo riff, and adds a touch of bluegrass flair to “Western World.” With Wild Animals, the group has yet again shown its mastery of the extensive folk-rock spectrum. With Nicki Bluhm & the Gramblers. Showbox SoDo, 1700 First Ave. S., 652-0444, showboxpresents.com. 9 p.m. $26 adv./$30 DOS. All ages. ACP
Sunday, Oct. 19
Vancouver songwriter Mac Demarco has already built a reputation for himself as a weirdo with his wacky stage banter and “jizz-jazz” guitar noodling, but all that has nothing on his side project Walter TV. This band goes even more obscure, delving into fuzz and injecting reverb into nearly every song. Just as with any Demarco project, however, the recklessness and haphazard vibes make it all the more endearing. With Tonstartssbandht, So Pitted. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8005, chopsuey.com. 8 p.m. $8 adv./$10 DOS. 21 and over. DH
