Music
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Mac DeMarco You may not have heard of Mac DeMarco if you’re not a chain-smoking hipster, but he is our Goblin King. His dirrrty appearance, creepy demeanor, and penchant for nudity all seem to add to his overall sexiness. Call his guitar-based tunes slacker rock, jangle pop, or “jizz jazz,” as the Mac himself calls them. This silly billy keeps it loosey-goosey (some may call it lewd or raunchy) at his live shows. (I myself am still trying to get tickets to this sold-out show. So, um, if you have any, e-mail me!) With Dinner. All ages. DML The Neptune, 1303 N.E. 45th St., Seattle, WA 98105 Sold out. Thursday, April 23, 2015, 7pm
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Eye of Nix Eye of Nix features lots of witchy/operatic vocals summoning Lord knows what-and on top of all that, my fellow druids and druidettes, you’re going to get a healthy globbing of thick sludge metal. Peel away from Street Fighter II, roll your eyes back in your head, and stomp to the front, ‘cause this is one of those shows The Highline was built for. Let’s just hope they don’t open a hellmouth to Beelzebub’s inner chamber. I’m equally worried that metal of this caliber will collapse the stage area into a pile of expired edible panties/poppers left behind in the now-vacant Castle Superstore below. Are edible panties vegan? With Sioux City Pete and the Beggars, Countdown to Armageddon, the Witches Titties. 21 and up. WL The Highline, 210 Broadway Ave. E., Seattle, WA 98102 $7 Thursday, April 23, 2015, 9pm
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Hibou Bubbly and nutrasweet, Hibou is like a jacuzzi full of Fruitopia. Freshly signed to Barsuk Records, the band’s tracks sound as though they were recorded on a marshmallow cloud in Kirby’s Dreamland. There’s a certain super-cute, eyelash-batting aspect to the tuneage that at times comes across a little strained, but hey, I like it! Keeps my toes tapping, even if it gives my dimples dimples. Just be careful: I think any more than an hour of this and you might find yourself waking from a diabetic coma three days later with pigtails and a mouth full of cavities. With Snuff Redux, Spirit Award. All ages. WL Cairo, 507 E. Mercer St., Seattle, WA 98102 $7 Friday, April 24, 2015, 9:30pm
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WEEED One could argue that any music could be considered stoner rock, but for WEEED, it’s deeply a part of the band’s identity and ethos. Last year the band released Feng Shui Capital of the World, its first album since adding an extra “e” to its name in an attempt to lessen the confusion with Vancouver band Weed. The boys of WEEED recently announced they’ve signed with Illuminasty Records, who will release their double vinyl LP, Our Guru Brings Us to the Black Master Sabbath (m/) this summer. I’ll sign off this blurb the way the boys do on their social-media accounts: “Big ups and fat dubs.” With Shana Falana, Black Nite Crash. 21 and over. DML JewelBox Theater at the Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave., Seattle, WA 98121 $6 Friday, April 24, 2015, 9:30pm
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Garek Jon Druss If you are an aspiring wizard or witch, some of Seattle’s finest esoteric elders are turning the Good Shepherd Center into a magickal mecca tonight. Garek Jon Druss, the local synth-droner extraordinaire who bases his compositions on encrypted geometric drawings and has written music in specific pitches he believes “heals DNA,” will perform an original piece designed for “interior spaces,” which should sound amazing in a reverberant ex-chapel. Following him will be a lecture by Ouroboros Press publisher William Kiesel, founder of Seattle’s increasingly popular Esoteric Book Conference, who will speak on “Hermetic Enigmas in his presentation on the Language of the Birds,” which, from what I can gather, is a mystical language believed by occultists throughout time to be spoken by birds- and understandable only by “the initiated.” CAW-CAW (translation: Sign me up because this sounds amazing). All ages. KELTON SEARS Chapel Performance Space (Good Shepherd Center), 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N. $10 Saturday, April 25, 2015, 7:30pm
Jazzy Bluesy Sunday Brunch Enjoy brunch and live music with a different featured musical act each month. Artists include Eugenie Jones, Kareem Kandi Band, Ann Reynolds, Charles Mack, and more. See website for complete details. Maxim’s, 5608 Rainier Ave SSeattle, WA 98118 $15 Sunday, April 26, 2015, 1pm
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Full Toilet It’s hard to tell if Full Toilet is genius or a joke. Its songs are comically short, the A-side of its 7” LP coming in at barely over four minutes. Our former Gwendolyn Elliott called it a “primordial, sludge-filled honey bucket churning with irreverent ramblings and blunt punk angst.” With zero Internet presence, Full Toilet keeps it totally punk rock. (Even Parquet Courts has a community Facebook page that someone set up for them.) I’d like to see whether the band can even come close to filling a 10-minute set. With Gazebos, Levels, Damage Bouquet. 21 and over. DML Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., Seattle, WA 98122 $5 Sunday, April 26, 2015, 3pm
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Elvis Costello Though many solo acts have toured a stripped-down version of their band show to keep things interesting after decades on the road, few have a back catalog with the breadth and depth of Costello’s. From new wave to power pop, jazz to classical, the British bandleader has been a genre-hopping, critic-delighting musical hurricane for nearly 40 years. He’s rebellious and surly, studied and dignified-as comfortable paying tribute to Joe Strummer as he is crooning with Burt Bacharach. Not all of Costello’s explorations have been knockouts, of course, but across his 40-plus albums, his successes far outstrip the misses, whether he’s being backed up by punks or a string quartet. For this tour, Costello will be backed up by no one, accompanied onstage only by a selection of favorite guitars and a grand piano, all set in front of a massive CRT television. Set lists from the tour clock in around 30 songs, which include some of the expected hits, but also gems from deep in the catalog. In addition to some covers that help the frame the show, Costello will wax nostalgic and show videos that tell the story of his musical life. And what a rich one it is. DAVE LAKE The Paramount, 911 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101 $41-$71 Sunday, April 26, 2015, 7pm
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Vomitface Vomitface . . . huh, reminds me of something familiar, can’t put my fing . . . WAIT! Is this grunge? Let’s dust off the old checklist. Quiet-before-the-storm song structure? Check! From Seattle? Nope, says right here: New York City. No, Vomitface, you’re not grunge. However, like myself, you may have delusions of grungeurR. Either way, these tracks definitely got that Kurt bleach on them. With So Pitted. All ages. WL The Vera Project, 305 Harrison St. (Seattle Center), Seattle, WA 98109 $8 Monday, April 27, 2015, 7pm
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Lightning Bolt Legend has it that when Lightning Bolt played No Space (now Cairo) in 2003, they set up in the middle of the steep section of Summit Avenue out front while a writhing mosh-mob all but engulfed them. Police came and calmly observed; everything was cool, yet no face was left unmelted by their signature staccato berserker. To this day, I’m still aghast at how two men can produce such a stampeding barrage of calamity. It’s akin to watching a fireworks factory combust. Sadly, I bet Neumos makes them play on the stage again-which will be a shame, but still totally worth it. With Liturgy. All ages. WL Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., Seattle, WA 98122 $15 Tuesday, April 28, 2015, 8pm
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Pony Time It only could have been fate that brought us the rocking two-piece Pony Time. Luke Beetham (bass) and Stacy Peck (drums) met in 2009 moving a stereo for a mutual friend. “I saw that Stacy had a strong back, so I was, like, why not offer her a job?” (Beetham owns an electric repair shop). The two became roommates and naturally asked themselves “Why not play music together?” They accidentally became Pony Time. And the rest was disco/garage-rock history. With The Ghost Ease, Mommy Long Legs. 21 and over. DML The Highline, 210 Broadway Ave. E., Seattle, WA 98102 $7 Tuesday, April 28, 2015, 9:30pm
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14th Annual More Music with Sheila E. Sheila E. joins as Music Director during this celebration of the 14th year of this youth music program. The Moore, 1932 Second Ave., Seattle, WA 98101 $15 Friday, May 8, 2015, 6:30pm
