Alien Crime Syndicate Singer/guitarist Joe Reineke (The Meices) leads drummer Nabil Ayers (Lemons), Mike Mussberger (Posies, Fastbacks) and other ravishing devils in this powerful spacey rock jamboree. (Not to throw too many credits out but uber-producer Gill Norton (Pixies, Foo Fighters) worked the knobs on their new long player, From the Word Go which appears on Will Records). Graceland - Friday - 11pm Arling & Cameron emperornorton.com Amsterdam, land of forbidden pleasures: hash bars, legalized prostitution and the manufacture of soft-rocking dance music that borders on disco. Gerry Arling and Richard Cameron, the city's prime purveyors of delicious kitsch, have recently issued an imaginary soundtrack as a calling card to filmmakers who might be looking for melodic grooves that are a little bit Y2K, a little bit 1977, but all are ultimately timeless fun. I-SPY - Saturday- doors at 10pm - TASTY SHOWS PRESENTS Joseph Arthur The tall, frail, and awkward troubadour of both morose and self-doubting varieties possesses a compositional inventiveness that goes beyond his musical proclivities? experiments that have born fruitful results on such releases as "Big City Secrets" and "Come to Where I'm From," both on Peter Gabriel's RealWorld label. He is also a writer, sculptor and painter of stark originality and depth. His usually-solo performances make use of guitar, harmonica, and deft sampling to frame probing lyrics and an honest, searching voice. Baltic Room - Saturday - 10pm - TASTY SHOWS PRESENTS The Band That Made Milwaukee Famous The Band That Made Milwaukee Famous delivers straightforward rock-n-roll with a passion for it. Often noted for well written songs and the strong gritty vocals from singer Greg Collinsworth. Sunset Tavern - Friday - 10pm The Baseboard Heaters The Baseboard Heaters play American Rock, fueled by the violent throes of lead guitarist Matt Brown and the rich vocals of lead vocalist Rob Stroup, while bass player Matt Souther and drummer Derek Brown rumble underneath. It is music that can hardly be contained as it roars off the stage of their energetic and fiery live shows, filled with vibrant, searing melodies that speak of the staples of life: cars, girls and alcohol. Sunset Tavern - Saturday - 10pm Black Eyed Peas Straight outta L.A., the Peas are three MCs who drop lyrical science with a bounce that hasn't been recognized since De La Soul denounced the Daisy Ageon De La Soul Is Dead, rhyming atop organic instrumental jams rivaling that of the Roots' improvisational wrecking crew. Sonically, Black Eyed Peas melts the blotter acid fusion of Roy Ayers into the roll-your-own funk of the Meters, creating a crisp, deep sound perfect for thumping out of that boomin' system while cruising the strip. Stage 2 At The Pier - Friday - 8pm Blackalicious quannum.com DJ/producer Chief Xcel and primary MC Gift Of Gab have been matching fierce, uplifting poetics to irresistible beats. With help from Quannum Project labelmates Lateef, Lyrics Born (of Latryx), Erinn Anova, Joyo Velarde and DJ Shadow, the Chief layers funk, soul, jazz, dub and hip-hop grooves behind rhymes that call for spiritual renewal and self-reliance. These two prophets are masters of starry-eyed meditations á la Sun Ra or Marvin Gaye; they can devastate by simply dropping a smooth vocal hook such as "Fly on, fly on, fly on" into the flow. Showbox - Friday - 11pm Blood Brothers Sit N' Spin - Saturday - 4pm - all ages Botch There's a burgeoning metalcore "epidemic" running rampant, characterized by bands churning out demented shrieks amid knotted guitar acrobatics. Botch, with its tricky calculus-core, is one of that scene's standouts. The songs are disturbingly bipolar, with mercurial guitar parts reverting from frighteningly chaotic to tautly controlled within a breath. Sit N' Spin - Saturday - 5pm - all ages Carissa's Wierd With an eloquent-when-audible sound that defies all definition, Carissa's Wierd achieves an indie-baroque splendor with two guitars, violin, girl & boy vocals, piano and a simple drum kit. The crescendo seems to know secrets, protected by layers of melody and counter-melody, darting guitars, contradictory vocal parts and desire. And who didn't once think that "weird" was spelled that way? I before E indeed. I-SPY - Friday - 9:30pm Peter Case with David Perales vanguardrecords.com Since his times with proto-punks the Nerves in the late '70s and later with the Plimsouls, folk-strummer Peter Case gave birth to a catalog of earnest and satisfying songs about politics, old times, new times and dogs. Currently on tour with violinist David Perales, the troubadour showcases his ear for fellow players and the latest subjects of his interest. Tractor Tavern - Friday - 10:30 Caustic Resin aliasrecords.com Led by Brett Nelson's deadly howl and swampy psychedelic guitar, Caustin Resin rocks like it may not know exactly what it's doing which, in their case, is a very good thing. Their abandon in the face of blues and Black Sabbath influences puts them up with the crème d'Boise, Idaho's rock veterans such as Built To Spill and Treepeople. Nelson has been sporadically featured on BTS's recordings and the common ground is apparent: a propensity for long jams and urgent plaintives riddle Caustic Resin's bombastic works. Graceland - Friday - 12am Dead & Gone Graceland - Friday - 9:30pm Dead Letters Sit N' Spin - Saturday - 11pm Death Cab For Cutie barsuk.com/dcfc With their delicate melodies and evenly paced tempos, DCFC are one indie quartet that can put you completely at ease. Not to say that Ben Gibbard's honestly earnest guitar and vocal chords, coupled with Chris Wallas' tangly guitar lines don't excite, provoke and poke fingers, but the rock is like one found on a seashore and you just re-discovered it in your jacket after picking it up from the beach late last summer. Memories flood back, good and bad, and you're comforted with the remembrance of your dreams. Meanwhile, the narratives are literate and direct, avoiding clichés of punk posturing though raising similar questions of identity and handicapped relationships. Showbox - Saturday - 8:30pm - all ages Del The Funky Homosapien As a key member of the prominent Oakland collective Hieroglyphics, the Funky Homosapien is showing up those who wrote him off as a "novelty act," displaying the type of jaw gymnastics you would expect from a dictionary assassin on par with crewmates like the Souls Of Mischief. Armed with beats from some of the hottest studio chemists in hip-hop, including Casual and Domino, Company Flow's El-P and the invincible Prince Paul, the maestro delivers the fresh pies while still piping hot. Showbox - Friday - 12am Dialect w/ DJ Chris Udoh OK Hotel - Saturday - doors at 10pm Diamond-Fist Werny As anyone with a divining rod and two intact cerebral hemispheres can attest, the Puget Sound has a rich musical tradition that predates Grunge and, yes, even Hendrix. The drone-infested rock of D-FW invests in the stock that the real natives left behind: Native American chants and rhythms tastefully pollinate the songs with depth and abstraction. Other influences include Middle-Eastern, Tibetan and good-ole indie. Tractor Tavern - Saturday - 10:30pm The Dirty Birds Breakroom - Friday - 11:15 The Drop lovelessrecords.com With elements of Flaming Lips' orchestrations, XTC's intelligence and The Cult's aerobic take on catharsis, The Drop has fallen upwards into the arms of critics and normal folkalike. Diversifying their musical portfolio, singer Christopher McBride somehow pulls off his provocative love ditty to Chelsea Clinton with a straight pop face. Tractor Tavern - Saturday - 9:30pm Pete Droge droge.com With a voice that reminds one of a sober Joe Walsh and a soulful sound that the Wallflowers might aspire to, young Pete Droge has carved himself a destiny. He's held supporting slots on tours with Melissa Etheridge, Neil Young, Sheryl Crow and Tom Petty. He's collaborated with Eurythmics guitarist and producer Dave Stewart on the title track for Miramax's "Beautiful Girls." He's been in the producer chair himself for a while and is appearing as Graham Parsons in Cameron Crowe's new autobiographical film. Tractor Tavern - Friday - 9:30pm Gardener This is Aaron from Seaweed's new band. Showbox - Saturday - 7:30 - all ages GrunTruck For those concerned about pedigree, GrunTruck's eleven-year ride on the rock train still smacks of the underground. Often called the loudest band in Seattle, this foursome has roots that spread far into the outer recesses of rock, threading together a tossed salad of checkered pasts- the Accused, Skin Yard and Poison Idea among them. Sit N' Spin - Saturday - 6pm (all ages), 12am (21+) Healer Sit N' Spin - Saturday - 3pm Hog Molly (w/ TAD) Breakroom - Friday - 12:15am DJ Wesley Holmes OK Hotel - Saturday - doors at 10pm Hovercraft The neo-psychedelic action of Hovercraft doesn't set your mind adrift- it cuts delicious swaths into your cranium. The Seattle instrumental power suit liberates its splintery, "prepared" guitar tones and opens them up with a penchant for improvisation and a floating-in-space formlessness. But unlike many of its snoozy contemporaries, Hovercraft refuses to discard hard rock dynamics or instrumental dexterity. The rhythm section's unflagging inertia and guitarist Campbell 2000's distortion-filled ambushes are anything but meditative. I-SPY - Friday - 12am Huge Spacebird Huge T-Rex fans? Sunset Tavern - Friday - 11pm IQU kpunk.com Melding cartoonish electronics with a vast sample library and a Northwest-style punk algorithm, Olympia, Washington's IQU is the brainchild of man called K.O. and a woman named Michiko Swiggs. The pair slap down theremin, vintage analog keyboards, drum programs, turntables and guitar, stir in the occasional contributions of their talented associates and rock like a rising sun. Live, IQU match the spectacle of their music with playfully high-wired performances. I-SPY - Friday - 11pm Kinski To limit these booze-in-the-tang drone and thud rockers to the space camp is to ignore their earthly talents and fascinations. Instrumental all the way down. I-SPY - Friday - 10:15pm DJ Brian Lyons OK Hotel - Saturday - doors at 10pm DJ Me DJ You I-SPY - Saturday - doors at 10pm - TASTY SHOWS PRESENTS Melody Unit themelodyunit.com "Lush rolling soundscapes, tropical and dense layers, curves and sonic sighs. This music might have been pushed into some alterna-genre such as shoegazing, but it shouldn't be. These sounds are too sexy for that. I'm not gonna be looking at someone's shoes if they're playing music that sounds like this. It breathes. The melodies curve around your hips while the drums roll against your spine, the bass laying against your lips. You can taste it." - Ink 19 Tractor Tavern - Saturday - 11:30pm Ian Moore ianmoore.com With his virtuosic guitar whirling all around Moore offers up poetic, bittersweet vignettes in songs about obsession, isolation, love and Johnny Cash. Intense, melancholy compositions are laced with layers of evocative sounds; a thick array of musical textures which incorporate Moore's signature lush and moody playing with violin, bazuki and sitar. The success of his 1992 debut lead to opening slots on tours with the Rolling Stones, ZZ Top and Bob Dylan. Tractor Tavern - Friday - 12am Nasir and the Sweet Mother Sound System I-SPY - Saturday - doors at 10pm - TASTY SHOWS PRESENTS Pinehurst Kids pinehurstkids.com Singer/guitarist Joe Davis harnesses an eerie command of his moody but energetic songwriting skills, belting out gems about love, alienation and uncertainty. The Kids eschew an overt reliance on dynamics, which lesser indie rock bands use to mask a lack of compositional prowess. Their thrusting 4/4 pop comes off like a forgivable temper tantrum; memorable hooks soften its meaty rambunctiousness. Pinehurst Kids use an angular, driving guitar to give lyrics like "gasoline don't make friends, it only helps make people move" a biting urgency when delivered in Davis's pubescent-angst voice. Showbox - Saturday - 6:30 - all ages Raft Of Dead Monkeys Breakroom - Friday - 9:30 The Ruby Doe Breakroom - Friday - 10:15 DJ Smash I-SPY - Saturday - doors at 10pm - TASTY SHOWS PRESENTS Sean Smith Baltic Room - Saturday - 12am - TASTY SHOWS PRESENTS The Sensualists thesensualists.com As their name implies, The Sensualists exist on a plane of ebullient pleasure, making use of out-dated gadgetry and lucid pop to achieve a groovy collage of straight-ahead bubblegum and yard sale experimentation. The Portland four-piece matches breathy, seductive vocals and an old-fashioned rhythm section with Farfisa, Univox, Korg Polysix, MC-303 Groovebox, Rhodes Electric Piano, Echoplex, a bass machine and turntables. OK HOTEL (front bar) - Friday - 9:45pm Source Of Labor Showbox - Friday - 10pm Ken Stringfellow Website: http://hometown.aol.com/mj238/khome.html Ken Stringfellow is one of the erudite, composer chaps from the Posies and he is also the wistful, sing-songy songwriter of Saltine. He is the one and only Ken Stringfellow, magistrate of melody, and for a time he was also one of the "new" members of the "new" Big Star. His songs erect a bridge between Merseybeat and Seattle DIY punk with daft instrumentation and rock harmonies. Baltic Room - Saturday - 11pm - TASTY SHOWS PRESENTS Swarming Hordes Did you once look forward to a time when metal hair bands would be retro? Then this band is for you! One of the hardest rocking outfits in Seattle, Swarming Hordes makes it feel like the first time though even better because there's no hair vocalist to wave his armadillo in your face. Pure licks and axes. Graceland - Friday - 10:15 V and Legacy Showbox - Friday - 9pm Voyager One voyagerone.net "Their deftly structured songs give titanium walls to exploratory sounds. The drumming of John Fleischman acts as a booster rocket for this mobile craft. I don't know about you, but space always seemed fairly cold to me. After a few minutes, the beauty of the view would wear off and the horrifying sense of aloneness would begin. Thus, I'm thankful that Voyager One give me the security of knowing there's a solid piece of spacecraft around me and that they are competently in control of the helm." -The Rocket Tractor Tavern - Saturday - 12:30am Willis Tim Seely penned his first tune at age three. Captured by his mother on tape recorder, the repetitive yet plaintive "Johnny Had a Wife" was a xylophone-and-voice number that revealed the boy's early dedication to the craftsmanship of a song. Later scrapping the xylo in favor of the guitar (including pedal steel), he was drawn to the intimate approach of folkies like Nick Drake and Paul Simon. Fascinated as much by the Western electric guitar's influence on tribal music as he was by the melodic energy of noisy natives like Pavement, Tim sought a group of like-minded individuals with whom he could share this musical vision. Diarmuid Cullen (percussion), John Low (keyboards) and Max Perry (bass) round out the bend. Sunset Tavern - Saturday - 11pm Windowpane Sit N' Spin - Saturday - 10pm