FRIDAY, AUG. 29
BROADCAST OBLIVION
Aesop Rock
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This is one of those Seattle-in-a- nutshell shows that tourists from far and wide can wander into and then away from going, "Oh, so that's what Seattle is all about." Comprised of one Murder City Devil, one area booker/promoter/label guy/all-around "playa," and one world-touring punk/pop veteran, Broadcast Oblivion perpetuate that silly rumor that there's something in the water around these parts. LAURA CASSIDY
2 p.m. at EMP Sky Church.
VISQUEEN
Barre chords. Palm-muting. Meaty distortion. Blistering drum volleys. Bittersweet female harmonies. Visqueen solder the most beautiful, basic elements of hard rock together on the long-awaited, addictive 10-track jigsaw, King Me (Blue Disguise), which breezes by in just under a half-hour. Tougher and faster than the Go-Go's or Blondie, but too charming and accessible to slither under the punk umbrella, they churn out heavy, happy riffs and undeniable sing-along choruses. Guitarist Rachel Flotard and bassist Kim Warnick complement each other perfectly on ax and mike. It'll be over before you realize how much fun you're having. ANDREW BONAZELLI
2:45 p.m. at What's Next Stage in Exhibition Hall.
THE DIVORCE
Indie boy pop is giving synth-punk a run for its money as the Emerald City's chic subgenre. The Pale, Dear John Letters, Vendetta Red, the Lashes, and the Divorce are infiltrating not only KEXPa givenbut scraping away at The End's weekend and late-night playlists. The Divorce, in particular, are perched for a breakout, muddying and distorting the hooky flava and simultaneously tempering singer Shane Berry's way-out-in-front Fred Schneider 'roid-rage catcalls. Bubbly single "Redcoats" is not quite indicative of the mean streak that permeates the remainder of their full-length debut, There Will Be Blood Tonight (Fugitive). A.B.
4:15 p.m. at What's Next Stage in Exhibition Hall.
THE JESSICA LURIE ENSEMBLE
A flame-throwing saxophonist who can sustain long solo flights better than just about anyone in town, Lurie first got notice as a member of the Billy Tipton Memorial Saxophone Quartet, and has gone on to lead even more aggressive ensembles, such as her fusion unit, Living Daylights, and this band, with fellow Tipton-ite Sue Orfield and the acoustic bass of Keith Lowe. A "special guest" is promised on guitarfrequent collaborator Frisell, perhaps? MARK D. FEFER
6 p.m. at Northwest Court Lounge.
SOLOMON BURKE
If you've uncovered the U.K.'s Pretty Things and schooled yourself on their early, R&B-flavored garage rock, you've heard the song "Cry to Me." (And if you're like me, that track is likely one of your favorites.) If you're less judicious but still a fan of the sound that the Pretty Things helped define, then you've no doubt spent countless nights replaying the Rolling Stones' version of it. Only the truly resourceful among you have a copy of the original by soul pioneer and master of the evocative phrase, Solomon Burke. For the rest of us, his appearance here is mandatory. L.C.
7:45 p.m. at Blues and Volkswagen Stage in Mural Amphitheater; also 12:15 p.m. Saturday at Comcast Mainstage in Memorial Stadium.
CHICO HAMILTON & EUPHORIA
Perhaps best remembered for his mallet-wielding, grimly spiritual performance with Eric Dolphy in the classic 1959 concert film Jazz on a Summer's Day, drummer Chico Hamilton has had a long, long career that stretches back to the pre-bebop days. At age 81, he's the most senior of the jazz drumming royalty, older than Max, Elvin, or Roy Haynes. But unlike those legends, he's been mostly stationed on the West Coast anddespite some commercial success around the time of that documentarymostly in the shadows. These days, he's playing less of an abstract, chamber style and going for more straight-ahead grooves, surrounding himself with young upstarts on electric bass, horn, and guitar, but still pursuing his restless, pianoless, open approach to music. M.D.F.
8 p.m. at Northwest Court Lounge; also 2 p.m. Saturday at Northwest Court Lounge.
SATURDAY, AUG. 30
MINUS THE BEAR
I could go on all day about Dave Knudson's love-it-or-hate-it, precision- engineered finger-tapping, Jake Snider's deadpan, gang-of-gents-with-fags-on-the-make pulp fiction, or the ongoing booty-shaking beats vs. intoxicated ambience battle occurring in the rhythm section between bassist Cory Murchy, drummer Erin Tate, and keyboardist Matt Bayles, but the real, unspoken phenomenon behind the Bear is tight black T-shirts and jeans. Do they coordinate this shit beforehand? Guaranteed if they don't read this or if a friend doesn't tip them off beforehand, at least two members will be wearing a tight black T-shirt and jeans. Now that's a Seattle Weekly exclusive, baby! A.B.
1:45 p.m. at What's Next Stage in Exhibition Hall.
BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA + ELECTRIFYING MIGHTY WARRIORS
Led, as they have been for the past two-thirds of a century, by the great Clarence Fountain, the Blind Boys of Alabama are the solid rock of gospel.On last year's Higher Ground, they cannily nudge secular material that's right on the verge of the pop- gospel divide (Stevie Wonder's title track, Prince's "The Cross," Jimmy Cliff's "Many Rivers to Cross") into full-on Sunday morning rapture. MICHAELANGELO MATOS
2:45 p.m. at McCaw Hall.
KINSKI
My Bloody Valentine and Mogwai may have too closely informed their early booster-thrust psychedelia, but this more-or-less instrumental powerhouse is setting their own thresholds and crushing them at an alarming pace. When they're on, when they leave no cards unplayed, when the dissonant squalls and white noise percussion are exploding overhead, as in wind tunnel "Semaphore," Kinski are unstoppable. Hell, even when Chris Martin's vocals infrequently slide in over the churning, jagged chord patterns and shuddering bass, even when they grunt out an indecipherable blob of black ambience like "The Bunnies Are Tough" to offset the thunder, Kinski slays. A.B.
