Michaelangelo Matos Fall Favorites
Style Council
Now that they (or we) have exhausted every possible cranny of the brother- sister/husband-wife question(s), whats left? Dress sense. Man, do The White Stripes Jack and Meg look snazzy in red, white, and black. And, of course, music, which might be a tad overratedElephant is hardly a five-star album, Rolling Stonebut still retains plenty of power even after achieving hipster saturation. And their show is still as exciting as they want it to be, which is plenty. Seahawks Exhibition Center, 206-628-0888. Sept. 16.
The Perfect (Quiet) Storm
Smooth-singing R&B love men are easy enough to come by, but Brian McKnight is one of the most understated and one of the best. Possessing a fine instrumenta burnished, deep-hued voice that communicates as an amplified whisper even when hes not doing balladsand a steady supply of quality material (Anytime, Back at One, You Should Be Mine), hes one of the surest live bets in all of black popand a pretty great date-night pick, as well. Moore Theater, 206-628-0888. Sept. 30.
Sing-Along Time
They pushed the little daisies. They made them go up. And now theyre kind of tired of that shtick, so on the new Quebec, as on 2000s White Pepper, Ween step sideways from the material that made their cult name and have embraced a still ramshackle but far less overtly jokey brand of twists on various pop styles. Joining bubblegum, prog, psychedelia, metal, and experimental tape manipulation, Quebec will likely share stage time with the duos seven previous discs. Even if they performed the new album exclusively, though, Ween has such a devoted following the audience will probably sing along with every word. Moore Theater, 206-628-0888. Oct. 1.
Yo! Son!
After a couple years hiatus during which he worked on solo projects, New York guitarist Marc Ribot has reunited his Prosthetic Cubans. On their two albums 1998s hypnotic Marc Ribot y Los Cubanos Postizos and 2000s slightly jumpier Muy Divertido! (Very Entertaining!)Ribot and his crew constructed subtle, addictively gorgeous late-night music that simultaneously called up images of old Havana and modern New York. This should be one of the most musically rich shows to hit town this fall. On the Boards, 206-628-0888. Nov. 6.
Polyrhythmically Juicy
He may be the best-regarded jazz saxophonist since Sonny Rollins, and David Murray earns respect not only through mighty chops but also a tireless work ethic and a daunting array of styles. Big bands, organ combo, straight-up funk, neo-Creole, African fusionMurrays done them all with style to spare. Which means that his new Latin Big Band is a logical step in his evolution and a chance to hear his big-toned sound in yet another polyrhythmically juicy context. Moore Theater, 206-628-0888. Nov. 15.
