Seattle Weekly 2005 Music Awards Showcase

PAULA MAYA

Seattle Weekly Music Awards Showcase 6 PM-1 AM • 50 BANDS 8 PIONEER SQUARE CLUBS YOU PICK THE WINNERS • Online ballot and MP3 previews • Lineup overview • More information

Raised in Rio, Maya has been a prolific performer around Seattle since the late '90s. Her unusual mix of Brazilian music and rock, anchored by her own tart, strong vocals, continues to earn her new fans. In 1998, as a recent Northwest transplant, she released her first EP with help from Heart drummer Ben Smith, still part of her band; she's also hosted her own radio show on KBCS-FM since 1997. World/Reggae. 7 p.m.

INFOMATIK

Infomatik

Infomatik play a sort of darkish synth pop that's amassed a considerable following in Seattle. While reviving the sound of bands like the Cure and Joy Division has lately become a path of least resistance to minor notoriety in music circles, Infomatik avoid slights by keeping things very much their own. The sound is sterile but cathartic, as evidenced by their four-song demo, smartly packaged in a modified floppy disk case. Indie Rock/ Garage Rock. 8 p.m.

THE DEAD SCIENCE
This four-piece is made up of Jherek Bischoff on stand-up bass and vocals, Korum Bischoff and Nick Tamburro both on drums, and guitarist/vocalist Sam Mickens. String players and others frequently collaborate. Together they create dark, dreamlike scenarios that dwell in an unexplored gray area between jazz, rock, pop, and cabaret. Indie Rock/Garage Rock. 9 p.m.

SENATE ARCADE
Their 2003 EP, Vitamins Taste Like Dying, was Seattle's first taste of this local indie trio's angular sound, on the louder side of the math-rock equation. (It's also been said that they fall somewhere between prog rock and new wave.) From all accounts, singer/bassist Todd Schlosser, guitarist Matt Terich, and drummer Austin Hugill are excellent live—and until the inevitable full-length release, that's the only way to keep tabs on their growing catalog. Indie Rock/Garage Rock. 10 p.m.

PLAN B
James van Leuven, aka Plan B, is an underrated figure in the Seattle—not to mention international—music scene. Through his approach at self-described "electronic indie pop," Van Leuven creates languorous and buoyant soundscapes. Live performances find him behind his laptop, remixing tracks on which he's played any number of traditional instruments. Fresh off a brief European tour, during which he produced the music for the break-dance theater production Kopf und Tuch, Van Leuven will surely have some new ideas to share. Electronica. 11 p.m.

CANCER RISING
Consisting of MCs Judas and Gatsby and DJ Tiles One, Cancer Rising have infiltrated the forefront of Seattle's burgeoning hip-hop scene thanks to a steady work ethic, some choice live shows, and several releases, including the Sippin Music EP and a couple of mixtapes, LockDown and Fuck the Frail Shit. Their forthcoming album will be titled Search for the Cure. Hip Hop. Midnight.

ROBB BENSON

Robb Benson

Benson has been a mainstay of the Seattle music scene since the mid-'90s, when he formed the Nevada Bachelors. Since then, he's been carving out a niche for himself, honing his gift for intricately crafted acoustic pop under the name Dear John Letters. This year, he steps out under his own name—well, sort of. With Jon Markel on bass and Eric Eagle on drums, he'll perform as Robb Benson and the Tree Mind. Singer/Songwriter. 6 p.m.

THE SWAINS
Consisting of Danny Baker, Kris Geren, Will Henry, Bob Knetzger, and Barry "Bearbeatz" Semple, the Swains are all veterans of various country, roots, and rockabilly groups from Washington, Kansas, Arizona, and Alabama, forming last year in Seattle to great acclaim. With Baker's soulful voice and expert songwriting up front, the group has gigged heavily, including a spot at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Americana/Roots/Country/Rockabilly. 7 p.m.

KIM VIRANT
Since the 1996 breakup of her band Lazy Susan, Virant has traveled back in time. 1998's Signals Crossed and Meanings Lost was an evocative, bluesy throwback to '70s rock—apropos, since Lazy Susan once opened for Page & Plant. Her latest album, Stealing Days (Good Ink), ventures into twang territory with the assurance of an artist who's been around the block a few times—and has something to say about it. Best Vocalist. 8 p.m.

ALL-AMERICAN PLAYBOYS
The All-American Playboys sport suits, look like the Yardbirds fed through a metrosexual filter, swig beer, smoke onstage, and generally affect an air of casual debauchery. In other words, they're a rock and roll band, attempting to bring back that moment when all rock was dance music before it was anything else. Their saxophone-sporting style of the big beat unites punk kids and their boomer parents. Americana/Roots/Country/ Rockabilly. 9 p.m.

LEFT HAND SMOKE
Local mainstay Left Hand Smoke seem to have fans tucked into every last demographic in Seattle, and a live show brings them out of the woodwork. Loved by many for their relentless touring of the college circuit, LHS also get national attention for their brand of feel-good rhythm-and-blues rock, and lead guitarist Will Mish somehow channels the feeling of the genre's forefathers up onto the stage. Pop/Pop Rock. 10 p.m.