The Short List: The Week's Recommended Shows

DARK STAR ORCHESTRA ~ Thursday, April 23

It's perfectly normal to admit you enjoy a small dose of the Grateful Dead. One need not be a hippie or a ponytail enthusiast in his 60s to enjoy the Dead, as the popular—and painfully accurate—stereotype dictates. For example, I enjoy putting on American Beauty and taking in the folksy charm of Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, and the rest of the band at their peak. But it takes a special kind of Dead fan to launch a music career based on the band's influence, as the members of Chicago's Dark Star Orchestra have done. The band stakes its reputation on faithfully reproducing the varied set lists the Grateful Dead played during their celebrated 30-year career—announcing each night which set they'll be playing and doing their best to recreate the magic produced decades ago by their muses. It's a pretty unique concept, one that pays due respect to one of the most influential, celebrated, and hard-working American rock bands of all time. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151. 7 p.m. $22.50. MICHAEL LOPEZ

LEONARD COHEN ~ Thursday, April 23

There are far too many musicians who left this mortal coil before I had a chance to see them perform live. Luckily, Mr. Cohen won't be added to a list that includes Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer, Serge Gainsbourg, and George Harrison, because tonight he holds court for a performance that surely will be talked about for the rest of the year. Whether the topic at hand is a struggle for spiritual redemption or a regrettable blowjob received from Janis Joplin on an unmade bed, Cohen's work is timeless because it combines stark realism with artful illustration—a feat far more difficult than it may initially sound. As he moves toward his 75th birthday this year, he remains an international treasure and an inspiration to songwriters from all backgrounds, as well as a rare, living testimonial to the enduring power of what happens when an artist is fearless enough to look straight into the heart of darkness with a smile on his face. WaMu Theater, 800 Occidental Ave. S. 8 p.m. $69.50–$250. All ages. HANNAH LEVIN

FATAL LUCCIAUNO ~ Friday, April 24

Fatal Lucciauno has easily been the most talked-about figure in Seattle hip-hop for the past week and a half. It started 10 days ago, when he was yanked from a bill at the Crocodile as a supporting act on this week's Dyme Def show. It was partly due to his criminal past (he's a two-time felon and was recently released from prison for firing a gun outside an area nightclub), which made the venue nervous. But the manner in which he was kicked off that show sparked a sizable outrage among urban music lovers, and it's actually working in Lucciauno's favor. He's now booked to play The Corner, one of the best hip-hop monthlies in Seattle, and there's no doubt a huge crowd will come out to support him. Because what often gets left out of the conversation when talking about Lucciauno is that he's one of the hottest rappers in Seattle. His graphic, spitfire lyrics about street life might scare some, but that's mostly because he represents a side of Seattle's urban poor that people would rather pretend doesn't exist. He's a savvy hood poet who knows how to ride a beat, but you really need to see him perform live to fully grasp the way he's using hip-hop as a vehicle for rehabilitation. With Helladope, Mr. Hill, Speedy, and J-Mar. Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave., 441-5823. 10:30 p.m. $5. JONATHAN CUNNINGHAM

BLOC PARTY ~ Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25

Bloc Party's four members were all in their mid-20s when they recorded their first two albums, Silent Alarm and A Weekend in the City. So the genuine urgency and conviction with which they delivered indie-pop songs on romance and politics deeply resonated with young adults in their home country of Great Britain and overseas. The band's third album, Intimacy, released late last summer, is a far cry from the initial work that earned them a dedicated following. Less post-punk and more dance, it features prominent usage of multilayered vocals and instrumentation a la the Chemical Brothers. It's also the band's most personal work to date. On "Trojan Horse," frontman Kele Okereke bitterly observes "You used to take off your watch before we made love," and on "Signs" he mournfully confesses "I see signs all the time/That you're not dead, you're sleeping/I believe in anything/That brings you back home to me." It's a stunning effort from a band that's shifted from shoving their fervor down everyone's throats to simply pulling them in with a quiet (and, frankly, more appealing) brand of confidence. With Menomena. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151. 7 p.m. $25. All ages. ERIKA HOBART

DAN DEACON ~ Saturday, April 25

When Dan Deacon plays a show, he's not really performing so much as playing summer-camp director. Last time he was in Seattle, it was at Bumbershoot 2008, where short sets are par for the course. And yet, within the confines of 45 minutes, Deacon somehow managed to squeeze in a relay race, a dance contest, and an enormous human arm tunnel that incorporated every single person in the audience. Of course, all this occurred accompanied by Deacon's spastic synth compositions. Problem is, his albums—even his latest offering, Bromst—can't compete with such a dynamic live experience. Supporting band Teeth Mountain, on the other hand, manages to be just as engaging even though they don't offer the same degree of audience participation and, as they did at their most recent Seattle show, perform completely unplugged. That evening the band set up their instruments on the floor of the Funhouse so that several different drummers could bang out complicated African rhythms on a shared drum kit in an incredible display of synchronicity. Though the drums were engaging enough on their own, they served as the backbone to acoustic, strings-driven melodies. Kate Levitt—who, along with Andrew Burt, is one of the band's two permanent members—hit the bass drum like a woman in a religious trance, making her a fascinating performer to watch. This pairing of completely synthesized sounds and completely organic, acoustic sounds may seem odd, but once you watch them work, you'll find that nothing could be more natural. With Future Islands, Skeleton Breath. Vera Project, Seattle Center, Warren Ave. N. and Republican St., 956-8372. 7:30 p.m. $11. All ages. SARA BRICKNER