Derek Santini
Lady Sovereign’s pop grime comes to the Crocodile.
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Miniature Tigers ~ Thursday, May 21
Fake blood, haunted pyramids, baby dinosaurs, and cannibal queens: These are just a few sources of inspiration for the squeaky-clean, irresistible guitar-pop of the Phoenix quartet Miniature Tigers. Up there with Bishop Allen in terms of timeless simplicity, the fresh-faced young band slides through two-to-three-minute ditties as effortlessly as a comb through a pomaded pompadour on the jingle-jangle debut album Tell It to the Volcano. Leader Charlie Brand has an airy, relaxed voice and a knack for B-movie lyrics that jump out at us as if in 3-D, and the title track rattles happily along before sealing the tropical-island imagery with calypso backing vocals. Few bands this charismatic sound better with time, but Miniature Tigers somehow manage it. And as if that weren't enough, they do a perfectly sprightly cover of ABBA's "Mamma Mia" as well. With Kevin Devine, Brian Bonz, Honeydove. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8005. 7 p.m. $10 adv./$12 DOS. All ages. DOUG WALLEN
Lady Sovereign ~ Thursday, May 21
Lady Sovereign is the Punky Brewster of the British grime scene. The 23-year-old MC's throwback fashion sense and outré persona, which she dissected in "Love Me or Hate Me" from her 2006 debut Public Warning, is just as self-consciously her own as that of the '80s TV character. And that's OK. Although her independent streak doubtlessly contributed to her running through three record companies, Sov's third full-length, Jigsaw, released in April, sits on a far more upbeat plane than the first two—even if the first video still has all the production value of a student film. (Remember that low-rent half-take on "Thriller" for "I Got U Dancing"?) The ebullient single "So Human" samples the Cure's beloved "Close to Me," over which Sov celebrates her individualism and fallibility, while the title track finds her using a jigsaw puzzle as a metaphor for her busted heart. So pop, er, Punky of her. With Chester French, Hollywood Holt. The Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave. 8 p.m. $16 adv. KEVIN CAPP
Lucero ~ Friday, May 22
Lucero's sweat-equity work ethic has been widely chronicled—since their inception in the late '90s, the Memphis quintet has released five studio albums, relentlessly toured the country, started a record label, and served as the subject of director Aaron Goldman's tour documentary Dreaming in America. And 2009 is shaping up to be another big year. Following the January release of frontman Ben Nichols' solo EP, Lucero will release a new full-length on Universal later this summer. The record, Nichols promises, will combine Memphis music history with the band's trademark tough-as-nails, rock-and-roll feel. Diehard fans and music critics alike have been touting the band as Memphis' answer to Bruce Springsteen for years now. The comparison isn't a stretch—Nichols' rasping vocals and sprawling melodies seem as centralized on Tennessee's heartland as Springsteen's did on Jersey. And yet the band's favorite themes—sweet hometown girls, late nights on the road, tempering loneliness and heartache with a bottle of whisky—speak to people all over America, not just Southerners. With Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599. 9 p.m. $15 adv./$17 DOS. ERIN THOMPSON
Mike Watt and the Missingmen ~ Friday, May 22
With a pedigree that includes the Minutemen and fIREHOSE, not to mention Banyan and latter-day membership in the Stooges, Mike Watt's current output is bound to be measured against his towering credibility. As always, however, Watt's new music as the leader of his trio the Missingmen comes off with an unassailable lack of pretense. Gloriously ratty and loose, the Missingmen incorporate everything you'd expect from Watt—remnants of the most inventive aspects of classic rock strained through a punk filter—but even these sometimes get tossed out the window in favor of just having fun. So many musicians' determination to maintain their underground aesthetic ultimately turns them into unwitting victims of their own integrity, their earnestness reduced over time to posturing. Watt, on the other hand, has avoided selling out and stuck to his guns, but has also managed to look perfectly natural in the process. In the end, his sense of ease invigorates the music, which is ultimately the listener's reward. With At the Spine. The Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave. 8 p.m. $13. SABY REYES-KULKARNI
Northwest Folklife Festival ~ Friday, May 22 through Monday, May 25
The Northwest Folklife Festival interprets the word "folk" in its broadest sense. The generally accepted definition of folk music is songs written by and for a specific community, region, or ethnic group that are often passed down orally or anonymously. Today, though, folk music can encompass anything, from hip-hop to Appalachian bluegrass. But that's only a taste of what you can expect to witness at Folklife. From jug bands to local hip-hop, from South African folk song and dance to native Alaskan music to contemporary interpretations of hillbilly stomp, the sheer volume of performers is so vast that it's easy to get overwhelmed. No matter where you find yourself this weekend, though, you'll leave having experienced music and dance performances you'd be hard-pressed to witness at any other festival in Seattle. For a complete schedule, visit nwfolklife.org and download the .pdf from their aggravatingly old-school Web site. Various locations, Seattle Center. All ages. SARA BRICKNER
