The Short List: The Week’s Recommended Concerts

David Byrne ~ Wednesday, June 24

Dear David Byrne,

I am a singer who used to be in a popular and highly influential '80s band until we broke up because we all hated each other. Since then, I have pursued a solo career, but all anyone ever wants to talk about is if I'll get my old band back together. It's driving me crazy. What do I do about this?

S. Morrissey

Dear S. Morrissey,

Trust me, I know exactly what you mean. It's like people expecting you to get back with your ex-wife after you've escaped a 15-year mindfuck of a marriage. The key word here is "crazy"—instead of just making boring albums that don't compare to your old band's work, you gotta do a bunch of weird projects so people think you're a batshit-nutso "artiste" who's off in your own world, and then they'll leave you alone because they don't understand you. For example, I've recently designed New York City bike racks that look like coffee mugs and ladies' shoes, and chairs that look like file cabinets and dog toys. I've done performance art using PowerPoint, and rigged a giant building with sound-generating devices and a trigger mechanism to turn the place into one big musical instrument. It also helps if you stare at people a lot without speaking. Or twitch. Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., 467-5510. 7:30 p.m. $45. All ages. MICHAEL ALAN GOLDBERG

Deer Tick ~ Thursday, June 25

John McCauley was born in the wrong decade. From his clear affection for American rock icons of the late '50s and early '60s to his penchant for Dylanesque folk mumblings and mouth-harp blasts, it's clear that his band Deer Tick takes its cues from a generation considerably removed from its own. McCauley is not alone in that; this generation of performers is particularly fond of nostalgia. Somehow, though, McCauley seems to fit into his idealized ideology better than most. The group's new album, Born on Flag Day, is proof positive that he has a firm command of the language, showing the band merging its love of the past with more contemporary soundscapes.The feedback-laced folk-rock of album opener "Easy," redolent with pop-classic chord changes, could have sprung from the grooves of a 7-inch circa 1959, yet also bears the hallmarks of late-'90s indie rock. Elsewhere, as on "Smith Hill" and "Straight Into a Storm" (half Nebraska, half "Chantilly Lace"), McCauley wears his inner rockabilly troubadour on his sleeve. Regardless of which edition of Deer Tick you prefer—1959 or 2009—this new batch of songs is sure to delight. With Dawes, Widower. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599. 9 p.m. $10. NICHOLAS HALL

Major Lazer ~ Thursday, June 25

When Phili's Diplo and London's Switch get together, they don't form like Voltron a la Wu-Tang Clan; rather, they become an ass-kicking, one-armed, crime-fighting rasta cartoon action hero decked out in mirrored shades and armed with a cannon that fires frickin' laser beams. It's a loose, playful concept for the two dance producers, sure. But if you're gonna call yourself Major Lazer, you might as well have a cool mascot. Their debut disc, Guns Don't Kill People...Lazers Do!, is a mashup of dancehall, reggaeton, and hip-hop spiked with techno and smeared with digitized SFX. The single "Hold the Line," featuring Santigold and Mr. Lex, rides a surf-boogie guitar into periodic bursts of random cell-phone rings and other noises. And "Anything Goes," featuring Turbulence, gives a full-frontal assault of Auto-Tuned vocals and epic violins punctured by—but of course—laser bursts. It's conceptual in the best possible sense. Or as Major Lazer likes to say, "mad decent." With DJ Ayres, Tigerbeat. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. 8 p.m. $18 adv. KEVIN CAPP

Reik ~ Thursday, June 25

In the late '90s, Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin made it clear that there's nothing hotter than a sexy Latino dude crooning in Spanish. Now Baja California natives Reik have contributed to the Latino-heartthrob image with their good looks and a Latin Grammy nomination for "Best New Artist." Frontman Jesús Alberto Navarro Rosas and backup vocalist Julio Ramírez Eguía will melt you with their silky-smooth voices and delicious pop riffs that make me wish they were serenading me right now. After six years of releasing multiple Mexican chart-toppers, these guys are due for a U.S. breakthrough. Watch out for panty-dropper "Ahora Sin Ti" and the more upbeat, but equally sexy, "Illusionado." Following the last juicy twang of Gilberto Marín's guitar, these fellas are sure to have ladies (and a few men) stalking them all the way back to Sea-Tac. Caliente. El Corazon, 109 Eastlake Ave. E., 381-3094. 7 p.m. $27.50 adv./$30 DOS. All ages. MALIA MAKOWICKI

UmojaFest P.E.A.C.E. Center Benefit ~ Friday, June 26

Hip-hop showcases can be hit-or-miss in Seattle. Sometimes you get top-notch talent on the same lineup with scrubs, and you only want to stick around for half of the performances. But this weekend there's a solid urban-music showcase at Vera Project, full of talented local artists, all for a good cause. The UmojaFest P.E.A.C.E. Center is in the process of opening up a School for Hip-Hop Culture, Business & Technology in the Central District, and this event is a fundraiser for the project. The idea is to immerse local at-risk youth in a community-based center with a digital recording studio, a computer lab, etc., but also to teach them the entrepreneurial skills to turn it all to their advantage. It won't be a cheap project to bankroll, but like most things Center-related, it will be done in a grassroots fashion. The showcase lineup includes rising multicultural hip-hop artists like Helladope, Sol, Knox Fam, and El Dia holding things down, with various other artists on the bill whom you may not have heard of yet, but will enjoy if you make it to this event. Vera Project, 305 Harrison St., 374-8372. 6 p.m. All ages. JONATHAN CUNNINGHAM