Helladope ~ Wednesday, January 30
Bryan Sheffield
Minus the Bear, 12/31 at Showbox at the Market.
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Near the vanguard of the vaunted new wave (or whatever you wanna call 'em) that crashed tsunami-like through the gates of the Seattle hip-hop scene this year is Helladope. Comprising Tay Sean and Jerm, the duo's closest antecedent is the all-female THEESatisfaction. Indeed, last I heard, the ladies lived with Sean. At any rate, all four dropped at least one track together called "Thee Trip," a cosmos-exploring freakfest that has the alien-visitor quality of Lil Wayne and Outkast. And that's what Helladope is all about on its '09 disc, Return to Planet Rock: rocket-propelled blasts into the groovy spaces between jazz, hip-hop, and electronic music. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8000. 9 p.m. $5. KEVIN CAPP
Murder City Devils ~ Wednesday, January 30
Back during the Murder City Devils' first go-around, from 1996 until 2001, the rabid Seattle garage-punk sextet could be relied upon to deliver some of the more deranged and dangerous shows you'd ever experienced. "Getting drunk to make music to get drunk to" seemed their mission statement, and mission accomplished—along with making some tremendous music and starting a lot of memorable fights (sometimes among each other). So perhaps it was right to be skeptical of MCD's part-time reunion, which started in 2006 and has meant a handful of shows here and there each year by the original lineup, which is now scattered across the U.S. and in different musical projects. Can they possibly rock out like always and muster that same dark, raucous, shit-might-get-out-of-hand vibe now that the band's not their life? Fortunately, as anyone who's seen them recently can attest, the answer is a resounding, enthusiastic "Yes!!" With Past Lives, Cold Lake.Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151. 8 p.m. $20. All ages. MICHAEL ALAN GOLDBERG
As the World Falls Down ~ Thursday, December 31
Times of uncertainty call for unbridled revelry, so why not do this New Year's Eve up in thematic style and support a fabulous cause, Lifelong AIDS Alliance, at the Oddfellows Hall (915 E. Pike St.) for As the World Falls Down, a masquerade ball inspired by Jim Henson's cult classic, Labyrinth. Your ticket price will include a labyrinth (but of course), installations, puppets, art, photography, dance, catering from Skillet, enough booze to bathe in, DJs Darek Mazzone, FrankenHeart, and Riff Raff, and some fabulous drag performers costumed for the occasion. To recount in a commercial holiday fashion: Endless taste sensations from Skillet: $125. All the booze you can keep down: $125. Dancing 'til your legs give out: $125. Professionally photographed memories of it all: $125. Watching trannies re-enact your favorite over-the-top Bowie flick: priceless.Please note, however, that admission includes neither a teenage Jennifer Connelly nor David Bowie's impressive Spandex-wrapped member. Oddfellows Hall, 915 E. Pike St. 8 p.m. $125. MA'CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR
Harkonen ~ Thursday, December 31
Going to a club on New Year's Eve is generally an experience best reserved for people who find inflated cover charges, plastic glasses of Cook's "champagne," and roving packs of amateur drinkers acceptable elements for an evening out. However, fans of this city's rapidly growing cache of quality black, doom, and hardcore-oriented metal bands have a very good reason to brave the unruly throngs this evening. Harkonen is the post-hardcore act that Helms Alee frontman Ben Verellen cut his teeth in from 1997–2003. Though it's clear that Helms is his priority, it seems Verellen can't help but pull Matt Howard and Casey Hardy back onstage with him from time to time (Harkonen reunited to play a last-minute benefit show in Tacoma in October). Their blistering pace will be nicely balanced with the sludgy sounds of the Shining Ones and the reliably thickly shredding approach of Lesbian. Comet Tavern, 922 E. Pike St., 323-9853. 8 p.m. $10. HANNAH LEVIN
Minus the Bear ~ Thursday, December 31
Minus the Bear is one of those rare bands that sound as if they could be equally at home as a mainstream mainstay or an indie cult favorite. An eclectic mix of clean and emotive pop vocals, proggy flourishes, and a striking knack for writing melodies at once instantly engaging, structurally complex, and broadly appealing allows Minus the Bear to be several things at once. For those who like to geek out about technique, these guys clearly know what they're doing. The rhythms frequent the far-flung reaches of the time-signature spectrum, stopping and starting through an array of cadences. The guitars are precise and circuitous, tracing filigree patterns around and through the melodies, which are carried by the readily accessible vocals of singer Jake Snider, whose easy manner and smooth delivery help to rein in some of the more adventurous moments. Oddly, the very elements that make the band so broadly appealing also help keep it on the fringes of both sides of the dial. Never quite edgy or contrarian enough to be accepted as full-fledged indie-rock stars, Minus the Bear can't or won't grind down its experimental edges to go Top 40. Sometimes the fringes are a nice place to be. With The Lonely Forest and Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151. 8 p.m. $28 adv./$30 DOS. NICHOLAS HALL
U.S.E ~ Thursday, December 31
If you're planning on having a thrilling and joyous 2010, I think we all know there's no better band to party into the New Year with than U.S.E. If you need proof, you can even check out the music video for "K.I.S.S.I.N.G"—off this year's explosive LP L O V E W O R L D—as a plausible preview to the show. It's got fireworks! Friends! Dancing! The track is every bit as enchanting and infectious as our old favorites "Emerald City" and "Open Your Eyes"—the disco beats, the cute sing-along melodies and that delicious vocoder are all there. Feeling a little holiday depression and gloom? As a new decade opens, it might be a good exercise in positive thinking to actually force yourself to buy into U.S.E's mega-cheerful attitude of "there's another world of love in store every moment." In other words, it's going to be a beautiful year. With Aqueduct and Fresh Espresso. Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-7416. 8 p.m. $20 adv. E. THOMPSON
