Angels and Airwaves / Wednesday, April 7
Andy Batt
Honk if you’re a band geek.
Honk! Fest West, featuring the
March Fourth Marching band,
rolls through Friday to Sunday.
Renee McMahon
King Khan, mostly naked, at Sasquatch! 2009.
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After the split of Blink-182, Tom DeLonge worked tirelessly to prove that his new incarnation would forever change rock music. And while the group filled with former members of Box Car Racer, The Offspring, and 30 Seconds to Mars may not have lived up to those grandiose statements, Angels and Airwaves undoubtedly play great music. Its third album, Love, available for free download on A&A's Web site, is a guitar-driven alt-rock record that rides on the sound of debut release We Don't Need to Whisper, except aural synth lines take a striking prominence that make for a smoother listen. The underlying humor that drove Blink-182 may be all but forgotten, but the bombast of chords and anthemic choruses are a fair trade. With Say Anything. Showbox SoDo, 1700 First Ave. S., 382-7877. 7 p.m. $26. All ages. NICK FELDMAN
Retribution Gospel Choir / Wednesday, April 7
Remember Hoobastank? They were early-2000s mainstream rock at its finest—lots of soaring power chords with lots of unnecessary oomph, vocals just dripping with pathos and urgency? That sort of heavy alt-rock by way of Nickelback went out of style a few years ago. But, hangers-on, we have good news: Retribution Gospel Choir's sophomore record, 2, is Hoobastank's best record yet. It's full of huge and obvious builds to monotonous choruses and rhythms, and too-frequent and too-noisy cymbal crashes; it's even got such emphatic lyrics as "We sing of salvation/We sing what we must/Cuz one man's treasure/Is another man's lust." As for you doubters, dissenters, and indie snobs—yes, two members of Low are also in this band. And no, 2 has none of the subtlety and nuance that makes Low such a refreshing band. With Kinski. Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-7416. 8 p.m. $8.ERIN K. THOMPSON
Mark Knopfler / Thursday, April 8
Mark Knopfler is like JJ Cale—he doesn't get enough credit for how good and innovative he is. Furthermore, it seems he doesn't get enough credit because, like Cale, he doesn't play in-your-face rock, but laid-back, shuffling blues and folk. Most know Knopfler from his '70s–'80s rock band Dire Straits, responsible for mega-hits "Sultans of Swing" and "Money for Nothing." But his solo career has been just as productive and intriguing. Like Bob Dylan, Knopfler has been crafting pseudo-trad songs that don't really resemble any particular style but still work hard at evoking the past, all the while sounding like pure Mark Knopfler. Through his soft grooves and bone-dry baritone, Knopfler creates slow-burning Americana that favors songcraft over guitar showmanship. Moore Theatre, 1932 Second Ave., 877-STG-4TIX. 8 p.m. $63.50–$103.50. All ages. BRIAN J. BARR
Police Teeth / Thursday, April 8
If naming songs were an Olympic sport, the necks of Police Teeth would be glowing with gold. Thankfully, jams like "Taking a Shit on Company Time" and "Bob Stinson Will Have His Revenge on Ferndale" aren't just great punch lines; they totally eclipse their nomenclature. Taking inspiration from that no-excess, reactionary school of '80s college punk, Police Teeth write catchy, riff-heavy punk songs that come from a blue-collar, utilitarian mindset. Their songs are as meat-and-potatoes as they come, stripped of delay pedals, keyboard flourishes, and all the excess fat that can cover up the actual heart and purpose of a song. Watch for PBR cans crushed in midair, fist pumping, spitting, and a bunch of hairy, sweaty bodies ramming into each other at the show. All the good stuff with none of the bullshit. With Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death, Victory and Associates, DJ Heather Hydra. Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W., 784-4880. 9 p.m. $8. GREGORY FRANKLIN
Seattle Soundbite w/the Maldives / Thursday, April 8
Food and music go together like gin and tonic. But while the ties between the two cultural pillars are strong, they're not always harmonious. Fences' Chris Mansfield recently walked offstage after two songs at art/food happening The New Guard because patrons were talking too loudly during their third dessert. Sarah McLachlan wants you to trade your Thanksgiving turkey for tofu. Moby just wrote a book about being bald and vegan. Even SW's douchy/domesticated music editor pens a column about life with his Crock Pot®. But tonight's mashup of foodies and musicians at Showbox SoDo promises to be a relatively drama-free affair, with some of the city's favorite hash-slingers (Ethan Stowell) and singers (the Maldives) holding court. With Amsterdam, Velcro Mindset, Sam Russell and the Harborrats, DJ Darek Mazzone, Shawn Stewart. Showbox SoDo, 1700 First Ave. S., 382-7877. 6 p.m. $13 adv./$16 DOS. CHRIS KORNELIS
The Church / Friday, April 9
For 30 years, the interplay between guitarists Peter Koppes and Marty Willson-Piper has defined the trippy art-rock sound of this Australian quartet. At turns moody, frantic, shimmering, and atmospheric, they provide an exhilarating counterpoint to Steve Kilbey's languid, narcotized vocals. Using the post-punk and neo-psychedelic pop of the early '80s as a jumping-off point, The Church have covered a multitude of musical bases over the past three decades—scoring a hit single, "Under the Milky Way," in 1988—all while battling record companies and occasionally each other. This tour, dubbed "An Intimate Space," is all-acoustic, with the band counting backward through their 23 studio releases, playing a track from each. In a nod to their fans' loyalty, all ticket holders will receive a copy of the new Deadman's Hand EP. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151. 8 p.m. $28. MICHAEL MAHONEY
