Dark Time Sunshine / Friday, April 16
As their moniker suggests, the goth-hop duo Dark Time Sunshine (Seattle's Cape Cowen and Chicago's Zavala) celebrate the night as much as the day on their unofficial debut, Believeyoume, which they offered for free last year on their Web site: Bright synths mingle with deathly drums ("It Lives"), and a morose bass sulks in the background of a gooey valentine to the Seattle hip-hop scene ("The Wrong Kids"). Their proper debut, Vessel, out April 20, features the same potent mix of dichotomies. Indeed, one can draw parallels between, say, "It Lives" and the new joint "Run": Lyrically, both hint at bad juju, but the beat seems to say everything is all right...Right? With Jake One, Mash Hall, Tilson of the Saturday Knights, Helladope, Night Fox, DJ Swerveone. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. 8 p.m. $10. KEVIN CAPP
Jason Frank Rothenberg
Yeasayer: too cool for direct eye contact.
Dave Wainwright
Johnny Rotten no more: Public Image Ltd
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The Posies / Saturday, April 17 See B-Sides.
John Prine / Saturday, April 17
If Bob Dylan weren't already from the Midwest, John Prine would easily be the front-runner for the title of "Bob Dylan of the Midwest." But since Dylan is from Minnesota, Prine, who hails from a Chicago suburb, will have to settle for being the John Prine of the World—which isn't really settling at all. Prine is Dylan's folk contemporary, and the two raspy-voiced troubadours have long formed a mutual admiration society. But when Dylan went electric, Prine stayed true to his largely unamplified roots. Last year, Alison Krauss and Robert Plant drenched Prine's "Killing the Blues" in honey, just as Bonnie Raitt did with his "Angel from Montgomery." What's more, Kris Kristofferson once said, "Prine is so good, we may have to break his thumbs." Lucky for us, the bearded badass never followed through on that threat—not yet anyway. With Dan Reeder. Paramount, 911 E. Pine St., 877-784-4849. 8 p.m. $32.50–$62.50.MIKE SEELY
Record Store Day / Saturday, April 17 See Rocket Queen and Music News & Notes.
SambaDá / Saturday, April 17
In the cross-cultural punch of SambaDá, nothing is off limits. The Afro-Brazilian eight-piece is led by Santa Cruz–based Papiba Godinho, who came to America to study but fell for California's skate and surf scenes. He also fell for the varieties of music pulsing up and down the coast. Funk, surf rock, hip-hop, and jazz are shuffled into authentic samba influences over a bed of delirious percussion. There's swinging saxophone, ripping guitar leads, and Portuguese lyrics. A new album, Gente!, shows off the buoyant voice of Dandha da Hora. Like other members, she began as a sporadic guest but is now a fixture. She was with SambaDá when they traveled to Brazil for the first time, an experience that has only emboldened their eager, splashy sound. With Picoso, DJ Tomas. Nectar, 412 N. 36th St., 632-2020. 9 p.m. $10. DOUG WALLEN
Catie Curtis / Sunday, April 18
Over the 20-odd years of her career, Catie Curtis has shifted focus from her origins in the coffeehouse neo-folk scene of the mid-'90s, subtly inflecting her songwriting with an array of classical, pop, soul, and even funk influences. Amazingly, Curtis made the transition from politically charged pseudo-hippie to flexible adult-contemporary songstress without shedding any of her credibility or fan base. The thread that runs through Curtis' evolving career is an uncanny ear for melody, consistently capturing sounds that simply sound good. As proof, take 2009's Hello, Stranger. Spinning her extensive back catalogue through a treatment of string-band arrangements, Curtis recontextualizes her legacy, coming away with songs that bear repeated listens. With Ali Marcus. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599. 7 p.m. $18. NICHOLAS HALL
Norah Jones / Sunday, April 18
Insta-fame is a funny thing. Had Norah Jones not sold a bazillion copies of 2002's Come Away With Me to moms and uncles via Blue Note Records—known for issuing some of Miles Davis' finest work—we'd be having a completely different conversation about her. There wouldn't have been the predictable adult-contemporary backlash from the indie set, and she wouldn't have provoked the ire of purists who thought she was trying to ape jazz. Her new record, The Fall, would be judged sans baggage, as it should be: as the latest installment from a honey-voiced chanteuse with a knack for writing—and picking—witty pop songs that may not break new ground or change lives, but are above-average and above contempt in every way. With Sasha Dobson. Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., 877-STG-4TIX. 8 p.m. $46.50–$57. CHRIS KORNELIS
Psychedelic Horseshit / Monday, April 19
The name's half right—there's something psychedelic about the racket made by singer/guitarist Matt Whitehurst and drummer Rich Johnston, but it's worth the effort to hunt down. Despite releasing a record called Shitgaze Anthems and kick-starting that genre five years ago, Psychedelic Horseshit can be quite catchy and not so noisy. Whitehurst's songs may be subversive, but always in some unexpected way. The first taste of this month's Acid Tape cassette, "Modern Daze," is a phantom of addled rhythms, sideways melodies, and buried singing. (Think early Sebadoh.) It's enough to forgive the band for skewing toward esoteric formats and secret-handshake labels like Siltbreeze, Woodsist, and Fan Death. With Eat Skull, Wet Paint, Eel Eater. Comet Tavern, 922 E. Pike St., 322-9272. 8 p.m. $8. DOUG WALLEN
