Open Mike Eagle / Wednesday, April 28
Mute Records
Liars, liars, pants caught on fire?
Jon Bergman
Los Campesinos! lost in the woods.
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Rapper Open Mike Eagle has a slow, conversational flow that's all about making itself comfortable. Many of the songs on his debut Unapologetic Art Rap question the pretensions and motives of underground hip-hop while offering another slice of it in the process. Open Mike Eagle's wry presence goes a long way, and the album's production is similarly laid-back. Making for exciting contrast, Busdriver slots his frazzled flow into "Original Butterscotch Confection," while Nocando spices up "Unapologetic" without hijacking it. Going a bit left-field in his influences, Open Mike Eagle samples a Stephen Malkmus live recording on "Pissy Transmissions." Tucked into a record that plays by its own rules, it's not even jarring. With Nocando, Dumbfounded, Intuition, DJ WD4D. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8005. 9 p.m. $8 adv./$10 DOS. DOUG WALLEN
Baby Dee / Wednesday, April 28
With a knack for balancing theatricality and emotion, Cleveland singer/songwriter/pianist Baby Dee never succumbs to flash over substance. Dee proves that it's possible to be a cabaret/performance artist and still have a heart—not to mention dignity and grace, to boot. Her resume namedrops collaborations with Will Oldham, Antony and the Johnsons, Andrew WK, and the Dresden Dolls. But once you're in the room with her achingly bare-bones presentation, you won't care about the company Dee keeps. Her latest release, A Book of Songs for Ann Marie, first reared its lovely head in a very limited run back in 2004. It epitomizes just how honest and powerful a simple voice and piano can be. Triple Door, 216 Union St., 838-4333. 7:30 p.m. $12. All ages. SABY REYES-KULKARNI
Ghosts I've Met / Thursday, April 29
Just as Sparklehorse was the late Mark Linkous and a rotating cast of players, Ghosts I've Met is Sam Watts and whoever's in his orbit at the time. (Formerly in Ghosts I've Met's orbit were my brother Joe and his significant other, Margaret White, who also toured with Sparklehorse.) Watts' new album, From a Spark, sounds a lot like his previous recordings: mellow, twangy, and haunting. Lyrically, however, Spark finds Watts straying from his favorite subjects: drinking whiskey, hitting the road after a night spent drinking whiskey, and screwing up relationships by drinking too much whiskey. Watts recently got sober and penned a record dealing with "weightier issues," which was recorded in a motel room in Lind, a diminutive Eastern Washington town located roughly between nowhere and nowhere that's best known for a demolition derby involving combines instead of cars. Ghosts I've Met's songs match these stark landscapes. Don't expect to smile a lot. Tether Design Gallery, 323 Occidental Ave S., 441-9729. 7 p.m. Free. All ages. MIKE SEELY
Noa & Mira Awad / Thursday, April 29 See Q&A.
Messin' With Texas: Seattle Bands Sing Songs of the Lone Star State / Thursday, April 29
It may seem strange that a dozen Seattle bands are willing to proclaim their love for Texas, but it makes sense once you realize how many classic tunes come from there. Janis Joplin, from Port Arthur, wrote "Me and Bobby McGee," a torch song that Visqueen's Rachel Flotard could try on for size. There's "That'll Be the Day," by Lubbock's Buddy Holly, a soulful, pop-tinged number. The Long Winters could pull that off, while Barton Carroll could test out "Brownsville Girl" by Bob Dylan. There's an embarrassment of riches in Lone Star songs: let's not forget Willie Nelson, who not only wrote about Texas but created songs that felt like the restless Wild West. Maybe the Maldives could pull something from Old Willie's songbook? The possibilities are endless. (Also see Rocket Queen.) With members of Visqueen, Shim, Widower, Pablo Trucker, The Long Winters, the Maldives, The Head & The Heart, Thee Sgt Major III, Hannalee, James Apollo, Mostly Dimes, Dark Plum, Shelby Earl, Bryn Lumsden, Barton Carroll, Ben London, Martin Feveyear. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599, 9 p.m. $8. PAIGE RICHMOND
Cady Wire / Thursday, April 29
Transplanted New York band Cady Wire has found a home for itself among Ballard's country-loving, cowboy-boot-wearing populace. Frontman Sam Riley possesses a soulful singing voice that lends itself well to the mournful melodies he favors. Lyrically, Riley tends toward vivid imagery that's so effective, it's downright unsettling. One memorable lyric references a woman sucking the blood out of his stones and spitting it into the shitter. Disgusting, yes, but it does garner a visceral response. Another song, "Tumbleweeds," juxtaposes raw, wistful lyrics with a cheerful tune, a more affecting combination than the tear-soaked numbers that dominate Cady Wire's repertoire. If the band can duplicate the success of "Tumbleweeds" on future releases, it just might have a future as Son Volt's freaky younger sibling. With Ryan Purcell, the River Empires, Jones Family Fortune. Comet Tavern, 922 E. Pike St., 323-9853. 9 p.m. SARA BRICKNER
The Beets / Friday, April 30
New York's the Beets may not have written the book on fast, loose, and exuberantly amateurish rock and roll, but the page they've torn from it is worth the price of admission. They follow in the grand tradition of starting a band before you actually play an instrument and energetically bashing your way toward competence. It isn't subtle; it isn't novel; it isn't particularly well done. Where the Beets shine is in their ability to embrace their limitations so completely, as on last year's debut effort, Spit In the Face of People Who Don't Want to Be Cool. It's music that's in full possession of its inability, leaving room only for infectious enthusiasm. With German Measles, Coconut Coolouts. Funhouse, 206 Fifth Ave. N., 374-8400, 9:30 p.m. $6. NICHOLAS HALL
