Rufus Wainwright / Wednesday, August 25 See An Incomplete History.
Renee McMahon
Vampire Weekend: Get your boat shoes on.
Locked Photography
The spiritually transformed D. Black.
Related Content
More About
Wavves / Wednesday, August 25
Nathan Williams of Wavves spent 2009 getting into brawls everywhere from New York to Australia with doormen, his own bandmates, and someone from the Black Lips. He reached his nadir with a notorious onstage meltdown at a festival in Barcelona, where he got into a spat with his drummer (who quit the band), insulted his audience, and got booed offstage. (He later blamed the incident on a nasty little cocktail of Valium and ecstasy.) For now, the 24-year-old Williams has a band—if not his act—together; he has a new bassist and drummer, both formerly of the late Jay Reatard's band, and released the third Wavves record, King of the Beach, this month. King is Wavves' cleanest effort to date; the lead single, "Post Acid," is as invigorating as a splash of water in the face the morning after a wild night (or year). With The Pharmacy, Broken Nobles. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. 8 p.m. $12. ERIN K. THOMPSON
Emily Wells / Wednesday, August 25
With looping pedals and her violin, Emily Wells composes big songs that can be performed by one person. Hip-hop has been as influential on Wells as classical, but while she may have Vivaldi dropping steamers in his grave, she's come under far more fire for the hip-hop part. A controversial cover of Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy" attracted scorn from people who accused Wells, a white, classically trained violinist, of appropriating a culture not her own. In Wells' own music, the hip-hop influence is more subtle, but her album, The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties, is an exploration of classical and folk music with hip-hop production. If only she and Black Violin—two violinists and a DJ who perform hip-hop on violin—could get together, maybe classical music would experience a comeback. With Anomie Bell. Triple Door, 216 Union St., 838-4333. 7:30 p.m. $12. All ages.SARA BRICKNER
The Doobie Brothers / Thursday, August 26
At their best, the Doobie Brothers are like a slicked-up version of The Band, with rotating vocalists, rich harmonies, and down-home, country-rock rhythms. At their worst, they get lumped into the yacht-rock genre with Boz Scaggs, Steely Dan, and the like. The "worst" can be attributed to one man: Michael McDonald. On his own, McDonald produced some legitimately sterling soul, including "I Keep Forgettin'," a stone jam for the ages. He also backed Christopher Cross on "Ride Like the Wind," and always seemed to contribute a song to the soundtracks of buddy-cop movies starring Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines. But he never quite meshed with his fellow Doobies. Hence, don't lament the fact that he's not touring with them any longer, even though he contributes to a track on their upcoming World Gone Crazy. So does Willie Nelson, and his track's way better than Mikey Mac's. Marymoor Park, 6046 W. Lake Sammamish Pkwy. N.E., Redmond, 800-745-3000. 7 p.m. $48–$68.75. All ages.MIKE SEELY
The Crying Shame / Friday, August 27
For a while there, I was really wondering what was going on with The Crying Shame. The band put out a couple of noir pop-country releases, then disappeared into the ether. Turns out Arlan, the band's frontman, recently had wrist surgery; this will be one of the band's first post-op shows. It must've been tough to write songs with a bum wrist, but at least one new track is up on the band's MySpace page, "She Ain't the Havin' Kind," about (what else?) lost love. It's a sparse, minimal number, trembling with bass and the righteous indignation of a scorned lover. In an era when sweet, angelic voices and harmonies seem to be all the rage in Seattle's folk scene, Arlan's bass drawl makes for a refreshing change. With Ben Gilmer & the Sidearms. Conor Byrne, 5140 Ballard Ave. N.W., 784-3640. 9 p.m. $7.SARA BRICKNER
Devin the Dude / Friday, August 27
If there's one thing the Houston-based Dude can be counted on to do, and do well, it's good-natured stoner raps that somehow manage to sound molasses-soaked and nimble at the same time. The Rap-A-Lot MC's sixth full-length release, April's Suite 420, is more of the same—but the way he goes about delivering it is what's special and worth sticking around for. Over his favored G-funk beats, Devin talks weed and women from a refreshingly everyman and excitingly layered point of view that contrasts sharply with the big-money braggadocio of the multiplatinum-selling set. He might not have grown up much since his debut dropped in 1998, but The Dude knows he has a good thing going. With Neema, Props, Gnotes. Nectar, 412 N. 36th St., 632-2020. 9 p.m. $20.NICK FELDMAN
Vince Mira and The Dusty 45s / Friday, August 27
For most of his short career, Vince Mira has been famous for his spot-on imitation of Johnny Cash. He gained national attention at 15—known then as "Juanny Cash"—for busking Cash's songs, sometimes in Spanish, at Pike Place Market. Three years later, Mira still has that same steady baritone voice, but now it's used on material he writes himself. True, songs like "Cold Hearted Woman" from 2008's Cash Cabin Sessions could easily be mistaken for Cash originals, but that's just Mira's style. He writes country music like Hank Williams (another musician he's known to cover): uncomplicated but rich in melody and sorrow. He'll be well matched by the Dusty 45s' polished rockabilly sound. Triple Door, 216 Union St., 838-4333. 8 p.m. $20 adv./$25 DOS. All ages.PAIGE RICHMOND
