Decibel Festival / Wednesday, September 22–Sunday, September 26 See the music lead.
Angel Ceballos
Worst. Cat. Ever.
Abbey Drucker
Hot twins: every man's dream.
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Perfume Genius / Wednesday, September 22
Mike Hadreas' sad-bastard solo project, Perfume Genius, is adored by pretty much everyone who hears it. Pitchfork gave Learning—Hadreas' debut album, heavy on piano and tragedy—a whopping 8.2 out of 10. Success has come quickly for the Seattle resident: Now 26, he started writing music just two years ago and is already signed to Matador Records. All Hadreas needs next is for the masses of disillusioned, heartbroken 20-somethings to hear songs like "Mr. Peterson," which balances bouncing piano with Hadreas' whisper-soft vocals: "He made me a tape of Joy Division/He told me there was part of him missing." Amid this success, though, it seems as if Hadreas could fall apart at any moment. On a personal level, he's been to rehab and plays few live shows. Combine that with his fragile-as-a-baby-bird music, and Perfume Genius seems just as likely to implode as to blow up. With Diamond Rings, Shenandoah Davis. Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-7416. 8 p.m. $10.PAIGE RICHMOND
Vampire Weekend / Wednesday, September 22–Thursday, September 23
Well, well, well. Look who's come crawling back. After last month's Marymoor Park debacle, in which frontman Ezra Koenig allegedly lost his voice "moments" before the show and then canceled after leaving fans waiting outside for 90 minutes, Vampire Weekend is back in town for damage control with a pair of make-up dates. Props to Seattle Theatre Group for the speedy rescheduling; and Ezra, suck on some throat lozenges—a twice-jilted tween can make a frightening foe. With The Head and the Heart. Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., 877-STG-4TIX. 7:30 p.m. $36.50. All tickets for the Marymoor Park show can be exchanged at no cost. All ages. ERIN K. THOMPSON
Deakin / Thursday, September 23
In December 2009, Deakin (born Josh Dibb) raised nearly $26,000 from fans to travel to Mali and perform at the world-music blowout Festival au Désert—a forward-thinking move that matches his avant-garde musical approach. Best known as one quarter of psych-pop outfit Animal Collective, his traditionally spacey contributions have contrasted with the more electronic material they've released in recent years. On his own, his music becomes even more ambient, both chaotic and droning, stormy and sad. The high-minded experimentalism may be more an individual's artistic journey than easily accessible to lay listeners, but Animal Collective diehards will continue to see his creations as genius. With Prince Rama. Vera Project, 305 Harrison St., 956-8372. 7:30 p.m. $11.All ages. NICK FELDMAN
Fences / Thursday, September 23 See B-Sides.
KEXP's Shake the Shack Rockabilly Ball / Thursday, September 23–Friday, September 25
Though it's billed as a rockabilly festival, Shake the Shack doesn't take the term too seriously. It hasn't strayed quite as far as Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, which Gogol Bordello is booked to play this year, but there's still plenty of wiggle room—the festival's kicking things off with an evening of surf rock (The Mercury Four, King of Hawaii), then Friday night's show features Johnny Cash sound-alike Vince Mira with the Roy Kay Trio; but if you can only attend one of the three nights, Saturday is where it's at. Former Seattle band Ruby Dee and the Snakehandlers have been teamed with the Donettes; both bands are fronted by women with powerfully, pleasurably twangy voices, and both specialize in kick-up-your-heels honky-tonk music. With Frankie & the Pool Boys, Slacktone, Possum Hollow Boys, the Lucky Stars, Little Rachel, Jerry King & the Rivertown Ramblers, Nick Curran. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599. 9 p.m. $18 adv./$20 DOS/$30 three-day pass. SARA BRICKNER
Melissa Auf der Maur / Friday, September 24
I don't know for sure if Melissa Auf der Maur was ever approached to be in the current incarnation of either Hole or the Smashing Pumpkins—the two iconic '90s alt-rock outfits for which she once played bass—but if so, the flame-haired Canadian singer and multi-instrumentalist was exceptionally wise to stay away. Not that Auf der Maur is averse to looking to the past; after all, her recently issued second solo LP, Out of Our Minds, is essentially a concept album about Vikings. Proving you can fashion an album around Norse history and mythology without resorting to death metal, Minds is primarily proggy, gothy rock with dreamy vocals set atop, making for a fairly entrancing listen. With The Hounds Below. High Dive, 513 N. 36th St., 632-0212. 8 p.m. $8.MICHAEL ALAN GOLDBERG
The Keeper / Friday, September 24
The Comet often hosts kick-ass metal shows, but this one is special for two reasons, one happy, one sad. First, the good news: KEXP DJ and our own Rocket Queen Hannah Levin celebrates another year of playing/writing/speaking about music (her actual birthday's Sept. 21, so wish her a happy one if you see her). The bad news is that The Keeper, the most menstrual metal band in Seattle, who also happened to write some heavy yet nerdtastic songs about evil wizards, is breaking up. The band's putting out a bunch of demos, including some from the band's time as a two-piece called We Had a Wonderful Time. Hopefully we'll be seeing charismatic frontman Andrew Chapman participating in plenty of other musical endeavors. With Madraso, Vultures 2012, Grenades. Comet Tavern, 922 E. Pike St., 323-9853. 9 p.m. $6.SARA BRICKNER
