Cars vs. Violent Femmes Night / Wednesday, December 15
Michael Alan Goldberg
Trippy Tricky Thaws.
Holli Herrara
Herrera: As Bremerton as the Hi-Lo.
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Tonight we celebrate the music of two bands who took their punk-rock roots in very different directions. The Cars are best known for riding the New Wave with hooky, synth-heavy tunes, vocals that made you ponder whether they actually were British, and "Coverdaling" supermodels; they bore the platinum curse of merging well-chosen underground influences into major mainstream accessibility. The Violent Femmes smelled like teen spirit way ahead of their time. It took 10 years for the Femmes' debut—bare-bones, angst-soaked acoustic anthems—to go platinum, but as with those aggro minimalists the Velvets before them, the first 100 kids who bought Violent Femmes surely all started bands. With Dating Pool, Royal Bear, Jiffy, Devolutionaries, Pocket Panda. Comet Tavern, 922 E. Pike St., 323-9853. 9 p.m. $6. MA'CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR
Three Imaginary Girls Holiday Party / Thursday, December 16
When Three Imaginary Girls, Seattle's venerated indie-rock enthusiasts and promoters, launched their annual holiday concert/fund-raiser seven years ago, they didn't predict it would become a cherished tradition for Northwest music fans. This year's beneficiary, Teen Feed, provides meals for homeless youth, and has elicited widespread altruism, with Columbia City Theater donating the venue and the performers playing either for free or an extremely modest donation. John Vanderslice dons a Santa suit and photographer Laura Musselman shoots his lap festooned with patrons; then Vanderslice performs as the "secret" act. Also bringing the rock: the Tripwires, the Young Evils, Jose Bold, and DJ Greg Vandy. Columbia City Theater, 4918 Rainier Ave. S., 722-3009. 7:30 p.m. $15. LITSA DREMOUSIS
Kinski / Friday, December 17
It's hard to believe local noise architects Kinski have been a band for more than a decade now, but it's true. Since 1998, they have churned out guitar-driven dramas that pay homage to obvious touchstones such as Sonic Youth and Spacemen 3, but with the subtle muscle of their own understated performances as a secret weapon: They are always more substance than flash. A Kinski show is an enveloping yet invigorating sonic experience—one that requires not only earplugs but a willingness to follow their tangential dalliances. It's a worthwhile journey, especially at the Sunset, a venue that's both intimate and well-suited to erecting walls of noise. With This Blinding Light, Brain Fruit. Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W., 784-4880. 10 p.m. $8. HANNAH LEVIN
Tricky / Friday, December 17
Perhaps unfairly pigeonholed by historical typecasting, Tricky remains frozen in time for many music fans who see him primarily as the man responsible for bringing trip-hop across the pond (initially in the context of Massive Attack, later in his wildly successful foray into solo work). Putting a time stamp on your work using a brilliant and zeitgeisty title such as 1996's Pre-Millennium Tension is truly a canonizing blessing and a questionable curse. Despite the release of new work (this year's serviceable but lackluster Mixed Race), the Englishman born Adrian Nicholas Matthews Thaws resides in a perpetual twilight zone, albeit one that has influenced countless electronica acts since. With Truckasaurus. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. 8 p.m. $20. HANNAH LEVIN
Wally Shoup Quartet / Friday, December 17
It's true that the power of Wally Shoup's saxophone can easily match a Marshall stack, but for some of us at least, an unplugged scene is where Shoup's muscle and dexterity are shown to their best effect. Tonight, the dean of the city's free-improv scene joins three other leading practitioners of unmapped creative sound, including the not-groove-averse bassist PK and the insistently unpredictable pianist Gust Burns. Gallery 1412, 1412 18th Ave., 324-0671. 8 p.m. $5–$15 donation. MARK D. FEFER
The Classic Crime / Saturday, December 18
Local Tooth & Nail rock outfit The Classic Crime is used to sharing the stage with pop-punk bands like This Providence and Eclectic Approach. More incongruous is tonight's inclusion of Ravenna Woods; regulars at the Tractor and the Sunset, Showbox SoDo will be the biggest venue the folksy indie trio has played in this city. "It'll be a very eclectic night for sure, but that's what a good show is, in my opinion," says Classic Crime frontman Matt MacDonald. All four bands will play a Christmas tune each, TCC's choice being John and Yoko's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)." Hopefully the evening will alleviate some of the inevitable holiday stress. "Santa is a fraud," says MacDonald. "He never got me a Power Wheels truck in second grade, and I've never forgiven him. Plus, if you switch the letters around in his name, it spells Satan. Coincidence? I think not." Showbox SoDo, 1700 First Ave. S., 628-3151. 7 p.m. $15. All ages. ERIN K. THOMPSON
Cobirds Unite / Saturday, December 18
Rusty Willoughby has been around the block. Playing music around Seattle since 1985 (most notably with Flop), he's one of those workhorse musicians who trudges along quietly, just shy of the spotlight, consistently producing amazing music. His newest project, Cobirds Unite, finds him writing graceful, playful roots/pop songs with lush arrangements that wander loosely while still somehow adhering to a rocky path. Teaming up with Visqueen's Rachel Flotard as the Emmylou Harris to his Gram Parsons (and covering a couple of Parsons' old favorites in the process), Willoughby's songs are as sweet as can be—less roadhouse rambunctiousness and more after-hours reflectiveness. Swaying through the highest, most lonesome sounds, Cobirds Unite manages to be warm and welcoming without ever losing its backbone. With Goldfinch, Trespassers William. Columbia City Theater, 4816 Rainier Ave. S., 789-3599. 9 p.m. $8. GREGORY FRANKLIN
