Petty Party/Wednesday, January 26
Courtesy of Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl
The very spooky Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger.
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Combining peanut butter and chocolate was a great idea. So too is making sure to have a beer mug in the freezer at all times, so even warm Busch fetched five minutes ago at Albertsons gets down to drinking temperature really quickly. Casting Robert Downey Jr., Leslie Mann, Michael Keaton, or Paul Rudd in pretty much any movie are also fantastic ideas. Playing the Allman Brothers Band while on mushrooms has, was, and always will be a wonderful idea, likewise putting butter and gravy on mashed potatoes. And creating an alcoholic version of the Arnold Palmer called the John Daly? Fucking brilliant. Better than all these ideas, however, is a cover band devoted exclusively to the oeuvre of Tom Petty, perhaps the most underrated legend in rock history. Petty Party is such a band. Great idea. With the Golden Blondes, Pipsisewah. Comet Tavern, 922 E. Pike, 322-9272. 9 p.m. $6. MIKE SEELY
"I'm Comin' Out"/Wednesday, January 26
Named for the first integrated jazz club in New York, Café Society formed last year as a monthly showcase for female artists in Seattle's music scene—and tonight, in its first party of the year, the Society elevates two wildly deserving vocalists. Though best known for her appearances alongside hip-hop outfits like Mad Rad and Fresh Espresso, neo-soul songstress Shaprece makes her anticipated solo debut (hence the night's theme), backed by a six-piece band only magnified by a handful of head-turning singles like December's "Be Like You" and the more recent "Lift." Support comes from Fly Moon Royalty, the duo of DJ/producer Action Jackson and vocalist Adra Boo, responsible for some of the catchiest hip-hop-influenced soul in the city. It's a night for the ladies, but gentlemen would be wise to attend. With Rocco Deluca. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9442. 8 p.m. $7. NICK FELDMAN
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals/Thursday, January 27
Grace Potter has a killer voice—she's a small-town girl from northern Vermont (she has a locally manufactured chocolate bar named after her), but girlfriend can belt it like the big-leaguers. Her throaty, hardy vocals recall a little bit of Janis, a little bit of Aretha—especially combined with the funky, brilliantly blues-infused sound of her band, the Nocturnals. The quintet released their third effort last year, an eponymous album produced by Mark Batson (Alicia Keys, Beyoncé); it's a polished, jazzy affair that's been earning the band legions of new fans based on the strength of fiery singles "Tiny Light" and "Paris (Ooh La La)." Seattle's definitely fallen for Potter—tonight's show is already sold out. With Chamberlin. Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-7416. 8 p.m. Sold out. ERIN K. THOMPSON
DJ Pauly D/Thursday, January 27
Guidos and guidettes, get ready to beat up the beat: Jersey Shore star Pauly D is in the DJ booth tonight. His appearance is sure to elicit as many groans as squeals, but even haters have to admit that of all the cast members on that addictive train-wreck of a show, Pauly D is the most tolerable. Sure, he spends an obscene amount of time on GTL (gym, tan, laundry), even 'fessing up to owning a tanning bed in his home. But he also does an admirable job of avoiding the drama his often belligerently drunk housemates get into, focusing on scoring gigs at clubs rather than getting kicked out of them. And lastly, in his defense, the guy isn't even from Jersey. He's from Rhode Island. And he's sort of cute. With DJ Mayhem. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151. 9:30 p.m. $20. All ages. ERIKA HOBART
Interpol/Friday, January 28
For New York City post-punk revivalists Interpol ever to match what they accomplished with their 2002 debut Turn on the Bright Lights—one of the most acclaimed albums of the decade—seems near-impossible. While two follow-ups, 2004's Antics and 2007's Love to Admire, were commendable, it's hard not to sense that things are truly fizzling. Last year marked the departure of bassist Carlos Dengler, and also brought the band's unremarkable self-titled fourth studio album, a complete snoozefest devoid of a single signature Interpol anthem. To avoid the nauseating question of whether this trio has much left in the tank, let's hope some magic is recaptured onstage. With School of Seven Bells. Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-7416. 8 p.m. All ages. Sold out. BRYDEN MCGRATH
The Soft Hills/Friday, January 28
I have a problem with The Soft Hills' name: It could just as easily describe a landscape painting in a dentist's waiting room. Actually, it could be the name of one of my mom's old landscape paint-by-number projects, which, with all due respect, are not art. But The Soft Hills makes music that is undeniably art—not business, not pop machine, but art. If these sounds were a painting, their warm, psych-folk glow would be the light of the surrealists. They would have borrowed Grizzly Bear's canvas, Beach House's colors, and Sigur Ros' brushes, and returned them all ruined. And the soft hills stretched across the image would not be some overdone, unmoving pasture, but a spiraling, swarming, swirling desert expanse. With Karl Blau, the Pica Beats. Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W., 784-4880. 10 p.m. $8. MARY PAULINE DIAZ
