The Globes/Wednesday, May 18
Ben Blood
The Globes' present selves.
Sam Holden
Twilight Singers bard Greg Dulli.
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Much is made of the Globes' youth, but only because it makes the band's songwriting abilities, instrumental proficiency, and killer live show all the more impressive. Such maturity was evident on 2010's Sinter Songs EP, and their upward trajectory continues with the recently released Future Self, a debut LP that immediately brings to mind the band's more seasoned Barsuk labelmates—one part Maps & Atlases' off-kilter experimentation and another part Menomena's warped pop sensibilities. It's a record that, in spite of the band's collective technical expertise, never feels overly cerebral or esoteric. Instead, it acts as a testament to the Globes' ability to explore form and texture while still creating visceral, hard-hitting rock. Sonic Boom Records, 2209 N.W. Market St., 297-2666. 6 p.m. Free. All ages. ANDREW GOSPE
Kathryn Calder/Thursday, May 19
New Pornographer Kathryn Calder released her solo debut album, Are You My Mother?, nearly a year ago, but she's just now getting around to touring in support of it. It's understandable—Calder's been through some emotionally trying times of late. She wrote the album as a tribute to her terminally ill mother, Lynn (the songs were recorded in Lynn's living room), who passed away shortly thereafter. Are You My Mother? is a fragile wisp of a record, composed mainly of Calder's pristine voice floating atop simple, sparse piano melodies. Songs like "Arrow" and "Slip Away" are delicate, sometimes even timid, but in such a setting, those qualities seem fitting. The album is a lovely and undeniably touching portrait of love and grief; hopefully, presenting the music to an audience will provide Calder solace and catharsis. With Karl Blau, Mal de Mer, Himalayan Bear. JewelBox/Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave., 441-5823. 10 p.m. $10. ERIN K. THOMPSON
Jimmy Eat World/Friday, May 20
While the heyday of emotive, melodic indie pop has seemingly peaked (seriously, how many more reunion tours of also-ran late-'90s bands do we really need to see?), very few of those artists managed to dominate FM airwaves and define that genre as well as Jimmy Eat World. Quietly chugging along for nearly 18 years, the Arizona quartet found their sound early and have been nothing if not consistent in their product: Jim Adkins' strong, sentimental vocals atop sweeping, concise rock anthems. Their most recent record (2010's Invented) finds the band mixing more choppy, bleepy electronic elements into their songs, as well as finding new songwriting inspiration, basing most of the record's lyrical content on character sketches derived from the photographs of Cindy Sherman and Hannah Starkey. With Kinch. Showbox SoDo, 1700 First Ave. S., 628-3151. 7 p.m. $25 adv./$28 DOS. All ages. GREGORY FRANKLIN
KEXP Hood to Hood/Friday, May 20
Community involvement—from a focus on local music to those slightly annoying (though vitally important) on-air fund-raising drives—is a large part of KEXP's ethos. Enter the Hood-to-Hood Challenge, which since 2006 has pitted various Seattle neighborhoods against each other in a fund-raising competition. Ballard won the contest for the third time this past summer, and will be rewarded with a host of live music events, centering on an all-day live broadcast from the Sunset Tavern that is free and open to the public. The broadcast will feature performances from the likes of David Bazan and Shabazz Palaces between DJ spots from station mainstays like Cheryl Waters and Kevin Cole, but more than anything, it will demonstrate KEXP's community connections coming full circle. With Marshall Scott Warner, the Black Crabs, Joan as Police Woman, Buffalo Tom, Point Juncture, Yuni in Taxco. Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W., 784-4880. 7 a.m. Free. ANDREW GOSPE
STAG/Friday, May 20
Keith Bartoloni is a bartender at Hazlewood, Ballard's smallest and most alluring cocktail bar (and not just because co-owner Drew Church is a preternaturally alluring physical specimen, but that's part of it). Bartoloni recently broke his leg and, as is the unfortunate norm in the insurance-challenged service industry, needs help covering medical expenses. Enter STAG, a forceful, no-bullshit rock quintet made up of erstwhile members of Alcohol Funnycar, Sanford Arms, and Red Jacket Mine. They're part of a formidable bill at the Tractor that also features local faves the Cops (featuring Church on bass). A percentage of proceeds will go to assist Bartoloni in his recovery, and the show itself is part of a veritable neighborhood festival that night commemorating Ballard's victory in KEXP's Hood-to-Hood challenge. It's the sort of occasion that will allow you to pound a ton of cheap beer and feel good about doing it. With the Golden Blondes, the Chasers, the Mutiny Fires. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599. 9:30 p.m. $10. MIKE SEELY
Princess/Saturday, May 21
Seattle metal outfit Princess' music is that of brutal, carnivorous, auditory assault. They already sound like the after-party in hell or the house band from Carrie's prom, so how about making the next record cover a mangled tiara and some ladylike white gloves spattered in such a way as not to reveal whether Her Highness was the crime's victim or perpetrator? Or how's about a pile of severed and mutilated My Little Pony heads? Or Princess' glorious logo tagged on some ancient wallpaper in smeary, drippy, red glitter letters (poured nail polish, perhaps?) for that Shining effect? Or something so altogether sweet and unicorny it'll fool little tweens into buying the record and unsuspectingly having their faces shredded off? With Argonaut. Cafe Venus/Mars Bar, 609 Eastlake Ave. E., 624-4516. 9 p.m. $6. MA'CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR
