Slaid Cleaves/Wednesday, September 7
Liam Maloney
Sharp knives, Handsome Furs.
Shervin Lainez
The Antlers.
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When your given name is Richard Slaid Cleaves and you cleave the Richard from it, you basically have no choice but to become a country singer. And seeing as Maine, the state where Cleaves was raised, isn't a haven for spurs and rawhide, a move to Austin in '91 was a key step toward fulfilling his destiny. While Cleaves' Austin contemporary, James McMurtry, holds down a standing midweek gig at the Continental Club, Cleaves frequently takes to the nearby Horseshoe Lounge, the setting for Sorrow & Smoke, a new live double-disc that one can only hope will be emulated verbatim at the Tractor, a venue which pairs as perfectly with Cleaves as rye does with ice. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599. 8 p.m. $18. MIKE SEELY
Taylor Swift/Wednesday, September 7
Taylor Swift is an inspiration to gangly girls everywhere—you may be a head taller than all the boys at your school, the same ones who keep being mean to you and breaking your heart, but you can still go on to become the biggest country-to-pop crossover success the music world has ever known. And of course in Swift's case, her endless string of hookups and breakups with Cory, Joe, Taylor, John, Chord, Jake, etc., is the fuel to her songwriting fire. Some say Swift's bad-boyfriends theme is getting catty and worn-out; we say her music is only getting more perceptive and finessed with time—as evidenced on her articulate third record, last year's Speak Now—and that teenage girls will never tire of songs that stick it to the boys—as evidenced by tonight's sold-out show. With Needtobreathe. Tacoma Dome, 2727 E. D St., Tacoma, 253-272-3663. 7 p.m. Sold out. All ages. ERIN K. THOMPSON
Don't Talk to the Cops!/Thursday, September 8
Witch Gardens' anti-fi jean-short fun will be finely complemented by the break-happy hippity-hop of Mash Hall relatives Don't Talk to the Cops! Part of b-boy/girl dance and lifestyle squad Them Team, Bruce Illest (aka djbles-One) and Emecks crafted DTTTC!'s dynamite debut Regular Show in the spirit of '90s headspin anthems and West Coast windmill soundtracks. Production wizard blesOne cuts quick-hitting, often sped-up samples with keyboard/early-generation drum-machine beats and, with co-vocalist Emecks, crack-up party verses. Amid the seamless tongue-in-cheek vocals, the duo (who can rap and sing laps around a ton of other groups who are busy taking themselves too seriously) are able to put forth some seriously good music, and a action-packed live show. With Stephanie. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8000. 8 p.m. $7. TODD HAMM
LaRue/Friday, September 9
Over the past half-decade, Orlando-by-way-of-Seattle lyricist LaRue has put the wealth of his varied life experience down over beats and provided a level of insight and empowerment not often channeled artistically by an embattled Iraq War vet. His lyrics, however positive, always bear a rough coating of reality that anchors his smoothly delivered words and bites with a stinging sweetness that falls back on the tell-it-like-it-is street poetry of Tupac rather than the dense political rhetoric of someone like Immortal Technique. On Friday, JaWaan LaRue returns to town to celebrate the release of his newest project Hurricane LaRue, where he is also scheduled to premiere a video for the album's first single "Rise Up." With Souljah Bless, Intylekt. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8000. 9 p.m. $7. TODD HAMM
John Prine/Friday, September 9
The Ani DiFranco camp says the decision won't likely be made until minutes before this stop on the tour, but everyone attending John Prine's gig should hope the renegade opener will choose to hold up the lady half of a few classic Prine/Iris DeMent duos. Singing "He ain't got laid in a month of Sundays/I caught him once and he was sniffin' my undies" alongside Prine's "She likes ketchup on her scrambled eggs/Swears like a sailor when she shaves her legs" will bring some much-needed levity to her image. It'll also add another layer of chuckles to a night with Prine, a troubadour who never fails to impress with his musicianship and wit. Chateau Ste. Michelle, 14111 N.E. 145th St., Woodinville, 425-415-3300. 7 p.m. $39.50 general/$65 reserved. CHRIS KORNELIS
***EDITOR'S PICK
The Antlers/Friday, September 9
The previous time the Antlers played Seattle, May 2010, they sold out Neumos—partly due to the cult following of their 2009 cancer-themed album Hospice, but largely because of the draw of their popular opening act, Phantogram. What's changed since then—and garnered a bunch of new Antlers fans—is the band's fourth LP, Burst Apart, a emotionally charged album of desperately sad songs made beautiful by frontman Peter Silberman's shimmering falsetto. With titles like "Putting the Dog to Sleep" and lyrics like "I'm not a puppy you take home/Don't bother trying to fix my heart," Burst Apart can be a heavy record to get through, but the rippling melodies and spellbinding tones are too pretty not to warm up to. With Avi Buffalo, Ghosts I've Met. Neptune, 1303 N.E. 45th St., 467-5510. 9 p.m. $15 adv./$17 DOS. All ages. ERIN K. THOMPSON
Handsome Furs/Saturday, September 10
