Avram Fefer/Wednesday, October 19
Rahad Green
Two bros, one band: Blue Sky Black Death.
Jonathan Mannion
Theophilus London.
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Recently I was sitting at my desk listening to music with the volume turned up when I received a call from my younger brother, who plays guitar and saxophone. Overhearing what I was playing, he declared: "You're on a Coltrane binge right now." He's right, and wrong. I am on a Coltrane binge, but wasn't listening to Crescent or Blue Train. It was Eliyahu, the new album from Seattle-born, NYC-based saxophonist Avram Fefer, who plays a homecoming show tonight as part of the Earshot Jazz Festival. Fefer's a conversational player with a heavy, authoritative tone, more interested in telling stories than overwhelming the listener with his chops. And at a glance, he does sound a bit like Coltrane, in all the right places. With Chad Taylor, Michael Bisio. Chapel Performance Space, 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N., 789-1939. 8 p.m. $7–$15. All ages. CHRIS KORNELIS
***EDITOR'S PICK
Theophilus London/Wednesday, October 19
Setting aside his recent appearance on the season premiere of the CW's 90210, Brooklyn-by- way-of-Trinidad rapper Theophilus London's career is more indie than mainstream as of now. London, 24, often cites Morrissey as a main inspiration (he's released a mixtape called This Charming Mixtape and, for his single "Humdrum Town," borrowed some lyrics from "William, It Was Really Nothing"), and he's collaborated with TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek, Sara Quinn of Tegan & Sara, and Beyoncé's more-hipster little sister, Solange. London fancies himself a style maven, decking himself in velvet jackets and gold jewelry, and "Last Name London," the opening track of his debut Timez Are Weird These Days, mainly consists of him repeating his name again and again—so he appears just as obsessed with himself, and particularly his appearance, as Kanye West is. Mainstream or not, you just can't take the swag out of hip-hop. With Friendly Fires. Neptune, 1303 N. 45th St., 682-1414. 8 p.m. $16 adv./$19 DOS. All ages. ERIN K. THOMPSON
Robyn/Thursday, October 20
Robyn is the fembot that won't stop. Since her appearance at Neumos last November—the show that SW's Best Of issue named Best Concert of the Past 12 Months—she's spent 2011 collaborating with Rye Rye, shooting a stunning dance video for "Call Your Girlfriend," and continuing to tour relentlessly, including a somewhat controversial stint opening for pop tart Katy Perry. Earlier this year, the Swedish diva caused a bit of a stir in the blogosphere when Time Out New York asked if she was a fan of Perry and she responded, "You know what? I have to go now." This fall, Robyn isn't playing second fiddle to anyone anymore, as she's on a headlining tour that will hopefully include a first taste of some brand-new material—she's said that she's already finished writing new songs for the follow-up to 2010's universally acclaimed Body Talk. With YACHT. Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., 467-5510. 8 p.m. $28.50 adv./$33 DOS. All ages. ERIN K. THOMPSON
All-Star Tribute to the Replacements/Friday, October 21
When Paul Westerberg sang "You be me for a while and I'll be you," I daresay he probably wasn't referring to the participants in this annual Replacements tribute night at the Comet Tavern. If that were truly the case, Westerberg would likely be setting up shop at a dingy dive bar in Minneapolis, playing songs by the Fastbacks, the Cops, Virgin Islands, Fort Union, Concours d'Elegance, and a slew of other Seattle musicians. Instead, we don't have to travel far to hear a veritable talent show of Seattle musicians tackle some of the most melodic, dry-witted pop songs of the last 30 years, all at a venue that would've suited the equally brilliant/drunkenly shoddy heyday-era 'Mats perfectly. With Kinski, Cataldo, Kyle Bradford, Ben Fisher, Gabriel Mintz, John Roderick. Comet Tavern, 922 E. Pike St., 322-9272. 9 p.m. $8. GREGORY FRANKLIN
Blue Sky Black Death/Friday, October 21
The meat of tonight's sandwich is two of Seattle's leading chillwave lights: the tropically accented synth/percussion duo USF and the gauzy one-man band Big Spider's Back, lately relocated to Brooklyn. Both have albums out recently, respectively The Spray and Memory Man, which finds Big Spider's Back stretching his shoegazing electronics and muffled beats into more subtly house-like territory. Just as worthwhile, though, is the show's bread. Local duo Blue Sky Black Death—not to be confused with 206 noise-wreckers Blue Sabbath Black Cheer—make soft and stately hip-hop instrumentals that wouldn't sound out of place with Drake emoting over them. At the other end of the spectrum, experimental outfit BrainFruit follows a myriad of weird muses to unpredictable ends—a year or two ago, they were a ball of Lightning Bolt–like racket, now they're a Cluster-ed ripple of hypnotic electric tones and gentle motorik pulses. Catch this fruitful phase before they mutate again. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8005. 7 p.m. $10 adv./$12 DOS. ERIC GRANDY
Brad Mehldau/Friday, October 21
Pianist Brad Melhdau's versions of Radiohead songs are by no means his crowning achievement, but for non-jazz experts, they're the easiest entry point into his music. Songs like "Exit Music (for a Film)" or "Knives Out" have enough harmonic and rhythmic complexity to make the transition to jazz seem almost natural, but Mehldau's world-class technical prowess (his penchant for playing a distinct melody simultaneously with each hand recalls some bizarro post-bop version of Bach) takes them in a new direction without losing any emotional depth. Of course, Mehldau also performs standards as well as his own original material, but regardless of what he plays at this solo concert, it will be a performance by one of contemporary jazz's most talented pianists. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St., 215-4800. 8 p.m. $32. All ages. ANDREW GOSPE
