Barleywine Revue/THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22
Kingston (They Shootin Films)
Hip-hop heavyweight Nacho Picasso.
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Too often, performances in our local chamber/baroque/Americana pop scene feel like overly precious MTV Unplugged episodes. Tacoma bluegrassers Barleywine Revue exist to relieve some of the tension and pop the bubble of seriousness. They pack some of the same weapons of their peers—banjo, double bass, violin, etc.—but they pluck them alongside a washboard, an instrument that's impossible to listen to without a grin. They're not trying to change lives or adhere to the zeitgeist. They just want you to untuck your hands and have another beer. With Little Ray & the Uppercuts, Pickled Okra. Skylark Cafe & Club, 3803 Delridge Way S.W., 935-2111. 9 p.m. $5. CHRIS KORNELIS
Sing Sing/THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22
During the slow holiday season, one dependable gift is old friends coming home to celebrate together. Tonight, Seattle expat DJ Pretty Titty (né Clayton Vomero) and Four Color Zack revive their hip, genre-hopping club night of the early aughts, Sing Sing, in what has become a Xmas tradition. In its heyday, Sing Sing reveled in the then-fashionable style of mashups—not so much Girl Talk overload (although Zack can quick-cut records with the best of them) as the sly rock/hip-hop/electro blends of Diplo's old Hollertronix output. It might seem quaint now, but there was a time when such an eclectic program—getting indie kids dancing to hip-hop, rap heads to bouncing to new wave, and so forth—seemed revolutionary. Messrs. Titty and Zack's tastes have kept up with the times, of course, but expect a party as lively and diverse as ever. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9442. 9 p.m. Free. ERIC GRANDY
Country Lips/FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23
Many, many years before the likes of Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, and Blake Shelton donned 10-gallon hats and began crooning about blue jeans and cheesy romance, country was the genre of choice for drunkards, rebels, and rockers. Seattle's own Country Lips pay homage to that proud tradition, cranking out debauched ballads with slurred-speech choruses that would make Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard proud. The eight-piece band has a reputation for rowdiness (as should any roots/country revivalists worth their weight in Jack Daniel's), which ought to make for some lively pre–Christmas Eve festivities. With Rollin Hazards. The Mix, 6006 12th Ave. S., 767-0280. 9 p.m. $5. KEEGAN HAMILTON
Full Toilet/FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23
Don Sheets, the man behind grime-punk group Full Toilet, is a peddler of super-short songs (think the Minutemen minus 30 seconds) that run extra-long on angst. The 13 smearingly sludgy tracks that constitute his new self-titled Sub Pop EP—tonight is its official release—clock in at just under five minutes total and are heavy on distortion, maniacal drums, and mumbled lyrics that string together in a fluid, cacophonous stream, making it hard to tell when one stops and the next begins. The sound experience is unnerving, but there's a beautiful simplicity about it; you get the feeling that this is Sheets' burgeoning, irrepressible magnum opus. Through his sputtering rage, Full Toilet offers a glimpse inside a creative and angry young man who is something of a mystery. With Big Wheel Stunt Show, Toyskulls. Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W., 784-4880. 10 p.m. $7. GWENDOLYN ELLIOTT
***EDITOR'S PICK
Crocodile Holiday Party/FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23
The holidays can be a slow time of year for venues that usually host touring bands—no one wants to spend Christmas on the road. Good cheer still needs to be spread somehow, though, so the Crocodile's hosting a Yule soirée in their back bar this Christmas Eve Eve. As at any proper party, there'll be food and drink—the bar's happy hour (drink specials, two-for-one pizzas) will be extended all night—and music, with DJ sets by Crocodile staffers/little Santas Alicia "Miss L Toe" Amiri," Eli "Festival of Lights" Anderson, and Meli "Tinsel Tits" Darby. Darby tells me the tunes will be "mostly party jams with some holiday gems sprinkled into the mix," and that the purpose of the party is to loosen up and prepare for the days ahead, "because let's face it, this time of year can be fucking stressful! So let's eat, drink, and BE MERRY!" Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-4618. 8 p.m. ERIN K. THOMPSON
Nacho Picasso/FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23
Don't let his Steve Urkel specs fool you: Nacho Picasso is the weightlifting villain of Seattle rap at the moment. With a cardigan of tattoos, the tough-jawed Picasso spits raps from Necro's inkwell with a sickly-cool rasp and foot-dragging pace for effect. His style is pretty grisly, which fits the ghostly production (by talented teams Blue Sky Black Death and Raised by Wolves) he's been rapping over, and creates a graphic landscape that has proven different—and badass—enough to earn him nationwide cred as of late. With a crew of his Cloud Nice comrades in tow, this show should add a little hot-brandy burn to your Christmas nog. With Sam Lachow & Company, Steezie Nasa, Pu$h Gang, Real Rogers, DJ PhoSho. Chop Suey. 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8005. 8 p.m. $10. All ages. TODD HAMM
Talcum/SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25
