Wednesday, March 22
Heartless Bastards + Soledad Brothers + Invisible Eyes + Locksley
Crocodile Cafe, 9 p.m. $8
Thursday, March 23
Rhett Miller and the Believers + Nicolai Dunger
The Old 97s’ frontman’s third solo album, The Believer (Verve), pays homage to Elliott Smith and sounds like—in Miller’s own words—”George Gershwin does T. Rex’s The Slider.” Swedish songwriter Dunger’s supporting his dreamy Here’s My Song (Zoe), which finally gets a U.S. release this month. Showbox, 8 p.m. $15. Also Fri., March 24, at Easy Street Records, 20 Mercer St., 6 p.m. NC; and JBL Theatre at EMP, 305 Harrison St., at 8 p.m. $5
Tina Dico
The voice of Zero 7, Dico’s solo work is equally as affecting as on that band’s light as Air releases. Kristin Hoffman and Jen Wood add two lovely voices to the chorus. Chop Suey, 8 p.m. $10
Kris Moon + LincolnUp + KNRL.PANIC
Reliably knowledgeable SunTzu Sound and Fourthcity crews have teamed up for this new monthly, “Bootylib,” which promises a mind-expanding mix of esoteric genres including ghetto-tech, baile funk, and booty house. As they say, “Free the ass, the mind will follow.” Baltic Room, 9 p.m. $5
Friday, March 24
Night of the Living Vera
Seattle’s premier all-ages venue hosts this annual party in honor of the members and volunteers who keep the place runnin’. This year’s lineup is especially diverse, with the Chuck Norris Five, the Snakebites, Patience Please, Jathan Hanna, the Vomiting Unicorns, Jon Carr, and jump-rope posse the Tina Turners. Vera Project, 7 p.m. $4 with club card/$5
The Ian McFeron Band
Young—and fairly prolific—singer-songwriter McFeron is set to release his third album of roots-infused pop, Fistfight With Father Time, tonight. Triple Door, 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. $15
Slender Means + Sera Cahoone + Panda and Angel + Carrie Biell
Neumo’s, 8 p.m. $8
Poison the Well + Fall of Troy + Horse the Band + Criteria
One of Florida’s premier hardcore bands, PTW are the kind of passionate thrashers that ritually tour 50 even remotely interested cities just for the hell of it—so even if you’ve outgrown the sound, you can bet plenty haven’t. El Corazon, 7 p.m. $12 All ages
Saturday, March 25
Tapes ‘n Tapes
More proof that everything good comes from Minneapolis: Tapes ‘n Tapes’ The Loon (Ibid) just got a whopping 8.3 from Pitchfork—pretty great for a refreshingly nonpretentious, sonically interesting pop band. With Mazarin, the Double, and Hypatia Lake. Sunset Tavern, 9 p.m. $8. Also at Sonic Boom Records, 2209 N.W. Market St., 297-2666., 6 p.m. NC
The Sisters of Mercy + the Warlocks
Q: “I am unattractive, sexually immature, lazy, stupid, and mean. What career would suit me best?” A: “Journalism. If you fail there, try music journalism.” Despite this indirect dis from the Sisters’ Web site, we’re going to recommend their metallic goth rock to all who missed it in the ’80s. The Warlocks channel even older psychedelic grooves. Premier, 8 p.m. $30 All ages
Belle & Sebastian
Paramount Theatre, 8 p.m. $30 adv./$32.50
Redneck Girlfriend + Go Like Hell + Heartbreak USA + Gary Reynolds and the Brides of Obscurity
It seems motorcycle season begins this weekend, and kicking it off at this Georgetown Spring Fling are a handful of raucous and rowdy bands to get your motors revving. Jules Maes Saloon, 4 p.m.
The Can’t See
The Can’t See’s songs are mostly laid-back and moody. Singer John Atkins (you know him from 764-HERO) isn’t going to argue over whose fault it is, but he isn’t going to freak out about it, either. Daylight Basement headlines; New Grey Area and Ghost Stories also play. Chop Suey, 8 p.m. $10
Sunday, March 26
A Northern Chorus
Quirky show-space the SS Marie has seriously amped up its schedule this month, and here’s one of the best shows on offer. It’s headlined by an Ontario quintet who bring Explosions in the Sky–style grandeur to the room after Tableland, Hypatia Lake, Ruby Suns, and Ryan McPhun. SS Marie Antoinette, 1235 Westlake Ave. N., 7 p.m. $5 All ages
Monday, March 27
Metric + Islands + the End of Fashion
Showbox, 8 p.m. $13 adv./$15 All ages
Tuesday, March 28
Jason Collett + Kimya Dawson + John Van Deusen
Collett’s on a break from his Broken Social Scene, Dawson keeps rocking Seattle, and Anacortes’ Van Deusen leaves his Lonely Forest at home for a solo visit. Sunset Tavern, 9 p.m. $10
Beth Orton + Willy Mason
The new Comfort of Strangers begins by saying that “worms don’t dance because they haven’t got the balls,” which ought to tell you that while Orton’s serious about her sentiments and her stripped-down (but still groovy) melodies, she doesn’t take any of it too seriously. Willy Mason opens the show. Showbox, 8 p.m. $20 adv./$23
Times New Viking + Factums + Sea Donkeys
Underground art punk trio Factums make music that is stunningly listenable for how abstract, contorted, and jagged it is. Comparisons evade us, but if your coolest friend played you their disc and told you they were a lost band from some cool country—and even cooler era—you’d believe him. Rendezvous, 10:30 p.m. $5
We Are Scientists
Lisa Turtle: “What do you think of me?” A.C. Slater: “You’re pretty and have great clothes, and . . . you’re fun at parties!” Lisa Turtle: “That’s all?!” That said, this trio is prettier and more fun than most of their of-the-moment peers. Crocodile Cafe, 8 p.m. $10 adv./$12. Also at Easy Street Records, 20 Mercer St., 6 p.m. NCE
