Tame Impala - photo by Ryan Muir
Tuesday, December 7
FRAZEY FORD with Tony Fulgham @ The Tractor Tavern
Frazey Ford is best known as a member of Vancouver folk trio The Be Good Tanyas. The sultry-sounding songbird from released her solo debut Obadiah in July and it’s full of her velvety vocals and tender but impassioned songwriting. “Blue Streak Mama” in particular makes my insides feel all funny. Oooooh Frazey! Do it to me! Tune into the Roadhouse with Greg Vandy Wednesday night at 7:30 pm to hear her play live. (8 pm, $12 adv / $14 dos, 21+)
Wednesday, December 8
LEONARD COHEN @ The Rose Garden (Portland)
This show is not really taking place “around town” per se, but in the grand scheme of things, I think a three-hour drive down to Portland can still be considered “around” Seattle. It’s certainly worth mentioning, as the legendary songwriter will not be coming through Seattle. Unless you saw him in Vancouver last week, this will be your only chance. (8 pm, $39.50-$250, all ages)
BROKEN BELLS with The Black Keys, Jimmy Eat World, Temper Trap, Cake, and Sleigh Bells @ WaMu Theater
Broken Bells will headline an all-star lineup for the Deck the Hall Ball at the WaMu Theater. If you missed The Black Keys when they played at The Paramount in October, this is your chance to catch them live before the end of the year. Here’s their disclaimer-laden video for “Next Girl”:
(4:30 pm, $44.50-$49.50 adv, all ages)
Thursday, December 9
THEE OH SEES with Bare Wires and Night Beats @ Chop Suey
San Fran Lo-Fi Psych-Rock at it’s finest. Led by John Dwyer and his high-sitting guitar, Thee Oh Sees put on fantastically insane live shows. Free admission means more people with more money for booze, so this could be especially out-of-control. They played a set for KEXP at this years Music Fest Northwest in Portland. Click here for details and pictures of the performance, and here to listen for yourself. (8 pm, FREE w/ RSVP, 21+)
STORNOWAY with The Head and The Heart @ The Crocodile
It’s not hard to imagine a future where we are constantly saying how we took for granted the fact that The Head and the Heart played nearly every other week at one venue or another around Seattle. UK indie-folk band Stornoway will be headlining, as well as playing live on the KEXP airwaves at noon. (8 pm, $12 adv, 21+)
Friday, December 10
TAME IMPALA with Stardeath and the White Dwarfs @ Neumos
The Northwest has been waiting seven months for Tame Impala to come through since the release of their amazing album of Beatles-inspired psych-rock Innerspeaker was released in May. Early indications are that their live show is every bit as good as we could have hoped it would be, so this is definitely a can’t-miss night at Neumos if there ever was one. Get your tickets now. (8 pm, $12 adv, all ages – bar w/ ID)
DAM –FUNK with DJ Supreme, DJ 100 Proof, DJ Swervewon, and Larry Mizell Jr. @ The Nectar
KEXP’s own Larry Mizell Jr. will host a full slate of hip hop Friday night at The Nectar. Silky smooth Los Angeles MC Dam FunK will be capping things off. As the name suggests, the funk will be brought. (8 pm, $12 adv, 21+)
MAD RAD with Champagne, Champagne, Infinite Loop, and Helladope @ The Vera Project
Mad Rad has been riding high as of late. Their new album The Youth Die Young was just released, they played an amazing in-studio set for KEXP followed by a sold-out CD release party at Neumos, and front man Buffalo Madonna’s stunned, tomato-splattered face is on the cover of the latest City Arts Magazine. The cover story centered around the fact that Mad Rad is the group everyone loves to hate, but at the rate they’re going now, they won’t be able to play that angle for much longer. What they are known for more than anything, however, are their raucous live shows, and Friday at the Vera Project will be no exception. Get ready to party. (7:30 pm, $11)
LOW with Charlie Parr @ The Tractor Tavern
Low will be at the Tractor on Friday. Their last album Drums and Guns was released on Sub Pop on 2007. Here’s their video for the somber single “Belarus”:
(9:30 pm, $15, 21+)
Saturday, December 11
THE POSIES with Brendan Benson and Aqueduct @ Showbox at the Market
You can’t fault Brendan Benson for being overshadowed by Jack White as a member of The Raconteurs. Though White was the figurehead, what many might not realize is that Benson served as more of a co-frontman than simply an auxiliary guitarist; he carried several songs, singing lead vocals and displaying impressive guitar chops of his own. It will be interesting then, to see Benson with his own band and with the spotlight shining squarely on him. Oh yeah, and The Posies are pretty good too! (7 pm, $22 adv / $25 dos, 21+)
ZOE MUTH @ The Treehouse Café (Bainbridge Island)
Down-home country folk singers Zoe Muth will be at the Treehouse Café to provide some local Saturday night entertainment for Bainbridge Islanders. Of course, if you happen to reside on the mainland, it might be worth taking a little adventure and hopping on a ferry. Her album Zoe Muth & The Lost High Rollers was released last year. (8 pm, $10)
ZAK SALLY with Mark Pickerel @ Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery
Zak Sally is most commonly known as the former bassist of Low (who is playing Friday at The Tractor), but now he’s taking the solo route. He released his debut full-length Fear of Song last year on his own La Mano 21 for whose Press he is also a comic artist. It is fitting then that he’ll be headlining Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery’s 4th Anniversary Party. The festivities start at 6 pm and the night is free of charge. Click here for more info. (6 pm, FREE)
THE GREENHORNES with Hacienda @ The Crocodile
Veteran Midwestern garage rockers The Greenhonres will be at The Crocodile on Saturday. Original members Jack Lawrence (bass) and Patrick Keeler (drums) were recruited by Jack White (who has been a longtime fan of the band) to form The Raconteurs, with Lawrence continuing to work with White as a member of the Dead Weather. Both Lawrance and Keeler have returned to their roots in 2010, recording a new album with The Greenhornes called, or denoted as, ****. Don’t miss them when they play live on KEXP Saturday at 1:00 pm. (8 pm, $13, 21+)
Sunday, December 12
SEATTLE FOLK FESTIVAL @ Town Hall
The first annual Seattle Folk Festival will be taking place at Town Hall on Sunday. Click the link for more info and a complete lineup. (all day pass - $22 adv / $25 door; evening pass only - $12 adv / $15 door)
Cahelen Morrison & Eli West will be part of the festival’s daytime festivities. Here they are performing for Greg Vandy’s website American Standard Time at the Columbia City Theater: