(Royal Room) I canât say it enough: Julian Priester, a local trombonist and jazz professor, played the euphonium on one of John Coltrane's two Africa/Brass sessions. The first session happened on May 23, 1961, the second on June 4, 1961. Priester, 25 at the time, contributed to the first and more complete session. He has also released two jazz classics under his own name, Spiritsville and Keep Swingin. [And Love, Love. âSegal] But here is the thing: Last year, Priesterâs personal finances were hit hard by health-related bills and this jazz legend had to turn to crowdfunding for support. Yes, crowdfunding! And not, say, a city agency or a government institution. Thatâs the kind of city and country we live in. CHARLES MUDEDE
(Blue Moon Tavern) Donât look for one-dimensionality on this bill. On one side, we have It Gets Worse, a Wyoming ska band. On the other side, thereâs Butt Dial, who look as wacky as their name; they describe themselves as âa swift kick to your party plexus.â Between them in stark contrast is Marc Laurick, who spent time playing jazz in Chicago and post punk with Bunnydrums and Certain General before moving to Seattle, where he runs China Sea Recordings Concern with his wife Amanda. Tonight heâs airing in public for the first time songs from his 2013 album, tourbillons. Laurickâs voice inflects with Lou Reed/Steve Wynn wryness, and his songwriting skews toward Kevin Ayersâs elegant world-weariness, with artful yet tough high-IQâd rock melodies that exude an understated grandeur. He says that the live band will be a âstripped-down trio with Jon [Rooney, guitarist for Virgin of the Birds], perhaps in the spirit of a Lloyd-free Television or Richard Thompsonâs electric trio.â Sounds promising. DAVE SEGAL
Serial Hawk will knock you on your ass, but they donât strike quickly. Their crushing blows are slow and purposeful, like the booby trap in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, where Indiana and Short Round are nearly bludgeoned with those giant, skull-covered spikes (that is, until Willie reaches into that disgusting bug hole to pull the release leverâgross). The riffs are heavy, the tempo is magmatic, and each beat lingers in the air for just a tiny moment longer than expected, taunting you. Itâll be a perfect follow-up to Monogamy Partyâs wiry, hyperactive thrashing. And in case you missed the great news, the Highline has brought back its food service, so get to the show early, fill your belly with all the vegan grub you can eat, and headbang till you puke! MEGAN SELING
Friday the 21st is for the brave, the bold, the sexy (or the hateful, puking douchebags infesting Capitol Hill). Instead of directing you to one of the city's usual venues, I'd instead recommend you lay eyes upon the center of the Southgate Roller Rink, where Murder Dice and Rudyâthe tandem known as Slow Danceâwill be marking their return, celebrating the release of their sophomore album, Hunks. You'll perhaps recall SD's 2011 debut, Risk It All. While they're a pair of sharp, unpretentious DIY pranksters (remember them accessorizing the Fremont Troll?) and an unbelievable spectacle liveâcomplete with rubber-raft crowd-surfing and a general lack of fucks given for personal safety that rivaled prime-time Buffalo Madonnaâon disc, SD's clanging electro-hype still felt late to the third-wave party, a lower-wattage Fresh Espresso. Thankfully, Hunks kills all that snarky, Bud-Light-guzzling ode to 1980s cheesy B-movie excessâwhile conceptual, it sounds exactly like what they were meant to be doing. Firecracker Rudy's smooth beats are unadorned but seamless, and life-of-the-party Murder Dice's balls-out singing and rapping is the best he's let the world hear to date (and I've been waiting for some definitive material from ol' boy for years). While no knockoff, this is sonically the closest thing Seattle's had to the party-starting greatness of the Saturday Knights since they first put the "Kick Me" sign on Seattle rap's back and lifted its legs aloft for a foamy keg stand. Watch the Dance's video for "Barbizon" and go from there. LARRY MIZELL JR.
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