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Music Critics' Picks: Warren G, Freeway Park, New Kingston, Diynosaur

March 12-19: Live music in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Diynosaur / photo courtesy of Facebook

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[RAP] + THURS, MARCH 12

If the catch phrases "The G-Funk, We Funk ... " or "Regulators ... Mount up" don't have you funked up for Warren G's show this week, then you must not know your '90s hip-hop/rap. Warren G is (and I don't know how this is possible) one of hip-hop and rap's unsung champions as well as a catalyst behind the West Coast rap sound that dominated the early to mid-'90s.  Having worked with everyone from 2Pac to Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre (his half-brother), Warren G is a vital voice of not only reality rap and party music, but he has always been a conscientious and active voice in community driven issues. Long Beach is in the house. Sing Nate Dogg's (RIP) hooks, y'all! {JOSE GUTIERREZ}

WARREN G, w/ Grynch, Wanz, Crytical, 8 p.m., Jazzbones, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, $18, 253.396.9169

[NOISE-POP] + FRI, MARCH 13

In a dismissive manner typical of the man, my dad used to say that anyone could sing a Neil Young song better than Neil Young. Personally, I've always been drawn to atypical voices such as Young's, as well as usual touchstones like David Byrne and Isaac Brock, but to each their own. Some artists, like Jim Carroll and Art Brut's Eddie Argos, avoid the question of singing altogether in favor of a feverish spoken word style. Seattle quartet Freeway Park follow in this tradition, offering up angular noise-pop accompanied by the manic preaching of frontman Graham Isaac. When you eliminate singing from your band, the onus then becomes dangerously focused on the strength of the words and the music. Isaac's deadpan reading of his wryly funny lyrics serves as a handy counterpoint to the jittery guitars. {REV. ADAM MCKINNEY}

FREEWAY PARK, w/ Coast Culture, 100 Ounces, Godfish, 8 p.m., 226 N. Division St., Olympia, $5, 360.943.0662

[REGGAE] + FRI, MARCH 13    

Irie, braa! Sadly, most Americans' understanding of (and appreciation for) reggae begins and ends with Bob Marley. But the genre is doing just fine these days, thank you, and not just in Jamaica. The father-and-sons quartet New Kingston are of rasta heritage, but the Pantons are second-generation Americans who drop laid-back jams like "Today" and "La La La" in a Brooklyn accent. They're a bashment, in reggae slang, meaning a party in progress. Their lyrics are socially conscious, but don't worry too much about that right now. Instead, close your eyes and sip cocktails on a beach in your mind. In fact, I hear Jazzbones makes a ranking rum punch. New Kingston will urge you to "puff it and pass it" - but even in Washington, you have to wait till you get home for that. One love! {CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL}

NEW KINGSTON, 8 p.m., Jazzbones, 2803 Sixth Avenue, Tacoma, $21-$25, 253.396.9169

[ELECTRONICA] + THURS, MARCH 19

Diynosaur adorn themselves with lofty, contradictory descriptors like "pre-rhythm," "post-music" and "neo-analog," and the impression one gets is not one of self-aggrandizement, but more a sign that Diynosaur would rather throw their hands up in defeat than explain just what they are. Made up of three people apparently named Funkasaurus Rex, Swagadactyl and Velocityraptor, Diynosaur aspire to electronic mavericks from multiple generations like Jean Michael Jarre, the Books and Fatboy Slim. Making righteously experimental music that stubbornly refuses to be contained in any one genre, Diynosaur instead sound like a sampler and a synthesizer were thrown in a wood chipper, the shredded remains rendered a confounding cloud of sounds. Occasionally, a compelling beat comes drifting in out of the din of found sounds and grinding synths, in a moment of earned release and revelation. {REV AM}

DIYNOSAUR, w/ Infantry feat. Lil PDF, Kybele, Piff, 8 p.m., Deadbeat Olympia, 226 N. Division St., Olympia, $5, 360.943.0662

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