GUTTERMOUTH
>>> Friday, Feb. 11
Jesus. Am I getting old or what? It seems like only yesterday I was writing a Better Living blurb on Guttermouth's return to Hell's Kitchen - the iconic Orange County punks swinging through Tacoma, proving their punk prowess, rocking grayer but as ferverently as ever. I think I even started the blurb out with something dumb like, "You already know Guttermouth. I don't need to describe the band. I don't need to tell you about the purposefully offensive antics, the three chords or probably even the band's Orange County roots. I don't need to tell you the band is old as sin, and you could probably figure out for yourself that when Guttermouth comes to Hell's Kitchen on Friday it's not exactly going to be the same five punks that started the band in 1988. Still, it'll be pretty cool." Well ... déjà vu, dude. It all still applies. Even the Friday part. - Matt Driscoll
[Hell's Kitchen, with the Insurgence, South 11th, Neutralboy, Super Nothing, The Americommies, 8 p.m., $12-$15, 928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]
E-40
>>> Friday, Feb. 11
The Bay Area's E-40 should be the mayor of Oakland by now - or at least on City Council or something. From the release of Mr. Flamboyant in 1990 to 2010's Revenue Retrievin' E-40 has continued to solidify his legendary status on both coasts. And he isn't done yet either. E-40 has changed the game so much throughout the years in many ways, including bringing Bay Area slanguage into mainstream music, his invention of numerous catch phrases and always pushing the envelope with innovative beats. Since E-40's first album dropped in 1990, "Charlie Hustle" released albums in '92, '93, '95, '96, '98, '99, '00, '02, '03, '06, '08 and 2010 - and he already has two planned album releases for 2011, including one with fellow Bay Area legend Too $hort. This guy is as OG status as it gets. Come see your boy "Forty Fonzarelli" at Olympia's The Vault Friday. - Nic Leonard
[The Vault, with 2.0, Young n Brave, SP, 8 p.m., $20 advance, 425 Franklin St. SE, Olympia, 360.357.4721]
THE PURRS
>>> Saturday, Feb. 12
Over their 10-year career, the Purrs have exuded, above all else, a supreme sense of confidence. Every song is lavishly produced and drenched in gorgeous guitar work, every lyric almost off-handedly intoned by lead singer Jima. The casual mixing and matching of rockabilly and psychedelia and shoegaze - it all speaks to the kind of intrinsic confidence (and the talent to back it up) that all rock bands strive for. The seeming effortlessness of the Purrs only adds to their hypnotic allure. Comparisons with bands like the Brian Jonestown Massacre or the Verve notwithstanding, the Purrs have managed to quietly carve out a niche for themselves in the admittedly overcrowded psychedelia scene. Saturday finds them sharing a bill with lively punk rockers Red Hex, an excitingly unlikely pairing if ever there was one. - Rev. Adam McKinney
[The New Frontier Lounge, with Red Hex, Spanish for 100, 9 p.m., cover TBA, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020]
MIRROR MIRROR
>>> Saturday, Feb. 12
The 20th Anniversary re-release of British shoegaze group Ride's seminal album Nowhere was recently awarded a "Best New Reissue" commendation and lusted-after high score from taste-making news and reviews site Pitchfork Media, evidence that (in some critical circles, anyway) bleary, reverb-soaked ear candy will continue to be celebrated, appreciated and encouraged. Olympia's Mirror Mirror are unabashedly aiming for a smudged, smothering shoegaze sound, though their (relatively) clear vocals and occasional acoustic jangles set them apart from run-of-the-mill Jesus and Mary Chain imitators. Their music is more in line with bands from shoegaze's immediate legacy (Brian Jonestown Massacre, et al.); guitar-centric, vintage-influenced rock that shimmers as much as it simmers, and sounds totally righteous at full blast. - Jason Baxter
[Le Voyeur, with Les Jupes, 10 p.m., no cover, 404 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia, 360.943.5710]