$KRILLA B-DAY BASH

>>> Thursday, Aug. 11

The most exciting new group to emerge this year out of Tacoma has been the Academy. The crew quickly came onto the scene thanks to the veteran status of some of the members. $krilla met Eee-tree, Ghetto, Doe-Lo Rossi, Mistah Mac, Charlotte Smoot, Criss, Eli, Chad Larson and Jordan Pike at the audio-engineering program at Bates Technical College, and the rest is quickly becoming history. Some of the members MC, some produce, some sing, some play instruments and some just work the boards. The group's use of singers and live instruments is what separates The Academy from the pack. The Academy's sound could be likened to a more mature, polished Darxiide, with access to better equipment. The crew stole the show this summer at Tacoma Hempfest where they had the crowd near the stage dancing. Thursday at El Perron see them in person for $krilla's birthday party. - Josh Rizeberg

[El Perron, with Matty, Makk Hussein, C-Logic, AR Mastermind, DJ Ice Man, $2, 13021 Pacific Ave. S., Tacoma, 253.273.1777]

JOHN CRAIG & THE WEEKEND

>>> Thursday, Aug. 11

On John Craig & the Weekend's forthcoming full-length, Numbers, all 13 songs listed on the inside cover feature a parenthesized time stamp. Take, for instance, the disc's second track, "Wear Are Whatever (friday night!)," or the 12th tune, "Morning Birds (sunday morning ...)."  It's all part of a much grander conceptualized package from Craig, who released a debut solo effort in 2009, and has since found a band to backup his electro-pop meanderings. Craig cut his teeth (at least in public view) playing in college with Blind Pilot's Ryan Dobrowski, and has gone on to much indie acclaim in his hometown of Portland, Ore. Taken straight from the Portland-based group's PR, "... John Craig & the Weekend's newest release, Numbers, arrives as a breath of fresh air - something worlds apart from anything you've heard coming out of Portland these days..." Bold statement from a bold band. - Matt Driscoll

[The New Frontier Lounge, with Slowwave, Blind Willies, 9 p.m., 301 E 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020]

FUCKING EAGLES

>>> Saturday, Aug. 13

My ears were ringing for over 24 hours after the last time I saw the Fucking Eagles perform. I think I could feel the damage being done as it was happening, but I didn't care. I stood planted by the speakers as one blistering dose of rock ‘n' roll bled into the next, and I had the goofiest grin plastered on my face the whole time. That my eardrums took such a pummeling from the reduced, four-piece version of the band and not from the full, eight-piece version is some kind of testament to the power of the Fucking Eagles. The evolution, over the past few years, of the basic punk-meets-old-school-rock of the Fucking Eagles into a many-limbed punk rock behemoth with members totaling at around eight, give or take, seems to have happened gradually and relatively organically. What with all the guitars, backup singers, tambourines and harmonica that now fill out the band, the Fucking Eagles have started to resemble a bastardized, incredibly noisy interpretation of Spector's Wall of Sound. - Rev. Adam McKinney, from Super Best of Tacoma 2011

[The New Frontier, with Girl Trouble, DJ Melodica, 9 p.m., no cover, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020]

PHASERS ON KILL

>>> Wednesday, Aug. 17

The idea behind Jazzbones' "Wednesday Sessions" is to give the stage to localized talent. Unquestionably one of the best sounding live rooms in town (not even countless spilled Jagerbombs during KRY nights can rub that off), Jazzbones welcomes Phasers on Kill this week, straight off a show last Friday night at Hell's Kitchen, and almost surely packing as much pop-punk punch as ever. My guess is it wasn't hard for Jazzbones' GM Dan Rankin to seal the deal on this show ... as he plays bass in the band. It can also be assumed that anyone who went to high school in the early-to-mid '90s and still holds an affinity for the cavity causing punk rock of the period will find something to enjoy in Phasers on Kill. - MD

[Jazzbones, 9 p.m., $5, free, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169]