STRANGE VINE

>>> Thursday, Aug. 25

At first glance, Strange Vine is a typical rock 'n' roll two-piece. Consisting of Ian Blesse on drums and Toby Cordova on guitar, the really intriguing aspect of the band comes when Blesse - while still manning the percussion with his right hand - begins playing organ with his left hand. It's a really neat trick that ends up resembling something like a tightrope act. That Blesse is able to create strong and inventive beats with his right hand while providing mostly rumbling bass notes with his left on the Rhodes is both impressive and, ultimately, beneficial to the sound of the band.

Even without this gimmick, though, Strange Vine thrives on sinewy songwriting and classic guitar riffs. To read Rev. Adam McKinney's full review, click here.

[The New Frontier Lounge, with System and Station, 9 p.m., 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020]

HAPPY NOOSE

>>> Friday, Aug. 26

Olympia indie-rock trio Happy Noose bills itself as having, "a unique approach to indie infused punk rock music born out of a collective idea of musical resistance to dominant culture." Fuck yeah. Fight the man with this band ... or just get your '90s alt rock nostalgia groove on. Built on an often upbeat bed of mildly exuberant punk-tempered chords and crashes, and held together by the singer's Malkmus-esque drawl, Happy Noose is a band that will feel familiar to even those who've never encountered them before. Dead End Social Club Records recently released the band's debut LP. Something tells me it'll be available at Le Voyeur on Friday - and something tells me you should consider getting your hands on it. - Matt Driscoll   

[Le Voyeur, with the Mouthbreathers, Morgan and the Organ Donors, the Maxines, 10 p.m., no cover, 404 Fourth Ave., E., Olympia, 360.943.5710]

ARPEGGIATOR

>>> Saturday, Aug. 27

Some bands carry an intrinsic novelty - a freshness, a thrilling sense of invention - largely because there are very few similar bands in the South Sound. Arpeggiator has this advantage, as one of the few Tacoma-born math-rock bands around. That Arpeggiator does math-rock so well is certainly a bonus. I realize that math-rock, to some, is a fairly nebulous term. Here's what Arpeggiator is: a two-piece drum-and-guitar combo that constructs diabolically twisting instrumental pieces that are furiously propulsive while constantly sounding precarious, like the song may disintegrate at any moment. There's something quite visceral about never being sure where Arpeggiator will go next. One feels at mercy to the music, which is a fine change of pace around here. Arpeggiator wants to show you what they can do. - Rev. Adam McKinney

[Bob's Java Jive, with Umber Sleeping, Blanco Bronco, 9 p.m., $3, 2102 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma, 253.475.9843]

THE MEAT SLUTS

>>> Saturday, Aug. 27

Let's start with a truism. Bacon and gettin' it on are two of the best things ever invented. There shall be no more debate on this matter. So thank Zeus one band had the vision to combine a passion for both all-American pastimes into one undeniably awesome concept: The Meat Sluts. The Bay Area quartet - singer-guitarist B.B. Rumproast, singer-guitarist Filet O'Nettie, bassist Carmela Mignon and drummer Scarlet Spamchop - will unleash campy, carnivorous punk anthems on Tacoma's New Frontier Lounge Saturday.  Rumproast (a.k.a. Beth Allen) breaks it down for us. Sound: "I like to think of us as bubblegum punk rock. I would say we were influenced by things like the Ramones, old Dictators and Groovie Ghoulies; old Runaways, for sure." Dirty little secret: The band's original bassist was actually vegan. Say, they're not singing about something else on "Johnny Con Carne," are they? - Ernest A. Jasmin

[The New Frontier Lounge, with CFA, the Coloffs, Saturday, Aug. 27, 9 p.m., $5, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020]

MARCY PLAYGROUND

>>> Thursday, Sept. 1

If you came of age, musically speaking, during a similar period in time as this hack writer, you're probably moderately familiar with the Marcy Playground story - or at least the band's "hit," the radio friendly "Sex and Candy." The song came from Marcy Playground's platinum selling, self-titled, major label debut, released by Capitol Records in '97 and highlighted by a grunge stained take on folk rock and the occasional children's rhyme. "Sex and Candy" - the record's second single, following "Poppies" and achieving considerably more success - spent 15 weeks atop Billboard's, "Modern Rock" chart, and the album managed to spawn two more singles, "Saint Joe on the School Bus," and "Sherry Fraser." Next Thursday, Marcy Playground will play Jazzbones in Tacoma, where most of the preceding stats will matter very little. It'll be like the '90s all over again. - MD

[Jazzbones, with High Noon Horizon, Blanco Bronco, DJ Victor Menegaux, 8 p.m., $15, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169]