MUSIC CRITICS' PICKS: Bert Wilson, the Riffbrokers, Hell's Belles, Pretty Old

Nov. 16-20: Live music in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

By Volcano Staff on November 15, 2012

>>> Friday, Nov. 16

BERT WILSON

According to the Washington Center, "Bert Wilson is one of the underground legends of the jazz world - and he lives right here in Olympia. He is a survivor of polio in the 1940s (although it has left him confined to a wheelchair), the New York jazz scene of the mid-1960s, and the California underground of the 1970s." I'm impressed. Based on a Youtube listen of Wilson's music, I'm blown away. The man is a powerhouse. Now I don't know all the appropriate jazzy words to accurately describe his style and sound, but I do know when I hear talent. And jazz isn't my default listen, but I was engaged through all eight minutes and 28 seconds of the moving piece, "Karmic Reflections." Also, Wilson likes to wear tie dyes. Sold. The Black Box will be transformed into an intimate jazz club experience, where folks can chill with a glass of wine or their favorite cocktail and listen to the genius of Wilson's saxophone playing, while unwinding from the stresses of daily life. - Nikki McCoy

THE WASHINGTON CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS BLACK BOX, 8 P.M., $14-$16, 512 WASHINGTON ST., OLYMPIA, 360.753.8586

>>> Saturday, Nov. 17

THE RIFFBROKERS

For about 13 years now, the Riffbrokers have quietly been making some of the most sophisticated Southern-rock-tinged power pop around. Led by Nick Millward's distinctive vocals - reminiscent of storytellers like Elvis Costello and Craig Finn - and lyrics that manage to balance hook-y immediacy and blue-collar poetry, the Riffbrokers are virtually unmatched in these parts for humble, dignified substance and timeless riffs. In concert, the Riffbrokers perform with the kind of unshakeable confidence that comes not only from a prolific recording career, but a birth and development in the punk and country scenes of Boise and Seattle. These are workman musicians who never find time to rest on their laurels. That the band's song, such as "Please Forgive the Worst in Me," is a musical and lyrical match against a song such as "Bland, Predictable" - recorded a decade earlier - speaks to the continuing strength of the so-called "unsmashable" Riffbrokers. - Rev. Adam McKinney

NEW FRONTIER LOUNGE, WITH ERIC OLSON, KEVIN BROWN AND THE BELOVED COUNTRY, 8 P.M., COVER TBA, 301 E. 25TH ST., TACOMA, 253.572.4020

>>> Saturday, Nov. 17

HELL'S BELLES

For those of who haven't seen Hell's Belles perform, you are missing something that transcends novelty. The band's raucous antics and hard rocking assault has attracted numerous admirers, but none more important than Mr. AC/DC himself, Angus Young - who named Hell's Belles the best AC/DC cover band he has heard.  Since forming in 2000, the all-female AC/DC tribute band took little time to gain notice, selling out Seattle's Showbox in its first year as a band, and in the ensuing decade it is been a wild ride for the band taking them across North America and Japan. While some may still feel that the act is a novelty, the group serves more of an inspiration, representing a generation of women rockers who are not intimidated by the rocker clichés doled out to females by their male counterparts. Hell's Bells actively encourage their female fans to stand up, be counted, collaborate with other women musicians and break down barriers that exist in rock. Although Hell's Belles are active at trying to tip the gender scales in rock, they are not neglecting the core of who they are; they indeed rock. - Timothy Grisham

JAZZBONES, 5 P.M. ALL AGES, 9 P.M. 21+, $10-$15, 2803 SIXTH AVE., TACOMA, 253.396.9169

>>> Tuesday, Nov. 20

PRETTY OLD

Pretty Old take cues from the delicately driving and melancholy pride of bands like the National as well as the spark and verve of punkier groups like the Weakerthans and Jawbreaker - from whom Pretty Old derived their name. The Seattle three-piece is one that was clearly raised on punk, yet remains comfortable to bust out a sadly shuffling ballad or two. In performance, these slower songs tend to get injected with the infectious spirit of the live atmosphere. Still, there is something undeniably affecting about a line like, "Your soaking wet hair starts to curl while your grocery bags tear," which - with its intimate picture-painting - evokes vivid memories with just the simplest of rhymes. It's this sensitivity that elevates these essentially straightforward songs into something much more personal and evocative. And when the band's energy is up, Pretty Old's indie rock is compelling on multiple levels. - Rev. AM

LE VOYEUR, 10 P.M., NO COVER, 404 E. FOURTH ST., OLYMPIA, 360.943.5710