>>> FRIDAY, APRIL 5

HELL'S BELLES, MOSQUITO HAWK

This is one of those Better Living blurbs where I'm like, "Shit, what's there to say about this show that people don't know?" It's Hell's Belles, for crying out loud. The band Angus Young himself said was the best AC/DC cover band in the world. And they are all chicks. The band rocked the hell out of Tacoma last month with its AC/DC channeling, and this month it's taking it to the Capitol Theater in Olympia. The only reason this show is going to kick more ass than the Tacoma show is because Oly rock gods Mosquito Hawk will be opening. - Nikki McCoy

CAPITOL THEATER, 9 P.M., ALL AGES, 21+ BAR, $10-$15, 206 5TH AVE. SE, OLYMPIA, 360.754.6670

>>> SATURDAY, APRIL 6

GEMS

Gems will be releasing their new 12", Tall Mountain, on Saturday. While they sound good on record, the best way to take in Gems is to see the band live. Made up of two DJs and two drummers, it manages to pull off the neat trick of the two-drummer band better than most. Instead of essentially canceling each other out in a bid for loudest band of the night, these two drummers lend a fascinating interplay to the proceedings that is hypnotic to behold. One will hold down the backbeat while the other adds color and flourish, then they'll switch, creating a swirling double helix of textures and sounds. Add on top of that electronica that spends equal time chilling out as it does on the dance floor, and Gems becomes a unique entity that dazzles in a live setting. - Rev. Adam McKinney

THE NEW FRONTIER LOUNGE, W/ I LIKE SCIENCE, SANTEE, 9:30 P.M., $5, 301 E. 25TH ST., TACOMA, 253.572.4020

>>> SATURDAY, APRIL 6

PARTY MOUNTAIN

Having just heard the name of the band, Party Mountain, what kind of music would you imagine it plays? I bet you'd be pretty close. Craggy, shambolic rock that lends itself perfectly to the swilling of vast quantities of beer just about sums it up. Though the band has only been around for a short while, and it seems to have formed in the most casual of ways - the band attributes its formation to "boredom" - Party Mountain has developed just enough to shape its sloppiness into something of a style. Its recent cover of Bob Dylan's classic f--- you to an ex, "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right," strips the original of even its bare modicum of politeness. Don't think twice about how Party Mountain is doing, it seems to say. You should kick yourself that you're missing the party. - Rev. AM

LE VOYEUR, W/ THE DEAD SONICS, 10 P.M., NO COVER, 404 E. FOURTH AVE., OLYMPIA, 360.943.5710

>>> SUNDAY, APRIL 7

KAREEM KANDI BAND

Saxophonist Kareem Kandi's sound alone is enough to clear the room of contenders. Size is not per se of much value if it isn't personal, unique, sacrosanct. Kandi's sound is virtually unrelated to the roomy traditions of soul saxes, honking saxes or deep-chested boudoir ballad saxes. It derives from the classic, free, often enthusiastic tradition of Joshua Redman as filtered through Dexter Gordon and Sonny Stitt, all of whose shadows can be traced-Redman in Kandi's funky organicism, Gordon in his dynamic harmonics, Stitt in the intensity that coats his every note with a Gritty City finish. Kandi has been hanging with organist Delvon Lamarr and drummer Adam Kessler, which has added groovy innovation to Kandi's sound. - Ron Swarner

UNCLE THURM'S FINGER LICKIN' RIBS & CHICKEN, 3-6 P.M., NO COVER, 3709 S. G ST., TACOMA, 253.475.1881