It is goddamn freezing outside! As I write this, pitiful snowflakes listlessly fall to the cold Tacoma ground, almost as if to whisper, "Get out while you still can." Winter has arrived, and with it comes the almost overpowering urge to stay inside and never, ever leave again. Fight it! There's so much to do and see in the coming months, even if almost none of it involves the S.A.D.-combatting vitamin D. As with every useless season, I will now give you some suggestions of the best concerts to go to in the Pacific Northwest in order to take your mind off of weather. I'll do the same in the summer. I hate weather, is what I'm getting at.
Zola Jesus
Zola Jesus (AKA Nika Danilova) likely came to most music fans' attention with the release of the critically acclaimed Stridulum II, with its striking cover art of Danilova's face covered in thick, noxious oil. Since then, she's continued to provide darkly compelling synth-rock, even as she's made steps toward more accessibility. The overwhelming noise has been slowly stripped away, with her latest (Taiga) being her most straightforward to date. The Los Angeles-based Zola Jesus even holed up in Vashon Island for the recording of Taiga, which is reflected in its more open sound.
NEPTUNE THEATRE, w/ Deradoorian, Golden Donna, 7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 8, 1303 NE 45th St., Seattle, $18, 206.682.1414
Patti Smith
Look, I shouldn't have to talk you into seeing Patti Smith. She's a fiercely uncompromising punk rock goddess, and you would be a fool to miss her. Even up to her most recent release, Banga, she remains a poet with a deep love and respect for art in all its permutations, and she can still rock harder than you could ever dream of rocking.
MOORE THEATRE, 7:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 19, 1932 Second Ave., Seattle, $27.20-$42.50, 206.682.1414
The Vaselines
Scottish indie rock legends the Vaselines were hugely influential despite the release of only one album before their split in 1989. When they returned with more material just four years ago, it was like they had never left. The duo toned down a little bit of their charged relationship with sex, but not by much. Even better their jangly guitars and supremely catchy hooks remain as vibrant and delightful as they were over 20 years ago. When two artists like the Vaselines come back after years in exile, you must make it a priority to see them whenever they come around.
DOUG FIR LOUNGE, w/ Loch Lomond, 8 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 25, 830 E. Burnside St., Portland, $18-$20, 503.231.9663
John Mulaney
John Mulaney's self-titled FOX sitcom may not have been what we were all hoping for when it was announced that the comedian would be getting his own show, but that shouldn't detract from the fact that he is one of the funniest, most charming comics working today. Anyone that can claim to have somewhere in the area of 20 minutes of material on Law & Order (all of it fantastically astute and hilarious) can be given as much free reign as we can give them. John Mulaney is such a man.
MOORE THEATRE, 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 31, 1932 Second Ave., Seattle, $29.50, 206.682.1414
Stars
Here's a band that's not afraid of emotion, unlike most of the people in the Pacific Northwest. Stars have spent over a decade delivering achingly beautiful songs that come across like the moody, melancholy cousin of the Arcade Fire. Catharsis, more often than not, is replaced with acceptance, lending the music a punch that's not so much forceful as it is impeccably aimed (hint: it's aimed at your heart).
NEPTUNE THEATRE, w/ Leisure Cruise, 7 p.m., March 3, 1303 NE Fourth St., Seattle, $25, 206.682.1414
The Dodos
After a brief dalliance with a practiced sheen, the Dodos have returned to what they do best: creating an unreal amount of clatter for a guitar-and-drum duo. Melody has never escaped them, but a ramshackle energy covered every song like a spiky shroud. In particular, drummer Logan Kroeber is a force of nature, marrying drumline patter and African rhythms into something absolutely compelling.
DOUG FIR LOUNGE, w/ Springtime Carnivore, 8 p.m., March 13, 830 E. Burnside St., Portland, $15, 503.231.9663
Curtis Salgado
As far as Northwest blues legends go, they don't get much bigger than Curtis Salgado, who served as the inspiration for John Belushi's creation of the Blues Brothers, and spent time early in his career fronting Robert Cray's band - including holding down the main vocal duties on Cray's debut album. Salgado has the blues swagger, the vocal chops and the harmonica magic to put him on a level few musicians' reach. It's the reason he's been able to maintain a long career in the music industry, the reason why he has a mantle full of awards and the reason Jazzbones keeps him on their A-list. {RON SWARNER}
JAZZBONES, 8 p.m., April 10, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, $15-417, 253.396.9169
