LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>
Bob's Java Jive Tacoma - Central. Swingset Showdown, Vacant Seas, Smashie Smashie and Infinite Flux. 8 pm. $5.
- This is a band that describes themselves as a novelty act, though their music is far too complicated and off-putting to land them a spot on a Dr. Demento compilation. A piano-punk trio more on the Don't Stop Or We'll Die side than the Ben Folds Five side, Swingset Showdown find themselves building richly melodic jams that end up getting sidetracked by absurdity halfway to the triumphant chorus. At times, their music comes across like a friendlier version of Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies era Of Montreal. Even their sweetest melodies are infected with an eeriness that offsets the sugar. Off-kilter rhythms and tempo shifts serve as obstacles to keep the listener from passively absorbing the music. Swingset Showdown want you to be an active participant. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Swingset Showdown in the Music and Culture section.
Harmon Brewery and Eatery Tacoma - Downtown. Rich Wetzel's Groovin' Higher Orchestra. All Ages. 9 pm. NC.
Harmon Tap Room Tacoma - Stadium District. Travis Larson Band, Torre. 9 pm.
Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. The Brown Edition, Down North. 8 pm.
Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Magic Mouth, Double Dutchess, Glitterband. 9 pm. $5.
- Magic Mouth recently got off tour opening for Gossip. It's easy to see why Gossip were drawn to them in the first place: Magic Mouth fold a myriad of influences into their sound, ending up with music that flies in the face of the recent trend of revivalism. Their funk, soul, and dance music isn't a pale imitation, but a full-blooded celebration of the kind of manic showmanship that used to define those genres. Magic Mouth's slight punk edge only helps to highlight and enhance the energy that past masters imbued into their music. It's all crazy momentum, kept in motion by incredibly tight musicianship. A dense bassline backbone keeps everything on track, hurtling through every joyously sweaty song. Going to see a Magic Mouth show is an invitation to let everything go and get in close contact with your fellow dancers. - Rev. Adam McKinney
Louie G's Pizza Fife. Windowpane, Riot In Rhythm, Mechanism, Amadon, Witchburn, The Fame Riot, Ben Union, The Fail Safe Project, Jason Kertson & The Immortals, The Crying Spell, Mom's Rocket, Insuburban Avenue, Clear The Chaos. All Ages. 11 am.
The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Girl Trouble, Trees & Timber, Red Hex, The Jilly Rizzo, plus BareFoot Collective dances to Ich Hunger film. 8 pm.
- The thing about Trees and Timber is their music could be anywhere ... the soundtrack to a road trip for example. I could easily imagine slipping in their latest album, Electric Gypsy Lovechild, for a trip up the Kitsap Peninsula - their upbeat jams guiding my way. Trees and Timber could provide the soundtrack to a Quentin Tarantino film, just as the main character beats the antagonist. On a mixed CD, their power pop would blend beautifully with the Violent Femmes and Dick Dale. And even though Trees and Timber have the chops to play anywhere, the place they will be Saturday is at The New Frontier Lounge as part of the line-up for Strapping Young Productions first, well, production. The band joins Girl Trouble, Red Hex and The Jilly Rizzo for the Sensory Overloads theme night, which includes a screening of Isaac Olsen's German epic, Ich Hunger, accompanied by The Barefoot Collective dance troupe. "Saturday is going to be a good fucking show," says Joe Baker, frontman for Trees and Timber. "Films, dancing, rock and roll, and a real-life variety show with Pierce County's heaviest hitters. Who could pass on that?" - Nikki McCoy
The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. High & Lonesome Bluegrass Band. 9 pm.
LINK: More live music Saturday, Sept. 21 in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area
