Bloglander

We love us some country music here in the Inland Empire, as evidenced by this weekend's sold-out show by Randy Travis, who incidentally was just arrested for drinking wine ... in his car ... in a church parking lot ... at 1:30 am on a Monday. But if you're a pop country fan who didn't or couldn't get tickets to Travis' show, you'd be better served hitting up the Spokane Arena on Thursday night for the sweet twang of Brad Paisley's guitar.

Sure, he looks - and sometimes sounds - like the rest of the big-hat crowd, but where Paisley sets himself apart is in his ability to play the living hell out of his instrument. The verses and choruses of a Paisley cut are rather standard country fare, but when he opens up his rock chops for a guitar solo, hold on to your Wranglers, people. The guy can totally wail, making him respected far outside of the often-insular country music world, as evidenced by his appearance on "Prairie Home Companion" with Garrison Keillor last month.

And, from what we know, he rarely, if ever, is found drinking wine in a church parking lot.

Brad Paisley will perform with the Band Perry, Scott McCreery and others tonight at 7:30 pm at the Spokane Arena, located at 720 W. Mallon Ave. Tickets are $27.75-$59.75. Visit spokanearena.com for more information.

Not a great weekend for live music in terms of volume of shows, but the few things happening are great ones...

TONIGHT!

In many ways, the Hieroglyphics crew epitomizes the narrative of the independence-driven “backpack” rap of the mid-late ’90s and early 21st century. The outfit has a massive following, so tonight's show at the Red Room should be packed to the gills. Check out our story from this week's paper here. It kicks off at 7 pm. $20. Gotta be 21.

SATURDAY!

If you’re looking to leave with a bangover after this weekend’s In Flames show, keep your neck muscles in check. The band you’ll see this weekend is an interpretation of its former self — playing stages around the world today with none of its original members or, really, the sound it started with back in the early 1990s. That’s not to say the Swedish melodic metal band isn’t worth seeing. Check them out tomorrow at the Knitting Factory with Trivium, Veil of Maya and Kyng. $26. All-ages.

Spokane's beloved dark-folk band, Terrible Buttons, has come back from a long tour, and plays a "welcome back" show tomorrow night at Red Room. 8 pm. $5. Gotta be 21.

The time is upon us, fellow nerds. 'Tis the eve of lineup-annoucement-day of the Northwest's only cryptid-themed music festival: Sasquatch Festival Numero ELEVEN.

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Since tomorrow is the big day, we figured we'd take some time out of our early afternoon, gather 'round the watercolor and brainstorm who we think will be playing the Memorial Day Festival this year, and who we hope will be there.

The consensus around Inlander HQ was that Sasquatch would be poaching some of the lineup from Coachella this year. We agreed that it's most likely that At the Drive-In would headline one day, and that the Black Keys would likely anchor another. The idea that Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg would come up north? We're not buying that it'll happen, but we're on board with that. Our senses tell us that the Shins, F—-ed Up and My Morning Jacket might show up, too.

But what bands would get us make us cough up a million dollars for a ticket, into the car and directly into the heart of Sasquatch? That's up for debate.

The Flaming Lips, who've played the festival four times before, would get us there. That's likely to happen, and you can be sure as shit we'll be bringing "Flaming Lips Brownies" to the party, if they do play.

Inlander newbie, Arts Editor Mike Bookey, says Built to Spill, who has played 'squatch twice before, would get him there. And so would indie-poppers, Givers — who did, actually, play the tenth anniversary festival last year.

Chris Stein, news writer and resident Inlander youngster, is biking to the Gorge if Refused, the lauded Swedish hardcore band who got popular long, long after their breakup at 1998 houseshow, plays. (Personally, I'd be front and center singing "The Shape of Punk to Come," but I can't help but feel a bit of this sentiment). "I don't want to die sad and empty because of a lack of Swedish hardcore in my life," Stein says.

What would get me there? A lot from the Coachella lineup, actually: DJ Shadow would be incredible at the Gorge. So would Mazzy Star, a long-gone favorite of mine from the mid-1990s. I'm still kicking myself for missing out on the two-punch of Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction from a couple years ago. If Trent's there, I'm there. I could see Mastodon making a cameo, too, based on the indie-crossover with their 2011 record, The Hunter. I wasn't crazy about that album at all, but I'd go to see them live again.

So — who do you think will play Sasquatch Fest this year? Who are you hoping for, and what band would get you to load your 9-to-5 ass in the car for a hot, sweaty weekend in the middle of nowhere?

James Pants released earlier this month a list of his Top 10 Musical Moments of Inspiration. The globetrotting DJ and former Spokanite, who now works for the Red Bull Academy in Cologne, Germany, writes that "this will be the year that we shed those fears and inhibitions that imprison us into submission and wilt our creativity."

To that end, he posted 10 exquisitely weird musical videos, each of which illustrates a different insight. Highlights include an improvisational performance on a "concerto generator," which, Pants claims, proves that "it is the size of one's will that determines success, not Pete Seeger," and a troupe of Mexican men dancing to baile-techno in absurdly sharp boots, which is supposed to teach us that "if your competition starts making pointy boots, you just make yours pointier. Do not accept defeat."

Here's the first video in his series:

Watch the rest

TONIGHT!

They may be California boys, but Cash'd Out can play Johnny Cash songs almost as good as the Man In Black himself. Head down to the Knitting Factory tonight at 7:30 pm to check out the only band outside of the Cash and Carter family to be added to the official Johnny Cash website, along with the Brummett. $10-$12. All-ages.

Now, I know what you're going to say: "Electro-pop? C'mon, who needs another Owl City sound-alike?" Sick Kids XOXO is not your average electro-pop band. The band hopes to let listeners know that they are not alone in their struggles with love, heartbreak, pain and elation. Sick Kids XOXO have experienced these problems, too, and want to help listeners work through them, one track at a time. Catch Sick Kids XOXO with DJ Drums, Bandit Train and Mirror Mirror tonight at 9 pm at Mootsy's. $5. Gotta be 21.

Los Angeles-based pop rock duo El Ten Eleven may sound familiar ... that is if you're a typography and/or graphic design nerd. Their songs have been featured in Gary Hustwit's design documentaries such as Helvetica, Objectified and Urbanized. Head on over to the Red Room Lounge tonight at 7 pm to catch El Ten Eleven with Races, Nude and DJ Parafyn. $5. Gotta be 21. 

It's difficult to identify the standout member of Spokane super group Rough Congress; each member brings something entirely different to the stage. Catch Rough Congress's mix of originals and covers of '60s, '70s and '80s tunes during this reunion show of sorts tonight at Zola at 9 pm. $5. Gotta be 21.

SATURDAY!

Wildcard, the hip-hop duo we wrote about this week, is faced with the interesting challenge of having one of their members behind bars. Despite the odds stacked against them, the group continues to make music and is releasing their latest album, Odyssey, tomorrow at 9 pm at the Hop! Also performing are Beauflexx, Rod Mac, Jaeda, K. Clifton, Freetime Synthetic and Lilac Linguistics. $5-$10.

Canadian quintet the Clumsy Lovers are back! Did you miss them? The fiddle- and banjo-fuelled group brings their "bluegrassified Celtic rock" to the Knitting Factory tomorrow at 7:30 pm with Folkinception. $14. All-ages.

If you didn't make it out to Rough Congress on Friday, you have another chance to check them out. Same time, same place. $5. Gotta be 21.

SUNDAY!

Our hearts go out to Brandon Bird- Chastain, an 11-year-old boy who is battling a rare cancer called embryonal rhabdomayosarcoma for the third time. A benefit concert will be held Sunday from 5-9 pm at A Club - featuring music by Formada, Tommy G, Glenn & Rachael, Morgan Mallory, Plastic Saints and Buffalo Jones. There will be a raffle and prizes all night long. For more information about this young boy's battle, visit brandonscancerwars.com.

Martin Sexton has done it all. He's toured around the world, playing a mix of rock and soul songs, launched his own record label, KTR, and has had his songs appear in TV shows like Scrubs, Parenthood and Brotherhood. Catch him at the Bing Crosby Theater with Adam Gontier at 7:30 pm. $25. All-a

Portland rockers, Red Fang, who came to Spokane last year and tore the roof off the A Club with their set of songs from Murder the Mountains, released a new music video today.

The band, who we profiled here, got famous because of their videos. Today Relapse Records revealed the band's third video for "Hank is Dead." It's funny — but not what we're used to seeing from the band. Still, the song is good, right?

Here's the new one:

The first Red Fang video, for "Prehistoric Dog," was some visionary shit:

And last year's "Wires" was pretty damn good, too.

LARPers, air guitar pros and Mad Max style milk destruction ... I guess we can't complain.

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TONIGHT!

Ever heard of a guy named Bob Marley? No? Come on. The Wailers were the band that made him the reggae icon he became and, today, 30 years after his death, they're still spreading the island beats around the planet today. They bring their "Revolution Tour" to the Knitting Factory stage tonight at 8 pm, alongside Outernational and Civilized Animal. $21. All-ages.

Don't be scurrying out in the snow to see the Pack AD tonight, the two-piece garage band from Canada. For the second time in a row, the show has been cancelled — last time it was a car wreck, this time it's weather. Blasted snow!

SATURDAY!

If you missed the sweet Camaros videos we posted earlier this week, featuring KRIS CROCKER SPEAKING GERMAN, check them out here and then go see them tomorrow night — with awesome locals Mythship and Ampersand — at the Baby Bar. It's free and starts at 9:30 pm.

Drag Like Pull, a local three-piece that is as heavy as it is melodic, releases its long-in-the-making EP, Fall, tomorrow night at Mootsy's. Read our story about them here, and check them out around 9 pm tomorrow with The Hague, Empty Space Orchestra and The Lion Oh My.

SUNDAY!
You know this song, right?

That guy singing? He lives here in Spokane. Yep, Peter Rivera, formerly of Rare Earth, plays a benefit show on Sunday night alongside Sammy Eubanks, Soul Proprietor and Big Mumbo Blues at 6:30 pm at Bluz at the Bend. Read our story all about him here. $15. Gotta be 21.

Bay Area rapper Bukue One sticks very closely to the old saying, “Write what you know.” Mentions of skateboarding, graffiti and breakdancing, all activities he got into as a teen, are present in many of his songs. Check him out with Zak Hendrix at 9 pm at the Red Room. $5. Gotta be 21. 

Renowned ukulele shredder Jake Shimabukuro is performing at the Bing Crosby Theater in Spokane tonight.

Shimabukuro has skyrocketed to fame in the last couple of years though ukulele enditions of popular songs like "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."

His rendition of the Beatles hit has been viewed by about 9.5 million people since 2006. 

Tickets are still available for his performance tonight at the Bing, and will run you from $32.

Here's him doing "Bohemian Rhapsody" at a TED conference:

To wake you out of your Monday-at-3-o'clock caffeine crash, here's a couple of videos from local band the Camaros — complete with long bad wigs and  cameos by KXLY's weather matron, Kris Crocker (!!). Who knew she was a rocker?

TONIGHT!

Celebrate Friday the 13th at the Museum of Arts and Culture's monthly BeGin! event. This month features an ex-Spokane band, Pegasus Dream, which has found success with their electro-pop on Portland stages. It's free and all-ages, and starts tonight at 6 pm.

Abstract Rude, a rapper who got his start alongside Snoop Dogg and a host of other prolific hip-hop minds, plays the Red Room tonight — marking his second appearance here in the last year. He must like us! Read our story from last March here. He plays with Shames Worthy, Zoo Effort, Winstrong, DJ Zole and local lady rapper, Jaeda. $5. Gotta be 21.

And head to the Viking to see Whiskey Dick Mountain at 9 pm. No cover. Gotta be 21.

SATURDAY!

Looks like tomorrow marks the very last show by DJ Benjamin Jorgens at the Red Room Lounge. He'll take to the tables a last time in a show with locals Summer in Siberia and Mirror Mirror. Show at 9 pm. $5. Gotta be 21.

SUNDAY!

Do you believe there is a better frontman than Vince Neil? Go ahead, try to argue out of this logic, featured in this week's paper. The Motley Crue frontman plays Northern Quest Casino on Sunday at 7:30 pm. $30 - $40. Gotta be 18.