Thursday, Nov. 29

ROCK beautiful mothers

I must admit I have no clue what’s going on with one of my favorite local bands, the Beautiful Mothers. Many indications seem to suggest the Mothers have disbanded, yet they’re most definitely scheduled to play Hell’s Kitchen tonight. The band’s MySpace page has a video from the band’s “last performance,” yet lists tonight’s show in their upcoming gigs section.

Anyone else confused?

Perhaps you can fill me in.



All I have to go by is the band’s statements. Currently, the last paragraph of the Beautiful Mother’s bio reads as follows:



“Then things got strange. Eric suffered from unusual maladies like Pleurisy and Radial Nerve Palsy — the latter rendering his right hand absolutely useless for months. Jeff and his family moved to Japan, and Brent Powell joined the band. The writing kept happening, but nothing seemed to get finished. Rob, now living in Tacoma, got married and bought a house and began extensive and consuming renovations. Increasingly, Eric found himself alone in their practice space, a dingy metal shop in Ballard, under blinking fluorescent (sic) lights, writing and recording incessantly, all through the night, and somehow never finishing anything. He was sleeping less and less, and began to complain of ‘strange things’ happening to him. The drinking and the drugs increased. Some of the tapes they were recording on began loosing their coating. He spoke of feeling like the practice space was haunted — on one occasion being startled so deeply while recording a track that he threw his guitar across the room.



During this time the band played out less and less frequently, Eric was seen less and less and spent night after sleepless night ‘working on the album.’ Exhausted, Eric eventually gave up and the band dissolved. The album, eerily given the working title The Grave, is now a pile of somewhere around 30 unfinished songs.”



If the Beautiful Mothers are no more, it’s a sad day for rock, and Thursday’s show at the Kitchen is less appealing because of it. If the Mothers will be in Tacoma tonight, you’d be a dumb ass to miss it.  — Matt Driscoll



[Hell’s Kitchen, with Fatum and Uprising, Thursday, Nov. 29, 6 p.m., all ages, $5, 3829 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]

Thursday, Nov. 29

FOLK john courage

I have a great respect for any artist who goes against the grain and refuses to conform. While John Courage isn’t peddling anything revolutionary, he isn’t, nor does he want to, be a pop singer. Dubbed a “folkie,” he often shows up to gigs with only an acoustic guitar and a handful of original songs.



The Olympia-based singer/songwriter has a passion for old folk recordings and pens tunes in the same format; simple, melodic and quiet. Courage and his various backing bands can often be found on the same bill as punk, metal and even hip-hop units, which has exposed him to audiences, whether they dug his shtick or not, who otherwise might have never been exposed to uncomplicated sounds of folk music. What pops out as a main influence in his music is the legendary Neil Young, and Courage makes no bones about that fact. But others, such as bluesman Mississippi John Hurt, also show up in his work.



His latest disc, Murder of Crows, is actually a fun listen despite the morbid title as Courage and some like-minded musicians create an early Tom Waits vibe throughout the record.— Tony Engelhart



[4th Ave Tavern, benefit for birth attendants featuring Phillip Ruebuck and Freddy Parish, 9 p.m., $5, 210 Forth Ave E., Olympia, 360.786.1444]

Friday, Nov. 30

LATIN correo aereo

If you’re in the mood for something saucy, sexy and a little exotic Friday and Saturday, jump over to Traditions Café for some traditional Latin music with Correo Aereo.The duo of Abel Rocha and Madeleine Sosin perform the music of Venezuela, Mexico, Argentina and Peru that is sure to get your juices flowing.



Rocha grew up in Mexico City listening to the majority of the music he now emulates. A master guitarist, he has the ability to fly up and down the fret board with the ease of tying a shoe. Sosin was a violin prodigy by age 9. Her mastery of the bow tempers the fast and furious fingers of her counterpart, but she is also a wicked soloist in her own right. As a unit, they create indigenous music with intoxicating rhythms that is pure and organic.



Of their three recordings, the 2000 sophomore effort, Lo Que Me Dijo El Viento, catapulted them into the national spotlight. Moreover, they took first place for “Best Traditional/Latin Act” at the Austin Music awards 2000-2001. While Correo Aereo enjoy a fruitful recording career, entertaining their home-town crowd is a treat for them, as well as us. — TE



[Traditions Café, 8 p.m., also Saturday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m., $8-$12, 300 Fifth Ave. S.W., Olympia, 360.705.2819]

Sunday, Dec. 2

BLUES candye kane

Candye Kane performs the brawniest blues. I’ve seen the fabulous Ms. Kane twice and was completely knocked out by not only her powerful pipes but her amazing stage presence as she packs a mean punch and wallops crowds in the kissers throughout her high-energy sets. Not a small woman, Kane embraces her “Big Beautiful Woman” stature and encourages others to do the same.



For more than two decades, Kane has been a vital part of the music scene, and while she still remains an underground guilty pleasure, she is a diva nonetheless. As a part of the bustling L.A. punk scene, she garnered a reputation as an activist and still pens tunes in the same spirit. But mostly, Kane is dedicated to self-empowerment because of her ability to overcome a troubled childhood and a shady past.



Kane found refuge in the blues and has been giving us her own unique spin on the genre since the early ’90s.To date, she has released eight discs. The latest, 2007’s Guitar’d and Feathered, has been called her strongest album, which embodies the theatrical-cabaret style which she has become known for.— TE



[Jazzbones, 6 p.m., all ages, $10-$12, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169]