The Fabulous Wailers

NEW FACES

Friday, Sept. 25
Let’s consider, for a moment, all the odd bands that seem to come from nowhere and, inexplicably, become a sensation. These anomalies get a lot more play than the bands that were destined for stardom from the very beginning, but they’re equally weird to me. Example: New Faces, a band of high school students, wins EMP’s Sound Off!, signs to Loveless Records, earns acclaim from the critics, and becomes a Top 40 sensation that sweeps the nation. Well, almost. It’s easy to see how the band’s immensely listenable popish post-punk got them from A to B, and it’s only a matter of time before they get to C, also known as World Domination. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. — Rev. Adam McKinney
[The Den @ urbanXchange, with Colonies, Apache Chief, 7 p.m., $4-$5, all ages, 1932 Pacific Ave., downtown Tacoma, 253.572.2280]

TOO SLIM AND THE TAILDRAGGERS

Friday, Sept. 25
Take the modern alt-country blues sound of Drive By Truckers, throw in the fun loving attitude and riff-blues-rock of ZZ Top, mix them all together and you get close to the vibe of Too Slim and the Taildraggers. This is real, down and dirty rock and roll — a delightful jumble of virtuosic slide guitar work from frontman Tim “Too Slim” Langford and the recently revamped rock sound of the Taildraggers. The band’s new vibe blends power-chord-driven, fun-loving nasty grooves with a new, indie-rock songwriting vibe. And it works. Don’t worry, Too Slim and crew still infuse plenty of blues and Americana into their work. In fact, if anything, this new sound will garner the local favorites a whole new audience. You dig? — Paul Schrag
[Jazzbones, 8 p.m., $12, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169]

Saturday, Sept. 26
Much of the time, the phone calls I get here at Weekly Volcano World Headquarters are ones to avoid. It usually means I’ve written something that pissed someone off, or it’s just Robert “the Traveller” Hill calling to fill me in on his latest bizarre escapade. However, sometimes the phone calls are exciting, like the one I got from Kent Morrill of The Fabulous Wailers this week. According to Morrill, Stonegate Pizza — a new spot on South Tacoma way that we’ve been hearing rumblings about for some time — will officially open on Saturday, Sept. 26. And guess who’s going to be there? That’s right. Morrill and his band will be in the house to help kick things off right, debuting a new Fabulous Wailers album in the process, Rooster Rock — which will be officially released on the very same day. Of the new record, Morrill explains that Rooster Rock is a tribute of sorts to all the people who’ve influenced the Fabulous Wailers over the years, from Little Richard to Fats Domino. Snug. — Matt Driscoll
[Stonegate Pizza, 9 p.m., $15, 5421 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma, 253.473.2255]

SEX VID

Saturday, Sept. 26
Last week, I spent some time sipping on a fancy beer at Le Voyeur in glorious downtown Olympia, soaking in the scent and bulls***ing with my Alaskan cohort and White Boss frontman, Jean Nagai. If there are two permanent things in this wonderful little seaport, one will be the lingering aroma of Le Voyeur sinking its claws into your very essence, announcing your previous whereabouts to the trained nose. The other is the eventual destination of all conversations on Fourth Ave steering into the age-old question — “Any good shows coming up?” My conversation with Nagai had traveled past nostalgic revelry of Nazi roommates and Yupik walrus hunts and into this fertile ground. Nagai replied that White Boss would be playing this Saturday at Old School Pizzeria for what is allegedly the last Sex Vid show in Oly for quite a while, as Judd Taylor & Co have opted for the greener pizzerias of Austin, Texas. With Ironlung and the always-formidable Thrones rounding out the lineup, I don’t know why you’d be anywhere else this Saturday, unless you were getting paid for it. — Owen Taylor
[Old School Pizzeria, with White Boss, Ironlung, Thrones, 9 p.m., $6, 108 Franklin St., Olympia, 360.786.9640]