XPERIENCE

Thursday, Oct. 1
Let’s talk about this cat Xperience. I don’t know if you’ve seen this guy. It doesn’t matter. You will. He’s that good. After years of grinding in the lost land of Olywa, rapper, producer, vocalist and all-around superstar Xperience is finally coming into his own. You may have seen him crooning with the man himself Macklemore as one half of Step Cousins; or you may have heard him plumb the depths of darkness while shining blinding light with Compost and A.K.A. as part of Olympia supercrew (((SoundAsylum))). Recently he’s been working with Seattle’s Oldominion, dropping verses on new singles from Grayskul, and is reportedly working on a project called SIX with Smoke of Oldominion and Iamme of Portland-based Sand People. There is no stopping him. Period. — Paul Schrag
[The Royal Lounge, with Diezel P, Bad Habit, Luck One, Bad Crowd, Black Science, Deadbeat, 9 p.m., $5, 311 Capitol Way N., Olympia, 360.705.0760]

WESTERN HYMN

Friday, Oct. 2
There’s something so oddly poetic about Western Hymn playing at the New Frontier … But never mind. Western Hymn plays nervy indie punk that’s unusually concise for local music. There are no showy solos or grandiose messages. All the fat’s been trimmed off, leaving only lean, slippery riffs and exhausting drums packed into two tight minutes per song. The mature compositions reveal the songs to be the work of sophisticated pop minds. Try as I may, I find no ragged edges: nothing is for nothing, as the jumpy guitar stabs propel the listener from one end of the songs to another. It’s comforting to feel as though you’re being guided by hands attached to a band that knows precisely what it’s doing. — Rev. Adam McKinney
[The New Frontier Lounge, with Sedan, 9 p.m., 301 E. 25th St. Tacoma, 253.572.4020]

BRIAN REDMAN MEMORIAL

Friday, Oct. 2
The sadness has been heavy, and it has suffocated Tacoma since sometime Sunday morning. The most painful blows are the ones you don’t see coming, the ones you just can’t explain, the ones that feel so unfair. When Tacoma lost Brian Redman, we lost a huge chunk of our town and ourselves. We will never be the same. On Friday, Doyle’s Public House will fittingly play host to Brian Redman’s memorial — which, naturally, will include a heavy dose of rock and music. The F***ing Eagles, Zeke, Blanco Bronco, Helms Alee, Top Heavy Crush, Harkonen, Glimpse, Goldwing, Revengers,  Toughtimes, and Ockham’s Razor will all play in Redman’s honor under the Doyle’s parking lot tent. Before that, Daniel Blue, Last Chance Romeos, Jeff Angell and Kyong Kim, and Westerly will play acoustically. Based on the astounding number of people Redman touched during his too short time on this earth, it’s likely all of Tacoma will be there.

Here is the musical schedule:

6 p.m.
Kyong Kim
Geoff Whittal (Romeos)
Daniel Blue (Motopony)
Josh (Westerly)
Jeff Angell (Missionary Position)
7:00  Ockham's Razor
7:25  Toughtimes
7:50 Speeches from Family and Close Friends
8:30  The Fucking Eagles
8:55 The Revengers
9:20 Blanco Bronco
9:45 Pioneers West
10:10 Goldwing
10:35 Top Heavy Crush
11:00 Helms Alee
11:25 Monuments Collide
11:50 Roxx, Brown, Takata
12:15 Zeke
12:40 Glimpse/Doxology
1:05 Harkonen
1:30(or time allowing)  Epic Proportions of Chao— Matt Driscoll

[Doyle’s Public House, Brian Redman memorial/concert, Friday, Oct. 2, memorial starts at 5 p.m., music starts at 6 p.m., $5 suggested donation, 208 Saint Helens Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.7468]