From the '60s to their last waltz in '76, the Band was irreplaceable in formalizing a Northerners' take on Southern rock that was less about passing trends and swilling beer than it was about a reverence for the form and the tradition. These elements were already on their way to leaving the genre, but the Band did well to hold them close without seeming like opportunistic posers. Seattle's the Mama Rags are another group of Northerners taking on Southern rock with gleeful aplomb, combining the rousing barroom ditties of the Band with the streak of sweaty melancholy that colored Creedence Clearwater Revival (who themselves were the bayou by way of Berkeley, Calif.). While the Mama Rags are a very new band, it'll be exciting to watch them progress and anticipate their debut EP, which is supposedly forthcoming. 

THE MAMA RAGS, w/ Ice Teeth, 10 p.m., Le Voyeur, 404 E. Fourth Ave., Olympia, no cover, 360.943.5710