Want more? Here’s everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, and This That. Harmonia Orchestra and Chorus: The Planets May 8 I am a long-time lover of Gustav Holst’s The Planets, a symphonic journey through space written between 1914 an d 1918. My personal favorite is the euphorically triumphant “Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity.” My brother, a marching band mainstay, introduced it to me when we were in high school. I found it again when I listened to the sci-fi audio drama Wolf 359 a few years back. “Jupiter” played when—spoiler alert—the crew of this research mission discovered alien life. I shed real tears. Now, the Harmonia Orchestra and Chorus are bringing The Planets in its entirety to Benaroya Hall. They’ll also play two pieces by French composer Lili Boulanger, made at the same time. This performance is guaranteed to be out of this world. (Benaroya Hall, 8 pm, all ages) NATHALIE GRAHAM Holy Fuck, Memorials May 9 On albums such as 2007’s LP and 2010’s Latin, Toronto’s Holy Fuck were an unholy fusion of !!!’s dance-floor bonhomie and Can’s overdriven motorik rhythms. At their best, Holy Fuck lived up to their name, with relentlessly propulsive, metronomic rock that could accelerate to fierce krautrock motion: check “Silva Grimes” and “Stilettos” for proof. The band’s new album, Event Beat, sounds like a return to their peak form: uncompromising dance-rock pummel, like LCD Soundsystem sans James Murphy’s charisma/annoyingness. Get to the Tractor early for Memorials, a fab newish UK group featuring Electrelane keyboardist/saxophonist Verity Susman and Wire guitarist Matthew Simms. Their tuneful, smart rock packs some prog-rock gravitas and often shifts into motorik groove action in the manner of Electrelane. They also possess acute, cinematic mood-conjuring abilities, as their soundtrack work attests. (Tractor Tavern, 8:30 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL Eldridge Gravy the Court Supreme, DJ Marco Collins May 9 For the last two decades, Seattle’s 12-member funk ensemble Eldridge Gravy the Court Supreme have never wavered from their benevolent aim to move bodies and raise spirits. With the panache of a PNW Parliament-Funkadelic, boisterously soulful lead singer Eldridge Gravy and his highly adept mates—extra credit to longtime drummer Chris Pollina for the deep-in-the-pocket beats that drive this motherfuckership—conjure an unstoppable energy. They’ve also proven themselves adept at Northern soul (“Into the Sun,” “Exceptional”), Dr. John’s swampy voodoo musique (“Pick You Up”), and a cover of Betty Harris’s New Orleans fonque classic “There’s a Break in the Road.” At the Swedish Club, Eldridge Gravy the Court Supreme will celebrate 20 years of party-igniting with two sets featuring special guests and cameos by ex-members, go-go dancers, and an opening slot by former KEXP/KNDD DJ Marco Collins. At 11 p.m., an after-party happens at the Emerald City Soul Club’s monthly at Black Lodge. (The Swedish Club, 8 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL Ana Roxanne with Patricia Wolf May 15 On her new single “Keepsake,” experimental ambient artist Ana Roxanne delivers a dreamy piano ballad that showcases her vocals with angelic clarity. (She’s kind of like a modern-day Sarah McLachlan, without the tearjerking association with ASPCA commercials.) She is coming to Seattle to support her first album in six years, Poem 1, which is a big deal for people like me who have been hooked on her music since her debut EP, ~~~ (pronounced Tilde Tilde Tilde). I hope she plays a few songs from the EP, like “I’m Every Sparkly Woman,” an unrecognizable, meditative cover of the Chaka Khan hit. She will be joined by Portland-based nature-inspired electronic composer Patricia Wolf, whose upcoming album Yarrow chronicles the life cycle of the titular flowering fern-like plant. (Triple Door, 7:30 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN Laraaji, Arji OceAnanada May 16 In 1980, Brian Eno spotted a man playing a zither in Washington Square Park and invited him into the studio. The man was Laraaji, and the result was Ambient 3: Day of Radiance—a shining collection of hypnotic and intense soundscapes (think lengthy, chiming patterns that emerge and dissolve; a bit of an outlier in Eno’s otherwise subtle Ambient series). It’s hard to describe the sound of a zither (a small, harp-like instrument) without using the word “shimmering” over and over, but that’s exactly what it’s doing. Shimmering like sun, shimmering like water, slow-motion shimmering; when amplified, it sounds at once devotional and playful, like Laraaji himself (check out his Laughter Meditation workshops). The celestial-minded visionary revisits the record, alongside selections from his vast and luminous catalog, joined by longtime collaborator and sound healer Arji OceAnanda. Saint Mark’s Cathedral will be filled with immersive, architecturally mapped projections to enhance what will no doubt be a very New Age (complimentary) experience. (Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, 8 pm, all ages) EMILY NOKES The Return of Jackie and Judy May 21 On Sleater-Kinney’s 1996 album Call the Doctor, Corin Tucker shouts, “I wanna be your Joey Ramone!” and now, 30 years later, she has fulfilled the prophecy. Also featuring Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen, the trio will revive their Ramones cover band, which was originally formed as a one-off gig for the season wrap party for Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney (for the record, this is the only thing Mulaney has spearheaded that I don’t hate). The Return of Jackie and Judy couldn’t be coming at a better time, given that I am currently going through a Ramones phase. While I’m still sad that I’ll never be serenaded by the real Joey Ramone (à la Riff Randell in Rock ‘N’ Roll High School), I’ll happily settle for the next best thing. (Neumos, 7 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN The Last Dinner Party May 22–23 London’s buzzy, baroque all-femme band the Last Dinner Party are back in town at Showbox SoDo. Touring their sophomore album, From the Pyre, the Last Dinner Party promise banger after banger. It’s like if we handed the mic to the women at the Salem witch trials as they burned at the stake. Except, more orchestral arrangements mixed with 1980s-inspired ballad rock and Florence Welch–style dreamy vocals. These ladies are a must-see. Clearly, Seattle gets it, because they’re here for two nights! (Showbox SoDo, 8 pm, all ages) NATHALIE GRAHAM Melody’s Echo Chamber, Strange Lot May 23 French guitarist/vocalist Melody Prochet’s career received a turbo boost when Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker produced her 2012 self-titled debut album. It bears some hallmarks of Parker’s extravagantly psychedelic sensibilities and propensity for robust drums, but Prochet’s lovely tunesmithing was already advanced at this stage. Ensuing albums Bon Voyage (2018) and Emotional Eternal (2022) found her recording with members of Swedish psych-prog group Dungen, who helped Prochet to realize her airy, pretty, and sophisticated psych-pop gems, topped by dulcet, Jane Birkin–esque vocals. For MEC’s latest album, last year’s Unclouded, Prochet tapped another great Swede, Sven Wunder, to produce sublime orchestrations à la David Axelrod and Jean-Claude Vannier, and enlisted Heliocentrics’ drummer Malcolm Catto to add slyly funky rhythms. Her voice seems more liberated and breezier than before, reaching a sweet zenith of ethereality that’s utterly calming. There’s a symphonic richness that I hope can be replicated in a live setting. Whatever the case, MEC’s songs pack enough melodic grace and textural sparkle to win hearts and minds. (Crocodile, 6 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL Chapterhouse, the Asteroid No. 4 May 25 Chapterhouse aren’t shoegaze GOATs, but they’re in the convo, flying high enough to sniff the exhaust of My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Lush, and Slowdive. The Reading, England, quintet burned brilliantly but briefly, releasing but two albums and a handful of EPs from 1990 to 1993. Their best songs carry a beautiful wistfulness at their core, even as they deliver a burning groove and ferocious riffs—see “Falling Down,” “Sixteen Years,” and “Something More.” Chapterhouse’s 1991 debut LP, Whirlpool, flaunts a dense, swirling production that highlights the power of three guitars tuned to the key of AAAHHH, with Stephen Patman and Andrew Sherriff singing in that doleful, sensitive-guy style common during shoegaze’s first wave. By the time of 1993’s Blood Music, Chapterhouse were changing into a more trip-hop/ambient-house proposition, even working with Global Communication on a “retranslation” of said album titled BloodMusic (Pentamerous Metamorphosis). But this show’s all about getting lost in Whirlpool’s distortion-heavy nostalgia vortex with some of the planet’s most mesmerizing ‘gaze OGs. (Crocodile, 8 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL Vundabar, Goon May 26 Vundabar is as fun to see as it is to say. When taken live, the exuberant Boston three-piece slathers the stage with aura in the form of punchy surf guitar, impromptu asides, and chummy informalities. Such sunny presentation is only a handshake introduction to all that is Vunder-ous, though. At their best, the band rides a frenetic pacing, highlighted by Drew McDonald’s skittering hi-hat and tumbling tom rolls that brace Brandon Hagen’s distorted guitar lines and wailing Brit-poppy melodies. Hagen’s cryptic hooks about death and societal ills also add a depth to the mix seldom heard on this shimmering side of indie. This tour finds the band taking on all 10 tracks of their exquisite 2015 cult classic Gawk front-to-back to celebrate its 10th(ish) birthday, along with a range of favorites from across their catalog that should amount to a rollicking good time. (Neumos, 7 pm, all ages) TODD HAMM Curren$y May 28 By flashy celebrity standards, Curren$y has flown under the radar for most of his run, but the Pilot Talk rapper has nonetheless worked with (and routinely outshined) some of the biggest names in the biz. The New Orleans rapper and intrepid builder of model cars has stayed high, putting out dozens of albums, mixtapes, and collaborative projects since 2006—a seemingly endless flow of butter-smooth stoner musings shot through with laser-sight punchlines. What this all amounts to for Seattle fans, then, is that we have an opportunity to catch one of the most talented rap artists in the game play a (delightfully) grungy venue under I-5 on a weeknight for a modest price. (El Corazon, 8:30 pm, 21+) TODD HAMM  Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams and Her Band, the John Doe Folk Trio June 6–7 Dylan/Bobby/Blind Boy Grunt/Zimbo/Zimmy is returning on his ever-expanding Rough and Rowdy Ways tour, which is now going on its fifth year. However, the real heads know that he has been nonstop touring since 1988 (except for canceled dates in 2020), which can only mean one thing: He genuinely loves performing. I’ve seen Dylan play three times in the last four years, and each time I was dazzled by his spontaneity and unpredictable setlists—no two shows are the same. While this freewheeling authenticity blows my mind each time, the man is as divisive as ever (I’ve overheard fans complain that he sounds “terrible” and “old”). So, if you want to attend this show and actually have a good time, I have some tips for you. (1) He does not play to please, so don’t expect any hits, at least not in their classic form. (2) He feeds off the energy of the crowd, so be nice! (3) He will be 85 years old this month, and he sounds it—how lucky we are to age! Arrive in time to see the opening set from punk legend John Doe (of X) and national treasure Lucinda Williams, who will be supporting her 16th album, World’s Gone Wrong. (Chateau Ste. Michelle Amphitheatre, 6:30 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN More Rick Ross with the Seattle Symphony May 6, Benaroya Hall, 7:30 pm, all ages Joy Crookes May 7, Crocodile, 8 pm, all ages ford. plus OLAN May 7, Nectar Lounge, 8 pm, 21+ Rose City Band, Serafima the Shakedowns May 7–8, Clock-Out Lounge, 8:30 pm, 21+ Northwest Terror Fest VIII May 7–9, Neumos and Barboza, 21+ Spyro Gyra May 7–10, Jazz Alley, times vary, all ages Soulectro: Sho Nuph, WD4D May 8 (every second Friday), Vermillion, 10 pm, 21+ Snail Mail, Sharp Pins, Armlock May 8, Moore Theatre, 7:30 pm, all ages The New Pornographers, Will Sheff May 8, Showbox, 8 pm, 21+ Teen Suicide, Cloud Nothings, Anthers May 8, Crocodile, 6 pm, all ages Just Mustard, Miss Grit May 8, Tractor Tavern, 8:30 pm, 21+ The Wood Brothers, Olive Klug May 8, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages Soul Nite: All Vinyl Dance Party May 9 (every second Saturday), Black Lodge, 9 pm, 21+ Seattle Rock Orchestra Performs the Beatles: Number 1s May 9, Moore Theatre, 7:30 pm, all ages Chromeo (DJ set) May 9, Q Nightclub, 10 pm, 21+ The Darts, Dish Pit May 9, Clock-Out Lounge, 8:30 pm, 21+ Northwest Abortion Access Fund Fundraiser: Beautiful Freaks, Fleamale Bazaar, DJ SofiiaK, DJ Ghost Girl May 9, Baba Yaga, 6 pm, all ages Texas Is the Reason May 10, Neumos, 7 pm, all ages Blu Exile, AJ Suede, Wizdumb May 10, Substation, 7 pm, 21+ Souled American May 11, Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+ Florence + the Machine May 12, Climate Pledge Arena, 7:30 pm, all ages Echo the Bunnymen May 12, Showbox SoDo, 8 pm, 21+ Sports, Ally Evenson May 12, Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+ Joyce Manor, Militarie Gun, Teen Mortgage, Combat May 12, Showbox, 8:30 pm, all ages Demi Lovato May 13, Climate Pledge Arena, 8 pm, all ages Goldi Locke, Xandra from Louisiana, Jon Marie May 13, Chop Suey, 8 pm, 21+ Allie X May 13, Crocodile, 8 pm, all ages Faetooth, Iress, Nightosphere May 13, Substation, 7 pm, 18+ GZA, Phunky Nomads, Greg Cypher, DJ Indica Jones May 13, Nectar, 8 pm, 21+ Alex G May 13–14, Showbox, 8 pm, all ages Exiter, Sun~Over Static, Athazagora May 14, Black Lodge, 7 pm, all ages Telehealth, Coral Grief, Buddy Wynkopp May 14, Neumos, 7 pm, 21+ Eli Moore (LAKE), Swirlhood, Nathaniel Talbot May 14, Rabbit Box Theatre, 8 pm, all ages The Music of Jane Austen with the Seattle Symphony May 15, Benaroya Hall, 8 pm, all ages Tripping Daisy, Jumprope May 15, Crocodile, 6 pm, 21+ Robert Lester Folsom, Kassi Valazza May 15, Tractor Tavern, 8:30 pm, 21+ Heavy Bloom, Hot Bodies, Joyla Red May 15, Baba Yaga, 8 pm, 21+ Anjimile May 16, Ballard Homestead, 8 pm, all ages Elias Rønnenfelt Evanora Unlimited May 16, Substation, 5:30 pm, 18+ Fruitless Worship, Laser Beam, Astra Mori, PTSD May 16, Chop Suey, 5 pm, 21+ The Afghan Whigs, Mercury Rev May 17, Showbox SoDo, 7:30 pm, 21+ Die Spitz May 17, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages Gatecreeper, Eternal, Dying Remains, Denial of Life May 17, Substation, 7 pm, 21+ Dry Cleaning, Hotline TNT May 18, Showbox, 8 pm, all ages Kevin Morby May 18, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages St. Lucia May 19, Showbox, 8 pm, all ages American Football May 19, Moore Theatre, 8 pm, all ages Ora Cogan, somesurprises May 19, Substation, 8 pm,  Danny Brown, midwxst, Chase USA May 20, Showbox, 8 pm, all ages Prince Daddy the Hyena, Remo Drive, Restraining Order May 21, Vera Project, 7 pm, all ages Sleaford Mods May 21, Crocodile, 8 pm, 21+ Scott Yoder, Alicia Amiri, Chris Costalupes May 22, Add-a-Ball, 8 pm, 21+ Marisa Anderson May 22, Rabbit Box Theatre, 7:30 pm, all ages Generifus, St. Yuma, Where’s Beth May 23, Rabbit Box Theatre, 8 pm, all ages Massive Monkees Day May 24, Neptune Theatre, 6 pm, all ages Yellowcard, New Found Glory, Plain White T’s May 24, Chateau Ste. Michelle Amphitheatre, 6 pm, all ages Dethklok, Thrown into Exile, Witch Ripper May 25, Moore Theatre, 7 pm, all ages Bob Log III May 27, Clock-Out Lounge, 8 pm, 21+ Trey Anastasio May 27, Paramount Theatre, 7:30 pm, all ages THC XLR, the OC34N, DJ Having Sex May 27, Baba Yaga, 8 pm, 21+ An Evening with Joe Jackson May 28, Moore Theatre, 7:30 pm, all ages Polt, Masha, Waxing Moon Band May 28, Vermillion, 7 pm, 21+ Peacocks Pearls Gala Fundraiser: William C. White Performs La Bonne Chose May 29, South Seattle College, 6 pm, all ages The Black Keys, Fai Laci May 29–30, Remlinger Farms, 6:30 pm, all ages Medieval Women’s Choir Presents Hidden and Forbidden: The World of the Medieval Cantrix May 30, St. James Cathedral, 8 pm, all ages Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Geist and the Sacred Ensemble, Gumby’s Junk May 30, Substation, 7 pm, 21+ Ladytron, Danz CM May 31, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages Supersuckers, Scott H. Biram May 31, Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+ Early Warning Louis Tomlinson, the Aces June 4, Climate Pledge Arena, 7 pm, all ages Jeff Rosenstock, Star 99 June 4–5, Neumos, 8 pm, all ages Hyper: Hyperpoppers, Rowan Ruthless, Viper Fengz, Aquarium Drinker June 5, Cherry Nightclub, 10 pm, 21+ Blitzen Trapper June 5–6, Tractor Tavern, 8:30 pm, 21+ Coffin Break, the Scoffs, Sinister Six, Cheliceral Kiss June 6, Chop Suey, 5 pm, 21+ Hunx and His Punx, Slippers, DJ Mister Sister June 10, Clock-Out Lounge, 8 pm, 21+ Beverly Crusher, Cosmic Kitten, Killbuzz June 13, Add-a-Ball, 8 pm, 21+ Helms Alee, Anthers, Czar June 13, Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+ Belle and Sebastian, Quasi June 14, Woodland Park Zoo, 4:30 pm, all ages Paul Oakenfold June 19, Q Nightclub, 10 pm, 21+ Metric, Broken Social Scene, Stars June 25, Chateau Ste. Michelle Amphitheatre, 6 pm, all ages Rhiannon Giddens, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Hurray for the Riff Raff June 26, Chateau Ste. Michelle Amphitheatre, 6 pm, all ages Jimmy Eat World, Motion City Soundtrack, Illuminati Hotties Jul 18, WAMU Theater, 7 pm, all ages Fitz and the Tantrums Jul 26, Chateau Ste. Michelle Amphitheatre, 7 pm, all ages Capitol Hill Block Party Aug 7–9, Capitol Hill Bumbershoot Sep 5–6, Seattle Center, times vary, all ages Iron Wine, Ken Pomeroy Oct 13, 5th Avenue Theatre, 8 pm, all ages The post May Things to Do: Music appeared first on The Stranger. ...read more read less