Here's this week's top five club picks from The Som Show, as appears in the Entertainment Spokane weekly e-newsletter (sign up).
Beat Battle - Imagine a circle of hi-hop artificers, crafting beats from provided and found sounds and then engaging in boom-bap combat, where the audience decides the winner. That will be the scene at Spokane's inaugural Beat Battle pitting local beatsmiths against each other for a chance to advance to the Beat Off Finals in Portland. Extras at the event include performance painting, improvisational rap challenges, DJ sets and secret performances. Featuring Freetime Synthetic, Jaeda, Ocean, Quiz, Existance (sic), Erik Beats and many more, the Spokane Beat Battle happens Saturday, June 12, at The Seaside, formerly The Blvd., 230 W. Riverside Ave. Cost: $3, 21 and older only.
John Vanderslice - Atlanta-based singer-songwriting John Vanderslice spins tales that show influences from William Blake's poetry, Public Enemy songs, and David Lynch movies. Holding on to vintage gear from the 1960s and '70s, Vanderslice produces his music with analog instruments and recording equipment for a sound that has been defined as "sloppy hi-fi." Vanderslice appears at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 12, at Empyrean Coffee House, 171 S. Washington St. Cost: To be announced, all ages welcome.
Residency - Since changing ownership and its name from The Blvd. to The Seaside, the popular music venue began offering month-long residency to local bands, which continues in a Som Show Presence format in June with experimental funk quartet B Radicals, setting up shop at 8 p.m. tonight, June 9, at The Seaside, 230 W. Riverside Ave. Cost: $3, 21 and older only.
Rocket Market - With an Alex Vanderpool-era swagger, soul man Jamal Ali's classic R&B style and piano-based balladry bring to mind Al Green, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. Cool out on Rocket Market's patio for an evening of smooth and soothing songs when The Som Show presents Jamal Ali at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 15, at Rocket Market, 726 E. 43rd. Cost: Free.
The Lion Tamer - Missoula jungle-rock trio The Lion Tamer lays down heavy grooves that have a hypnotic effect. The lyrics are abstract, the songs are epic, and the energy comes in waves, resulting in a sound that has oceanic qualities, especially the watery vocal effects. The Lion Tamer headlines an experimental lineup in a Platform Presents show with local Please Draw In Me and Cyrus Fell Down on Monday, June 14, at Mootsy's, 406 W. Sprague Ave. Cost: $5.
