Tonight, the Stranger Suggests:

Pleasureboaters, Vampire Hands at Vera Project
Pleasureboaters, the fantastically spastic local trio, thrash around the stage like cartoons, bending their bodies and twisting their faces into positions and expressions that echo their corkscrewing, discordant sounds. Opening band Vampire Hands are on the opposite side of the spectrum. They captivate their audiences with a mellow—sometimes sexy, sometimes haunting—guitar-heavy vibe, layered with breathy vocals and the occasional psychedelic jam. (Vera Project, Seattle Center, 956-8372. 7:30 pm, $7/$8, all ages.) MEGAN SELING

Listen to the Pleasureboaters:
“Elliptical Realism”

Listen to PWRFL Power:
“Heaven, a Dog Called Dad, and Rainbow”

Listen to Vampire Hands:
“Opium Typhoon”

Wanda Jackson - “Fujiyama Mama” circa 2006

Wanda Jackson, Marshall Scott Warner, the Kid in Black with the Roy Kay Trio
(Tractor) Wanda Jackson is known as the first lady of rock ‘n’ roll and the queen of rockabilly—a couple of pretty impressive titles. She started out playing country and gospel in the ’50s, singing with Hank Thompson’s band. She then befriended and dated Elvis, who encouraged her to drop the country and embrace the rock, which she did, wonderfully (no thanks to the male-dominated rock scene that pushed her aside). She makes her sweet voice growl and crack and pop on swinging songs like “Fujiyama Mama” and “Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad.” Today, at age 70, she hasn’t lost a bit of her edge; she’s still as feisty and bawdy as ever, and she still knows how to rock and put on a hell of a good show. KIM HAYDEN

In addition to the Tractor show, Wanda Jackson will also be playing a last-minute in-store at Easy Street Queen Anne at 6 pm.

Lesbian, Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, Witch Mountain, Grey
(Comet) If you’re holding out for a TAD reunion (maybe to be announced as part of Sub Pop’s 20th anniversary party?), stop. When I interviewed frontman Tad Doyle back in February, he shot down any chance of his old, drunk, loud-as-fuck band re-forming. “My heart’s just not into that anymore,” he said. “I’ve put that period of my life behind me.” These days he’s focusing on his new band, Brothers of the Sonic Cloth. They have only a few songs posted on MySpace, but by all accounts, Brothers are as heavy and commanding as you’d expect, with Doyle finding new inspiration in dark metal and experimental noise. Approach it just as you would a TAD show—with extra earplugs and ready to headbang. MEGAN SELING

Click here to listen to Brothers of the Sonic Cloth.

And finally, the Decemberists’ Colin Meloy is in town, playing a solo show at the Showbox. Jeff Kirby reviewed his new album in this week’s paper:

Meloy scores two great moments by effortlessly transitioning his own songs into covers: “Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect” into Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” and “California One” into “Youth and Beauty Brigade” into the Smiths’ “Ask.” Meloy explains to the crowd, in one of the album’s many moments of banter, that his solo sets are meant to be like a campfire sing-along, but his Dickensian vernacular and love of historic maritime don’t exactly make for timeless folk tunes. Meloy succeeds in creating a comfortable, intimate performance, but the result is lackluster, like a Decemberists record with most of the good parts missing.

Read the whole thing here.

Listen to Colin Meloy:
“The Bachelor and the Bride”

That’s just what was covered in this week’s paper. There’s more to be found in our online calendar.