Regarding this post's "(?!)" about the Sorrento Hotel's acting as a retail outlet for Vita's upcoming GIVE charity comp, further evidence that this ain't your grandma's "Favorite Boutique Luxury Hotel" (unless your grandma is a Loch Lomond fan, in which case grrr!):

Again with the press release after the jump...

The beat-connoisseur's juggernaut known as Dug lands at Lo-Fi this Friday for its monthly seminar in the science of crate-digging and rug-cutting. Veteran selectors Christian Science, David James, and Greasy have done hella grunt work over the years so you can lose your shit on the dance floor to their rare soul, funk, Latin, disco, boogie, reggae, and jazz sides (no computers allowed here). Special guest this month is MC/DJ/producer Ohmega Watts.

If I may make a request, I'd like to hear this. Thanks in advance.

Lo-Fi Performance Gallery, 429 Eastlake Ave E, 9 pm-2 am, $5, 21+.

Sound Off!, EMP's annual underage battle of the bands, is accepting entries for their 2010 competition until November 9th. That's next Monday.

If you're 21 or under and in a band with people who are 21 or under, submit a demo and get a chance to win gear, recording time, and more!

All genres are welcome—previous Sound Off! bands include Natalie Portman's Shaved Head, New Faces, the Lonely Forest, and Dyme Def. (See a full list of participants here.)

For complete rules and an entry form, visit empsfm.org/soundoff.

Another late-announced show is going down Sat. Oct. 31 at Motor, with LA producer Deru (aka Benjamin Wynn) headlining. Deru's forthcoming album, Say Goodbye to Useless (out in January on Mush Records), is some of the most accomplished downtempo, funk-infused IDM of the decade. Some may also remember his set at Decibel last year, which ranked high among many attendees.

Show details here and below.

Kinski members Lucy Atkinson, Barrett Wilke, and Chris Martin will be joining Kawabata Makoto from Acid Mothers Temple Sat. Oct. 31, at the Rendezvous. Martin predicts that Kinski's contribution is "going to involve a lot of keyboards."

Here's what I said about the show in this week's paper:

Thrones, Amber Asylum, Kawabata Makoto, ?Alos, Sugar Skulls

(Rendezvous) Rendezvous offers a weirdly mixed bag of tricks and treats for your Halloween festivities. Thrones (Salem, Oregon's Joe Preston) ranks among the highest practitioners of low-end aural punishment. An early member of Earth, Preston also has throttled his bass for Melvins, Men's Recovery Project, Sunn O))), and other avant-metallers; he's honed his glowering, overcast steez until it seems as if his very tones have grown unruly fur and fangs. Acid Mothers Temple shaman Kawabata Makoto communicates with otherworldly deities through his eloquent guitar in alternately boisterous and dewy tones. San Francisco's Amber Asylum straddle romantic goth folk and dark ambient realms with grace, black lace, and eyeliner. They brood elegantly amid bruised-purple string parts and descending chord progressions while Kris Force flexes operatic skills on the mic. Sugar Skulls, by contrast, spaz out on the frenetic prog-rock tip while Italy's ?Alos earn their question mark with intense, tonally peculiar post-rock festooned with Yoko Ono—esque trills.

Music starts at 8 pm; cover is $13 with costume/$15 without; 21+. Aerial Ruin are also on the bill.

Knightriders Inc. has booked Audion (aka Ghostly International/Spectral Sound recording artist Matthew Dear) for the Triple Door Mon. Nov. 16. This date is part of Audion's Hecatomb Tour, which features some spectacular op-art visuals and mesmerizing lighting (courtesy of Audion art director/cover designer Will Calcutt and artist Eno Henze) along, of course, with Audion's throbbing, ram-rodding, psychedelic techno productions. Prepare yourselves for an intense, extreme audio-visual experience.

The show's 21+, with tickets $15 adv/$18 DOS; $30 gets you a VIP Ghostly Prize Pack and choice seats.

The Passion Pit have rescheduled their cancelled show from earlier this month—the new date is December 9th at the Moore Theatre. Tickets are available now, and all tickets from the Showbox show will be honored.

(Find out about show updates and ticket info the instant it happens by following SEAshows on Twitter.)

Wall of Sound is holding an all-day sale of anime and game CDs Sat. Oct. 24 (11 am-7 pm). The goods come from rabid Japanese collector and they include soundtracks (Hummingbird, Idol Project, Secret of Blue Water) and vocal collections (Sailormoon, Ranma 1/2, Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Galaxy Angel). This fanatic—who'll be at Wall of Sound all day to answer your questions—will also be selling movie soundtracks and seiyuu music (Megumi Hayashibara, Yuko Miyamura, Masami Okui), shibuya-kei (Pizzicato 5, Citrus, 5-4-3-2-1's), and something intriguingly known as showa/bubble girl (Candies, Chsato Moritaka, Princess Princess, Eri Hiramatsu). All single CDs will sell for $5 or less.

This seems like a golden opportunity to expand your knowledge of anime, J-pop, and idol music. While you're at Wall of Sound, you may want to scope out its choice stock of Japanese psych, prog, and experimental music releases—you know, just to balance out all the cuteness of the aforementioned artifacts.

(Wall of Sound, 315 E. Pine St., 206-441-9880)

Speaking of bands whose music probably has never accompanied erotic activities, the Books will be playing the Triple Door Tues. Nov. 24. A profusion of witty verbosity, cerebral yet moving indietronica, and scintillating visuals, the Books' live show is currently one of the best you'll ever experience without moving a muscle. The Triple Door will provide a fantastic setting for such a high-falutin' intellectual extravaganza.

The Books will play two shows: the first at 7 pm is all ages; the second at 9:30 pm is 21+. Tickets are $15.

Seattle techno promoters/DJ collective Knightriders host a potluck/dance party Thurs. Oct. 22 at Re-bar featuring Minimal Soul Recordings artists Orlando Voorn and Computer Controlled, plus KR resident DJs Travis Baron, GON3R, James Grindle, Trench, and M'chateau.

The event also celebrates the launching of Knightriders' new website. Feasting and festivities run from 8 am-2 am. Cost is free before 10; $3 after. Bring some beets, enjoy some beats; bring some vegetables, enjoy some turntables. RSVP here.

Trouble Dicso continues its unimpeachable track record with the booking of Eric Duncan, aka Dr. Dunks, who's recorded for Eskimo as half of Rub-n-Tug and DFA as Still Going. His DJ set happens Fri. Nov. 27 at Re-bar. Previous Trouble Dicso nights—which focus on cosmic disco and wide-ranging, Balearic-style sets—have featured JD Twitch and Altair Nouveau. Expect epic, psychedelic things from Mr. Duncan, and prepare to have your post-Thanksgiving torpor dissolved in his levitational, perpetually chugging tracks.

Neat! So. Who do you think the Hold Steady will cover?

In lyrics on their latest record, Stay Positive, singer Craig Finn gives props to Dillinger Four ("Me and my friends are like double whiskey coke no ice"), Youth of Today, and 7 Seconds (see the title track).

Can you imagine the Hold Steady covering Youth of Today? At a show sponsored by a whiskey company? Weeeird. And maybe awesome?

To get a ticket to the show, you have to text SEATTLE to 68405. You can also register online here.