Catch the reggae beat of Kore Ionz for a good cause

Check out the band's music at www.myspace.com/koreionz.

July 3: Ticket alert: Edmonds Center for the Arts

Hankering for Hawaiian music? It's on the schedule — along with everything from kiddie rock to Native American flute — of the second season of the Edmonds Center for the Arts.

Former Men at Work frontman Colin Hay will kick off the season on Aug. 22. The lineup also includes:

• High energy children's music with Ralph's World on Sept. 27

• Día de los Muertos with Quetzal on Oct. 30

• Seattle kiddie rock band Recess Monkey on Nov. 1

• The Seattle International Comedy Competition on Nov. 18

• Native American flutist Mary Youngblood with local Grammy award winner Eric Tingstad on January 16

• A slack key and hula show with Keola and Moana Beamer on April 9.

• Indigo Girls on May 8 and 9.

For show information and tickets, go to www.ec4arts.org. Full season subscriptions are available by calling 425-275-9595. And, Indigo Girls tickets go on-sale Dec. 1.

July 2: Summer concert updates: Starr, Oberst, Warped Tour

Some shows to take note of as you make your summer plans:

• Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr plays with his All-Starr Band at the Northern Quest Casino on July 18. Tickets are $80 to $100 at the Northern Quest box office at 509-481-6700 or through TicketsWest at 800-325-7328 or ticketswest.com.

Starr will be mixing some of The Beatles songs (like "Yellow Submarine") with his solo hits (like "It Don't Come Easy").

• He's been named a musical wunderkind, and he's coming to Seattle. Conor Oberst will be playing July 30 at Neumo's. His music is good, but depressing: a perfect break up soundtrack.

Tickets are $25 and the show is all ages. For more, go to www.neumos.com/073008.html.

• The Warped Tour is coming to the Gorge Amphitheatre Aug. 9. The lineup includes such bands as Story of the Year, Street Dogs, The Aggrolites and HorrorPops. It's a really fun festival every year; there's plenty to listen to and fun punk accessories to buy (like fuzzy tiger printed belts!).

Here's the entire lineup: www.warpedtour.com/warpedtour/bands.asp.

July 1: Musician Johnny Schou found dead

Tickle Me Pink bassist Johnny Schou was found dead this morning in his Colorado home. Schou was 22.

Today his punk-rock quartet released their debut album, "Madeline" on Wind-Up Records. They were set to celebrate with a Denver in-store appearance at Independent Records.

The band was going to tour with Scary Kids Scaring Kids and Finch, and scheduled to play Seattle's El Corazón July 31 with Finch. As for the tour, the band's Web site says that "further information regarding the band's plans, and dates that have been previously announced, will be forthcoming in due time."

Fans have been leaving messages on Schou's site — www.myspace.com/johnnyschou — and the band's myspace — www.myspace.com/ticklemepinkmusic.

July 1: See a symphony concert, save a whale

Now you can save the whales simply by listening to music.

To promote the upcoming performances featuring music from the oceanic TV show "The Blue Planet," the Seattle Symphony will adopt an orca whale for every 50 tickets sold.

"We thought we might as well walk the walk while talking the talk," said Elizabeth Ferlic, the symphony's public relations manager.

"The Blue Planet" is an Emmy-award winning television series, similar to the nature documentary "Planet Earth," but focusing on the world's oceans. Through underwater photography, the film features the oceans' coral reefs, frozen waters and sea creatures.

While the orchestra plays music from the show, scenes are displayed on a big screen. Film score composer George Fenton will conduct, with Seattle actor Frank Corrado narrating. Performances are 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 8 and Wednesday, July 9, at Benaroya Hall as part of Seattle Symphony's SummerFest.

Tickets to "The Blue Planet Live!" are $17 to $95 and can be ordered through the orchestra ticket office at 206-215-4747, by fax at 206-215-4748, or online at www.seattlesymphony.org.

The money raised through the Orca Adoption Program supports The Whale Museum on the San Juan Islands. There are about 80 whales in the San Juan Islands and southern Vancouver Island area available for adoption. These whales face a number of threats including diminishing fish populations, toxic exposure and repercussions from pleasure and commercial boaters.

The Orca Adoption Program also helps pays for various orca research studies, maintenance of orca databases, operation of a federal marine mammal stranding network and educational programs. To find out more about the program, check out — www.whale-museum.org/programs/orcadoption/orcadoption.html.And this just in — Kathy Griffin added a third show at the Paramount Theatre on Nov. 22. With such demand, she's definitely lifted off the D-list.

Tickets are $45.50 to $75.50 and on sale at www.LiveNation.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, or charge by phone 206-628-0888.

The Saturday Knights "Mingle" at a hot, sweaty Nectar

Music writer Andrew Matson reporting:

Local hip-hop heroes The Saturday Knights sold out Nectar last Friday night. The Fremont venue was packed downstairs, upstairs, and outside, and even though the club's street-facing garage door wall was rolled up, things were sweaty. Dozens of fans who didn't get tickets stayed and listened outside, communicating with luckier fans through the bars that fence Nectar's front patio.

TSK played songs from "Mingle," the group's first full-length album out now on local label Light In The Attic Records. The rappers, Barfly and Tilson, ended with an improvised rhyme session after a high energy set featuring horn players from opening act and purveyors of "Staten Island Soul" the Budos Band.

June 27: News briefs from Times A&E staff

Heard the rumor that the downtown Showbox might be getting demolished? An e-mail to The Seattle Times from Showbox main-stage booking agent Chad Queirolo today:

"That rumor has been in place since I arrived in 2000 ...

It swirled most heavily last Nov/Dec. It's not happening."

— Andrew Matson, Seattle Times staff reporter

Award for ACT: ACT Theatre has won an international travel award of $3,000 from Theatre Communications Group to host and collaborate with Luca Ronconi, artistic director of Piccolo Teatro di Milano, on the play "Infinites," an award-winning work by John Barrow.

"Infinites," staged in 2002 by Ronconi, is a five-part drama exploring concepts of infinity.

Chay Yew, former artistic director of Seattle's Northwest Asian American Theatre and author of "A Winter People" (coming to Seattle Repertory Theatre next season) also won a TCG grant. He will journey to Singapore to work with artists there on a new theater piece, "Vivien and the Shadows."

Primus Prize news: This year's $10,000 Francesca Primus Prize has been awarded to Oregon-born playwright EM (Ellen) Lewis for her play "Heads," a well-received drama about four prisoners being held in two jail cells in Iraq. The work premiered in Los Angeles in 2007.

The Primus Prize is awarded annually to an emerging woman theater artist, by the Francesca Ronnie Primus Foundation and the American Theatre Critics Association.

Misha Berson, Seattle Times theater critic

June 25: Latin superstar Luis Miguel to play WaMu

Forget CD-selling machines like Mariah Carey, Nickelback and Kanye West. In the Latin music world, none of them can compete with Luis Miguel.

Miguel is a bona-fide international superstar (born in Puerto Rico, raised in Mexico), who has sold tens of millions albums worldwide (sources say anywhere from 50 to nearly 100 million). Miguel's heartthrob looks and Latin-infused pop help him continually sell out arenas around the world.

The Grammy-winner will try to sell out a new venue on Friday, June 27, when tickets go on sale for his first-ever stop at WaMu Theater, where he'll perform Sept. 23

Miguel is taking to the road to support his new album, "Cómplices" (which has already gone platinum in Mexico; watch the video to his 2005 song, "Tengo todo excepto a ti" ("I Have Everything But You" here — http://youtube.com/watch?v=Uu0Sci9jAI8).

Tickets cost $50-$110 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, June 27, through the Qwest Field box office, all Ticketmaster locations, via phone at 206-628-0888 or through www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available at: La Sirena Rosa (Seattle), La Espanola (Bellevue) and El Mercado Latino (Tacoma).

And now for some news of a completely different stripe: Seattle now has its air-guitar champion.

That's right. There is such a thing as the 2008 Cuervo Black U.S. Air Guitar Championship, and Monday night the Seattle regional was held at Chop Suey.

Air guitarist Chuck Mung finished first, with an air musician called The Fro coming in second. Fan favorite: Vaguely Ethnic.

From here, regional winner Mung goes on to compete in San Francisco on Aug. 8 for the U.S. Air Guitar Championship. And that winner will represent the United States at the 2008 Air Guitar World Championships, Aug. 20-22 in Oulu, Finland.

Really.

Good luck, Mung. How are you at Guitar Hero?

June 24: Arista says bye-bye Blake Lewis

Bad news for our pal Blake Lewis ... unless you think — as Blake seems to — that getting dropped from your label is a good thing.

Blogs picked up the news late Sunday and on Monday the Web site Idolator.com reported that Arista had dropped the Seattle singer-beatboxer. Blake claims he never really wanted to be signed to a major label anyway, and that it was the label meddling that made his one release (last year's "Audio Day Dream") so terrible. (Hear a sample at his MySpace — www.myspace.com/blakelewis; read the full Idolator entry here — http://idolator.com/396832/arista-drops-idol-runner+up-blake-lewis-after-less-than-a-year).

Well, sounds like the whimsical, uncategorizable guy is getting what he wants. Good luck, Blake.

And bad news of a very different sort for Boy George. The '80s icon's U.S. tour was canceled Tuesday when it was announced that his visa was denied. According to his publicists, this stems from George's arrest last spring (something involving his male companion, some photos, and "wrongful imprisonment"). Said the statement, "This is... because he is facing a trial in November in London... George has not been convicted of anything in London and there is a presumption in the Western World of innocence until proven guilty... ."

Boy George was scheduled to appear at the Showbox at the Market on July 20.

June 24: Film screenings mark 15 years since death of singer Mia Zapata

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the death of influential singer Mia Zapata. In her honor, a documentary of her Seattle punk rock band "The Gits," will be showing at both the Northwest Film Forum and at Landmark's Metro Cinemas.

The Gits' path toward mainstream fame was cut short when Zapata was found brutally murdered, July 7, 1993, a viction of a rape homicide. The 27-year-old was walking home from an evening with friends at the Comet Tavern when she was attacked.

The murder was a mystery for some time — but artists and bands like Joan Jett and Nirvana helped keep the case open by raising money and awareness. And 11 years later, Florida fisherman Jesus Mezquia was convicted of her murder.

The documentary celebrates Zapata's life, interviewing many that knew her. For more information on the film, go to — www.thegitsmovie.com. And here, get more information on The Gits — www.thegits.com/history.html.

Screenings at the Northwest Film Forum (1515 12th Ave., Seattle) run daily at 7 and 9 p.m., July 4-10. Producer Jessica Bender will be there for a Q&A at both screenings on July 10. Tickets are $8.50 general, $6 seniors and $5 for NWFF members. Advance tickets are available at www.brownpapertickets.com. And, for additional information, call 206-329-2629 or visit www.nwfilmforum.org.

The Landmark's Metro Cinema's (4500 Ninth Ave. N.E., Seattle) will have screening on the anniversary of Zapata's death, at 8 p.m. on July 7. Tickets are $9.50 general, $6.75 senior (62+) and $8.25 for students. Producer Jessica Bender will also be there after the screening for a Q&A. For more information, call 206-781-5755 or visit www.landmarktheatres.com.

June 20: Feeling summery with a free bike-and-music fest

Lately, there seems to be a festival for everything. Case in point: There's now a fest for bike lovers, combining music, bikes and art. Called CRANK IT UP, the festival happens July 12 at Cesar Chavez Park, at 700 S. Cloverdale St., in Seattle.

It's free. And the lineup will feature artists Angelo Pizarro Trio, Kristen Ward, Amateur Radio Operator, South Park Hip Hop Youth Showcase, EMBLEMATIC and Man Alive.

Bring a bike to decorate and ride around the park. Or buy one for $5. Decorating supplies will be provided for free. More information — www.southparkarts.org/events.html.

• Another free show — a July 23 concert by No Age and Mudhoney in the KEXP parking lot, at 113 Dexter Ave. N., in Seattle. The show starts at 8 p.m. and benefits KEXP-FM (90.3) through the Toyota/Urban Outfitters Free Yr Radio campaign.

To get in, fans just have to present an invite printed off www.FreeYrRadio.com.

• Hawaii's surf-rock-reggae band Pepper will be performing on tour with Slightly Stoopid, coming Aug. 7 to the Marymoor Amphitheatre.

Tickets are $29.50 on ticketmaster.com. To check out Pepper's music, go to — www.myspace.com/pepperlive.

• Finally, Bumbershoot keeps adding and taking away artists, so follow this link to see the entire lineup for the Labor Day Weekend festival (minus Ludacris, the All-American Rejects and MIDIval PunditZ, who couldn't make it) — www.bumbershoot.org/lineup.htm.

June 19: Bumbershoot 2008 adds the Flobots, the Offspring and Nada Surf

NW Ticket editor Raina Wagner here, with a Thursday-morning dispatch:

Those Bumbershoot announcements just keep coming. This time the three-day music and arts fest is announcing the addition of classic punk rockers the Offspring, indie-rockers Nada Surf and the progressive hip-hop Flobots to the 2008 lineup.

Nada Surf and the Flobots — a rising, Roots-influenced band from Denver — were just in the area, playing last weekend's 107.7 The End's Summer Camp II, at Marymoor Park.

Bumbershoot 2008 is set Labor Day weekend, Aug. 30-Sept. 1, at Seattle Center. The $80 three-day tickets are on sale now through Aug. 15 (when they go up to $100). Single day-specific tickets go on sale July 15 at bumbershoot.org, Ticketmaster outlets, or by calling 206-628-0888; starting Aug. 2 you can buy them at Western Washington Starbucks stores, where there will be no service fees. Single day-specific tickets are $35 July 15-Aug. 15, and $40 thereafter.

Complete festival details are online — bumbershoot.org.

June 19: Funky new music for funky old Seattle weather

Here's some offbeat music for the funky weather:

• I love mashups because nothing is better than two funky styles mixed into one. And this group amplifies mashups to a new level, mixing cumbia — a sound fusing old and new music of Colombia — with hip-hop, dancehall, reggaeton and pop.

Here's are the DJs in this revolving group. You'll want to bookmark their sites, because their music is going to blow your mind.

Resident DJ Villa Diamante blends Argentine and Latin American music with Northern Hemisphere hip-hop, grime, electro and pop — www.myspace.com/villadiamante.

Newer on the scene, Chancha Vía Circuíto has been featured on mixtapes by DIPLO, M.I.A.'s producer — www.myspace.com/chanchaviacircuito.

And, Fauna mixes Latin elements with electronic beats and live hip-hop/ragga vocals — www.myspace.com/faunapower.

Finally, co -owner of record label Bersa Discos, ORO11 blends cumbia with dancehall and Baltimore club beats. And being from the Bay, he mixes hyphy (hyper hip-hop) goodness with some Latin American flavors. You have to give it a listen at — www.myspace.com/oro11.

The group performs July 22 at the Nectar Lounge. Tickets are $10 on ticketweb.

... Check out some fun punk about stealing music by The Dirty Hearts. Here's their video "Record Store" — www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Zo9JWpS5A0.

Shot at Friends of Sounds Records in Austin, Texas, the band used its own gear and posters for the set. And for the sake of the video, the Austin punk band even destroyed some vinyl in the store. Their album "Pigs" comes out July 22. Check out the rest of their music at www.myspace.com/thedirtyhearts.

June 17: Pain in the Grass with Queensrÿche set for Aug. 23

The show news continues:

• "Singin' in the Rain" star Debbie Reynolds is coming to the Northern Quest Casino on June 24. Tickets are $30 to $40 and are available at the Northern Quest box office (509-481-6700) or through TicketsWest (800-325-7328 or ticketswest.com).

• King Khan & the Shrines are performing July 13 at the Tractor Tavern. Tickets are $10 and available at ticketweb.com.

They have a playful punky sound — be sure to check them out on their MySpace at www.myspace.com/kingkhantheshrines.

• Pain in the Grass 2008 — featuring Queensrÿche, Seether, Shinedown and Sevendust — is coming to the White River Amphitheatre on Aug. 23.

Queensrÿche will be performing their hits with an orchestral arrangement with the Empire Orchestra.

Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Saturday, June 21, are $29 to $60 through LiveNation.com, Ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster outlets or charge by phone at 206-628-0888.

• And if you are itching for some music during your lunchtime hours, don't forget that Seattle City Hall presents free noontime performances year round.

Here is the schedule — www.seattle.gov/arts/community/seattle_presents.asp.

The summer lineup summer includes: Global Drum Masters, Choklate and Century Masters of Lindy Hop & Tap.

And if you can't break from your cubicle, you can preview music from your computer on this site — www.seattle.gov/arts/community/seattle_presents_sampler.asp.

Free copies of a sampler CD of the music presented at these shows are available at the concerts.

June 16: Summer concert news: Rap at White River, hip-hop in Georgetown, and the eclectic Whitehorse Mountain lineup

Some shows coming up to watch out for:

• The Summer Jam — featuring mainstream rap with a banging lineup — is almost here. T-Pain, Ray J, The Game, Bow Wow and Lil Wayne will all be performing July 20 at the White River Amphitheatre.

Tickets are $26.50 to $50 at all Ticketmaster locations, charge by phone at 206-628-0888 or online at Ticketmaster.com. The closer tickets in the pit are already sold out. For more info, go to — www.kube93.com.

Thanks to leaks and his growing popularity, Billboard reports that Lil Wayne was set to sell a million of his latest, "Tha Carter III," within one week. That would put the New Orleans rapper up there with 50 Cents' colossal 2005 hit "Massacre," and sure gives huge-sellers like Madonna, Mariah Carey and Usher a run for their money.

But reviews have been mixed — Lil Wayne's album could be a new state of pop or the ruin of rap. Judge for yourself., and take a listen at his MySpace — www.myspace.com/lilwayne.

• If you're searching for hip-hop that's outside of the mainstream, here's the festival for you. Pegged as "Seattle's only Hip Hop Festival," the Dope Emporium goes down at Georgetown's Artopia the end of this month. On June 28, the festival will feature two stages and eight hours of live entertainment with music, art, fashion, spoken word, turntablism, film, a producer and graffiti art challenge, a panel discussion, b-boy/b-girl showcases, and a marketplace.

The lineup includes: Amp Fire, B-Girl Bench, Candidt, Dim Mak, Khingz, Orbitron, Stahi Brothers and Waves of the Mind. An indoor stage will also broadcast bits of Seattle hip-hop history along with footage of rising stars.

The festival is all ages and runs 2 to 10 p.m. on June 28. For more information, check out www.artopiaseattle.com.

• Also, there will be a mishmash of artists jamming at August's Summer Meltdown, from Buckethead to Blake Lewis. Other artists include Flowmotion, Tea Leaf Green and Everyone Orchestra. The grass-roots music festival and camp-out happens Aug. 8-10 at the Whitehorse Mountain Amphitheater. For more information, go to www.summermeltdown.com.

June 13: Ticket update: Jack Johnson at the Gorge

Today's dispatch comes from staffer Lynn Jacobson:

Concert producer Live Nation announced today that all remaining tickets for Jack Johnson's Aug. 22 show at the Gorge are available exclusively through www.livenation.com.

If you try, you can hear the Hawaiian surfer boy in Johnson's music. (He grew up in a surfing family on the island of Oahu.) But chances are you won't want to analyze it that much. His sound is about as laid back as it comes. Ride the wave at www.myspace.com/jackjohnsonmusic.

June 12: Pearl Jam's "bootleg" recordings for sale

Now, you don't have to secretly record the Pearl Jam show on your own — Pearl Jam will provide their "bootlegs" for you.

At the end of their live shows, the band will be selling high-quality digital downloads and burn-to-order CDs of the entire show through their fan club, Ten Club, at www.pearljam.com. There will also be mobile bootlegs of three live tracks per show on V CAST Music phones and at www.pearljamconcerts.com. These will be available as ringtones too.

Digital bootlegs will cost $9.99 (MP3) and $14.99 (FLAC) per show. There will also be hard copies available using recycled material, for $16.99 per show on www.pearljam.com.

All of the bootlegs recordings will be professionally mixed in real time. Launched on the 2000 world tour, the bootleg program has since sold 3.5 million bootlegs.

Unfortunately Seattle fans may only hear the concerts by bootleg — the grunge band has not announced local dates. Here's a link to their tour — www.pearljam.com/tour

And this news is in from art critic Sheila Farr:

Mayor Greg Nickels announced the winners of the 2008 Mayor's arts awards today:

• photographer Hugo Ludeña

• 14/48 ("the world's quickest theater festival")

• arts education outfit Coyote Central and Marybeth Satterlee, executive director

• Nonsequitur, a new music nonprofit

• Cathryn Vandenbrink, regional director of Artspace Projects

• the recently reopened Wing Luke Asian Museum

All will be honored at a ceremony Aug. 29 at Bumbershoot.

June 11: "Shrek" on the horizon

And at 9:30 a.m. Friday, "Shrek the Musical" tickets go on sale. The first 100 folks in line at The 5th Avenue Theatre box office will get their own Shrek ears. Plus, there'll be green tea and green Top Pot doughnuts from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

The musical runs from Aug. 14 to Sept. 21 at The 5th before heading to New York for a Broadway debut in December.

Based on the book by William Steig and the first animated film, the musical features lyrics by Pulitzer Prize-winner David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Olivier Award winner Jeanine Tesori.

Starting Friday, you can also get tickets on the phone or online: 206-625-1900 or www.5thavenue.org. And for more on the musical, check out www.shrekthemusical.com.

June 10: Kathy Griffin brings her "D-List" act to the Paramount

Ticket editor Raina Wagner here, with your dispatch today:

D-List? Says who? Comic Kathy Griffin is so everywhere — launching her fourth season of the "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List," on Bravo; hosting Bravo's first-ever "A-List Awards" on Thursday, June 12; traipsing up the steps to accept a 2007 Emmy for her reality show — that she's surely gone up a list letter or two.

And this just in — Griffin is going to be one other place soon, when the acerbic, self-deprecating comedian comes to the Paramount Theatre on Thursday, Nov. 20

Griffin, perhaps best known for her four years on the NBC sitcom "Suddenly Susan," has poked fun at her lack of VIP celebrity status ever since. She also shows up on CNN with Larry King all the time — catch one of her more irreverent clips on YouTube (http://youtube.com/watch?v=cbziBwi489Q).

Tickets for the Paramount show go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 14; $45.50-$75.50 (www.ticketmaster.com, www.LiveNation.com, or 206-628-0888).

June 5: Rock the Bells to rock the Gorge

Lots of shows are getting announced this week:

• Hip-hop fest Rock the Bells — featuring A Tribe Called Quest, Nas and Mos Def — is coming to the Gorge Sept. 6. Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Saturday, June 7.

Also on the lineup are: Seattle's Blue Scholars, "Godfather of Hip-Hop" Afrika Bambaataa, MF Doom, Sage Francis, Just Blaze, Black Violin, Dirty Heads and DJ Green Lantern. South Los Angeles group the Pharcyde will be there with all four original members. And, rising hip-hoppers Spank Rock, the Cool Kids and Amanda Blank will be performing, along with hosts Scratch — from the Legendary Roots Crew — and the renowned freestyle rapper Supernatural.

Rock the Bells is traditionally the classic hip-hop show to catch. If you love hip-hop, or if you want to convince a nonbeliever, bring them to this show.

Tickets are $50 in advance and $60 the week of show. They will be available at www.LiveNation.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, or charge by phone 206-628-0888.

June 4: Raconteurs to play WaMu Theater

If you missed their sold-out show at Neumo's the last time they came around, the Raconteurs are returning to Seattle — and this time to a much bigger venue. Jack White's "other band" will play the WaMu Theater on Sept. 19. Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. June 6, for $35, at www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, or by phone at 206-628-0888.

The Raconteurs are a collaboration between White, the lead singer of the White Stripes, and his old friend, Nashville-based songwriter Brendan Benson. Catch the video of their latest hit, "Salute Your Solution," — www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lL1CW140FQ.

And not to be outdone by all the big albums coming out this week — Seattle's Fleet Foxes debuted their self-titled full length album on Sub Pop Records. Download their song "White Winter Hymnal" on www.subpop.com/assets/audio/4264.mp3. And listen to the rest of their music here — www.myspace.com/fleetfoxes.

Keep an eye out on this local folk-pop band. They were met with adoration at Sasquatch! when they played twice (subbing in for the National when that band was delayed), and they are quickly growing in popularity. You can check them out at Sub Pop 20th Anniversary Festival on July 12 at Marymoor Park in Redmond. Tickets are still available on ticketmaster.com.

In other album news, Olympia singer-songwriter Kimya Dawson is releasing a collection of children's songs with her friends and their children, called "ALPHABUTT," out Sept. 9. Here's a video of the title track — www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfbqrNPJXlQ.

Dawson was responsible for the very popular and very quirky soundtrack behind the indie hit "Juno." She plays at the Capitol Hill Block Party July 25. For more on the Block Party, head here — www.myspace.com/capitolhillblockparty.

Alternative rap-rock band N.E.R.D. is also working on an album set to come out June 10 and titled "Seeing Sounds." You can see their very cool and very raw video, "Everyone Nose (All The Girls Standing In Line For The Bathroom)," where Lindsay Lohan and Kanye West makes cameos — www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA1HB_yJii4. After watching it, you won't be able to force that song out of your head.

And, garage punk band Yeah Yeah Yeahs are working on album Number 3. For inspiration — according to their blog — the band has been hopscotching from "a barn in the Northeast to a ranch in the Southwest on their journey for the next sound." Check out their musings here — http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=2096735&blogID=40196599.

June 2: Capitol Hill Block Party adds Fleet Foxes, the Cave Singers and more

The Capitol Hill Block Party is growing — and we should all have such growing pains.

Just added to the lineup for the July 25-26 music festival: Seattle's Fleet Foxes, the Cave Singers, Throw Me the Statue and Schoolyard Heroes, plus Portland's Menomena and Jaguar Love, and airborne toxic event, from Los Feliz, Calif.

This is in addition to such stellar bands as Vampire Weekend, DeVotchKa and Kimya Dawson, the Olympia singer behind the soundtrack of "Juno." Sound Off! winner New Faces, from Port Townsend, is also on the lineup.

Tickets are available at www.ticketswest.com, Seattle Rudy's Barber Shops, select QFC's, Moe Bar, Neumo's, or at 800-325-SEAT.

The two-day fest includes some 50 bands on four stages. Here's the full lineup:

Friday, July 25

Main Stage (all ages)

Vampire Weekend

Les Savy Fav

Girl Talk

U.S.E

Neumo's Stage (21+, first come first serve)

SING SING after party (featuring DJs Pretty Titty and FOURCOLORZACK)

Jay Reatard

The Dodos

Thee Emergency

Past Lives

Black Eyes & Neck Ties

Vera Stage (all ages)

Say Hi

Natalie Portman's Shaved Head

PWRFL Power

Black Elk

talbot tagora

King Cobra Stage (21+, first come first serve)

Lesbian

The Heavy Hearts

pleasureboaters

Black Whales

airborne toxic event

Truckasauras

champagne champagne

Saturday, July 26

Main Stage (all ages)

DeVotchKa

The Hold Steady

Chromeo

Menomena

Kimya Dawson

The Cave Singers

Kay Kay and his Weathered Underground

Neumo's Stage (21+, first come first serve)

SING SING after party (featuring DJs Pretty Titty, FOURCOLORZACK plus special guests)

Fleet Foxes

Throw Me The Statue

Jaguar Love

Darker My Love

The Butchers and the Builders

The Hands

Vera Stage (all ages)

Schoolyard Heroes

Akimbo

Grand Ole Party

THE PHYSICS

Man Plus

Little Party and the Bad Business

King Cobra Stage (21+, first come first serve)

Zeke

BOOK OF BLACK EARTH

Feral Children

The Loved Ones

New Faces

angelo spencer

May 30: KUBE Summer Jam tickets on sale

This concert update from Sunday NW Arts&Life editor Lynn Jacobson:

Tickets for KUBE radio's annual Summer Jam go on sale at 10 a.m. May 31. The show will start at 2 p.m. July 20, at White River Amphitheatre.

On the lineup so far: Lil' Wayne, T-Pain, Bow Wow, The Game and Ray J.

Tickets: $26.50 and up (plus service charges) at all Ticketmaster outlets (206-628-0888 or www.ticketmaster.com).

May 20: The reviews are in: Death Cab for Cutie's "Narrow Stairs"

Sasquatch favorite and beloved local band Death Cab For Cutie has been making headlines with their latest album, "Narrow Stairs." The reviews have gone from the very positive — Rolling Stone Magazine's 4-star critique of "a dark, strangely compelling record" — to the decidedly mixed — to the Village Voice proclaiming that it's simply a "mediocre album." But, most of the reviews agree that it's an emotional record that aims to strike out at your heart.

Here's a listing of reviews. Let me know your thoughts on "Narrow Stairs," too.

Rolling Stone Magazine

www.rollingstone.com/artists/deathcabforcutie/albums/album/20524296/review/20532998/narrow_stairs

Spin Magazine

www.spin.com/reviews/death-cab-cutie-narrow-stairs-atlantic

MTV

www.mtv.com/news/articles/1582775/20080304/death_cab_for_cutie.jhtml

The Associated Press

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080512/ap_en_re/music_review_death_cab_for_cutie

Pitchfork

www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/50564-narrow-stairs

IGN

http://music.ign.com/articles/875/875201p1.html

And here's a site — if you're too lazy to click through the above links — that aggregates all the reviews and gives them each a rating. Averaging the scores, the album gets a C+.

www.metacritic.com/music/artists/deathcabforcutie/narrowstairs?part=rssAnd one more thing before we leave Death Cab for the day: the Bellingham band played "No Sunlight," off the new album, in the back of a London cab. Check it out: www.blackcabsessions.com/sessions.php#. The ride must have been smooth, because the recording session is pretty sweet.

Fergie, Carrie Underwood, Kid Rock do the Puyallup

The upcoming Puyallup Fair will feature The Black Crowes, Kid Rock, Fergie and one of America's "Idols," Carrie Underwood.

Hard rockers The Black Crowes perform Sept. 8. Tickets are $25-$55. The band just released its first studio recording in seven years this past March, named "Warpaint." All the songs, except for one, are written by the two original brothers in the band — Chris and Rich Robinson. To listen, go to www.blackcrowes.com.

Rap rocker Kid Rock comes Sept. 10. Tickets cost $30 to $60. His latest album "Rock N Roll Jesus," came out October of 2007. For more and to watch his videos, go to www.kidrock.com/media.php.

Fergie, a Bumbershoot headliner last year, will join the Puyallup lineup on Sept. 16. Tickets are $29 to $79. Check out her latest at fergie.blackeyedpeas.com.

Underwood — 2005's "American Idol" winner — will follow on Sept. 19. Tickets are $50-$75.

Other concerts to take note of are Christian pop group Casting Crowns coming Sept. 9, for $17.50 to $37.50; vocal quartet Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons on Sept. 17 for $25 to $75.

Tickets include reserved seating and gate admission to the fair. They are available for sale 10 a.m. Saturday, May 3, at all Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, order by phone at 206-628-0888 or by logging onto www.ticketmaster.com. For more on the Puyallup Fair, go to www.thefair.com.Finally, if you'll like to take up the mic instead, MySpace launched its karaoke site today. Upload your version of your favorite star's song, or your own, at ksolo.myspace.com. The most popular recordings are categorized at the top and include a Britney spoof, "Oops I Farted Again."

Marian Liu: 206-464-3825 or mliu@seattletimes.com