MEET AN ASTRONAUT: NASA celebrates it's 50th anniversary and sends astronaut Clay Anderson to Seattle! Anderson will throw the first pitch at tonight's Seattle Mariners game against the Minnesota Twins. Don't expect to stay in your seat, as Anderson will be signing autographs on level 300 at the top of the second inning. 1:40 p.m. // Safeco Field, 1250 1st Ave S // $7-$73 MIDWEST, HARDCORE RAP: TECH N9NE sports fierce, personal rhymes, hard beats......

If you're planning on hitting up Sub Pop's three-day 20th anniversary celebration, you best be getting those tickets now. Friday's comedy extravaganza at the Moore (featuring funnymen David Cross, Patton Oswalt, Eugene Mirman, and Todd Barry) just sold out, and tix to Saturday's event at Marymoor Park are long gone. That leaves you with two options for Sub Pop-related revelry this weekend: the Gutter Twins and Brothers of the Sonic Cloth at the Showbox Saturday......

Tonight, Das Llamas celebrate their new album Class Wars: K-12 at the Comet. The local rock fourpiece stomp out a little bit of everything, from synthy no-wave punk to dirty electro rock, offering up "a platypus of sound that is a new noise in a new era." Tonight is also the second of three shows (in three nights) for the CD release of Sounds from the Seattle Underground, care of the good folks at NadaMucho.......

Love it or hate it, there's no denying the commercial success of Kidz Bop. A big hit with the kids, as well as their parents, the family-friendly Kidz Bop series has sold 10.5 million CDs in the past seven years, no small feat in the dying music industry. And to think, all they're doing is taking pop songs (sometimes current, sometimes retro) and adding incredibly chipper kids' vocals to the mix. Now Kidz Bop is......

The following is a contest from our sponsor, Joe Jackson's Rain. Recorded with the rhythm section that accompanied him on the classics Look Sharp and I’m the Man, Joe Jackson returns with Rain. In classic Jackson style, Rain is full of humor, swing, sophistication, barbed social commentary...and those perfect songs. Rain is already seeing acclaim from everyone from Paste to Stereogum to USA Today. Catch Joe Jackson’s tour as it lands in Seattle on Sunday,......

Yeah, and it's not just Ani DiFranco, which would be fine with us. We're pretty fond of the solo singer/songwriter thing, particularly when the artist in question can write intellectual poetics and redefine the way their instrument is played. But considering she's touring these days with a killer backup band made up of Todd Sickafoose, Allison Miller, and Mike Dillon, we're kind of looking forward to this show. We're even willing to miss this week's......

Paul Weller may be MIA, but the rest of his first band play the Moore tonight under the moniker From the Jam. Or head to the Showbox to pump your fists with Cinder Road and Tesla. Actually, this show (along with the tour's upcoming dates in Portland, Spokane, and Boise) has just been postponed, due to inclement weather and road closures. Tonight's sold-out show has already been rescheduled to Sunday, March 9th at Showbox SoDo.......

The historic Moore Theatre turns 100 this year. December 28th is their big centennial celebration. We got to thinking about this major milestone the last time we were there. It was last Monday night, the Iron and Wine show. We were sitting in our seats, waiting for razor-shy Sam Beam to take the stage and we got to looking around. As always we were impressed by the high ceiling, grand arches, intricate moldings... Then we......

Some people take to relationships like a cat to water. The Swell Season's Glen Hansard sounds nice enough, friends all over Dublin, bit of a hippie -- but give him a girlfriend's ear and he's prone to red-faced verbal jabs, depressed miseries, and emotional archery. He can't keep up, or won't try.We made a choice and we knew we would pay / for stealing the joy and trying to escape / from the arms of......

Last Friday's Broken Social Scene show was a mixed bag. On the one hand, the collective played the songs we love so very very much from their back-catalog along with the new material from their latest output, Kevin Drew's Spirit If and sounded great despite Drew's obvious illness. On the other hand, the show was at The Moore, which had some obvious drawbacks. Full rundown after the jump.......

Like our high school hero Dan Zanes, we prefer to share "all ages" music with our toddler instead of mind-numbing "children's music." While we are not bumpin' to tales of Jay-Z's unfortunate experiences with his lady friends in various high-priced vehicles, neither are we interested in musical lessons on counting, going potty, and naps. And just taking kids-themed music and applying the trappings of an edgier genre doesn't fool us. That's why we're hoping the......

Cirque Dreams @ The Moore Theatre Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm // Ticketmaster $29-$49 (plus fees) Who doesn't love a circus? Maybe dead people. They might not like the hustle and bustle. The guy next to us was in his forties, in a suit, and kept pointing out things to his date, exclaiming, "Oh, no way!" Most of the rest of the audience was pre-teen or just-teen. We developed a strange craving for......

CIRCUS: Cirque Dreams presents a "Jungle Fantasy," which has nothing to do with Spike Lee. Aerialists, contortionists, vine-swinging characters, strong men and balancers perform in this touring production featuring "special effects, inventive choreography, puppeteering, and dazzling costumes." If you saw Cirque Ingenieux the last century, it's like that, sort of Soleil-lite: a Euro-flavored, theatrical setting for performers much more flexible and coordinated than you've ever dreamed a human being could be. It's "big-top spectacle"......

Seattlest has an undeniable soft spot for foxy ladies on piano. There's just something genuine and fun and intriguing about the whole scene. Which is why we'll be skipping merrily to The Moore tomorrow night for Regina Spektor. 8pm // The Moore // Tix still available. $20 - $26. SOLD OUT. There's always Craig's List. Show opener Only Son should be fun too. Frontman Jack Dishel played lead guitar for The Moldy Peaches as well......

We are looking forward to seeing Dan Zanes & Friends at The Moore this Saturday with our two-year-old daughter. To get ready for the show, Seattlest spoke with Dan via telephone today about music, kids, and kid's music. We were big fans of his 80's band, the Del Fuegos, when we were in high school and are even bigger fans of his new "all ages" homespun folk-fun-rock. There’s been a lot going on with......

BOOKS: Suze Orman, Seattlest's unofficial accountant from television is at the Central Library tonight. Mrs. Seattlest refuses to acknowledge that her name is pronounced "Susy." 12:30pm (whoops, already missed this one // Microsoft Auditorium/Central Library // free MOVIES: Roll your own double feature at the Crest tonight. Blood Diamond and Casino Royale are both there, but don't do that thing where you pay for one show and watch like eight movies. Actually, you'll have to......

"Patty Griffin" and "Rock This Town" aren't generally two phrases that go together easily. But, as tree-hugger, festival-going folk fans, by "rock," we generally mean "musically woo," or "melodically enthrall." Which is exactly what Patty Griffin does on her latest album, Children Running Through. The CD is full of parables and gospel songs, inspired by Griffin's inner child and intense memories of childhood events. She attacks each song with the wide-eyed anticipation and wonderment......

Because we don't go out on school nights and we need to plan... SATURDAY: In addition to talks and tours, you and the kids can see live demonstrations of wood carving, drum-making, and weaving at the Opening Day Celebration for In the Spirit of the Ancestors, the Burke Museum's new exhibit of contemporary Northwest Coast Native art. 10:30am-4pm // Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture // All Ages // $8 general; $5 kids 5+;......

SNOW: Alpental got 4 inches at the base Saturday while we were up there, and the snow was light, with plenty of wind fill if you know how to seek out the good spots. We were jealous of our friends staying up in Lot 3, whose alarm clock this morning was the rumbling, gun-shot sounds of avalanche blasting. All day // Your favorite resort // It ain't cheap DANCE: The New York Times once......

SPELLING: Rarely does an adult get to display a skill so mundane as spelling, and rarer still does an adult have an opportunity to engage in feats of spelling in front of an audience and within the context of a competition, but tonight at the Re-bar is just such an opportunity. We're still in negotiations withe the Re-bar rules committee to see if Seattlest's spelling stand-in FireFox 2.0 is eligible to compete. 7pm // Re-bar......

Wednesday, January 3 >>> The Intelligence at Chop Suey. We're still waiting for a new album from these local guys - hopefully one that's more Google-able than their 2005 Icky Baby. This show also includes Partman Parthorse and our personal faves the Pleasureboaters. 8pm; $6. 21+ Thursday, January 4 >>> Kled at the High Dive. Tonight's lineup boasts some of our favorite band names in town, including A Gun that Shoots Knives and We......

Here's to the ice melting away because there are some good shows this week. Tuesday 28th >>> Cat Power at the Showbox. Chan Marshall plays the piano and sings. Our heart breaks. That's just how it is. She's on NPR, too. *mp3: The Greatest 8pm doors; tickets $30 at the door. >>> The Lemonheads at The Crocodile. Evan Dando's spent the last few years focusing on drugs solo work, but now he's brought back......

Watching Batsheva Dance Company of Israel at The Moore. The New York Times tells you it is unlike any other dance you have seen, and not in that icky "experimental/performance art" kind of way. 7:30pm; $36.50 "plus fees." Listening Amiina at Chop Suey. Thanks to sponsorship from Iceland Naturally, this show is FREE, bringing a group most famous for their opening and support tours with Sigur Ros. You know you like Sigur Ros, and while......

These cold nights we've been having really take us back to when we were kids and we had to ruin our awesome Halloween costumes with coats and bulky sweatpants to keep warm. The kids are out there working hard this Halloween night, so don't be an ass. Cough up the candy. Tuesday 31st, Halloween Night >>>"Devo Tribute Night" at Chop Suey. Teeth and Hair, The Pleasureboaters, The Torn ACLs, A Gun That Shoots Knives.........

Wednesday 25th >>> Cut Chemist and Lyrics Born at Neumo's. If Cut Chemist's contributions to Ozomatli are a highlight of your personal musical history, Seattlest will buy you a drink. We're just praying that Lyrics Born actually has some new material this time around, sheesh. 8pm; $18 adv/$20 door. Pigeon John opens and it's all ages, shorties. >>> Ziggy Marley at The Showbox. Bob's best-looking son does reggae just like daddy. 8pm; $30 adv/$32......

Here's a special Saturday post, to alert you about the Spectrum Dance Theater double bill, The Miraculous Mandarin / Petruchska; the last show is tonight at 8:00pm at The Moore Theatre. Tickets are $24.50-$29.50 (plus TM fees). SDT Artistic Director Donald Byrd is known for taking contemporary dance in unusual narrative directions. This is a frank exploration sex and violence: a remarkable variety of sexual positions and acts of violence. Be warned: Byrd says......

Now that there's a chill in the air, Seattlest has taken to closing our windows at night before curling up in a warm bed with some hot cocoa and earplugs. That's right, it's officially the fall tour season, and there's live music galore. Behold! Tuesday 19th >>> The Silverback at Fuel in Pioneer Square. No one's ever heard this band, because this show represents the first time The Silverback will bring their downtempo electronic......

Tuesday 8th >>> The Blackpool Lights at El Corazon. Made up of parts of the Get Up Kids, Creature Comforts, and Ultimate Fakebook. 7pm; $10 >>> Manchester at Victrola on 15th Ave. "Pseudo-British" "indie folk pop" who sound a bit like more cheerful "Decemberists." 8pm; free. All ages. >>> Molly Rose with Pablo Trucker and J. Wong at the Green Room (at the Showbox). Victrola's own Molly Rose takes her singer/songwriter skillz downtown, with......

Jack White and The Raconteurs brought their anecdotal "A" game to a sold out Moore Theatre Thursday night. The crowd was remarkably less shiny than our original assessment (we were waiting for the lone drunk "Bic lighter" lady in front of us to actually light her hair on fire); but we still love our Rock shows at The Moore. Jack White and Brendan Benson had great on-stage chemistry – whipping their inaugural Seattle audience......

This week's weather was beautiful, enough to justify Seattlest's first bbq of the year. But it's going to be a wet weekend, according to KOMO-TV's Scott Sistek. How will Seattlest keep dry? Read on... Ronald plans a weekend excursion to Snoqualmie to help a colleague move her office overseas and get his hands on various electronics that won't work where she's going. An ideal opportunity to try out Flexcar's new keycard system. Then home to......