HIS NAME IS SPIEGELMAN: Maus-keteer Art Spiegelman has a new graphic memoir out, Breakdowns: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@&*! The book "traces the artist’s evolution from a MAD-comics obsessed boy, to a neurotic adult examining the effect of his parents’ memories of Auschwitz on his own son." He's at Town Hall for what you'd hope is a multimedia "reading," otherwise it seems like, you know, the graphic part would be lost......

If you're not spending this weekend SIFFing or Sasquatching or otherwise out of town for the three-day weekend, there's plenty of live music for those who spend the holiday in Seattle. Tonight, instrumental Chicago rockers Pelican play the Showbox SoDo. No need to stay for headliners Thrice, just these guys: Or if you like your rock with more synthesizers, head to Nectar for the Presets.......

Seattlest has a new line of thinking on the stasis-problem exhibited by Seattle showgoers. Our new theory is that Seattle crowds aren't actually as lame as we once thought, they just have a lot of inertia. It takes a lot to get them going, but once they are, the new problem is getting them to stop. We thank The Rapture for giving us the inspiration for this new thinking, as Monday's performance and afterparty were......

Tuesday 7th >>> Foreigner at The Paramount. Be warned: whether you're cold as ice or hot-blooded, this is the kind of rock that leads to double-vision. *video: Urgent 8:00pm; $40-$150. The $150 includes a pre-show wine tasting and meet & greet. >>> Bonnie Prince Billy at The Tractor. Will Oldham has been keeping us at arm's length with the "Bonnie Prince Billy" moniker for years. We can pretend it isn't true, but it is.......

Admittedly, last night we were not expecting much from The Presets. Seattlest had already spent a great deal of our evening surrounded by dudes in baseball caps and girls who were trying too hard (thanks a lot, Scion), so we really weren't in the mood for a late night set at Chop Suey. We had heard good things about the Australian electro-rock duo and felt obligated to attend. But now we're glad we did:......

Another copious serving of live tunes (not to mention opportunities to leave your smelly apartment), courtesy of Seattlest. You can thank us later. Tuesday 26th >>> The Presets at Chop Suey. Between The Presets electro-rock and opening acts The Girls and No-Fi Soul Rebellion, this show can't help but to leave you in a sweaty heap by the end of the night. 9pm doors; $8 adv. 21+ >>> DJ Krush at Neumo's. Japan's DJ......