Who will triumph as the West Coast champion of the DMC turntablist competition tonight? And--perhaps even more interesting--what interesting tricks of the turntablist trade will he or she bring to the tables? 206 Zulu somehow finagled to host the left coast heat of the international championships here in Seattle, at the Vera Project. The only kind of scratching Seattlest does personally is of the "where it itches" variety, and DJs from all over the West......

Don't call it a comeback, but the Cherry Poppin' Daddies have a new album out (Susquehanna) after a nearly ten-year hiatus. The '90s swing revival band plays two shows tonight at the Triple Door. Seems like local quartet Lucy Bland play a show every weekend. Tonight the blip-happy electro-pop band are at the Comet, and coming up at the High Dive, they're on the bill for the one of the many Noise for the Needy......

READING: This weekend, 2008 Seattle Reads author Dinaw Mengestu is making the rounds to the city's libraries to read from The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears. This novel about immigrant life in D.C. has gotten so much love from so many corners that we're kind of ashamed we haven't read it already. If you don't want to purchase this book, sign up now on the Holds list at the library: we're currently Hold #424.......

Things are pretty dead, what with all the local music folk in Austin. Here's your limited options: Saturday night, everybody's favorite Portland country-blues-punkabilly duo Hillstomp brings their buckets and slide guitar to the Tractor for what's sure to be a rambunctious rainy night in Ballard. Sunday night, Manchester Orchestra (neither from Manchester, nor an orchestra) plays Neumo's. We could not give a good goddamn about the other three bands on the bill (including headliners Say......

Oops! Taxi in Denny Ave Window, photo by Abbey of Seattlest Seattlest spotted this taxi, that had made its way into a store window on Denny Avenue, when leaving the VERA Project last night. We're not sure what store the cab exactly crashed into, but we certainly don't envy the business owner or the cab driver. Oops!......

Tonight, if you're not already going to the second sold-out Magnetic Fields show, there's still a few tickets left for John in the Morning at Night at Neumo's, with the Duke Spirit, the Voom Blooms, and Tulsa. There's also PWRFL Power's (aka Kaz Nomura) second CD release show at the Vera Project. Since Kaz won a slot at last year's Capitol Hill Block Party (via the Stranger's Block Star contest last spring), he also won......

This weekend, it's all about Friday and Saturday; Sunday is the Lord's day, so music is taking a night off. Tonight, there's another great Canadian band, Immaculate Machine, at the Vera Project. The pop trio features Kathryn Calder, who just so happens to be the New Pornographers' Carl (A.C.) Newman's niece. Way to keep it in the family. Meanwhile, the High Dive's got so-so-hot Chicago collective Scotland Yard Gospel Choir who, despite mountains of accolades,......

We've already mentioned this weekend's Pyramid Alehouse Snowed In Party, featuring the Presidents of the USA (tonight) and the Dandy Warhols (tomorrow). Tonight, there's also Black Dice bringing their wall o' noise to the Vera Project. A lot of shows tomorrow night, starting with MTV-buzzworthy Minus the Bear, along with Helio Sequence and Grand Archives, at the Showbox. There's also Seattlest's favorite kick-ass female foursome the Trucks at the High Dive, and the lush pop-folk......

Ravens & Chimes [myspace] have been artist of the day on Spin, and you've heard them on John in the Morning. Their new album, Reichenbach Falls, "dropped" last month. They are hot. Two Ravens, Abe Pollack and Brittany Anjou, are Seattle types. Pollack went to U Prep, Anjou's a Roosevelt grad. Word! We emailed Pollack some questions, he emailed back answers. 1) How did you end up in Brooklyn? I moved to New York six......

Friday night is jam-packed with music: local bad boys Pleasureboaters' all-ages CD release at the Vera Project, Justice's Jesus house party at Neumo's, and "an intimate solo performance and screening of the live concert DVD Circle of Friends" with old-timer Bob Mould at Chop Suey. Our money's on the punk-blues of Hillstomp at the Tractor. Or head to the Croc for the psych-punk-blues of the Black Lips, who were just on Conan a couple days......

Fall--and yes, we think we can say it's now officially fall--is a great season for concerts. Yet another good one this weekend is an all-ages affair, with Port Angeles' own The Lonely H celebrating their second record release tonight at the Vera Project (7:30pm, with Model Photographer and Don't Tell Sophie, $7). The band's comprised of five teens just outta high school, but don't let that negatively influence your opinion of them. The guys......

Finally, someone else sees things our way. Like peanut butter and jelly, there has been one natural combination longing to be put together: having a beer and thinking about your favorite insurance company. Thank God Online providers Esurance have stepped up to the plate. Meshing together insurance needs with scenester whoredom, that's right, this year it's the Esurance Capitol Hill Block Party. The Esurance Capitol Hill Block Party is a huge, two-day explosion of......

Seattlest doesn't listen to Christopher Lydon's new radio show, Open Source, as often as we'd like. We rarely have the radio on at 9:00 p.m., but we do download their podcast. But we like to keep an eye on their production blog and suggest-a-show threads. We noticed this morning that they'll be in town next week to attend a new media conference. And they're looking for Seattle-based story ideas: So: what are the burning issues......

Like jazz, DJ-oriented music actively fosters the idea of the remix, artists stripping a song to its essence before building it into a new whole. The best remixes blend the characters of both the original producer and remixer, resulting in a track that's neither here nor there, but both at the same time. Tonight's ArRange performance at McCaw hall remixes the concept itself, with some of the most influential producers of the last 40 years......

Poor little kittens who've lost their mittens, as well as pubgoers who've drunkenly or boneheadedly left sweaters, scarves, who knows what behind: now's your chance to buy it back. Sunday afternoon at the Mirabeau Room you can peruse Lost & Found, a collection of items left behind at Seattle nightspots, and snap up (possibly smelly) bargains. All proceeds go to the VERA Project and the William Booth Center. Sunday, July 10, 1-6 pm The......

The Showbox just added two David Cross dates to its May calendar. May, 20 and 22 Cross will be participating in the Vera Project's fundraiser "A Drink For Kids." The Friday show on the 20th will feature Cross with comedians Todd Barry and Jon Benjamin with musical guest The Thermals. The comedians return to the Showbox on Sunday where they'll be accompanied by The New Pornographers. The Vera Project's "A Drink for the Kids" fundraiser......

Sometimes after a hard week at work, we turn on some Iron & Wine or Simon & Garfunkel and kick up our feet. Other weeks, we like to crank the Loverboy's "Everybody's Working for the Weekend" and RAWK. If you are in more of a Loverboy kind of mood and are looking for some sloppy rock that'll make you spill your beer (or perhaps a glass of refreshing orange juice) as you move on the......