Joan Jett and The Blackhearts w/ Eagles of Death Metal and Throw Rag
Wednesday, November 1 - 9pm
The Showbox- $25 / www.ticketswest.com

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts make a welcomed return to Seattle the day after Halloween. There once was a time in the music scene when women who really rocked could find mainstream success. Forget all the Avril's and Kelly's, Joan Jett puts them to shame even today when she commands a stage. The shag haircut is long gone, but the rock girl attitude is still in check and Jett and company put on a kick ass show!

By the time Jett was 15, she had started her first band in LA. They were discovered, signed to Mercury Records and released three albums as The Runaways. They found success abroad and locally in LA during the late 70s hard rock/punk scene. After breaking up in 1980, Jett formed her new band with The Blackhearts. Moving more towards mainstream than punk, but still staying true to rock and roll, the band created their hit single "I Love Rock and Roll" in 1981. Jett soared to stardom with this now-classic rock anthem.

It wouldn't be until the late 80s when the band would find their next top ten hit with "I Hate Myself for Loving You". Her career may have hit another slow period after that, but in the 90s it took another turn when a new generation of female rockers began finding success. Riot grrrl punk rockers like Bikini Kill and alternative hard rockers L7 began naming Jett and The Runaways as huge influences. Jett never made an issue of her gender; instead she did exactly what she loved to do, play rock and roll music - plain and simple. Finally getting the credit she deserved in the 90s, Jett found herself garnering critical acclaim with her album Pure and Simple.

Two previous Seattle shows brought out many of Jett's lesbian and gay fans. Let's face it, gay guys LOVE chicks who rock, and well, what lesbian doesn't love a rock chick? It's no wonder we've stayed devoted to Jett over the years. Get to the show early and grab a drink in the 21 and over section. Jett is going to blow your mind! Doors open at 8pm. - R. Kennedy

Pre-concert CD recommendations: I Love Rock and Roll Reissue, featuring "I Love Rock and Roll" and "Crimson and Clover." Also, try Fit To Be Tied: Greatest Hits, featuring "I Hate Myself For Loving You" and "Bad Reputation."

Sugarcult, The Pink Spiders, The Adored w/ All Time Low
Thursday, November 2 - 8pm
El Corazon - $13 / www.ticketswest.com

Rock bands come and go. But some actually stick around for a while. Three up and coming hopefuls with plans for a long-term stay, Sugarcult, The Pink Spiders and The Adored, have joined forces this fall on a quadruple-bill (All Time Low joins them) that lands at Seattle's El Corazon on Thursday night.

Sugarcult is an LA-based quartet with a bouncy punk s0und and lyrics that can be remembered hours after they've blasted through your stereo speakers or iPOD earphones. Hints of Linkin Park and Jimmy Eat World can be heard throughout their recent release Lights Out, although their music is less intense and dramatic, instead shooting in the direction of spirited and playful. Sugarcult, comprised of Tim Pagnotta (lead vocals, guitar), Marko 72 (guitar), Airin Older (bass) and Kenny Livingston (drums), sold 700,000 copies globally of their first two albums, 2001's Start Static and 2004's Powerlines and Palm Trees. The foursome's newest effort, the aforementioned Lights Out, is their best material to date. "Los Angeles", Sugarcult's heavy guitar-riffed ode to their sun-drenched homecity, is the catchiest track dedicated to »glamour town' this side of Sheryl Crow's "All I Wanna Do". Opening a large number of shows for Grammy-winning punk vets Green Day and taking center stage at the Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds music festivals, plus this summer's Warped Tour, Sugarcult is loaded with experience and should give a heck of a performance Thursday evening.

The Pink Spiders formed in Nashville just a few years ago, and have quickly charmed the pants off college students and alt rock revelers in country music's mecca. The trio takes an off-kilter approach to punk, combining retro 80s beats, spunky guitars and sex-charged lyrics, best described as The Cars on high voltage. Incidentally, The Cars' Ric Ocasek produced Teenage Graffiti, The Pink Spiders' major label debut. Band members Matt Friction (lead vocals, guitar), Jon Decious (bass) and Bob Ferrari (drums) once slept on NYC subways and donated plasma during tough times. Friction thinks he's damn hot, and he's absolutely right. The Adored is also based out of LA and its members are referred to on a first-name basis, Ryan (lead vocals), Drew (guitar), Max (bass) and Nat (drums). The quartet's sassy punk sound on 2004's self-titled EP made them an instant hit on the SoCal underground scene. They gained further popularity by touring with IMA Robot, Les Savvy Fav and the Futureheads. 2006 saw the release of A New Language, The Adored's full-length debut featuring "Tell Me Tell Me" and "Savage Youth".

Doors at the intimate, basement-like El Corazon (formerly Graceland) open at 7pm, with The Adored expected to go on stage first, followed by All Time Low (their label didn't send me any material, so I have no idea what they're like), The Pink Spiders and finally, Sugarcult. At just thirteen bucks, you can see a trio of awesome rising bands at a small club, plus you can sweat off those pounds from post-Halloween treats. - A. Rodriguez

Pre-concert CD recommendations: Lights Out by Sugarcult, Teenage Graffiti by The Pink Spiders, A New Language by The Adored.