By Jonathan Zwickel
Special to The Seattle Times
PREV of NEXT
MINORU TSUYUKI
Ghost bandleader Masaki Batoh playing a sho, a free-reed instrument. The group, which plays the Crocodile tonight, experiments with combinations of instruments and sounds.
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Ghost: myspace.com/ghostjapanpsych
Iron and Wine: myspace.com/3qubed
Maybe it's a Buddhist thing: Right now, the Japanese are doing psychedelic rock better than anyone.
Ghost is a forerunner, a 25-year-old collective that's experimented with almost every type of music imaginable, on almost every imaginable instrument, to come up with some truly unimaginable combinations. Think the soundtrack to "Braveheart" — all bagpipes and hoop drums, rallying before an epic battle — filtered through a cheap radio on a windy beach. Or a serene flute melody that segues into a Jefferson Airplane-ish lysergic jam session. Or a dude with just an acoustic guitar and Japanese accent singing about the sun.
As conceived by bandleader Masaki Batoh, Ghost's music is not for the close-minded.
Seattle is fortunate in its Pacific Rim setting. In the past year, we've hosted Acid Mothers Temple and Boredoms; now Ghost completes the unholy trinity of Japanese psych-rock masters. They come to The Crocodile as a six-piece improv troupe on their first U.S. tour, after swearing off America until after President Bush left office. Added bonus: Six Organs of Admittance open. The long-standing, prolific project of recent Seattle transplant Ben Chasny, Six Organs of Admittance offers an equally mystical foil to Ghost. Expect the unexpected. The show is tonight at The Crocodile (8 p.m.; $10).
More must-see shows this week:
Tonight
In all of 20th-century music, few works reach the sublime heights of Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana." There's nothing subtle about this barrage of orchestral and choral music — its scope is epic, its pacing cathartic, its lyrics in Latin. Hollywood has long felt "Carmina Burana's" blockbuster gravitas: Its opening movement, "O Fortuna," appears in films as varied as "The Omen," "Excalibur," "The Doors" and "Natural Born Killers." Tonight the Seattle Peace Chorus — 65 singers strong — plus the Western Washington University Orchestra will wallop Town Hall with the full 90-minute performance. It starts at 8 p.m. ($13-$17).
Sunday
Still kicking at 90 years old, Pete Seeger is an American treasure. He gave us "Turn, Turn, Turn," "If I Had a Hammer" and, indirectly, Bob Dylan. All his humble, hardworking life, Seeger has only wished for the whole world to sing. This daylong "hootenanny" (dubbed For Peet's Sake: Sing!), celebrates his birthday at West Seattle's stately Admiral . Theatre. It kicks off at 4 p.m. with a screening of the 2007 documentary "Pete Seeger: The Power of Song," followed by a nine-piece collective of Seattle musicians playing Seeger songs and selections from the American folk songbook. Don't go if you're not ready to sing along (concert at 7 p.m. Sunday, $10; film at 4 p.m. Sunday, $8; combo ticket, $15).
Monday and Tuesday
• You remember the line from "Garden State": "This song will change your life," etc. Well. The Shins are fine, really, but if your life is so humdrum that the Portland indie-pop darlings are a revelation, you need to get out more. The Shins' two shows at the Showbox is a good call — last time in Seattle their sound was swallowed up by the Paramount. They play with Delta Spirit (8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday; sold out).
• With the 2002 release of Iron and Wine's "The Creek Drank the Cradle," Sub Pop launched its current quieter, gentler regime (and its concurrent fascination with beards). Sam Beam's former bedroom-folk project remains a favorite among the label's next generation. To support a new double album of rarities and unreleased B-sides, Beam is playing 10 shows across the country for which fans dictated the set lists (voting at www.ironandwine.com closed in March). Iron and Wine plays Monday at Vera, Tuesday at the Triple Door. Both venues are well-suited to Iron and Wine's tranquilized balladry (and both shows are sold out).
Wednesday
Decibel Festival continues to prove that the electronic music is equally at home on the dance floor or concert hall. Leading up to its sixth annual incarnation this summer, the fest presents its first Decibel Festival Fundraiser Gala at the Triple Door. $50 gets you in, $25 of which supports the festival; the rest is applicable to the Wild Ginger dinner and cocktail menu. Downtempo dreamscapers Helios and Rena Jones, both from Portland, top the bill (also with Lusine and Kelly Wyse, 7 p.m. Wednesday).
Jonathan Zwickel: zwickelicious@gmail.com
