Scene and Unheard: Hush Hush, Shy Girls, Secret Colors & more!

On any given weekend in Seattle there are a million amazing shows - from jazz at a coffee shop or theater, to a grunge show at a DIY space, to a major act at any one of our large venues. And maybe this weekend you want to try something new, maybe you heard one song by this small electronic, folk, grunge group, maybe it as on Audioasis, maybe it was from a friend, or maybe you're just tired of what you've been previously listening to. Luckily for you, as Audioasis has demonstrated over and over again, the PNW is ripe with local acts - and because we love the amazing diversity of venues, art spaces, producers, bookers, musicians, and talent, we're going to recommend a few. This week we have Hush Hush Night at Arabica Lounge, Shy Girls + Dutty Wilderness at Barboza, Secret Colors + White Poppy at Cairo, and Dreamsalon at Leather Lounge.

Thursday, June 13th:

Take your pick of electronic shows this Thursday - at Arabica Lounge KEXP's own DJ Alex aka DJ D'Nelski aka Alex Ruder has been hosting Hush Hush Night once a month for about the past year. Not only will this Thursday feature only night bus music, that languid, dreamy, heady electronic music - but the Seattle producer/master WD4D who we had on Audioasis last year will be throwing down as well. Recently he's been working with vocalist Jusmoni to create beautiful future R&B as heavy on dreamy layering and depth as they are on glitchy beats. Combine WD4D with the fact that the night is totally free, and you have possibly the chillest show this weekend. Check out Queen Feel below - featuring remixes by Kid Smpl, Keyboard Kid, and OCNotes among others.

Also Thursday:

One of Portland's best bedroom born acts right now is the slightly mysterious Shy Girls - the sultry R&B project of Dan Vidmar that's become a live septet to reproduce the 60s 70s saturated sound. Though he's only put out one EP - Sex in the City  - his track "Under Attack" has already drawn much attention as well as a remix by Chicago duo The Drum. Luckily for you, this whole set-up will be at Barboza on Thursday, supported by Dutty Wilderness aka Dilla-inspired Reed Juenger of Beat Connection, DJ Hojo of JK Pop!, and synth pop act SPORTS.

Friday, June 14th:

Speaking of bedroom born projects Secret Colors or the dreamy rippling project of Stephanie's Matt Lawson will be releasing his second album Days Off with a show at Cairo this Friday. So far we've seen "Kings," which bounces and builds to a subtle climax and makes me think of king of the schoolyard - an imaginative and lonely kid that vanquishes all while playing in the invented landscapes built within his mind. Secret Colors will be supported by one of my personal favorites, whose  first album I Had a Dream on Not Not Fun Records was so good it actually induced me to seek her out at 12PM in the afternoon at SXSW this year, White Poppy from Vancouver - who's use of the loop pedal is both dreamscape beautiful and tinkeringly insane (see video below).  In addition Vancouver's Queen Scott Johnson will play with his lazy ambient escapist tracks, and Seattle sonic noisemaker The Numbs will round out the night at Cairo.

Sunday June 16th:

If none of those shows sated you appetite for small local shows, here is probably the smallest of all this weekend - Dreamsalon, Fuzzy Cloaks, and Chest Cavity will play at the "Leather Lounge" this Sunday. I'm not totally sure what's going down with the BBQ portion of this show, but the easy to listen to again and again in that warped psychedelic wavering single-man project kind of way Dreamsalon and BBQ and playing alongside friends from Eugene and Seattle sounds like a good time.