Christmas must be getting close — it’s time for the annual Jingle Ball.
The show, hosted by 106.1 KISS-FM, will bring some of the hotter names in pop to Seattle’s WaMu Theater. The fun starts at 4 p.m. Sunday.
This year’s show includes headliner Calvin Harris, along with Cher Lloyd, Owl City, Alex Clare, 3Oh!3, Ed Sheeran and Afrojack.
Harris is possibly the most successful name on the bill — he may not be a household name, but his songs are hard to avoid. The Scottish electronica artist produced Rihanna’s multi-platinum track “We Found Love” in 2011, and followed that up with a hit of his own, “Feel So Close,” which reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Cher Lloyd, meanwhile, is another import from the United Kingdom. The pop-rapper signed with Simon Cowell’s label after impressing the judges on the British version of “The X Factor.” Her debut album, “Sticks and Stones,” debuted at No. 9 earlier this year.
And then there’s Owl City. The soft-hearted electro-pop music of that act has made plenty of teens swoon. Owl City’s latest album, “All Things Bright and Beautiful,” hit No. 6 on the charts.
Tickets for the Jingle Ball are $53.55 at ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000.
Other shows coming to the area in the coming week showcase bands that are a little bit farther outside the mainstream.
Let’s start with the Mountain Goats, who will headline the Showbox at the Market at 7 p.m. Monday.The group, led by John Darnielle, has slowly turned more and more heads since releasing its debut in 1995.
The group’s newest album, “Transcendental Youth,” reached No. 89 on the Billboard 200. That may be small potatoes to someone like Calvin Harris, but the chart position — the group’s best ever — is further evidence of the group’s continually growing cult following.
Like past efforts, the band’s new album featured another batch of literary-minded songs and breathless singing from Darnielle who — at least according to the New Yorker — is one of the better liver performers out there.
Tickets are $24 at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.
The Showbox at the Market also will host the Classic Crime at 7 p.m. Saturday.
The Seattle-based group released its first three albums on the Christian rock label Tooth &Nail before deciding to strike out on its own.
Well, sort of on its own.
It funded its fourth album, this year’s “Phoenix,” by staging a campaign on the Internet fundraising website Kickstarter.com. The group wound up raising more than $85,000, allowing it to self-release the album.
Tickets are $12.50 at showboxonline.com or 888-929-7849.
While the Classic Crime often gets labeled as a Christian rock band, the same can’t be said, oddly, of Lamb of God. That metal band actually started out under the name Burn the Priest, a name more in line with the group’s bristling attack of guitars and drums.
Lamb of God will play the Showbox SoDo at 6 p.m. Sunday.12.16
The band, which boasts of its take on pure American death metal, now is touring behind its seventh studio album, “Resolution,” which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. The album marked the group’s third record in a row to crack the top 10, an estimable feat for any act.
Tickets are $37.50 at showboxonline.com or 888-929-7849.
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