What better band for Presidents Day weekend?

  • By Andy Rathbun Herald Writer
  • Thursday, February 14, 2013 8:54am
  • LifeGo-See-Do

Would the Founding Fathers be proud?

Maybe, maybe not.

Over Presidents Day weekend, the alt-rock act the Presidents of the United States of America will play its annual hometown shows at the Showbox at the Market at 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The Seattle band has cultivated a loyal fan base with its off-center lyrics and high-energy guitar hooks.

The group got big in the mid-1990s thanks to songs like “Peaches,” which is about peaches, and “Lump,” which is about a girl who is, as they lyrics say, “lump.”

Follow-up albums didn’t result in the same kind of multiplatinum success as the group’s debut, but the Presidents didn’t fade away. It most recently scored a regional hit, “Mixed Up S.O.B.,” off its 2008 album, “These Are the Good Times People.”

Tickets are $20 at showboxonline.com or 888-929-7849.

While the Presidents traffic in silly lyrics, Coheed and Cambria have something more epic in mind.

The prog-rock group will headline the Showbox SoDo at 7 p.m. Tuesday, a few weeks after the release of its latest opus, “The Afterman: Descension.”

Like most of its albums, that record tells a story from the Amory Wars, a sci-fi tale crafted by frontman Claudio Sanchez, whose otherworldly lyrics have already spawned a comic book. A movie may be developed from his plotlines.

Sanchez’s elaborate songs have helped his group cultivate a cult audience, which reliably drives its albums into the top 10 on the Billboard 200.

Tickets are $29.50 at showboxonline.com or 888-929-7849.

Another act with a cult following, Eels, will play the Showbox at the Market at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Eels — which is mostly the work of one man, Mark Oliver Everett — scored a No. 1 rock hit, “Novocaine for the Soul,” in 1996. As far as the Billboard charts are concerned, that was his high water mark.

But the singer has gone on to release album after album, some on major labels, others on indie labels, filled with poppy hooks, quirky self-explorations and occasionally subversive wit.

Eels is now touring behind its latest album, “Wonderful, Glorious.” That record of new songs is available in a deluxe version that includes live tracks from a past Seattle show.

Tickets are $25 at showboxonline.com or 888-929-7849.

The Showbox at the Market also will host two dates by Feed Me, the electronica artist, at 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.

The shows — billed as Feed Me with Teeth — feature an elaborate light show synchronized to the music of UK producer Jon Gooch, who bases his beats in dub step and electro.

Tickets are $24.99 at showboxonline.com or 888-929-7849.

The Residents are coming through town, headlining the Neptune Theatre at 7 p.m. Thursday..

The idiosyncratic rock group is celebrating more than 40 years together, and age has inspired some changes. The Residents, famous for hiding the identities of its members, recently revealed the personas behind its music.

During its anniversary shows, fans can expect to hear music from throughout the group’s decades-long career, along with revealing stories told by lead singer Randy Rose.

Tickets are $27 at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.

Finally, Kris Allen, the American Idol winner, headlines the Tractor Tavern at 8 p.m. Sunday.

Allen has arguably been overshadowed by his competitor from that show’s 2009 season, Adam Lambert. Nonetheless, Allen has his fans. His sophomore album, “Thank You, Camellia,” hit No. 26 on the Billboard 200.

Tickets range from $15 to $50 at ticketweb.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.