The biggest show of the week is also one of the smallest.
Pop star Vanessa Carlton will sneak into Seattle’s Tractor Tavern for an intimate show at 9 tonight.
Carlton is best-known for her pop hit “A Thousand Miles,” which topped the pop charts back in 2002 and remains a favorite today, racking up more than 50 million plays on Spotify so far.
The song set the template for Carlton’s music, a more approachable version of the piano-driven heart-on-sleeve songwriting of women like Fiona Apple and Tori Amos.
She hasn’t approached the same levels of success that she enjoyed with her early hit, although singles like “White Horses” and “Hands on Me” nonetheless made a mark on the charts. And her output has never truly wavered. She’s touring now behind her fifth album, “Liberman.”
Tickets for the 21-and-over show are $25 at ticketweb.com.
Langhorne Slim &the Law also will bring its earthy alt-country to Seattle in the days ahead, playing Neumos at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Slim’s sound has gotten a boost in recent years, with the track “The Way We Move” in particular gaining traction — the gritty and upbeat song was featured in the Paul Rudd/Tiny Fey comedy “Admission” and a Microsoft commercial.
That song was featured on the album of the same name, which saw release in 2012. Since then, the act has released a fifth album, “The Spirit Moves,” which again melded a bluegrass feel to its brand of indie rock. The album became the group’s first to nudge onto the Billboard 200, reaching No. 194.
Tickets are $16 at etix.com.
A pair of shows also will keep the Neptune Theatre in Seattle busy next week.
First up is a stop from Oh Wonder, which will play the Neptune at 8:30 p.m. Monday.
The duo, made up of Anthony West and Josephine Vander Gucht, has earned an audience on both sides of the Atlantic with atmospheric R&B-indebted pop.
The act made waves by putting its self-titled debut together in unique fashion. The pair set out to release a single a month for one year straight. The gimmick — along with the fact that the songs were pretty solid — helped turn Oh Wonder into a small viral success.
The act’s efforts, which put the spotlight on the overlapping vocals of the male-female duo, were collected on its self-titled debut, which saw release in September.
Tickets are $15 at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.
Then, at 8 p.m. Thursday, Ty Segall and the Muggers will play the Neptune.
Quickly becoming an indie-rock heavyweight, Segall has amazed fans and critics alike with his ability to funnel 1960s pop through a fuzzed-out garage rock sound.
That sound has become a steady presence thanks to Segall’s amazing production rate. In 2012 alone, he released three albums, and seems to be constantly partnering with like-minded rockers like Mikal Cronin or playing a part in another act as a side project.
He’ll hit Seattle just weeks before the release of “Emotional Mugger,” his first proper solo album since 2014’s successful “Manipulator.”
Tickets are $18.50 at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.
And finally, Tribal Seeds will bring its reggae-rock to the Showbox at 8 p.m. Thursday.
The San Diego-based act has been releasing albums for a decade now, with hit singles like “Dawn of Time” drawing on the feel-good vibes of Jamaica.
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