Dwight Yoakam brings country love to the Moore
Published 1:30 am Friday, January 13, 2017
One of country’s most acclaimed voices will saunter into the Moore Theatre in Seattle this weekend.
Dwight Yoakam — a man who has helped keep honky-tonk alive for more than 30 years — will play the venue at 8 tonight, Jan. 13.
Yoakam’s an odd artist, a man who has won appeal with both traditionalists and hipsters during his long-running career. Chalk that up to some solid decisions early in his career.
While his sound has always been indebted to Tennessee, he first made a mark not in Nashville, but in Los Angeles, playing clubs in the 1980s that also hosted buzzed-about punk rock acts.
Then, after winning a record contract, his hot streak found him going platinum with cleverly titled discs that displayed a rebel streak, including “Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.,” “Just Lookin’ for a Hit” and “Hillbilly Deluxe.”
His LA connections led to an equally appreciated career as a character actor. He’s appeared in an odd mix of movies, from cult hits like “Crank” to prestige thrillers like “Panic Room” to blockbuster comedies like “Wedding Crashers.”
But his first love remains country. He’s touring now behind his 2016 album, “Swimmin’ Pools, Movie Stars…,” yet another disc that’s finger-picking good.
Tickets are $39.50 to $59.50 at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.
A local favorite also is coming to town, as Vicci Martinez plays an intimate show at Seattle’s Tractor Tavern at 7:30 tonight, Jan. 13.
A native of Tacoma, Martinez first made a splash on NBC’s singing competition “The Voice” in 2011. That show found her finishing in joint third place. It also gave her a chance to team with her coach, Cee Lo Green, on a cover of “Love is a Battlefield.”
Her stint on that show helped demonstrate her pop prowess, influencing her subsequent major label album, 2012’s “Vicci.” That disc included possibly her most popular song to date, “Come Along.”
She’s touring now behind her self-released 2015 album, “I Am Vicci Martinez.”
Tickets are $16.50 at ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000.
Genre-defying act the Bad Plus also are headed to Seattle, headlining the Neptune Theatre at 8 p.m. Jan. 19.
The group, a trio of musicians from the Midwest, first played together in 1990 but didn’t release a debut album until a decade later.
That disc, alternately referred to as a self-titled album and as “Motel,” set the template for the group’s musical-blender approach to music, melding jazz and pop. The disc included both original songs and covers of Nirvana and Abba.
Subsequent discs continued that trend, with the group often lending their distinctive style to covers of critically lauded rock acts and pop favorites alongside their own compositions.
The band is touring now behind the 2016 instrumental album, “It’s Hard,” which included the band’s take on Peter Gabriel and Cyndi Lauper songs, among others.
Tickets are $23.50 at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.
And finally, folk singer Dar Williams will be joined by an unlikely guest as the folk singer makes a stop at Seattle’s Triple Door. She’ll play shows at 5 and 8 p.m. Jan. 15.
Williams has won wide acclaim and a devout following with her sharp lyrics and 1960s-influenced sound that has won her comparisons to Joan Baez. She’s touring now behind the 2015 release of “Emerald.”
She’ll be joined by Sherman Alexie, a National Book Award winner, who will be giving a special reading during the show.
Tickets are $35 at tripledoor.net.
