After a seven-year hiatus, the band Cake returned last month with a new album, “Showroom of Compassion,” which landed at the top of the Billboard 200.
The high ranking also came with a new low: The album set a record for the least number of CDs sold to reac
h the top mark on the charts.
For fans, though, the statistics don’t matter. What matters is that John McCrea is back.
Cake has been around for nearly two decades and its songs have been popular off-kilter hits on the indie scene, supported by the multi-instrumentalist Vince DiFiore.
Other band members are Xan McCurdy on lead guitar, Gabe Nelson on bass and Paulo Baldi behind the drums.
Cake may not be for everyone, but for those who like its brand of rock ‘n’ roll, its return to recording and touring is welcome news.
8 p.m. Saturday; The Moore Theatre, 1932 Second Ave., Seattle; $37.50; stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.
Tommy Emmanuel is a Grammy winner and one of Australia’s most respected musicians.
He’s a bit like Tuck Andress of Tuck & Patti fame, one of those legendary guitarists who can make a single instrument sound like a symphony.
Emmanuel’s career started when he was 4. His mom taught him guitar but it wasn’t until years later that guitar legend Chet Atkins encouraged the Aussie to try finger picking.
He’s played in rock bands and has written songs for the likes of Olivia Newton-John, Al Jarreau and Sheena Easton, but it’s his solo career that has earned him his place in music history.
He has a PBS series, “Sierra Center Stage,” plus Tommy’s Center Stage video has been featured on PBS stations around the country.
He was honored with Guitar Player Magazine’s most prestigious annual Guitar Legend award in 2009, as well as being named Thumbpicker of the Year for the second time. Most recently, Guitar Player’s 2010 Readers Choice awards named him Best Acoustic Guitarist for the second time.
8 p.m. Thursday; The Moore Theatre, 1932 Second Ave., Seattle; $33; stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.
Pete Escovedo is a legendary percussionist who broke the barriers between smooth jazz, salsa, latin jazz and contemporary music.
Born in 1935, he grew up in Oakland, Calif., playing Latin jazz. He toured with Carlos Santana in the ’70s and has appeared on stage with Tito Puente, Herbie Hancock, Anita Baker, Al Jarreau, Arturo Sandoval, Poncho Sanchez and Chick Corea.
His daughter, Shelia Escovedo, better known simply as Sheila E., joined her dad’s performances at 5 and knew immediately she’d be a percussionist. She’s toured on her own with some of the biggest names in popular music including Prince and recently directed and performed in “Fiesta Latina” at the White House. The father-daughter team, plus congo player Juan Escovedo, take the stage at Jazz Alley next week for four days. They’re joined by Joe Rotondi on piano, Michael Alvarado on guitar, Marc Van Wageningen on bass, Mario Gonzales on trumpet, Doug Beavers and Joel Behrman on trombone and Alex Murzyn on the saxophone and flute.
7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Thursday through Feb. 19; 7:30 only Jan. 20; Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave., Seattle; $26.50; www.jazzalley.com or 206-441-9729.
Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3447; jholtz@heraldnet.com.
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