DjangoFest Northwest at the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts in Langley is still several days from opening night but the festival is already on its way to a successful fifth season.
The festival honoring the the gypsy-jazz style made famous by the late Django Reinhardt starts Wednesday, a day earlier than last year, and runs until Oct. 2.
But it’s already too late to buy tickets for many shows, so you’re best bet is Wednesday night’s four-band performance and the three bands on Thursday night.
The festival also offers workshop opportunities to learn from musicians.
Brothers Past: One of the most interesting independent acts in the nation, with its twist on progressive rock and electronica combined with emotion, plays tonight in Seattle. The cover of “This Feeling’s Called Hoodbye” features four illustrated men with X’s over their eyes and in the captions over their heads. While they may not be able to see or communicate clearly, they’re bleeding hearts are still open and vulnerable.
Puyallup Fair: Country music stars Lee Ann Womack (tonight), Brad Paisley (Saturday) and Hilary Duff (Sunday) are the headliners in the last week of the state fair.
David Lee Howard, Woodrush: Lake Stevens’ Howard is settling in after his German tour. The solo acoustic 12-string guitarist has turned out eight CDs in the last decade. He’ll perform tonight at Espresso Americano Everett. The vocal acoustic duo Woodrush (Kelly Shirey, Jim Castaneda) play Saturday at the Everett coffeehouse at the Everett Public Library, blending guitar, bass and vocals.
Rodney Crowell: He brings his high-octane Nashville rockers and a five-week-old genre-crossing album (“The Outsider”) to Seattle Thursday. The singer-songwriter can bounce from garage rock to Nashville sounds to a punkishness in the same evening.
Pierre Bensusan: The Frenchmen returns to the U.S. with his 10th album (“Altiplanos”), including an appearance in Seattle on Tuesday. His sonic guitar portraits (although this time with a couple of vocal tunes) include slices of American folk, Celtic, Middle Eastern music, jazz and Latin.
Jim Hall, Scott Colley: NEA Jazz Master and guitarist Hall teams with bassist Scott Colley in a rare joint performance Saturday in Seattle. The legendary Hall continues to stay well within jazz tradition while finding new ways to express himself. With Colley, they’ll explore the essence of jazz melody.
Scott Andrew: A mainstay on the Seattle singer-songwriter circuit, Andrew hosts an acoustic birthday party tonight with grassrock band Creeping Time, acoustic duo Hot Laundry and bad-boy rockers Nightheart. He’s released four CDs, with a fifth on its way in 2006.
Where to hear it
DjangoFest Northwest. Various times Wednesday-Oct. 2 in Langley; $12 for Wednesday’s concerts, $16 for Thursday’s concerts; 800-638-7631, 360-221-8268, www.wicaonline.com, www.djangofest.com.
Brothers Past. 10 tonight, Nectar, 412 N. 36th St., Seattle; $6; 206-632-2020.
Puyallup Fair. Lee Ann Womack, 7 tonight, $15; Brad Paisley, 7 p.m. Saturday, $33.50; Hilary Duff, 3 p.m. Sunday, $52.50, $57.50; 206-628-0888.
David Lee Howard, Woodrush: Howard, 7 tonight; Woodrush, 7 p.m. Saturday, Espresso Americano, Everett Public Library, 2702 Hoyt Ave.; free; 425-259-3492.
Rodney Crowell: 9 p.m. Thursday, Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle; $20, $23; 206-628-0888.
Pierre Bensusan. 8 p.m. Tuesday, Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle; $20; 800-965-4827.
Jim Hall, Scott Colley. 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Triple Door, 216 Union St., Seattle; $25, $28; 206-838-4333.
Scott Andrew. 9 p.m. tonight, Conor Byrne, 5140 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle; $5; 206-784-3640.
Elsewhere …
Green Day: Punk rockers are back with an old-school rock opera, “American Idiot.” 8 p.m. Sept. 26, Tacoma Dome; $39.50, $45; 206-628-0888.
Nine Inch Nails: Singer/multi-instrumentalist Trent Reznor continues as heart and soul of the industrial band with this year’s chart-topper “With Teeth.” 7:30 p.m. Sept. 23, KeyArena, Seattle; $35, $45; 206-628-0888.
Robert Plant: Former Led Zeppelin frontman is happy with his garage band, his album “Mighty Rearranger,” and forays into Celtic ballads and North African rhythms. 7 p.m. Sept. 25, Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery, Woodinville; $59.50-99.50; 206-628-0888.
Sigur Ros: The trio’s 2001 album won the Shortlist Prize for Artistic Achievement in Music, and was named Iceland’s Best Album of the Century (was that the 20th or the 21st?). 8 p.m. Sept. 28, Paramount, 911 Pine St., Seattle; $25, $35; 206-628-0888.
Green Day/Jimmy Eat World: Punk band Green Day, which played last year in Everett, is back with Jimmy Eat the World perform at 8 p.m. Monday, Tacoma Dome, $39.50-$45, 206-628-0888.
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