By Andy Rathbun
Herald Writer
The scenic Gorge Amphitheater will be splashed in neon this weekend as it hosts some of electronica’s biggest names.
The Paradiso festival, which will be celebrating its fifth year running, will bring a stacked line-up featuring the favorites of EDM — electronic dance music — tonight and June 25.
While the full list of performers includes more than 60 acts, some names stand out, including Bassnectar, the Chainsmokers, Dillon Francis and Alison Wonderland.
Dillon Francis might be the biggest name of the moment, a producer whose biting sense of sarcasm coupled with his big beats has turned him into a star. Albums like “Money Sucks Friends Rule” and “This Mixtape Is Fire” were hits in 2014 and 2015 for the Los Angeles-based performer.
Bassnectar, meanwhile, is the elder statesman among the acts. Another DJ and producer, he started gaining steam at the turn of the millennium, going from a buzzed-about indie act into an electronica staple.
Newer acts like the Chainsmokers and Alison Wonderland also will draw crowds. The Chainsmokers, a pair of producers, hit it big with timely singles including “#Selfie” and “Kanye.” Alison Wonderland, an Australian DJ and producer, topped the electronica charts in 2015 with her album “Run.”
Tickets are $199 at ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000.
A batch of smaller shows on this side of the mountains, meanwhile, will host a diverse range of acts in intimate settings.
Rapper Curren$y might be the biggest name heading to town. The New Orleans-based artist will play the Nectar Lounge in Seattle at 8 p.m. June 26.
A one-time protégé of Lil Wayne, Curren$y has since made a name for himself with albums like “Weekend at Burnie’s” and “The Stoned Immaculate,” the latter of which hit No. 8 on the Billboard 200.
He’s touring now after the December release of “Canal Street Confidential,” a hit on the R&B and rap charts.
Tickets are $26 to $95 at ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000.
Ben Watt, half of the English act Everything but the Girl, is heading out on a solo tour, headlining Seattle’s Columbia City Theater at 8 tonight.
Watt might collect a bigger paycheck when playing with his other band, but his solo outings have also made a mark. He released his first album under his own name in the early 1980s, and managed to go to the top of the charts in the United Kingdom at that time.
Since then, he’s balanced his output between Everything but the Girl and his own work. He’s touring now behind “Fever Dream,” an album of personal, low-key alt-rock.
Tickets are $20 at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.
Birdy, another act hailing from England, will headline Neumos at 8 p.m. June 29.
The stage name of Jasmine van den Bogaerde, Birdy became a phenomenon overseas with her self-titled debut, which she released at age 15. That disc was mostly made up of covers. It included her stripped-down take on artists including Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver and the Postal Service.
She’s since turned to writing her own material. She’s touring now behind her third album, “Beautiful Lies,” which was met with warm reviews upon its release this March.
Tickets are $25 at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.
Finally, Andy Black will play the Showbox at 7:30 tonight as the frontman for the Black Veil Brides heads out on a solo tour.
Black’s debut solo album “The Shadow Side” saw release this May. It found him partnering with some other famous alt-rock frontman, including Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance and Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy.
Tickets are $15 to $22 at showboxonline.com or 888-929-7849.
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