seattle
saturday 5
Man Man
Man Man are an instinctually autumn-sounding band. Their obsession with vintage and obtuse instruments, especially their staple Rhodes piano (sounds like a cross between a classic organ and a reverb-filled modern keyboard) and a cocktail of xylophones, synthesizers, horns and diverse percussion (everything from pots and pans to toy noisemakers, spoons, smashed plates and fireworks) sounds like a creepy fall afternoon with dried leaves blowing in the chilled wind. Their experimental indie rock lends itself as easily to hair-raising circus ballads as to manic mosh pits. 8 pm. Neumos. $18.
friday 4-sunday 6
Great Pumpkin Beer Festival
Ok, that's enough, world. It's barely October and the food market is already flooded with pumpkin spice. Coffee, tea, muffins, bagels, creamer, Jell-O and Pop Tarts—this seasonal food craze is more abundant than ever in 2013. Starbucks even offered its staple Pumpkin Spice Latte as early as August, during (duh!) Frappuccino season! Seattle's Elysian Brewing will feature more than 60 pumpkin flavored beers that are on trend this autumn from local breweries and from as far away as Belgium. Noon. Elysian Brewing. $25.
wednesday 9 Shovels & Rope
Crossing elements of Americana folk, southern gospel and rock, Charleston based Shovels & Rope play songs that sound as casual as an impromptu jam session. Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent's polished two-part melodies make for a full and robust sound from the duo who effortlessly capture a Neil Young-style simplicity with their team songwriting. Portland alt-country rockers Denver open. 8 pm. The Neptune. $18.
portland
wednesday 9
Geto Boys
It's been 22 years since Houston, Texas rappers Willie D, Scarface and Bushwick Bill made a name for themselves among peers like N.W.A. and Public Enemy with their 1991 hit, "Mind Playing Tricks on Me." It's also been that long since the group toured together. The trio regained notoriety in the late '90s when the cult-classic Office Space used two of their tracks on the film's soundtrack, including as a backdrop to a particularly memorable scene where business-casual clad cubical workers beat the shit out of a fax machine with a baseball bat. Damn, it still feels good to be a gangster. 7 pm. Hawthorne Theatre. $25-30.
