Brat, Body Void, Bonginator, Tomb Ripper, Bonemass Some men just want to watch the world burn. Other folks? Well, to get a little Alfred Pennyworth on y’all, some of them just want to listen to the world burn. And that’s what doom metal bands like Body Void provide. The extremely heavy noise that the trio creates sounds like the end of the world. It’s a brutal and unforgiving mix of clashing drums, deep bass, thundering riffs and scream singing mixed to the back on tracks so that the vocal shredding feels like just another instrument of chaos. If listeners allow their minds to disconnect while listening to Body Void’s most recent album, Atrocity Machine, there’s almost a zen-like quality to the avalanche of aggressive noise after a while. Rather than fret about the end of the world, why not bask in it during Body Void’s gig at the Dipper?
CD Ghost, Bandit Train, August to August There’s an alluring sonic distance to the dark synth-heavy dream pop that Los Angeles duo CD Ghost produces, but it’s nothing compared to the literal distance the group has overcome. CD Ghost’s first LP (2022’s Night Music) was written during COVID times when Cody Han and Blake Dimas were split between LA and Beijing. And while they might’ve been on different continents, the guys always sounded on the same page. Mixing an atmospheric shoegaze feel with lush layers of melodic synths leads to a sound that ethereally washes over listeners in a cold wave of cool bliss. Armed with tunes from its new Vignette I & II EPs, CD Ghost looks to haunt the Big Dipper with mix CD-worthy tunes.
Matt Mitchell Music Co.: 'Obvious Euphoria' Album Release Show with The Holy Broke Matt Mitchell’s easy-going demeanor and casual folk charm are a lot sunnier than a lot of the topics he pens songs about. Such is the case on his newly released LP, Obvious Euphoria, which features folky Americana tunes about hard times breeding good songs (“Hourglass”), the depressive contraction of being lonely but not wanting to be around others (“Kerosene”) and a standout track about the downtrodden troubles at Spokane’s infamous Second and Division intersection (“Bootstrap Nation”). The album doesn’t feel gloomy though, and Mitchell has a bit more fun on rockin’ tracks about country music (“Country Gonna Kill Me”) and his own nomadic road dog lifestyle (“Captain Toyota”). While the album actually dropped in January, Mitchell is finally getting around to doing a proper full band release show at the Big Dipper
Uh Oh And The Oh Wells, Hayes Noble, Puddy Knife, Sick Pay Holiday Spokane isn’t exactly a musical destination for most (see: most bands deciding to not stop here on tours, closing venues, etc.), so it’s worth celebrating when rad musicians migrate to the Lilac City. This year’s standout in that category is Illinois transplant Hayes Noble. The young rocker absolutely rips things up on his 2023 debut, LP Head Cleaner, a collection of sharply produced, fuzzy shoegaze rock that calls to mind bands like Cloud Nothings, Japandroids and even early Nirvana. It’s probably the best Spokane album of the year… if you count it, since he released it before moving here. If you need to escape your relatives in town for the holidays, ducking out to the Big Dipper to catch Noble play as part of a loaded local rock bill is as good an excuse as any.
Dying Wish, Boundaries, Foreign Hands, Roman Candle Admittedly, the aggressive male energy prevents many folks from diving into the sonic world of metalcore. It’s understandable if dudes growl yelling at you over extremely heavy music is uncomfortable or triggering. But here’s an alternative: What if it’s a woman bellowing at you instead? Metalcore has a myriad of great groups with female vocalists, and Portland’s Dying Wish is one of the better ones. Led by Emma Boster’s vocal cord-fraying belting, the quintet thrashes with a brutal resolve but also isn’t afraid to shift into songs that combine the heaviness with a little bit of graceful delicateness (see: the recent single “Paved in Sorrow”). Expect an array of pummeling noise and plenty of tracks from the new album Symptoms of Survival when Dying Wish gets rowdy at the Big Dipper.