Your week in Seattle music: Vanessa Carlton, Ty Segall and more

Expo 93

7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15, and 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16, at Cairo, 507 E. Mercer St., Seattle; $10 (www.templeofcairo.com).

North Capitol Hill boutique/gallery/music-venue-when-they-feel-like-it Cairo hosts this showcase of DIY music each January, and this year’s event skews far more heavily toward rock than past editions. Friday features hardcore band Smiling and post-punky trio Casual Hex; Saturday is headlined by Portland garage rockers Woolen Men.  

Girls That Shred

7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15, at the Vera Project, 305 Harrison St., Seattle; $10 (360-956-8372 or www.theveraproject.org). With Dude York, Ever So Android, Mommy Long Legs,Gutless

First things first: Shouldn’t it be “Girls Who Shred”? Relative pronouns aside, this show features a rock-centric group of female-inclusive bands—Dude York, Ever So Android, Mommy Long Legs and Gutless—benefitting Skate Like a Girl, an organization that focuses on women’s skateboarding and social justice.

Vanessa Carlton

8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15, at The Tractor Tavern, 5231 Ballard Ave. N.W., Seattle; $25 (206-789-3599 or www.tractortavern.com). With Skye Steele

One gets the sense that Vanessa Carlton is long past “1000 Miles,” her 2002 top-five hit turned early-aughts cultural signifier, and has entered a more mature place as a songwriter. The 35-year-old’s newer material is more assured and comfortable, with far fewer pop aspirations.

 

DJ Paypal

8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16, at the Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., Seattle; $10 (206-441-7416 or www.thecrocodile.com). With DJ Mastercard, 7777777, DJ NHK Guy

Footwork has moved far beyond its origins as a Chicago-based dance/DJ movement to become a major influence in electronic music and even mainstream rap. DJ Paypal is one of the genre’s most promising new-ish voices. The anonymous Berlin resident’s mini-album “Sold Out” is deeply informed by footwork’s history, but it also functions as a blueprint for where it might go next.

 

Mike Huckaby

9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16, at Kremwerk, 1809 Minor Ave. S., Seattle; $10 (206-682-2935 or www.kremwerk.com). With Roddimus, US41, Succubass

Most Americans know Mike Huckabee as the fringe, bass-playing GOP candidate with large sons; for house and techno heads, Detroit’s Mike Huckaby is a standout DJ who’s as knowledgeable as anyone about American dance music. He’s also the rare club DJ to spin vinyl exclusively, which I’m sure is a treat for people who care about that sort of thing.

Venom Inc.

8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 17, at Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., Seattle; $25 (206-709-9442 or www.neumos.com). With Necrophagia, Lesbian, Wounded Giant

Venom is a formative British thrash metal band and, as occasionally happens when warring rock-band egos collide, there are now two versions of it. Founding vocalist/bassist Cronos leads Venom; Mantas and Abaddon, the original guitarist and drummer, respectively, started this offshoot with a new vocalist.

SWMRS

7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19, at Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., Seattle; $11–$13 (206-324-8005 or www.chopsuey.com). With Melissa Brooks and the The Aquadolls, Shiver Twins

There’s some famous punk lineage to this Oakland band. Drummer Joey Armstrong is the son of Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong (he produced the band’s earliest recordings). The four-piece’s music is messy and chaotic, but boasts some major pop know-how.

Ty Segall & The Muggers

7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, at the Neptune Theatre, 1303 N.E. 45th St., Seattle; $18.50 (206-784-4849 or www.stgpresents.org). With CFM, Bread & Butter

Between his solo career and a host of other bands he plays in, Ty Segall is always working on something, and new album “Emotional Mugger” is his highest-concept work to date. The album’s title is informed by the current paradigm of digital communication—an idea that’s explained further (but not much better) in the press notes—and the music is the same sort of caustic psych-punk that defines the Segall universe.  

Chrome Sparks

8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, at Barboza, 925 E. Pike St., Seattle; $12 (206-709-9951 or www.thebarboza.com). With Meishi Smile

Producer Jeremy Malvin had his breakout as Chrome Sparks three-and-a-half years ago, when his track “Marijuana,” built on an oft-flipped soul sample, became an online hit. (“Perfect 420 music,” one Soundcloud comment declares.) He’s since expanded his range quite a bit, and new EP “Parallelism” is three tracks of sophisticated downtempo house music.   

Shigeto

8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, at the Nectar Lounge, 412 N. 36th St., Seattle; $13–$17 (206-632-2020 or www.nectarlounge.com). With Groundislava, Young Benoit

Combining live drums and electronic music can be a dicey proposition—they can seem ancillary, or make the music veer too close to rock—but acoustic drums form the backbone of Shigeto’s downtempo production style. The Detroit-based producer and multi-instrumentalist switches between electronic elements and the kit when he plays live.