And so we present to you our top five picks for this weekend, except it's really about one million and four picks, because the WMS is like one million shows. Indulge our utter shamelessness after the jump.
01. THE 16TH ANNUAL WESTWORD MUSIC SHOWCASE With pretty much every band you can think of off the top of your head Where: In your face, Denver Saturday, June 19, high noon $15 advance
WHY YOU SHOULD GO: Do we seriously have to explain this? Chills. Thrills. Bone-crunching spills. Plus, an music so mind-blowing you will decide you are a glass of orange juice and never move again for the rest of your life.
LISTEN: Ghostland Observatory Superchunk Dirty Projectors
02. WESTWORD MUSIC SHOWCASE KICKOFF PARTY With The Giraffes, Snake Rattle Rattle Snake, Black Lamb Bluebird Theater Friday, June 18, 9 p.m. $15
WHY YOU SHOULD GO: Because if we're running it, son, you know it's going to be spicy. Not only are we bringing you the ass kicking licks of Brooklyn's Giraffes and the pummeling doom-metal of Black Lamb, we're also throwing down a little appetizer for one of our favorite WMS acts: The hypnotic Snake Rattle Rattle Snake.
LISTEN:
The Giraffes Snake Rattle Rattle Snake Black Lamb
03. TITWRENCH BENEFIT FOR DIANE CLUCK With Maudlin Magpie, Mike Marchant, The Drinking Sound, Munster Boogie, We Should Talk Smegahouse (1415 Milwaukee) Friday, June 18, 6 p.m. $5
WHY YOU SHOULD GO We're not sure why Titwrench is throwing a show to benefit Diane Cluck -- possibly because she's performing at the annual Titwrench fest next month -- but with a lineup like this, why not? We like Titwrench's mission to get more women into rock and roll, and as an added bonus, you can get an advance taste of Mike Marchant (who is not a girl, but has hair like one), who performs in our showcase Saturday. Oh yeah, we have a Showcase. Did we tell you about that yet?
LISTEN: Maudlin Magpie Mike Marchant
04. METHOD MAN With MTHDS, Food Chain Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom Friday, June 18, doors 8 p.m. $25
WHY YOU SHOULD GO: For close to twenty years, Method Man has been keeping it real both in Wu-Tang Clan and on his own. Responsible for one of the most memorable verses ever in "As High as Wu-Tang Get," Meth is about as close to hip-hop divinity as it gets. But you don't care about all that. You'll go to catch an advance glimpse of MTHDS and Food Chain, who will perform at our Showcase on Saturday. You've heard about the Showcase, haven't you?
LISTEN: Method Man MTHDS
05. POLAR BEAR CLUB With Moving Mountains, Lemuria, Living with Lions Marquis Theater Sunday, June 20, 8 p.m. $10
WHY YOU SHOULD GO: Although Polar Bear Club falls squarely under the not-exactly-innovative marker of pop punk, the band's relatively aggressive brand of it maintains the accessibility of the genre without slandering the ethos of punk, as so many of those bands do. With catchy riffs and the odd hardcore-influenced breakdown, Polar Bear Club isn't a half-bad way to kill a Sunday night.
LISTEN: Polar Bear Club
