Straight outta Sweden, son! Junip is so Swedish it hurts. Austere but gentle. Reserved but with a quiet, emotive undercurrent. There is no gunfire, no startling flash of light. No fanfare, no horn section. There is the steady hum of an organ, the pluck and thwack of a nylon string guitar, the unerring pulse of drums. Oh yeah, and then there is Jose Gonzalez. Remember Jose? Rich, understated vocals? The ability to turn a classical guitar into a small orchestra in a box? That guy. He sings and plays guitar for Junip. By all rights, this band should be way less interesting than they are. However, something just works.

The openers will be the Seattle hip-hop group The Physics. They will be reminding you once again that if you are sleeping on the underground scene in Seatown, you are missing out. They will also probably seduce your girlfriend with their smooth soul-inflected rhymes. Also, Matthew Caws (singer of Nada Surf!) will be opening the show, which is a neat trick since Nada Surf will be playing a sold out show at the Tractor Tavern on the same night. A fine vocalist and a teleporting magician! That's talent folks. I only demand two things from tonights show:

a) The crowd better not stand around during The Physics set or I will murder some unappreciative indie kids.

b) Matthew Caws better fucking play "Blizzard of '77" or I will die.

This is also the launch party for this year's Sasquatch Festival! The lineup will be released and you may hear all about it here tomorrow morning. If you're lucky. At The Neptune Theater. The show starts at 8 pm and tickets are $16. Hot Damn!