Burnin’ Chicago Blues Band Coming To Heat Up Thudpuckers

What happens when two sidemen get fired by legendary blues queen Koko Taylor’s band?

If you’re guitarist-vocalist J.J. “Bad Axe” Johnson or organist Jim Dortch, you start a monstrous blues explosion and call your group Burnin’ Chicago .

The eight-piece band rolls into town Sunday to play Thudpucker’s.

Burnin’ Chicago was assembled in 1992 with a host of other notable blues sidemen. Among them, John Caldwell once slapped the bass for Otis Clay and Billy Branch , and drummer Larry McClure once pounded the skins for Lefty Diz and Magic Slim .

Indeed, members of this band have racked up some pretty impressive mileage in the blues over the years. So it doesn’t come as a surprise that Burnin’ Chicago, augmented by a three-piece horn section, can belt out the blues with the best of them.

What is amazing is that Burnin’ Chicago, even with its continuous wave of good press and two excellent albums, still remains unsigned.

If you want a strong sample of what Burnin’ Chicago sounds like live, seek out its two albums, “Boogie Blues” and “Midnight Sunrise.”

The band will record its third album, live, June 28 and 29 at the Rocksport in Seattle.

Loose Endz opens Sunday. The show starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $5 and are available at Thudpucker’s.

Time to rock ‘n’ roll, kids

Grobal Productions, which has stayed dormant much of the last year, has two smoking rock shows on tap at Ichabod’s North Saturday and Tuesday.

The Fall-Outs will spar with Helldorado , the Lone Ones (featuring Sean Holowell of Steel Wool and Curt Buchberger of the Solid Statesmen) and the Sissies on Saturday. Then Tuesday, Denver’s pesky La Donnas will race down the devil’s drag strip with Hawaii’s Power Pellets and Raymonds riding shotgun.

Seattle’s Fall-Outs are garage rock royalty in the Northwest.

The trio - including guitarist-vocalist Dave Holmes, bassist-vocalist Shannon McConnell and drummer-vocalist Dino Lencioni - has purveyed the ‘60s punk sound since 1985.

Ironically, Holmes doesn’t listen to a lot of garage rock.

“I don’t like a lot of garage stuff,” he says. “The new garage stuff doesn’t do much for me. There’s sort of a sameness about a lot of it.”

Although the Fall-Outs have 11 years behind them, Saturday marks the first occasion they’ll drive their beat-up van to the eastern side of the state.

The Fall-Outs have put their raucous stamp on a dozen releases, including the full-lengths “Sleep” (1994) and “The Fall-Outs” (1992). Both records are on Super Electro, a label owned by Mudhoney guitarist Steve Turner. In fact, Turner was briefly a member of the band and can be heard playing bass on the self-titled album.

“Sleep,” released in 1994, will inspire you to pick up the guitar, or at least the air guitar, and strum like a bona fide rock star.

The Fall-Outs may not command the name recognition in this town that many Northwest bands do, but that doesn’t discount their impact. The threesome has undoubtedly influenced a host of other bands.

To many younger garage and punk bands, the Fall-Outs are a big influence. Plus, the Supersuckers and Jack O’Fire have even covered the band’s songs.

If you’re fond of local garage rockers the Makers , you’ll love the Fall-Outs, too. (Heck, the Makers just played with the Fall-Outs last week in Seattle.)

By the way, a few silk-screened, B-movie motif posters for this show are to be found in Spokane. Grab one if you can.

Noise at 9 p.m. The cover is $4.

The La Donnas delve more into punk than garage rock.

The Denver Foursome tears down “Shady Lane” (the name of the band’s debut album) with a dualguitar drive reminiscent of early Supersuckers and the Fumes.

The La Donnas, young and full of vinegar, is a stellar band to rock out to. Saturday’s show starts at 9:30 p.m. Cover is $4.

On Tuesday, music starts at 9:30 p.m. The cover is $3.

Lonesome again

Tonight at Ichabod’s North, High Lonesome makes its first local appearance since March. Plugugly and Tiana Gregg open. Music at 9:30 p.m. The cover is $4.

Sweaty Nipples returns

After a significant absence from the Inland Northwest, perennial local favorite Sweaty Nipples finally returns to Spokane. The thrash/funk/ industrial combo will launch its musical circus at Outback Jack’s tonight.

Following on the heels of its successful debut LP, “Bug Harvest” (which has moved more than 35,000 copies since its release last year), Sweaty Nipples has a new album out, “Thrill Crazed Space Kids … Blasting the Flesh Off Humans.” The new CD is available from Portland independent Elemental Records. Opening for Sweaty Nipples is local metal manhandler, Distorted Silence.

This band is presently working on its first CD. Those anxious to hear the new songs can seek out a five-song sampler of the disc.

Distorted Silence throws in a few surprises on the teaser disc. For example, two of the songs are reggae tunes, for crying out loud. So far, my favorite song title on the CD is “Playing Checkers with a Retarded Elephant.”

Tonight’s show kicks off at 9 p.m. Tickets are $8 at the door. Bring ID.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: NIGHTWATCH PICKS Best bets at area clubs: TONIGHT: Sweaty Nipples and Distorted Silence at Outback Jack’s SATURDAY: The Fall-Outs, Helldorado, the Lone One and the Sissies at Ichabod’s North SUNDAY: Burnin’ Chicago and Loose Endz at Thudpucker’s TUESDAY: The La Donnas, Power Pellets and the Raymonds at Ichabod’s North