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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Knitting Factory offers a truly wild week ahead

The Knitting Factory Concert House has always hosted a diverse array of music, but the six shows arriving over the next seven days push the range of styles to critical mass, encompassing industrial metal (Wayne Static); pop-punk (Plain White Ts); Americana (Brandi Carlile/Justin Townes Earle/Jason Isbell); post-grunge (Crossfade); hardcore reggae, hip-hop and funk (Hed P.E.); and, in the case of Hank III, his newly invented “cattle-core.”

Here’s a look at the lineup (tickets available through Ticketfly, 877-435-9849 or www.ticketfly.com):

Wayne Static with Eye Empire, Kyng and One Eyed Doll

Tonight at 7:30, $22

Lead singer, guitarist, keyboardist and programmer for industrial metal band Static X, Wayne Static is finally unleashing his long-awaited solo project, “Pighammer” – and it’s not going to be pretty.

Out Tuesday, “Pighammer,” first announced in 2007, uses dark, twisted humor to explore Static’s escape from a drug-dominated lifestyle.

Some of the songs were written while wasted out of his mind, others in a state of sobriety. And so unfolds the story of a mad plastic surgeon who uses medical magic and a “pig hammer” to turn women into pigs.

Hank III  

Saturday, 8 p.m., $17/advance, $18/day of show

The grandson of country music legend Hank Williams, and son of Hank Williams Jr., Hank III is a legend in his own right for his uncompromising fusion of country and punk-metal.

Earlier this month he took things to the extreme by simultaneously releasing three new albums.

“Ghost to a Ghost/Gutter Town,” is a double disc of largely straight-ahead country. ”3 Bar Ranch Cattle Callin’ ” is a metal record framed by “cattle-core,” defined by the lightning-fast calls of cattle auctioneers set to hyper-speed double-kick drum strikes and guitar screeches.

“Attention Deficit Domination” is a doom-rock album showing off Hank III’s skills on bass and drums. It features guest appearances by Les Claypool and Tom Waits, and vocals by Hank 3’s dog, Trooper.

Plain White T’s with The Summer Set, The Downtown Fiction and Allison Park

Sunday, 8 p.m., $20

Known for its signature blend of pop-punk, Plain White T’s has taken a dip into cooler waters with its latest album, “The Wonders of the Younger,” which tempers the T’s upbeat brand of rock with acoustic power ballads.

Released at the end of 2010, it’s the first Plain White album to contain songs without lead singer Tom Higgenson, swapping in vocals by guitarist Tim Lopez.

With more complex songwriting and deeper arrangements, Plain White T’s is testing its boundaries while leaving a breadcrumb trail to its earlier incarnations.

Crossfade and Bobaflex, with Adakain and Emphatic

Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., $17

Crossfade is back on the radar with a new album, “We All Bleed,” the quartet’s first record in five years since being dropped from Columbia Records.

After parting ways with Columbia, lead singer and guitarist Ed Sloan sank into a depression and considered giving up on music, but was convinced by lead guitarist Less Hall to stay in the game.

The band signed with Eleven Seven Music (Buckcherry, Motley Crue, Blondie) to release “We All Bleed,” which chronicles Sloan’s journey from paralyzing self-doubt back into active duty onstage.

Hed P.E., with Slaine

Wednesday, 7:45 p.m., $18/advance, $20/door

Taking on everything from politics and propaganda to the existence of extraterrestrial life, Hed P.E. represents hardcore activism in a sound that mixes heavy rock with hip-hop, funk, reggae, punk, blues and industrial metal.

Champions of the 9/11 Truth Movement, the band’s 2010 release, “Truth Rising,” is more in-your-face rapped and snarling rants against government guile and media-controlled consumption.

Brandy Carlile with Justin Townes Earle, and Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit

Thursday, 7:30 p.m., $26

When Brandi Carlile started getting seriously into music she was enthralled by performances by Dave Matthews and Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder at Seattle’s stylish Benaroya Hall.

So 2011 marks something of a dream come true for Carlile, who released her fourth album, “Live at Benaroya Hall with the Seattle Symphony.” 

Carlile and her band are accompanied by a 30-piece orchestra, performing a selection of her hits along with cover songs by the likes of Elton John, Simon and Garfunkel and Leonard Cohen.

She’ll share the Knit stage with Justin Townes Earle (Steve’s son) and former Drive-By Trucker Jason Isbell.