Alt-rock legends Depeche Mode will headline KeyArena Monday night (Aug. 10). But I’m actually a little more excited about catching their opening act, Peter Bjorn and John. You know, the Swedish trio that came whistling out of nowhere with “Young Folks,” a.k.a. the catchiest song of the decade, in 2006.

So I caught up with band member Peter Moren on the phone during his recent stop in New York. Check GO in the morning for my write-up. Meanwhile, here are a few interview clips I chopped up for you all. Here’s what Moren had to say about …

… the band’s beginnings and how close he came to being a librarian instead of a rock star.

… the evolution of their most popular song and apprehension about being a one-hit wonder.

… the new “Living Thing” album and making music with “trash.”

Here's one more clip from my interview with the Jesus Lizard's David Yow. Friday's gig at the Capitol Hill Block Party will be his band's first Seattle performance since getting banned back in the late '90s. Click here for the back story.

Here's another clip from my interview with David Yow of the phenomenal Jesus Lizard, coming Friday to the Capitol Hill Block Party. Click this link to hear him talk about the band's growing cult, how the comeback shows have saved his a#@ and, speaking of which, his penchant for occasionally baring all onstage.

The Jesus Lizard is one of those strange rock phenomena that have become more and more common in the YouTube age. The Chicago-bred noise-rock outfit is one of those bands - like Slint or, most notably, the Pixies – that seemingly out of nowhere started to generate loads of buzz several years past its pre-breakup heyday.

Hence, several high-profile gigs this year, including last week’s Pitchfork Festival in Chicago and a headlining slot at Seattle’s Capitol Hill Block Party on Friday. And having caught the Lizard a couple of times I wholeheartedly recommend that you not miss one of the most insane and underrated live bands of the 1990s.

From “Puss” to “Monkey Trick,” Jesus Lizard’s sound was like a grimy underbelly to the grunge movement the band and its earlier ‘80s incarnation, Scratch Acid, helped inspire. And it’ll be interesting to see if vocalist David Yow is, at 48, the same unhinged, crowd surfing, trou-dropping madman that his fans know and love.

Speaking of which, I got the guy on the phone last week before he headed to Chicago. And I’ll post these interview clips in installments, starting with these two:

Clip 1: Yow on why his band broke up

Clip 2: "I didn't really miss being in a band at all to be honest."

This week's hottest ticket is for the No Doubt's show Sunday at White River Amphitheatre, the band's first local tour stop in half a decade.

So last week I got on the phone with drummer Adrian Young, and in the clip below he talks about the butterflies that preceded this tour, fanatical fans and how hittin' the road is different now verses back in the '90s.

Click here

No Doubt perform at the tour launch in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
DONALD KRAVITZ/GETTY IMAGES

Thanks to some technical difficulties, I talked to Northwest rock journeyman Scott McCaughey not once but twice in the last few days. That would be Scott McCaughey of Young Fresh Fellows, the Minus 5, the Baseball Project and R.E.M. fame (and probably about 10 other bands I’m forgetting or don’t even know about.) And, OK, it was more like user error than "technical difficulties." I yanked the phone jack out of my recorder and had to call the guy back for quotes. And I'm glad I did since I got these killer clips to share with you the second time around.

Clip 1: On why there’s so much pedal steel guitar on the Minus 5’s new “Killingsworth” album

Clip 2: For that matter, why there are so many Decemberists on the new album

And the occasion for this interview? McCaughey is bringing his latest Minus 5 lineup – which includes R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck, ex-Decemberists drummer Ezra Holbrook, bassist John Ramberg, Portland singer-songwriter Little Sue and pedal steel player Tucker Jackson – to Hell’s Kitchen Friday night. Should be a fun night.

Apologies, Slayer fans. I know you all are geeked about Slayer coming to Auburn’s White River Amphitheatre Tuesday with Mayhem Fest. And I got a little sidetracked and didn’t get to chopping up and posting clips from my interview with drummer Dave Lombardo as soon as planned. But I’m thinking these clips are worth the wait, especially if you’re planning on dropping a few ducats on the bands forthcoming “World Painted Blood” album later this year.

The first longer clip features Lombardo describing the feel of the new album, dropping a few song titles and explaining why you won’t hear his band playing power ballads anytime soon. Click here.

Lombardo mentions a couple of deep album cuts that will show up in Tuesday’s set list. Click here for that one.

Hey, y'all. In my GO column today I accidentally listed the wrong date for local band Midnight Salvage Co.'s special acoustic show at Shakabrah Java, so I thought I'd correct that here. That show's actually going to be held Saturday (July 11). Check out their MySpace page here for samples of what they sound like.

Tori Amos will kick off a new tour in support of her latest album "Abnormally Attracted to Sin" Friday night at Seattle's WaMu Theatre. I've written a related story set to run in Friday's GO section. But until that comes out, I thought fans would get a kick out of a couple of clips from my interview.

Clip 1: Tori talks about the new production, tinkering with song arrangements and dusting off deep album cuts

Clip 2: Tori on the "upheaval events" and synth experimentation that went into the "Attracted to Sin" album

So you've got your copy of the Nightgowns' rad new disc "Sing Something," right? Well, here are two good reasons to show up and support the Tacoma indie-pop outfit when you see they're playing around town, too. The fellas dropped these two non-album tracks during their May 29 set at Urban Grace Church downtown. And if I'm readin' their MySpace page correctly, your next chance to catch them live is a July 2 gig at EMP/SFM's Skychurch. Shweeet! Now ch-ch-check out these cuts.

Specks of Dust

Humans Extinct

USC Events' birthday bash is always a prime spot for catching some of the biggest names in electronic music. And the Crystal Method is among the big deals coming to USC 12, which is set for Saturday (May 30) at Seattle’s WaMu Theatre.

Recently, I caught up with Scott Kirkland, half of the electronic duo, which is best known for '90s hits "Keep Hope Alive" and "Name of the Game." Click the links to hear what he had to say about …

… early tour experiences in Seattle …

… collaborating with Peter Hook, Grandaddy’s Jason Lytle and others on the new “Divided by Night” album …

… and the increasingly blurred lines between electronic music and other styles.

Federal Way’s Vince Mira may have just turned 17, but he’s already parlayed quite a bit with his spot-on Johnny Cash covers. The Teen in Black (a.k.a. Juanny Cash) mostly played for tips back in 2007, the year an appearance on Seattle's Channel 5 led to gigs on “Good Morning America” and “Ellen: The Ellen Degeneres Show."

Last year, Mira released his debut album, “Cash Cabin Sessions,” which was produced by Johnny Cash's son, John Carter Cash. His appearance at Pike Place Market’s 100th anniversary concert a while back led to a friendship with Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard who recently recorded Mira for a forthcoming Hank Williams tribute. And at 12:15 p.m. Saturday, the teen troubadour will take the main stage at the Gorge’s Sasquatch festival for the first time.

Not bad for a guy who’s barely old enough to drive. Hey, before long he may be as famous as that other guy from Todd Beamer High School. You know, the Sanjaya? And what are they putting in the lunches up there, anway?

Click here...

... to listen to outtakes from my interview with Mira expressing his desire to be more than a Johnny Cash tribute act and laying out his plans for the rest of 2009.