Singer-songwriter LeRoy Bell is back and armed with the new album "A Change Is Coming." And he'll unleash his new songs Sunday evening at Tacoma's Spar Tavern.

So Tuesday I caught up with the Edmonds resident (formerly of Tacoma) to talk about ...

Part 1: ... what went into writing the new, politically oriented material.

Part 2: ... missing band mate Rick Novito, who died earlier this year.

Part 3: ... and the mystery of how he lost that gold record he earned as half of '70s duo Bell and James. (He'll get it back Sunday night at the Spar.)

Veteran Seattle buskers Jim Page and Artis the Spoonman (you know, the guy Soundgarden sang about) will perform songs from their new album “Folkpunch” at 7 p.m. June 24 at the Tacoma Public Library’s downtown branch. And between that and TPL's Rock the Books concerts, does our library rock or what?

Um, that’ll be the nerdiest declaration I'll make all day. I hope.

On Aug. 9, Folk singer Judy Collins will headline the first concert to be held at Chambers Creek Properties, on the Central Meadow near the golf course in University Place, organizers announced last week. The opening celebration for Concerts at Chambers Creek will also include the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra and Jonatha Brooke.

Tickets go on sale at 11 a.m. Friday for the show, which will begin at 6 p.m. on Aug. 9. Tickets are $44 to $85; 253-591-5894 for details.

The Concerts at Chambers Creek is a collaboration between Broadway Center and the Chambers Creek Foundation. All net proceeds from the series will benefit the causes of environmental and arts education, according to a press release issued jointly by the two groups last Thursday. More info TK.

I’d only seen Los Angeles punk legends X live once, at the White River Amphitheatre a couple of years ago where they delivered a truncated set at the End’s summer gala, Endfest and have since become a big fan of their eclectic and highly underrated sound. And after seeing them Sunday night at Showbox at the Market (the first of two shows, the second being tonight) I am left with a few questions. First, how did these guys not become household names? Their musical output was consistently brilliant, an eclectic mix of punk, vintage Chuck Berry riffs, rockabilly and other styles, topped off with John Doe and Exene Cervenka's infectious vocal harmonies. And are they America's most underrated and perhaps greatest punk band? Discuss. Fans of the Ramones, Black Flag and other contenders can leave rants, contrary arguments and miscellaneous flames in the comments section.

The veteran outfit -- also guitarist Billy Zoom and drummer DJ Bonebrake -- were in top form, from upbeat "Once Over Twice," to raucous and still venemous set highlight "Los Angeles" and through the final notes of set closer "The World's a Mess, It's In My Kiss." They may have been at it for more than three decades (this tour marks the 31st anniversary), but they all looked like a bunch of bright eyed kids having fun. You know, aside from the way Cervenka's maternal look, complete with apron ensemble, made you think she'd just gotten done with a tray of snickerdoodles before rocking out to "The Unheard Music."

I'm going back tonight. And here's some of what you missed Sunday.

Legendary Los Angeles punk band X includes singer-bassist John Doe (foreground), singer Exene Cervenka and guitarist Billy Zoom. (Not pictured: Drummer DJ Bonebrake.) These shots were taken during the early set, which included “Once Over Twice,” “We’re Having Much More Fun” and “White Girl.”
ERNEST A. JASMIN

Opening acts were the Skybombers (top) and Ellensberg-bred country rocker Mark Pickerel. The latter performed with guests, including Cops bassist Drew Church (in photo) and Visqueen’s Rachel Flotard. I want to kick myself for not getting an in focus shot of how well Flotard cleaned up, looking quite glamorous in a slinky, black dress in contrast to her usual denim look. I’ll make sure I get it tonight if she comes back.
ERNEST A. JASMIN

Update: I need to fill in the gaps in my X collection and wasn't 100 percent sure about a couple of songs on Sunday night's set. But after checking in with the band's publicist, this is the list we came up with.

X 31st anniversary tour set list
Showbox at the Market
Seattle, Washington
March 30, 2008

Once Over Twice
We're Having Much More Fun
White Girl
My Goodness
Riding with Mary
True Love
In This House I Call Home
We're Desperate
Adult Books
Los Angeles
Hungry Wolf
Year 1
New World
Unheard Music
Sugarlight
Breathless
Beyond & Back
Motel Room in My Bed
Johnny Hit & Run Paulene
Soul Kitchen

First encore:
Your Phone's Off the Hook, But You're Not
Blue Spark
Because I Do
Devil Doll

Second encore:
Back 2 the Base
The World's a Mess, It's in My Kiss

“4 Ghosts I” Nine Inch Nails

Did the new Nine Inch Nails album creep up on anyone else or just me? It’s Nails’ first instrumental album since that creepy soundtrack Reznor did for the first Quake game. And with nine tracks available for free, 36 digital tracks for five bones and a full CD, with pretty art and everything, for 10, it’s yet another encouraging reminder of where the industry is headed.

“Oxford Comma” Vampire Weekend

I was resistant to these guys at first. I ‘em pegged as the new Arctic Monkeys or Franz Ferdinand. That is, an overly hyped young band that maybe half as many people will care about in a year. But I must admit, I love this song. Clever lyrics, sunny Calypso vibe that makes you feel like sipping a margaritas while tubin’ down the river. Nice. But good luck getting into their show next week at Neumo’s.

“Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” Leadbelly

Nirvana popularized this song – aka “In the Pines” aka “Black Girl” -- among Gen-Xers. And Leadbelly brought it to the masses half a century earlier. But did you know that it dates back to the 1870s and that it’s actually a combination of two old standards? The guy with his head cut off in the second verse is, apparently, a railroad worker killed by a train in the original version. When put together, Leadbelly’s rendition is one of the most haunting songs of the 20th century.

The Dalai Llama will "open" for Dave Matthews on April 11 at KeyArena. Sort of.

Matthews and long-time collaborator Tim Reynolds will headline an acoustic show billed as A Concert for Compassion, one of several events that will center around the Dalai Lama from April 11 to 15, Matthews announced on his fan site this week. And before the actual performance, Matthews, the Dalai Lama and others will engage in an on stage discussion about the role music plays in fostering compassion and building cultural, racial and religious bridges, Matthews announced on his Web site this week.

Tickets are set at $75 and will be available through Ticketmaster beginning 10 a.m. Saturday (Feb. 16). Proceeds will benefit the group Seeds of Compassion.

It's official. The Ebony Hillbillies will replace the Carolina Chocolate Drops' vacated Wintergrass spots next week, according to festival spokeswoman Patrice O'Neill. And I say it's all for the best since their name is way cooler, anyway.

Click here to read more about the lineup, and check out Friday's GO for an interview with Laura Love about her new band, Harper's Ferry.

Wintergrass organizers will have to do some quick last minute shuffling, based on what festival spokeswoman Patrice O'Neill just told me. Bluegrass buzz band, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, pulled out of Wintergrass this afternoon, just days before the Tacoma festival's yearly run, set for Feb. 21 to 24 at several downtown venues.

O'Neill said the Chocolate Drops are the first band in 15 years to drop off of Wintergrass, among the most high profile bluegrass festivals in the country. The band was scheduled to perform at a Black and Bluegrass concert opening night at the Murano pavilion, and again on Feb. 22 at both the pavilion and on the Varsity Grill stage.

The Black and Bluegrass showcase will highlight the intersection of African and European traditions in roots music, and will feature Ruthie Foster and the first performance by Seattle singer-songwriter Laura Love's new band, Harper's Ferry. O'Neill mentioned the Ebony Hillbillies as possible replacements for the Chocolate Drops.

Click here for more info on Wintergrass, including schedules and ticket info.

Kimya Dawson dropped me an e-mail a few days ago. But otherwise, I'm not having much luck connecting with Olympia-based musician, whose quirky acoustic tunes you may have heard on the soundtrack for "Juno," and whose music local fans will hear live when she appears at the Grand Cinema on Sunday. But I did, at least, find a Q & A between the singer-songwriter and an interview named Krisbee posted on the Antifolk Online music site. It covers the native New Yorker's reasons for moving to the Norhtwest. An excerpt:

Krisbee: I haven't seen in many interviews you talking about your Washington years, is that a sensitive topic?

Kimya Dawson: No, what would you like to know?

Krisbee: Would motivated you to move out there, how did the Olympia scene influence you...

Kimya Dawson: I went to a college in Boston that I didn't like and heard about Evergreen from some hippie I knew from high school, so I transferred.

Krisbee: What did you go to college for?

Kimya Dawson: Originally teaching, but then in Olympia I studied bunch of different things. My 1st year I was in a multicurricular program called- Home: A Mutually Shared Responsibility (haha). I studied creative writing, stand up comedy and the sociology of humor, multicultural lit, art stuff, but I always figured I'd get my masters in teaching.

Having never seen Dar Williams live before last night’s performance at the Rialto Theatre, I had no idea she was so funny. Like any good folkie she, came equipped with plenty of intro stories for her songs. And whether she was reminiscing about a show in Tacoma 13 years ago at the “Electric Coffee Shop” (the Antique Sandwich Shop, fans corrected) or describing her 3-year-old son’s technique for flirting with grown women on cross country flights (I’m thinking of using that “let me see your belly” line) she kept the 400-plus gathered laughing.

That is, when she wasn’t making us feel all sentimental and weepy. Her set included a healthy mix of newer numbers – including "Teen for God," "Beauty of the Rain" and her stripped down remake of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" – and old favorites, with "Spring Street" being a particularly big hit. Most poignant were Williams' heartfelt deliveries of “The Babysitter's Here” and set closer “The Christians and the Pagans,” the latter dedicated to populist author and political commentator Molly Ivins, who died on Wednesday (Jan. 31.)

A visit to the re-opened Bob’s Java Jive was in order afterward. Lots of people pitched in to get the place operational again, and the girls from Tacoma roller derby league Dockyard Derby Dames really cleaned up. (My friend Elysia, who designs our GO section when she’s not knocking derby chicas on their culos, mentioned something about having to vacuum the pool table.) The Christmas lights are gone, but the guy belting out what sounded like a heavy metal version of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” let me know it was still the same old Java Jive.

I caught up with Dar Williams on Wednesday for an interview in advance of next Thursday’s show at the Rialto. We wound up talking a lot of politics, and the singer-songwriter was as thoughtful and engaging as you’d expect from one of the most revered voices in contemporary folk. Here are a few things she had to say about …

... political themes on her last album.

... "Empire," one of the most talked about songs from her last album.

... her passion for environmentalism.

... remaking Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb."

... working on a new album.