Gungor | Wednesday, April 12The field of progressive and indie rock has long had a complicated relationship with spirituality. Pink Floyd, for instance, had a shared disdain of organized religion thanks to their experiences in the school system. The Flaming Lips found inspiration in the cosmic chaos and beauty of everything, reveled in Jesus imagery, and narrowed their religious focus a bit more on In a Priest Driven Ambulance. In the modern age, the most openly Christian artist accepted into the folds of alt-folk-rock royalty is Sufjan Stevens, who managed to bring in fans of all stripes thanks to his playfully inventive and plaintively emotional music.Gungor – a music collective led by the husband-and-wife team of Michael and Lisa Gungor – has its roots in the early music of Michael Gungor’s, which tended toward the contemporary Christian rock genre. As time went on, the duo’s interest in exploring different avenues of music seemed to intensify, as did their desire to explore spirituality of types. Now, around 10 years into this transformation, they’ve become a band that happily blends not only genres – including bedroom pop, indie folk, trip hop, swelling balladry, electronica, psychedelia, and more – but dogmas as well, always searching for that ineffable connection with the world, wherever that may be.For those who still might be nervous about seeing what they think of as a “christian rock” performance, consider that their latest album, Love Song to Life, features songs that recall early ‘00s Radiohead, Carrie and Lowell-era Sufjan Stevens, the gauzy indie disco-pop of the 2010s, and Arcade Fire at their most bombastic. Regardless of where you sit on the spectrum of belief, there is something that will find you connected to Gungor, which what we hope to experience from both concerts and those little interactions we have everyday with one another.

The Whole Bolivian Army | Saturday, January 28In Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the film ends as our heroes find themselves surrounded by the Bolivian army, with little hope of making it out alive. Thankfully, the movie cuts to credits before we have to see them get riddled with bullets. Tacoma mainstays The Whole Bolivian Army, however, have unambiguously survived their own insurmountable odds: formed in 1993, smack dab in the middle of the alternative boom in the Pacific Northwest, facing down waves of groundbreaking bands and hangers-on, releasing album after album in the face of a fickle music industry. Married couple Mary Beth and Matt Kite, founders of The Whole Bolivian Army, are the only ones remaining from the initial lineup, but their staying power is exemplified by their son, Gibson, joining the band as drummer. 

Look, I’m only human; you show me a band that’s as dedicated to oddness and spirited performance art as Snõõper is, and I’m bound to take notice. What began as a pure recording project between Nashville punk rocker Connor Cummins and animator/artist Blair Tramel eventually hit the stage in 2021. Suddenly Snõõper (the Project) gave birth to Snõõper (the Band) – which, yes, is how the duo distinguishes themselves. Sn õ õ per’s sound may be familiar to those who dug into the alt-rock underground of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s: hyperactive, punk-inflected tunes that roughly average around the one-minute mark, recorded in a quick-and-dirty way to cassette, with programmed drums and effects making the two-piece sound both bigger and less human.Tramel’s experience in art, as well as her history in early education, makes Snõõper a magnet for puppetry. Sure enough, their videos and performances are packed with handcrafted props and papier mache characters. Now that the duo has expanded to have an actual live band accompanying them, they seem to have even more freedom to let their freak flags fly. More than ever, they are able to access their sonic forefathers in Devo to create the most energetic blast of art-rock imaginable.Alma Venue:Thursday July 6thSnõõper, w/ Forty Feet Tall, MuñecaAll Ages, Doors at 7pm, Show at 8pm, $15ticketsinstagram

Rocky Sandoval | Friday, March 24There are certain qualities that just can’t be teached. In hip-hop, things like flow, rhythmic complexity, and lyrical finesse can be learned and honed over time. But, then, there are those intangibles that come fully formed in artists – smoothness, for instance. A sense of poise and ease with words is one of things that just comes baked-in with some emcees. For a nearby example, we can look at the Tacoma-based Rocky Sandoval. Blending hip-hop and R&B, Sandoval has his finger on the pulse of what will get listeners up and moving, seamlessly blending storytelling with the kind of club-ready production that creates a concoction so intoxicating that you may be incapable of resisting that sexy vibe.