During my recent interview with Korn leader Jonathan Davis, the singer talked a lot of smack about his band’s new laser light show. And I must confess to being impressed when those wavy, green beams kicked in during “Starting Over,” the band’s third song last night at Seattle’s WaMu Theater. My photos don’t quite do them justice. But, trust me, they were pretty cool. And while the band may be dwindling in size (Davis, Fieldy and Munky now, backed by members of opening band Droid), not to mention the crowds coming out to see them, Korn still kinda rocked

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Korn headlines Seattle’s WaMu Theater on Saturday. And recently I had the pleasure of chatting up mouthpeice Jonathan Davis, right after the band wrapped up a recent show in Austin, Texas. Here’s some of what he had to say.

Part 1: Lasers rule!

Part 2: Scat vocals and bagpipes

Part 3: Departed band members

Part 4: His near death experience

Part 5: Fighting labels and outlasting nu metal

Part 6: That opera he’s writing

Part 7: His solo tour

Motley Crue’s infamously debaucherous bassist and closet renaissance man Nikki Sixx will be in Seattle signing copies of his new book “The Heroin Diaries” on Saturday. Scroll down this page for relevant venues, times and phone numbers. And then check out a few clips I culled from a couple of interviews I did with the guy.

Part 1: Growing up in Seattle

Part 2: He didn’t “dish” anybody in his book

Part 3: Recovery and what’s important now

Part 4: His new band, clothing line and

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Pop culture writer Bill Hutchens and I were just having a late lunch down at India Mahal downtown when I was inspired with my second greatest tribute band idea ever.

Concept: “Friday I’m in Love,” “Boys Don’t Cry,” “Lovesong” and other Robert Smith-related new wave hits played on sitar.

Name: The Khir

Bwahahahahaha!!!! I am soooo funny. I slay me.

My best tribute band idea ever, you ask?

Wait for it. Wait for it.

Concept: A Meat Puppet band with a lead singer that dresses and acts like Billy Bob Thornton

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More and more details are shaping up regarding the upcoming Sonics reunion show at New York’s Cave Stomp festival. And the most exciting news I just learned from Redmond-based organizer, Neal Skok, is that the performance will be recorded for a forthcoming live CD and DVD.

"My partner and I are going to produce the CD and the DVD, and will be approaching bigger independent labels," said Skok, who also runs Epilogue Records.

That’s especially exciting since Skok – an avid rock collector who said he has hours of footage of other Northwest greats, like

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Three men were shot early this morning at the downtown nightclub. Be careful out there, folks, and read more here.

I was just checking out Rolling Stone’s recent poll of readers’ favorite album covers and was trying to think of a few of my own. And after a quick scan of my collection, here are a few that captured my imagination over the years (in no particular order.):

“Bitches Brew” Miles Davis

“Mezzanine” Massive Attack

“Nothing’s Shocking” Jane’s Addiction

“Maggot Brain” Funkadelic

“Licensed to Ill” Beastie Boys

“Altered Beats: Assassin Knowledges of the Remanipulated” Various Artists

“Lifeforms” Future Sound of London

“In Utero” Nirvana

“Undertow” Tool (though

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The Red Hot Blues Sisters won the South Sound Blues Association’s Back to Beale Street Blues 2008 Competition at Tacoma Freedom Fair on the Fourth of July. And on Sunday Nov. 4 they’ll hold a fundraiser to send the Sisters to the International Blues Competition in Memphis next January. Here’s the lineup SSBA sent me recently.

Back to Beale Street Blues 2008

Nov. 4, 2007 at Jazzbones

5 p.m. Beth McBride (solo vocalist/guitarist)

5:45 p.m. The Kim Archer Band

6:45 p.m. Becki Sue and her Big Rockin’ Daddies

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This month, Nirvana fans are flocking to see the new documentary “About a Son,” based on interviews done for Michael Azerrad’s bio. But Variety reports that a new bio pic is in development based on Charles Cross’s “Heavier Than Heaven.” Cool!

Seattle’s Schoolyard Heroes will headline Hell’s Kitchen this evening. So I gave singer Ryann Donnelly a ring recently to catch up. And the first thing I had to ask her about was the crazy rumor I’d heard about she and her bandmates being satanists.

Then after she cleared that up, we covered some of the scary people she’s met on the road that inspired the new album, “Abominations.” And then she went into further detail on the making of her band’s major label debut, including the role the Dwarves’ Blag Dahlia played.

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