by Albert Rodriguez - SGN A&E Writer

The weather outside is indeed frightful, so stay indoors and catch one of these delightful shows in the first month of 2012. Happy New Year!

Meshell Ndegeocello
January 10
The Triple Door
Out and proud musician Meshell Ndegeocello is known for penning the line, 'if that's your boyfriend, he wasn't last night,' the actual title of her first and only mainstream hit, besides dueting with John Mellencamp on a cover of 'Wild Night.' The deeply gifted singer-songwriter, an icon in the Lesbian community, is a must-see at The Triple Door in early January.

Arturo Sandoval
January 12-15
Dimitriou's Jazz Alley
Grammy-winning trumpeter Arturo Sandoval is perhaps the finest Latin jazz instrumentalist in the business. The Afro-Cuban musician was even praised by the late, great Dizzy Gillespie. Sandoval comes back to Seattle for a quadruple-night stay at Jazz Alley with a five-piece band, a perfect way to defrost from the chilly winter temps.

Jake Shimabukuro
January 19
Edmonds Center
for the Arts
Yes, he's lean and tall. Yes, he's really handsome. Yes, he's the whole package. But don't forget this guy can also play a mean ukulele. Featured in Rolling Stone and already a huge star in his native state of Hawaii, Jake Shimabukuro is wickedly brilliant at plucking, strumming, and, if I remember correctly from his Waikiki Shell concert in 2010, literally sinking his teeth into that tiny hand-held instrument.

Augustana
January 21
The Crocodile
When lead singer Dan Layus interviewed with me earlier in 2011, I had no idea we had something in common: we're both Katy Perry fans. Something else we're both keen on: his band, Augustana. The California rock group returns to Seattle, minus a couple of its original members who've departed, to further promote their self-titled album.

NOFX
January 24
King Cat Theater
Hardcore punk band NOFX have been longtime allies of the LGBT community for reasons unknown to anyone - they've even displayed rainbow flags on their stage for no apparent reason. They're such big fans of Lesbian sister duo Tegan and Sara that they wrote a song about them (one that T&S fans took offense to, but that the sibling musicians actually loved).

Adam Arcuragi
January 24
Sunset Tavern
Somewhat new to the scene is singer-songwriter Adam Arcuragi, a talented musician with a Southern roots style who isn't afraid to put himself out there - the young artist has been known to play a public market or two. His single 'She Comes to Me' is worth a watch on YouTube, and his forthcoming album Like a Fire That Consumes All Before It could give him some well-deserved exposure.

Wu-Tang Clan
January 25
The Showbox SoDo
The Wu is back! Legendary hip-hop ensemble Wu-Tang Clan, individually and collectively responsible for some of the best rap of the '90s, has re-grouped and will perform live in front of an expected raucous crowd at The Showbox. 'Triumph' is one of my all-time favorite hip-hop numbers, and it's gonna blow the roof off that place come late January.

The Music of ABBA
(Arrival from Sweden)
January 26
Snoqualmie Casino
This has Gay written all over it. As Swedish as that girl with the dragon tattoo, this reinvented musical act performs all those songs we confess to downloading onto our iPhones. From 'Dancing Queen' to 'Take a Chance on Me,' 'Mamma Mia' to 'Knowing Me, Knowing You,' this show is for the ABBA fan who hasn't grown up.

Fujiya & Miyagi
January 27
Neumos
British electronic four-piece Fujiya & Miyagi set up shop at Neumos next month to introduce fans to their latest work, the 2011 recording Ventriloquizzing. But high on everyone's list of songs they truly want to hear is 'Ankle Injuries,' the transatlantic club hit from 2006's Transparent Things.

Anjelah Johnson
January 28
Paramount Theatre
Bon Qui Qui is in da house! Comedian/TV personality Anjelah Johnson has a loyal following among Gay men, and they'll flock to her Seattle show to see and hear some of her best impersonations, like Bon Qui Qui the ghetto flight attendant or the Asian manicurist who works at Beautiful Nail - 'just one' (nail).

 Share on Facebook

Share on MySpace!

    Share on Delicious

Share on StumbleUpon!