Rocky Votolato Tonight at The High Watt

Though he now has eight full-length albums and several 7-inches and EPs behind him, one of my favorite Rocky Votolato records is and will probably always be 2003’s Suicide Medicine, a chilling and honest sonic examination of life’s darker moments.

On his latest album, Hospital Handshakes, Seattle’s Votolato nods to the Suicide Medicine era by bringing back fellow Northwesterner and former Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla to produce. And Walla nails it. He brings an understated touch to each song, giving Votolato’s emotional (not emo) rock songs depth beyond their initially catchy choruses and power chords.

While it’d be wonderful to hear these new tunes played with a full band like they are on the record, rest assured that tonight’s solo performance will still be stellar — Votolato has been captivating audiences for nearly two decades, striking a magnetic combination of earnest storytelling and confident singing.

Dave Hause, singer for Philly’s great melodic punk band The Loved Ones, and Chris Farren, of both Fake Problems and Antarctigo Vespucci (the latter of which just released a fantastic new album, by the way), open the show. The show starts at 8:30 p.m. and it'll cost you a lucky $13.