Tonight: Mark Knopfler, Seattle Soundbite and The Maldives, Police Teeth

Mark Knopfler. Moore Theatre, 1932 Second Ave., 877-STG-4TIX. 8 p.m. $63.50-$103.50. In my opinion, Mark Knopfler is like JJ Cale--he doesn't get enough credit for how good and innovative he is. Furthermore, it seems he doesn't get enough credit because, like Cale he does not play in-your-face rock, but rather laid-back, shuffling blues and folk. Most know Knopfler from his 80s rock band Dire Straits, which is responsible for mega-hits "Sultans of Swing" and Money for Nothing." But his solo career has been just as productive and intriguing. Like Bob Dylan, Knopfler has been crafting pseudo-trad songs that don't really resemble any particular style but still work hard at evoking the past, all the while sounding like pure Mark Knopfler. Through his soft grooves and bone-dry baritone, Knopfler creates slow-burning Americana that favors song-craft over guitar showmanship. BRIAN J. BARR

Seattle Soundbite and The Maldives, with Amsterdam, Velcro Mindset, Sam Russell and the Harborrats, DJ Darek Mazzone, and Shawn Stewart of 103.7 The Mountain. Showbox SoDo, 1700 First Ave. S., 382-7877. 6 p.m. $16. Food and music go together like gin and tonic. But while the ties between the two cultural pillars are strong, they're not always harmonious. Fences' Chris Mansfield recently walked off the stage after two songs at the art/food happening, The New Guard, because patrons were talking too loudly during their third dessert. Sarah McLachlan wants you to trade in your Thanksgiving turkey for tofu. Moby just wrote a book about being bald and being vegan. Even The Weekly's douchy/domesticated music editor pens a column about life with his Crock Pot®. But tonight's mashup of foodies and musicians at Showbox Sodo promises to be a relatively drama-free affair, with some of the city's favorite hash-slingers (Ethan Stowell Restaurants) and singers (The Maldives) holding court. CHRIS KORNELIS

Police Teeth, with Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death, Victory and Associates, DJ Heather Hydra. Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W., 784-4880. 9 p.m. $8. If naming songs were an Olympic sport, the necks of Police Teeth would be glowing with gold. Thankfully, jams like "Taking A Shit On Company Time" and "Bob Stinson Will Have His Revenge On Ferndale" aren't just great punchlines; they totally eclipse their nomenclature. Taking inspiration from that no-excess, reactionary school of 80's college punk, Police Teeth write catchy, riff-heavy punk songs that come from a blue collar, utilitarian mindset. Their songs are as meat and potatoes as they come, stripped of delay pedals, keyboard flourishes, and all of the excess fat that covers up the actual heart and purpose of the song. A typical Police Teeth show will more than likely involve some PBR cans being crushed mid-air, some fist pumping, perhaps some spitting, and a bunch of hairy, sweaty bodies ramming into each other; in other words, all the good stuff with none of the bullshit. GREGORY FRANKLIN