Former Spokane DJ headlines today’s art, music extravaganza

Now in its third year, the Terrain Northwest Art Exhibit is becoming something of an institution for the budding indie-art scene in Spokane.

Presenting art and music that’s framed by largely lesser-known indie, urban, young and up-and-coming visual and performance artists, Terrain isn’t your typical First Friday fare. The event helps bring local underground art above the surface.

Previous Terrains have seen break-dance battles, psych-folk freakouts and dance parties in bank vaults, all surrounded by cutting-edge visual art spawned by mostly Spokane-area minds.

Terrain 2010, part of tonight’s Fall Visual Arts Tour, continues that tradition and then some.

This year’s expanded extravaganza is the stage for 64 Northwest artists presenting 179 original works plus live music by at least seven musical acts, headlined by Spokane-bred DJ James Pants.

The Stones Throw Records multi-instrumentalist and internationally renowned DJ released his third album on the venerable, L.A.-based indie label in June.

While Pants’ full-length debut, 2008’s “Welcome,” was all about retro-electro – and the follow-up, last year’s “Seven Seals” was an excursion into psycho-cult eccentrics – the new six-song EP, “The New Tropical,” is Pants’ ode to summer, laced with rump-shaking bass and rooted in slow-burning, lo-fi love beats.

Although Pants (aka James Singleton) lives in Denver, the new father and husband has been known to pop back to his former home in Spokane for special occasions in the last year, including New Year’s Eve and Elk Fest.

Pants returns this weekend to headline Terrain for the second year in a row, cutting genre-clashing jams from his eclectic collection of vinyl.

The rest of the music bill is filled out by:

• Wax wizard DJ Likes Girls, who will be spinning records between sets and at the evening’s onset.

• Sueno Del Verde, the new side project of experimental drum and synth duo Please Draw In Me.

• Kevin Cameron, originally billed as a solo act, now listed as appearing with his full band, Americana scorchers Silver Treason, featuring Makers guitarist Jamie Frost.

• Jazz, an art-punk band led by outspoken, ghost-obsessed singer/guitarist Ramsey Troxel.

• Members of indie-band Space Age Fur, who have morphed into The Soul and The Machine.

• Yarn Owl, one of the most popular indie-folk-rock bands coming out of Pullman, highlighted by Tim Meinig, formerly of Band of Horses.

There is also a possible secret show Terrain organizers are not confirming because, well, then it wouldn’t be a secret.

The Terrainian action continues Saturday with the Wrap Up Party at 10 p.m. at Mootsy’s, 406 W. Sprague Ave., with sets by Portland junkbox bluegrass-punk duo Hillstomp and local punk-blues band Whiskey Dick Mountain.

Cover for the Wrap Up Party is $5, ages 21 and older only.