Dig me out and start me up

Pop-music writers always remember favorite interviews. For this scribe, one of those took place in a restaurant on Vermont Avenue, in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles, with the three members of Sleater-Kinney a few years back. No, it wasn’t any deep metaphysical conversation that made drummer Janet Weiss and singer-guitarists Corin Tucker, whose balls-to-the-wall voice will raise the hairs on your neck, and Carrie Brownstein, whose more conventional voice is a throwback to 1960s girl groups, so unforgettable. It was just the knowledge that this was, and still is, one of the best bands in all of rock ’n’ roll—a trebly, two-guitars/no-bass assault with more sharp angles than an origami show, and great songs, and terrific presence. You can judge for yourself when Sleater-Kinney plays the Empire, 1417 R Street, at 7 p.m. Friday, May 21, with Weiss’ band Quasi opening. It’s an all-ages show, and tickets are $15.