Pilcrow

Sasquatch Music Festival 2009: Sunday

2009-06-26T04:58:04Z

Last month, I was invited on short notice to attend the 2009 Sasquatch Music Festival, a three-day event happening over Memorial Day Weekend at the Gorge Ampitheatre in central Washington state. My role for the weekend was to post updates to KEXP's Facebook account about all the great bands I was seeing; naturally, I also took notes to write up a review of the weekend. With so many bands to cover, I'll do my best to keep this short and sweet.

Read about Saturday at Sasquatch.

Sunday

I meant to start Sunday morning by seeing Viva Voce and Point Juncture, WA, but we arrived back at the Gorge too late for either act. However, I was just in time to run into KEXP's DJ Shannon, walking over to the Wookie Stage to see Hockey, and so I joined her for that. Hockey's lead singer looked ridiculously young, like 15, but certainly sang very well. The band had something of a disco vibe, with funky bass lines and dance beats; as they sang in one song, "This ain't no Roxy Music." Rather, their clean, energetic sound was similar to CSS or New Young Pony Club, and very enjoyable. The singer described the last song as, "It's like a dance verse with an Aerosmith chorus," which was amusing and not too far off.

Next up was John Vanderslice. I'd never paid much attention to him until I was given a copy of his 2005 album Pixel Revolt last summer, and then kept being surprised to discover these good unfamiliar songs coming up in shuffle were from that album. That quality of surprising goodness also came up during this set. His music was mostly mid-tempo rock, sunnier-sounding more often than not but with occasional moodiness or hints of harder edges and darkness. It's more complex than it seems at first, and I believe it's that subtle complexity and deceptive sunniness that accounts for the factor of surprise. Vanderslice is definitely worth checking out.

St. Vincent, the stage/band name of musician Annie Clark, was one of the acts I was most looking forward to, and she did not disappoint. Although her music is rooted in indie pop, it has strong art-rock elements as well. Clark can thrash out or play sweetly, even doing both in the same song, such as "Now, Now" from 2007's release Marry Me. Indeed, featuring as it does violin, saxophone, flute, and even a little clarinet, her music might be better called chamber rock. "Marrow", which she described as the "dance track" from this year's album Actor, felt too off-kilter with its complicated rhythms to be considered an ordinary dance pop song. I thought her set was very cool, and really want to get her two albums now.

I finally left the Wookie Stage for a bit, just to get a bite to eat and wander around a little, but I made sure to get back in time for The Airborne Toxic Event. I first saw them back in February 2007 after hearing them live on KEXP, and really enjoyed their set that night. This time, they started out sounding harder-edged, more rock and less pop, at least for the first couple songs. However, they haven't left the violin out, and musician Anna Bulbrook knows how to rock it. The 'Event are not my dearly-departed Dambuilders, but they're still sounding good and I'm looking forward to hearing how they grow.

Another band I was excited to see was M83, but I hadn't expected it to be the performance of the weekend. M83's bright, summery synthpop was perfect for the late-afternoon hour, and their huge anthemic sound swept up the audience in a big loving embrace. Featuring several singles from their most recent album, Saturdays = Youth, their set bounced from trance to dance and built its way up to a heavy techno party track that had the whole audience hopping. On a day, a weekend, that featured numerous cool bands and good performances, this one was amazing and blew everyone away.

Wrapping up the day for me was Natalie Portman's Shaved Head in the Comedy/Dance Tent. Their high-energy synthpop, backed with a heavy rock beat, carried on the dance party that M83 had kicked off. I found however that they could have used some variety in their style for my taste: it was fine I suppose for a continuous dance party, but after a while it started to grind. "Shrill" also came to mind. Still, they were definitely bringing the fun for a lot of people, and offered a decent conclusion to the day.

See my Sasquatch Music Festival 2009: Sunday photo set on Flickr.

Sasquatch Music Festival 2009: Saturday

2009-06-20T07:04:48Z

Last month, I was invited on short notice to attend the 2009 Sasquatch Music Festival, a three-day event happening over Memorial Day Weekend at the Gorge Ampitheatre in central Washington state. My role for the weekend was to post updates to KEXP's Facebook account about all the great bands I was seeing; naturally, I also took notes to write up a review of the weekend. With so many bands to cover, I'll do my best to keep this short and sweet.

Read about Sunday at Sasquatch.

Saturday

As this was my first visit to the Gorge, I wandered about for a bit to check out the grounds, before settling in at the Wookie Stage (yes, that's what they called it, and yes the proper spelling for the Star Wars species is wookiee) to hear Owl City. Between the bouncy synthpop music and the lead singer sounding so much like Ben Gibbard, the band might as well be considered The Postal Service v2.0. I thought it was good stuff, but I could see them being criticized as too derivative. Still, if you're longing for more music like The Postal Service, Owl City are worth checking out.

My first visit to the ampitheatre Mainstage, with its gorgeous view of the Columbia River, was to hear modern-rock band Doves. Style-wise, I felt they sounded somewhat like Evan Dando (of the Lemonheads) leading the band Editors. Some of my friends rave about them, but their music never really kept my ear, or so I thought; I was surprised to find that I recognized more of the songs than I expected, and actually knew most of them. Despite that unexpected familiarity, I still felt most of the songs didn't really grab me, but I decided Doves were pretty good after all.

Back at the Wookie Stage, King Khan & the Shrines put on a blazing show that was hotter than the sun. Bare-chested and wearing a flamboyant feathered headdress and golden cape, King Khan led his band in a series of fast and furious party music that ranged back to fifties-style rock, rhythm and blues, and old-school funk. Crazy stage antics included a go-go cheerleader who danced for the whole set, a musician running forward to drop his trousers with his genitals tucked hidden between his legs and dancing in circles during "I Wanna Be A Girl", and Khan donning a Mexican wrestling mask at the end of his set. He balanced out the raucous songs with a slow and spooky blues tune and a silly and raunchy "psychedelic erotic gospel". Although this was not my favorite set of the weekend, it was definitely the flashiest for showmanship and a lot of fun.

I was up at least three hours earlier than usual in the morning that day in order to catch my ride to the Gorge, and between that and the intense desert sun, I was already feeling pretty wiped out by late afternoon. Fortunately the next band was Sun Kil Moon, whose quiet moody songs were perfect for chilling out. I recognized a couple from their first album, but I was so tired that I mostly zoned out through their set. Hopefully I can see them again when I have the energy to listen. Besides Sun Kil Moon, the other band I had really wanted to hear on Saturday was the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who played the early-evening Mainstage set. Unfortunately I had developed a headache from tiredness, and felt too removed to get into their music, so after just a few songs I left.

However, I still had an hour before my ride back to the hotel was leaving, so I went over to the Comedy/Dance Tent to catch James Pants. James Pants is all about the good time party, and although it was pretty loud in the tent, his music still lifted my spirits despite my fatigue. He was funky! dancey! a little bit crazy! a little bit spooky! or, as he said at one point, "First what we do is make you feel good about yourself! Then what we do is make you feel better about yourself! Then what we do is make you feel creepy about yourself!" I never did get to the creepy feeling, which is just as well; instead, he helped me end the day on a high note.

See my Sasquatch Music Festival 2009: Saturday photo set on Flickr.

inertia

2009-06-19T07:19:04Z

Don't try to tell me that your feet are made of lead
Two choices, hang back or get ahead,
Lead the pack, get it in your head to
Keep on moving, keep on moving
Ha ha haaa, yeah

"Inertia", The Wonder Stuff

Inertia has been holding me back for months. Inertia is another name for myself. "It's not a boy's name, it's not a girl's name / Inertia I'd call my child all the same." As the Wonder Stuff point out, moving forward has its own inertia. I just need to overcome the inertia of rest. Convert my potential into kinetic.

I have a little movement in some areas; you've seen some of that, with so many posts devoted to music and now with some of that writing being done for KEXP and not just for myself. I need movement in several other areas, important areas. But I have such trouble getting going. I could use a push. Can you help?

Lift your foot. Take a step. Lift the other foot, take another step. Now you're walking. You can move. You have motivation. You choose not to move, you fear where the path leads, or you shirk from following it because it looks steep. When the ground crumbles behind you, beneath you, will you finally step forward? Will you take a leap? Or will you let inertia pull you down, let yourself slide away with the ground?

This is not directed at anyone but myself. I'm just getting the thoughts out of my head, they take up too much room, they crowd out the useful ones, they add to the weight of inertia holding me down, in place. Words bind me and ground me, words open me and free me. Words are not the problem, I am the problem, I am the solution. Friends help me find the solution, friends help me move forward, friends help me overcome the inertia that is myself and be the inertia that is also myself. Immovable object, irresistible force.

Remember you can write. Remember you've kept journals all these years just for this purpose, to formulate your thoughts, to formalize your thoughts, to wrestle the endless gyres into structured paragraphs with beginning and importantly with end. The word spoken cannot be unsaid. Words have movement. Words move your thoughts. Words let you move and shape and structure and reorder and analyze and interpret and understand your thoughts. Use your words. Were you not born with words? Perhaps not, but the being who you are has always had words, cannot remember and is no longer the being who could not read, who did not have words. Be who you are. Become who you want to be.

Get it in your head to keep on moving, keep on moving.

KEXP Blog: The Juan MacLean at Nectar Lounge, June 2009

2009-06-16T06:31:28Z

Last week I went to Nectar Lounge to see The Juan MacLean and The Field, two electronic artists I didn't know much about but remembered liking what I'd heard by them on the radio. I came away loving both bands, and wrote a review of the show which is now posted here on the KEXP Blog. Unfortunately I was up in the balcony for all of The Field's set and took only one photo that wasn't worth using in the review (too dark, too far away), but I got some decent ones of The Juan MacLean.

I did actually take notes while I was at the Sasquatch Music Festival, but for various reasons I haven't got around to writing up a review yet. Hopefully I'll get that done in the next couple days, and post it here. Likewise I also have the "John In The Morning At Night" KEXP benefit show to review. I also have to write a new installment of "Know Your Subgenres" for the KEXP Blog, and that also should be done in the next couple days.

Go to school

2009-05-26T01:21:58Z

The School of Seven Bells, that is, and learn the My Bloody Valentine curriculum.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

M83 = WOW.

2009-05-25T07:41:52Z

And I don't mean World of Warcraft. I mean AMAZING.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

Sasquatch Music Festival

2009-05-25T02:05:44Z

Quick post via the magic of iPhone, LJapp, and stealing wireless. I'm at the Sasquatch Music Festival at The Gorge Ampitheater in central Washington. Wednesday I was unexpectedly offered the opportunity to go and cover the event for KEXP. It's been really hot, and yesterday was a little hard because I was so tired and got a serious headache, but overall it's fun and I'm glad I'm here. Seen some good performances and still several bands I'm looking forward to. I'm posting status updates, along with a couple other people, under the "Ke Xp" user on Facebook; there may be some updates on the blog too. I'll have some kind of wrap-up either here or on the KEXP blog after the event. For now, off to see M83!

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

May 2009 concert 2: Erik Blood and Hotels at Chop Suey

2009-05-22T04:07:54Z

On Thursday May 7, I went to Chop Suey to see Hotels, with Erik Blood and Silver Teeth. Oddly enough, I had just met Blood the week before through mutual friends at the My Bloody Valentine show, but had no idea who he was until a few days after the fact. Unfortunately the show began earlier than I expected, and I missed Silver Teeth. Chop Suey often seems to start weekday shows on the early side, with the first band playing at 8:30, and while that's a good practice for getting in a crowd who might not normally get to shows, it does tend to throw off the regular concert-goers. Still, I have more than one friend who'd appreciate seeing more clubs set earlier start times for shows.

Erik Blood is a member of Seattle band the Turn-ons, and created his "solo" album for music that didn't fit with that band. However, not only did all the members of the Turn-ons contribute to the album, most if not all of them also joined on stage along with three other musicians for the backing band, creating a seven-piece lineup. Musically, Blood started from a basic mid-'90s alternative rock sound, with influences from shoegaze and pop. His song "To Leave America," which I recognized from KEXP airplay, was a good example of this style. However, he soon showed his skill with a variety of styles and a knack for catchy tunes. Saying he was going to try something different, he played a slow R&B crooner that, most of the way through the song, unexpectedly broke into a lovely shoegazery guitar wash (reminiscent of Kitchens of Distinction, I thought). It was a neat juxtaposition of styles, as was a later song that clearly drew upon '60s pop music. I really enjoyed the whole set, and although I wasn't able to pick up the CD The Way We Live that night, I hope to do so soon.

Hotels are becoming a challenge for me: there are only so many ways to say "I love this band!", after all. Their music is dynamic and complex but fits together with precision; it sounds full, but not overly busy. Often it feels very joyful even when the lyrics are wistful or bitter, and as I've remarked before, it urges the listener to get up and move. Indeed, before playing "Hydra," lead singer Blake declared, "You ought to dance more!", and while no real outright dancing ensued (this was a Seattle hipster audience, after all), there was definitely movement in the audience. Their moodier pieces, such as "The Heart That Hears Like A Bat," have a grand sweep to them not unlike the cinematic cabaret sound of Mono in VCF; it's perhaps not surprising then that their next album, currently in the works, is to have a spy-movie "James Bond in space" theme to it. Much to my delight, they gave us a taste of that next album by debuting a new song, "The Bat Watusi," which was perhaps a bit harder-edged and sounded great. Expect to keep reading more happy reviews of Hotels from me; better yet, go check them out yourself.

May 2009 concert 1: Spectrum at Neumos

2009-05-22T02:06:20Z

On Saturday May 2, I went to Neumos to see Mono in VCF and the Fading Collection. They were opening for Spectrum, a project of Pete "Sonic Boom" Kember, formerly with Spaceman 3. Only the front half of the main room was open for the show, which seemed odd for a Saturday night, and led to some sound problems at least for Spectrum; as Kember noted, the room was twice as big during sound check.

The Fading Collection mentioned that they are (still) working on a new record, planning to release a five-song EP in a few months and a full-length album next year. They played a few of the new songs at this show, which sounded solid, though for some reason I'm a little concerned the new music will end up being too like their previous work. One possible direction they could pursue, given their extensive use of sampled rhythm tracks in addition to the drummer, would be adding a turntablist to the live lineup—or another live percussionist. I do like their use of two singers rather than just doubling the lead vocals through samples, and I think that's a real strength of the band. Unfortunately, technical difficulties with a new keyboard led to their set being cut short, but I did enjoy what they played and felt that as a live act they're finally connecting with me.

Mono in VCF had the full seven-piece lineup for this show, which I think is always best for conveying the full sweep of their cinematic style. There was a bit of a rough edge to their sound, some of which is to be expected at any live performance, but it demonstrated again that they are better suited for a well-designed concert hall or theater rather than rock clubs. However, they still sounded gorgeous as always. They played a few songs I didn't recognize, including two that they specifically identified as new tracks. One of the new ones, "Wind", debuted for the first time at this show, and it sounded appropriately breezy and pretty. Of the other two I didn't recognize, one was called "Lost to the Galaxy" and had a country/western feel to it—if their music usually feels like '60s Euro cinema, this was a spaghetti Western tune. I enjoyed the whole set and look forward to a new release from them, which according to their site is planned for later this year.

Spectrum was billed "with live band," as though it's usually Kember appearing on his own, so I expected a heavy electronic element to the show. While Kember did use a synth and set up some looping parts, he mainly played guitar and sang; his backing band rounded out the music with guitar, bass, and drums. Although Spectrum opened with a keyboard-heavy upbeat instrumental called "Mary", a tribute to Mary Hansen of Stereolab, most of the music was slow moody guitar-driven rock. In fact, I found the music too slow and moody: the songs had almost no variation, each having a similar constant beat, key, and deadpan, slightly off-key vocals. For a band called Spectrum, the show was very monochromatic, apparently exploring an aesthetic of extreme ennui. After four mostly-plodding songs, I was bored enough that I seriously considered walking out, which is very rare for me. Finally however, they picked up the beat a little for two more songs, even using a melodic line that accelerated to the end of the first one, and added some intensity and noise. At this point I was tempted to dub their style "shoegoth", and though the slight sharpening of focus had improved things, I didn't bother to stay to see whether they did an encore.

I still have a review to write for Hotels and Eric Blood at Chop Suey last week; I'm hoping to get that done either tonight or tomorrow. Later tonight I'm actually going to see Hotels yet again, at the Comet Tavern, but haven't decided if I'll write a review for this one. The big news is that this weekend I should be at the Sasquatch Music Festival, posting updates to Facebook for KEXP and later writing some reviews. If you see me there, say hello!

April 2009 concert 2: Franz Nicolay at the Sunset Tavern

2009-05-07T05:47:26Z

On Friday, April 24, I went to the Sunset Tavern to see Franz Nicolay, the keyboardist for the Hold Steady (and, full disclosure, a good friend of my sister Andrea), on tour for his solo release Major General. Opening the show were Mostly Dimes and Moneybrother.

Moneybrother is technically a solo project of Anders Wendin, playing acoustic guitar and singing; he was joined by another musician on electric bass, drums, and backing vocals. The bassist had both a snare and a bass drum set up as kick drums, which I thought was an interesting solution to providing the rhythm section. They played a set of very catchy pop with a nice spare sound, having kind of an early Elvis Costello or Billy Bragg vibe. The two harmonized well when singing and occasionally had some funny interplay when trading off lines. Moneybrother had some very cool songs and I want to hear more; I'm surprised KEXP isn't already on top of this.

Mostly Dimes are a folk-rock quintet including guitar and lead vocals, mandolin and vocals, guitar, bass and clarinet, and drums. They had what I thought of as an Appalachian sound, and unsurprisingly it turned out the members were from the general area of the mid-Atlantic states and Virginia. Going by the lead singer's comments beforehand, the songs tended to be about social issues. I particularly liked their first song, which had an extended instrumental section and sounded more prog-rock, but I felt the rest were a bit bland despite the occasional color added by the clarinet (and trumpet played by the lead singer on one song). Overall, I felt they were strong players but their musical style just wasn't my thing.

When Franz Nicolay took the stage, he announced that he was a professional entertainer, which meant we were a professional audience, and he was here to professionally entertain us, which he proceeded to do for the next hour. Singing and alternately playing accordian, guitar, and banjo, he performed a cabaret-style act featuring funny introductions to whimsical and sometimes wistful songs. The songs were anecdotal, covering such experiences as working in a punk/sideshow circus, opening for the Dead Kennedys who were touring without the original lead singer, or simply answering that challenging question facing many a professional musician, "buy or rent?". Nicolay had an engaging manner and a strong singing voice, and it was great to hear a musician who understands dynamics. He finished his set with a couple sad songs on the banjo, giving the lie to Steve Martin's claim. I really enjoyed Nicolay's performance, and look forward to hearing more from him.

I have a few photos of each band, starting here in Flickr.

I've been remiss about posting upcoming shows, partly due to being so late with posting these reviews. However, I want to be sure you all know that Hotels are playing tomorrow night, Thursday May 7, at Chop Suey, and I will of course be there. I should also be going to see John Vanderslice doing an in-store performance at Easy Street Records in Queen Anne on Friday, May 22. Beyond that, I don't have anything lined up yet for June, so we'll see what comes up.

April 2009 concert: Head Like A Kite at the Crocodile

2009-05-02T06:57:07Z

Three weeks ago, on Friday April 10, I went with a crew of KEXP staff and interns to the Crocodile to see Partman Parthorse, which includes KEXP DJ Rachel on bass. They were opening for Head Like A Kite, with Wild Orchard Children taking the middle slot in the bill. Despite the heavy KEXP presence, this was not an official KEXP event so I can forego the disclaimer about all views expressed here being solely my own... though that's still the case.

Partman Parthorse are a noisy post-punk art rock quartet, heavy on the punk side of post-punk. Like their namesake the centaur, the band is a somewhat awkward combination of two parts. The musical part was very good, with a lot of interesting things going on, and I believe they'd do well as just an instrumental art-rock band. However, the vocal part mostly involved very punk-style tuneless shouting, which is not my thing at all. At least one song featured more rap-style vocals, which I think worked better, but overall I'd prefer the vocalist turned down the shouting and put a little more singing into his style. Still, again like their namesake, the combination does work in its context, and they can't be faulted for not appealing to my particular taste. I did like the band overall, and perhaps the vocals will grow on me over time.

Although I may not have cared much for the vocal stylings of Partman Parthorse, they were far preferable to Wild Orchid Children. This psychedelic jam band can be easily summed up as sounding like Zack de la Rocha (of Rage Against the Machine) fronting the band Santana. The lead singer sang a little bit in one song, providing more of a Hendrix feel, but otherwise just shouted unintelligibly in a most grating fashion. I thought the music was fine and band was enjoyable enough when the vocalist wasn't shouting—he also played conga—but the longer their set went on the less I liked them, entirely due to the vocalist. It's rare that I will come out against a band, but while I'd recommend you check out Partman Parthorse for yourself, I cannot recommend Wild Orchid Children.

Fortunately, headliners Head Like A Kite were worth the wait. The duo of Dave Einmo (guitar, synths, sampler, and vocals) and Trent Moorman (drums, keys, sampler, and vocals) played a funky set of electropop to a very excited full crowd. They created a crazy party atmosphere for the show, starting with a fog machine and background video of Barbie-type dolls having sex, and later having dancers in weird bright-colored costumes—I was told the suits were of "Nordy", the old Nordstrom mascot—on stage and in the crowd. Graig Markel jumped in on backing vocals a few times during the set, which seemed appropriate as the band's sound was similar to his current project, The Animals at Night. Later in the set, they were also joined by a pair of female singers and a guitarist or two for a few songs, including "Daydream Vacation". I also recognized "We Were So Entangled" and "A Dime and a Cigarette", and was hoping for "Noisy at the Circus" but unfortunately they didn't play it. Oddly, I found the music was not as engaging as I had expected, but the show was still entertaining and enjoyable, and I'm glad I stayed to see them.

I have a small set of photos mostly featuring Head Like A Kite, starting here in Flickr.

Concert review on KEXP Blog: My Bloody Valentine at WaMu Theater, April 2009

2009-04-30T07:27:00Z

Monday night I had the good fortune of being the official KEXP reviewer for My Bloody Valentine at the WaMu Theater. It was an awe-inspiring show, and I wrote about their performance at some length. The review is now posted here on the KEXP Blog, so check it out!

I am still behind a few weeks in other reviews! Hopefully I can get to them soon...

KEXP Blog: "Know Your Subgenres: Shoegazing"

2009-04-26T21:16:56Z

I've started writing a series of posts for the KEXP Blog called "Know Your Subgenres". The first article on shoegazing is now posted, and you can read it here. If you have suggestions for other subgenres you'd like to read about, let me know.

March 2009 concert 2: Black Mountain at Neumos

2009-04-19T06:20:47Z

On Friday March 27, I manned the KEXP information table at Neumos for Black Mountain, with opening act The Sadies. As usual, the standard disclaimer applies: although I am a volunteer for KEXP, the opinions expressed in this review and all other posts on this blog are solely mine and do not represent the official views of KEXP.

The Sadies are a rockabilly quartet on guitar and fiddle, guitar, bass viol, and drums, with both guitarists handling vocals. Their set generally alternated between quick surf-rock instrumentals and slightly slower country-rock songs with vocals. They played the first several songs nonstop, but later talked and joked with the audience a bit. About halfway through, they brought out the fiddle for a few more traditional country/folk style songs, before ramping back up to the end. Although I'm generally not too interested in a strong country sound, I did enjoy their set very much.

The club was packed when Black Mountain began their set, coming out one at a time to join the keyboardist in an extended space-rock jam. The quintet (including vocals, guitar/vocals, guitar, keyboard, and drums), have a classic heavy progressive blues-rock sound, in the style of Led Zeppelin or Blue Öyster Cult. Their heavy grooves and moody tones were matched by the dim red and blue stage lighting. This set mostly featured slow songs that were unfamiliar to me, either from last year's release In The Future or else new ones. They did sound good, but none were compelling enough to make me feel I'm missing out by not yet owning that album. I did enjoy the set closer, "Stormy High", which is from that album and which picked up the tempo and mood a bit. The encore also started slow but broke into a fast driving section, before returning to the slow, keyboard-heavy space-rock jam that ended up feeling a bit indulgent, denying the audience the rock-out finale they were clearly ready for. The whole set was unsatisfying in the end; I know Black Mountain can do better, and I hope to see them do so.

Neumos was so packed that I couldn't get anywhere near the stage during Black Mountain, so I have just a few poor photos of them, but a few more decent ones of the Sadies from the side of the stage; these can be seen starting here in Flickr.

March 2009 concert 1: Hotels at the Crocodile

2009-04-19T06:18:42Z

On Wednesday March 25, I went to my first show at the newly-renovated and re-opened Crocodile, featuring my current favorite band, Hotels. Three other bands were on the bill: New Faces, Romance, and the Globes.

The Globes are a quartet (vocals/guitar, guitar/vocals, bass/keyboard, drums) who played a solid set of alternative rock with a bit of an art-rock edge. Somehow they reminded me a bit of the Dismemberment Plan, though overall their sound was more of the Minus the Bear type of rock. They sounded fairly polished and I really liked their set; of the three opening bands, the Globes were the one I'm most interested in seeing again.

Romance are another standard rock quartet with a darker post-punk sound, somewhere between Interpol and classic goth rock. Early in their set, their vocals were very murky, and I found it hard to tell whether that was due to me wearing earplugs, me being too close to the stage (under the speakers), or a deliberate choice by the band. Just as I finished making a note to that effect, the sound guy went onstage to swap a microphone cable while people toward the back of the audience cried for the vocals to be turned up. It was a funny commentary on both the band's style and the club's newness, still working out the kinks. Overall I found Romance to be solid and enjoyable if not inventive or exciting, and I do want to hear more from them.

New Faces are a straightforward rock trio on guitar, bass, and drums; the guitarist sang lead vocals and the other two sang backing vocals. A couple of their songs sounded familiar to me, no doubt from being played on KEXP, and they announced that some of the songs were new ones—one of which the drummer quipped was so new that he didn't think he'd ever played it before, but it sounded just as good as the rest. I didn't find them very exciting at first—like Romance, solid and enjoyable, but just not grabby—but I warmed up to them more by the end and decided they're definitely worth seeing again.

Hotels were their usual energetic selves, and seemed pretty excited to be at the new Crocodile. Perhaps a bit too excited, as I noticed they were tending to rush on several of the songs, but it still all sounded great. I was happy that they played the boppy instrumental "Farewell to Love"—which I think of as their theme music, just because it sounds like a corporate jingle—from their first album Thank You For Choosing..., but for the most part they stuck to the current album Where Hearts Go Broke. As the last band on a four-band concert, they suffered the usual late-night audience attrition, and they almost did not play an encore (due to the late hour), but a particularly vocal fan (besides myself) helped convince them to do a couple more. I have nothing to add besides my continued undying love for Hotels and insistence that you should catch them whenever they play.

The new Crocodile's stage and lighting arrangement pose new challenges for my iPhone, but I did get several decent photos of each band, starting here in Flickr.

Concert review on KEXP Blog: Tricky at the Showbox, March 2009

2009-04-06T20:11:10Z

As I mentioned in my previous post, my third concert in March was seeing Tricky at the Showbox at the Market. I attended the show on behalf of KEXP, writing a review for the KEXP Blog. The review is now posted and you can read it here.

Speaking of KEXP, on April 17, a week from this Friday, they'll be spending the day broadcasting live from Caffé Vita at 1005 E Pike Street in Seattle to celebrate Capitol Hill's victory in the "Hood-to-Hood Challenge" from last year's pledge drive. Here's their blurb about the event:

Friday, 4/17 join John Richards, Cheryl Waters and Kevin Cole for a live broadcast from Caffé Vita all day long. Featuring performances by Mates of State, Black Kids, Moondoggies, and more. Stick around that night for discounts at local business, KEXP DJs at Capitol Hill Clubs, and showcases at the The Comet, Wildrose, and Everyday Music. For more information visit the Hood to Hood 2009 page on KEXP.org.

I will be at the event from 2-4 PM, manning the membership table. Come by and say hi!

Feb 2009 concert 3: Annuals at Chop Suey

2009-04-05T06:20:10Z

On Wednesday Feb. 25th, I went to Chop Suey to see Annuals, back again and this time headlining their own tour. Opening for them was Jessica Lea Mayfield and What Laura Says.

I walked in just as What Laura Says were starting their set, and my immediate impression was that they were a long-haired Southern rock band. That may be technically true, as they are from Arizona and do have long hair, but as their set went on I realized they had a greater complexity than just simple blues rock. They had touches of country music, as appropriate for Southern rock, but also a strong strain of prog-rock as well; somewhere between Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Fleet Foxes, perhaps. The quintet had very nice vocal harmonies and also were quite good musicians, as they demonstrated in an extended instrumental jam leading into one song. I really enjoyed their set and picked up their CD Thinks and Feels after the show; I'll be listening for more from them in the future.

I had heard good things about singer-songwriter Jessica Lea Mayfield and she definitely had a bevy of fans at the show. Mayfield played guitar and sang, and was was ably backed by a trio, including her older brother, on guitar, bass viol and bass guitar, and drums. However, her sleepy-weepy country rock did not win me over. I found that almost all her songs sounded about the same to me. Even when she covered a Buddy Holly tune, it was indistinguishable from the rest of her own songs and if she hadn't announced it I wouldn't have known. Despite this, the crowd was very attentive, and when she played one song solo the room was impressively quiet throughout, with barely a sound of chatting from the bar area. Finally, she had a rock-out moment with her last song, climbing up on the side of her brother's upright bass to play guitar while he kept playing the bass as well. It was a fun moment, but for my taste the whole set could have used 500% of that.

Annuals came out to a dark stage and played an extended percussion introduction, with four of the six members on drums that flashed red green and blue lights as they pounded away. I was surprised that this led into "Hot Night Hounds," a song they've been featuring as a show closer in part for its strong anthemic sound and for its repeated cries of "goodbye!" toward the end. However, though I wondered how they would follow that up, I had faith in Annuals and I was amply rewarded with yet another stellar show. Unlike their last visit, Anna Spence's keyboard and vocals were properly mixed and both sounded great; she had particularly pretty, ethereal backing vocals on "Hardwood Floor". In fact the vocals in general seemed to stand out more at this concert, such as the nice harmonies in "Sway" and "Chase You Off"; also, bassist Mike Robinson did some backing vocals this time, which I don't recall from previous concerts. Standout tunes for me included familiar tunes from Be He Me: "Complete or Completing"; "Brother", which featured a powerful and gorgeous extended musical intro; and "Carry Around", the first of two encore songs. However, the newer songs from Such Fun, including "Hot Night Hounds", "Hardwood Floor", and the final encore, the honky-tonk "Hair Don't Grow", also sounded great. For the main set closer, "Wake" (also from Such Fun), two members of What Laura Says joined the band to provide backing vocals, whistling, and drumming—because with Annuals, you can never have too many people drumming. With Annuals, you also can never see them too many times, and as I say every time they come to town, I'll be eagerly awaiting their next visit, hopefully this autumn.

I have a small set of photos from this show, starting here in Flickr.

Although I've been quiet here for over a month, I haven't stopped going out to shows, and I have some reviews to catch up on: Hotels at the newly-renovated and re-opened Crocodile, and Black Mountain at Neumos, both from the last full week of March. However, I have one more review that's already written, for Tricky at the Showbox at the Market last Saturday; that review was written for the KEXP Blog, and should be posted there soon. Coming up in April, two shows that my sister Andrea pointed me to: Christy & Emily at the New Crompton (which apparently is someone's house in the U District) on Thursday April 9, and Franz Nicolay (whom you might know as the leader of The Hold Steady) at the Sunset Tavern on Friday April 24.

PlayDate

2009-03-06T08:34:40Z

I've been having a rough few months as work's dried up, and I haven't felt much like writing personal entries. However, I wrote this long post for a forum I'm on, about my recent experience at PlayDate, and I thought I'd cross-post it here.

PlayDate is a company that organizes social evenings based around classic board and card games as a shared experience. The events are open to couples as well as singles, and offer food and cocktails and music as well as the games. I learned about them at the beginning of February, and attended their most recent event last Saturday night (the 28th) at the Seattle Repertory Theatre, which ran from 10 PM to 3 AM.

PlayDate advertises as an alternative to the bar scene, but it didn't really feel that different to me. It was clear that almost everyone there came with at least one other friend if not in a group; the only other two people I could clearly identify as being on their own were another two guys. There were a bunch of PlayDate people (organizers/assistants) around, but they didn't seem to be doing much in the way of getting people together to play games. So if you're a single guy who's bashful about approaching others, like myself, you're still going to have a tough time meeting people.

I got there early enough, a little before 10:30, that there were few people at the event and a PlayDate assistant did invite me to join another three people—two girls who were clearly friends, and a random guy who like me was here on his own—playing Jenga. After a couple games, the two girls wandered off, and the guy and I played a game of Battleship before going off on our own. The place did fill up quickly, I'd say by 11 there was a good crowd of people and most of the tables were full, and it stayed pretty active the whole time I was there, until about 1:30.

At the door they had name tags but told you to write down your mood rather than your name. I thought for a bit but didn't come up with something clever right away, and rather than stand there feeling silly I just wrote "happy". Then I sat down at that first table and discovered the other guy had also written "happy", and that made me feel dumb.

After wandering a bit, I asked to join a small group playing Connect Four. One of their group saw my name tag and immediately started referring to me as "Happy"; I took that with good grace, but after talking and playing with them a short time I removed the tag and introduced myself properly. None of them had name tags, apparently because they'd come in the back or something. I had a good time with them, before they decided they were leaving to meet some other friends elsewhere.

Later I saw another woman sitting by herself at a Connect Four game so I asked if I could join her or if she were waiting for someone, and she did smile and have me sit down to play. However she was clearly distracted and waiting for others, and eventually when her male friend came by, she switched with him. He and I played another couple games while he was also distracted with other (male) friends coming by, and finally I played one more game with one of his friends, and that was it.

That was all the game-playing I did while I was there, probably about an hour total out of the three hours I spent. The rest of the time I was wandering about by myself looking to see if there were some other game I could jump in on. When I left I was overcome with a strong bout of self-pity, feeling very sad and lonely even though I had had a little fun with the games, particularly with the first Connect Four group. The feeling with the first Connect Four group was that they decided I was okay and we had fun together; with the second group it was more that I was being humored, even though they were friendly enough. I got over the sadness not too long after getting home, but it was a pretty strong let-down.

In the end, I feel that the event would be easier and more fun if I went with a friend or two of my own, the "wingmen" (or women) I've been recommended I should have. However I also feel that because most people seemed to be there in groups, having a posse of my own would defeat the intention of meeting new people. Perhaps if I had a couple wing-women that would work okay.

One other observation about the event: there was a surprisingly high proportion of black people attending the event, certainly much higher than the actual proportions of white and black people in Seattle and I believe overall there were more black people than anyone else. I have no idea why that would be the case; presumably it's being marketed more toward them for some reason.

Feb 2009 concert 2: Point Juncture WA at the Sunset Tavern

2009-03-01T05:35:28Z

Last Friday the 20th, I went to the Sunset Tavern to see two bands celebrate album releases: Heart to Elk, the third album by Point Juncture WA, and Where Hearts Go Broke, the second album by Hotels. Opening the evening was The Animals at Night.

I first saw The Animals at Night just last month, and I don't really have much to add to that review. Once again they played some great dance music, but the club was so packed there was no room to dance. The crowd did seem to be into the music though, which was good for the band. I have a feeling The Animals at Night will be popping up a lot around town and expect it won't be long before I'm seeing them again.

Hotels marked the release of their album by playing it straight through, down to maintaining the segue from "Near the Desert, Near the City" into "Leilani". They also had on hand singer Annie Alldredge to provide her lovely guest vocals on "The Heart That Hears Like A Bat". Unfortunately the sound quality at the Sunset is rather poor, and standing up front near the stage I found the mix lacking. The guitar was a little submerged when it wasn't taking the lead, and overall the crisp interplay of the various parts did not always come through. Still, that was the fault of the venue, and the band made up for it with their energetic and enthusiastic performance. I believe the club was sold out for this show, and I expect that as word gets out, Hotels will be moving up to bigger venues soon.

I've been excited to see Point Juncture WA ever since I started hearing their single "Melon Bird" late last summer on KEXP. The quartet of Amanda Spring (lead vocals, drums), Victor Nash (keyboards, vocals, and trumpet), Skyler Norwood (bass, guitar, vibraphone), and Wilson Vediner (guitar, added percussion) played a mix of indie pop-rock and shoegazer-influenced prog rock. Because Spring does most of the lead vocals, the band had the unusual setup of having the drums front and center on the stage. That setup also made it easier for the band to trade off parts, which they did a few times, Spring taking over vibraphone and bass while Norwood took drums and vocals; Vediner played some vibraphone too and occasionally banged on a cymbal or drum in the midst of songs. The set as a whole felt a lot lighter and more pop-oriented than I had expected, based on "Melon Bird"—which, to my disappointment, they did not play—and reminded me somehow of Imperial Teen. Later I found out that Heart to Elk is their third release, not their debut as I'd thought, so it may be that the more pop-sounding songs were older ones. They did play "Once Tasted Ever Wanted", the other single that KEXP has been spinning, and it had a cool psychedelic/Euro-rock feel to it; some of the others were on the heavier side too, with shoegazer-y distorted guitars. Even so, I was left feeling that had I seen them live first rather than hearing "Melon Bird" on the radio, I wouldn't have been so excited. However, Heart to Elk is a satisfying album and I look forward to hearing more from Point Juncture WA.

I have another review to write, for Annuals at Chop Suey last Wednesday, and I'll have that up soon. Meanwhile, March is upon us, and I'm currently looking at two shows: Asobi Seksu at Chop Suey on Tuesday March 10, and Simian Mobile Disco at Neumos on Friday March 13. I still need to go through the full listings to see if there's anything else I want to catch. Oh I should mention Hotels are doing an in-store gig at Easy Street Records in West Seattle on Friday March 20. Also noteworthy, the Crocodile has been booking shows starting in late March, and I look forward to seeing the newly-renovated club. Finally, KEXP's Spring Pledge Drive is going on this week; I wouldn't know about so many great bands were it not for them, so I highly recommend making a contribution.

Go Play NW 2009: Registration now open!

2009-02-19T09:34:32Z

Go Play NW is a Seattle convention of indie gamers and game designers where we get together, greet old friends, make some new ones, and play some games.

Registration is now open for Go Play NW 2009! There are a few improvements and changes this year:

THREE days of gaming: from Friday night June 26 – Sunday June 28

Cool location downtown: Freehold Theatre in the heart of Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood

Friday Night Feast: a private buffet dinner (including vegetarian options and beer) will be available for a reasonable additional charge

The Weekend Pass + Friday Night Feast is $57, the Weekend Gaming-only Pass is $40. These prices are good until June 1, so go register now, or check out the Go Play NW home page for more information.

Hotels album review featured on KEXP Blog!

2009-02-16T03:00:55Z

Recently in my notes on upcoming shows, I've been talking up this Friday's show at the Sunset Tavern, an album-release celebration for both Point Juncture WA and for Hotels. I still haven't heard Point Juncture WA's album, just some songs on KEXP, so I don't have much to say about that except that I've been eagerly anticipating seeing them live to learn more about them. However, I'm quite pleased to say that not only do I have Hotels' new album Where Hearts Go Broke, I've written a review of the album which is now featured on the KEXP Blog. So if you're wondering what all the fuss is about Hotels, go read the album review, and come see them this Friday!

Feb 2009 concert 1: Lykke Li at the Showbox at the Market

2009-02-15T07:48:57Z

Friday night I was at the Showbox at the Market to see Lykke Li, with Wildbirds & Peacedrums. I attended this show as a volunteer for KEXP, which sponsored the show, so the standard disclaimer applies: although I am a volunteer for KEXP, the opinions expressed in this review and all other posts on this blog are solely mine and do not represent the official views of KEXP.

Wildbirds & Peacedrums are the husband-and-wife duo of Andreas Werliin and Mariam Wallentin on drums and vocals/dulcimer/percussion respectively. As I learned at the show, their music defies easy description. Their stark vocals and percussion suggested tribal music origins, but the performance style was more akin to an art project than authentic folk music. They might be termed worldbeat, but only in the broadest sense of mixing folk/ethnic musical elements and Western-style music. Wallentin and Werliin were evenly matched with powerful vocals and drumming, and the audience responded enthusiastically. I wasn't sure what I was hearing, but I decided whatever Wildbirds & Peacedrums might be, they were pretty good.

Lykke Li is a Swedish indie-pop singer-songwriter—not exactly a rare breed these days. What distinguishes Li's music is her quirky spirit and flavorings of rock, electronica, and even hip-hop; also, of course, her soft girlish voice, strongly reminiscent of Allison Shaw from shoegaze/dreampop band Cranes. Before describing her set, I should clarify that because I had the duty of watching the KEXP table, I only saw the first half of her performance, although being just outside the performing space I clearly heard the entire set. Li came out on stage alone to begin the first song, "Dance, Dance, Dance", and was joined about halfway through by a guitarist, keyboardist, and drummer. Similarly, she began "Complaint Department" by herself with a cymbal and sampled music before the band came back; at the other end, "Hanging High" featured two additional musicians both playing additional percussion and singing backing vocals. Most of her set drew from her debut album Youth Novels, of course, but she introduced at least one new song, "Until We Bleed". To my surprise, she played her hits "I'm Good, I'm Gone" and "Little Bit" early in the set, and her two encore songs were unknown to me. The last encore began as a cover of "Walk On The Wild Side" but morphed into something else with Li rapping for a bit on top. From what I saw, Li was an entertaining and engaging performer, working the crowd a bit and making some amusing comments between songs. The whole set sounded great, and even if I couldn't actually see all of it I was glad that I hadn't missed hearing it. My only regret was that I was strapped for cash and couldn't pick up her album, but hopefully it won't be too long before I can.

Coming up in the next two weeks are two shows I've been eagerly awaiting for the past three months. First, on Friday Feb. 20, the Sunset Tavern hosts a double record-release show for Point Juncture WA and Hotels, with The Animals at Night opening. Second, on Wednesday Feb. 25 Annuals return to Seattle headlining a show at Chop Suey, which is sure to be amazing. Also next week on Wednesday Feb. 18, Ballard clothes store Blackbird is sponsoring "Birds of a Feather", a benefit show for the Ballard Food Bank featuring the Botherations, Idle Times, and Yes Oh Yes. I know nothing of these bands, but the store owners are friends of mine and the cause is worthy, so go check it out. Speaking of worthy causes, KEXP's Spring Pledge Drive starts Friday Feb. 27 and runs through the first week of March.

Jan 2009 concerts 2 & 3: KJ Sawka at Nectar Lounge, Supreme Beings of Leisure at Chop Suey

2009-02-07T08:30:50Z

Last Friday I went to Nectar Lounge to see KJ Sawka headlining an electronica show to mark the release of his new EP, Undefined Connectivity. Opening for Sawka were the DJ group Shift Crew and electronic musician novaTRON, and DJ Flave wrapped up the evening. Sonic MC acted as host for the evening and also performed freestyle rap during each set. I felt that Sonic MC's rapping generally didn't really enhance the music, but it did fit in well with the flow.

Shift Crew are a group of DJs associated with Shift Recordings; this evening's trio included Shift Recordings founder Lukki, CB, and Dirty. They took turns spinning records on a pair of turntables, using a laptop and some other gear to mix the music. Their music was primarily dubstep and trip-hop, somewhat danceable but I felt it was more for background ambience than dedicated listening. I liked their set, but felt it went on a little long and the other two acts could have been given a little more time.

novaTRON creates live breakbeat music using a custom set of synthesizers and audio gear—no laptop, turntable, keyboard, or conventional instruments. His set was more engaging and danceable than Shift Crew's dubstep, although it also would've served well as club background music. Unlike the last time I saw him, it never sounded oppressively heavy or claustrophobic, it was groovy and fun.

KJ Sawka also creates live breakbeat and drum n' bass electronica, but where novaTRON takes an all-electronics route, Sawka starts from the basic source of beats, live drumming. That said, Sawka is as much an electronic artist as a drummer, and he spent almost as much time drumming one-handed as two, activating samplers and other electronic gear. Although he's thus capable of playing a full set by himself, for this show Sawka was joined on most of the songs by his frequent collaborator Kent Halvorsen on keyboard (and trumpet in one song), and also had Christa Wells on hand to sing vocals. Sawka played a near-continuous set of music, with the only real breaks occurring when Wells came onstage to sing, but the transitions from song to song were always apparent. The set featured a video projection, but due to Nectar's layout with the screen off to the side of the stage, I doubt anyone watched; all the excitement was up on stage. As a performer, Sawka was a real showman, often rising from his stool to make dramatic gestures without dropping the beat, and his drum kit included a set of lights flashing in sync with the rhythms. Wells also had a strong stage presence, using both her powerful voice and stage moves to good effect. Sawka finished his set by bringing out Blake Lewis on guest vocals; I'm only vaguely aware of Lewis as "that Seattle guy from American Idol", so it was interesting to hear him perform and learn he's a good vocalist. Sawka continues to be one of my favorite musicians in Seattle, and I look forward to hearing more from him.

I have a few photos of each act, starting here in Flickr.

The following evening, I went to see Supreme Beings of Leisure at Chop Suey. Also on the bill were DJ LA Kendall and electronic musician Carmen Rizzo; although Supreme Beings of Leisure were billed as the headlining act, they were sandwiched in between the other two artists. Kendall did not appear on stage, but played a good set mixing jazz and soul-influenced trip-hop and drum n' bass that set the right mood for Supreme Beings of Leisure. Rizzo used synthesizers, a laptop, and other electronic gear to make a techno mix ranging from ambient to drum n' bass; he sounded pretty good but I did not stay for the full set.

Supreme Beings of Leisure are the duo of Geri Soriano-Lightwood (vocals) and Ramin Sakurai (keyboard and electronics), with Sheldon Strickland (bass) and Jason Graham (drums). (They also have a guitarist, Geof Brandin, but he was not present.) They played a great set of groovy feel-good dance music mixing funk, jazz, and soul influences with trip-hop. I was surprised that nearly half their set came from their first album, particularly as I was under the impression that they were touring in support of a new album. However, it turns out their latest album (only their third) came out a year ago, and it was pretty clear that like myself, most of the audience was only familiar with the first album. So the band played up to their audience. Another surprise was that not only were they positioned as the middle band, they also did not get to do an encore. As their set list showed a planned three-song encore and they were getting (and returning) much appreciation from the audience, I believe this was not by their choice. Whoever did make the decision, it was a poor one, as the audience was clearly there to see Supreme Beings of Leisure and the fairly-full club mostly cleared out once it was clear the band was done. Although I did enjoy the show, the combination of the short set and the number of familiar old songs left me feeling that I could've passed on this one.

I took a few photos of Supreme Beings of Leisure, which can be seen starting here in Flickr.

Coming up next week, I'll be at the Showbox at the Market on Friday Feb. 13 manning the KEXP info table for Lykke Li; if you're there, stop by and say hi! The following week on Friday Feb. 20, the Sunset Tavern has an awesome show with Point Juncture WA and Hotels, both of whom are celebrating album releases, and The Animals at Night opening. With such a great lineup, it's hard to imagine a better show happening any time soon; however, no doubt Annuals will at least match it when they headline a show at Chop Suey the week after on Wednesday Feb. 25. I've been so excited about these two shows, I haven't even looked ahead yet to March, but I'll let you know what I find when I do; one thing I do anticipate then is the grand re-opening of The Crocodile.

January 2009 concert 1: Hazelwood Motel at Neumos

2009-01-10T07:32:08Z

Last night I went to Neumos, intending to see Point Juncture WA, an up-and-coming band whose singles I've been loving to hear on KEXP the past few months. It wasn't until I'd already paid and started to walk in that I realized something was amiss with the list of start times I'd glanced at as I was paying, and I looked again to see that they weren't on the list. That's when I realized of course, they couldn't make it tonight because regional flooding had cut off Seattle from Portland, their home. Still, following my first principle that it's always the right decision to go to the show, I chose to stay and check out the other bands: Black Daisy, The Animals at Night, and the headliners Hazelwood Motel.

Black Daisy, the last-minute fill-in for Point Juncture WA, turned out to be a comedy-musical duo both on guitars and vocals, in the vein of Flight of the Conchords. They also had a bassist, but he seemed to be more of a guest performer for the show than part of the regular act. Beats were provided by a drum machine, which I realized after a bit was actually just an iPod. The two main members were dressed in an '80s tough-guy-rocker style of ripped denim and t-shirts, one with a ragged scarf, and both wore cheesy big wigs of the appropriate messy tough-guy hair. They played a set of silly songs about sex and relationships, featuring a variety of styles from hair-metal rockers to faux-country pop. My problem with this kind of act is that they're parodying styles of music, fashion, and performance that are already laughably bad, so the parody is mildly amusing but it's still inherently bad with little repeat value. (In contrast, Flight of the Conchords take good source material and make pastiches that are silly and goofy but also loving homages, giving their songs a more lasting quality.) That said, they did make me laugh out loud at least once, and they finished with an amusingly heavy and actually quite good cover of Hall & Oates' "Maneater", so I did enjoy the set but I think they'll need further development to have any staying power.

The Animals at Night are a duo on keyboard/guitar/electronics/vocals and drums. Although I've seen them described by several sources as downtempo electronica and trip-hop, at this show they played very groovy dance music with strong flavors of soul, funk, and R&B: much closer to Maktub than Massive Attack. Indeed, although leader Graig Markel in appearance is sort of the anti-Reggie Watts, he and Joe Patterson laid down a set of grooves that suggested a pairing with Maktub would be a great evening. Markel also rocked out pretty strongly on guitar and vocals in several songs, again in contrast to the downtempo label. As a duo, the group did make extensive use of sampled parts, and I reflected at one point how it might be nicer to hear the bass part live rather than recorded, for example. Still, they had a good sound and were quite enjoyable, and they should be a strong new addition to the Seattle scene.

Hazelwood Motel are the trio of Ed Vierda (guitar, vocals), Megan Pickerel (keyboard, vocals), and Patrick Smail (drums, backing vocals). They played a set of indie pop that started out mostly on the country side but pulled in some rock toward the end. Most of their songs were slow to midtempo, quiet, introspective affairs, with bittersweet vocals and a mournful spirit. This sort of indie-country-pop isn't really my thing, so at first I felt they sounded fine but just not very interesting to me. But then about halfway through the set they started a song with a stronger rock beat, and as it moved toward the chorus I recognized from an insistent guitar riff that I'd heard it on KEXP and liked it, the single "Break Myself in Two". As they continued to mix a few other songs on the rock side into the set, such as an upbeat one possibly titled "Watching My World Tonight", I decided that I did like the band after all. There was a funny pause at the end of the set, as they said they had nothing for an encore but didn't actually leave the stage, and after a couple minutes of calls for just one song Pickerel apologetically said they hadn't practiced recently (due to the snow shutting down travel in Seattle) and weren't prepared with anything else. However, the remaining audience would have none of that and finally the band gave in and played an encore, which sounded just fine to me. Although clearly I'd prefer a more even mix of rock-based tunes to quiet sad country songs, there's no question Hazelwood Motel are skilled songwriters and musicians, and I'll be keeping an ear out for more from them.

This was a small and well-lit show for Neumos, which means I was able to get some fairly good photos of all three acts, starting here in Flickr.

There are several shows coming up at the end of the month that are worth catching. These include Kinski at Neumos on Thursday the 29th, KJ Sawka doing an album release show at Nectar Lounge on Friday the 30th, and Supreme Beings of Leisure at Chop Suey on Saturday the 31st. (Weird, I just realized I haven't been to Chop Suey in over a year.) It turns out Hotels are also playing on Thursday the 29th at the High Dive, creating a little dilemma for me: I haven't been to the High Dive in a while and like seeing shows there (not to mention, it's Hotels), but I also haven't seen Kinski in over a year, not since their last CD release show in fact, and rumor has it they're also working on new material for their next release. What I do know for certain is that next month I'll be at the Sunset Tavern on Friday Feb 20 for what's sure to be an amazing double-release show with both Hotels and Point Juncture WA, and I cannot wait for that!

2008 concert reviews

2009-01-04T04:26:29Z

2008 was a busy year for concert-going. I went to four shows in April, five shows in September, and another five shows in November, plus Bumbershoot. Although I went to only one concert in each of five other months, that still brings my average up above 2 shows a month, not counting Bumbershoot.

Standout performances included Freezepop headlining their show in August, and Battles on Monday afternoon at Bumbershoot. I fell deeply in love with Hotels, I regretted not seeing Sons and Daughters at Neumos after their great set at the Triple Door (and partly made up for it by seeing them at Bumbershoot), and I continued to love Annuals.

January 2008
One concert at Nectar Lounge
Beehive, Furniture Girls, Aaron Daniels

February 2008
First concert at the Triple Door
Mono in VCF, The Elephants

Second concert at the Triple Door
Keren Ann, Dean & Britta

Third concert at Neumos
Emilia, Beehive, Furniture Girls

March 2008
One concert at the Showbox at the Market
X, Skybombers, Guns & Rossetti

April 2008
First concert at the High Dive
Mono in VCF, Cancer Rising, A Gun That Shoots Knives, The Transmissionary Six, The Dimes

Second concert at Neumos
Meat Beat Manifesto, Raz Mesinai

Third concert at El Corazón
My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Miss Solar System, Furniture Girls, and the Urban Bombshells burlesque troupe

Fourth concert at the Triple Door
Sons and Daughters

May 2008
One concert at the Showbox at the Market
Ladytron, Datarock

June 2008
First concert at Neumos
Times New Viking, Annuals, Psychedelic Horseshit, Fabulous Diamonds

Second concert at Neumos
Mono in VCF, Ivan & Alyosha, The Purrs, and a fourth band who may or may not have been The Major Cities

July 2008
One concert at the Showbox SoDo
DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist, The Mighty Underdogs, Greyskul

August 2008
First concert at the Sunset Tavern
Film School, The Purrs, Blue Skies for Black Hearts

Second concert at El Corazón
Freezepop, The Fading Collection, Blue Light Curtain, Ambulance for Angeles, Cursed Lullaby

Bumbershoot 2008 (August & September)
Saturday
Beehive, Barcelona, Byron Au Yong, Mono in VCF

Sunday
Sons and Daughters, Final Fantasy

Monday
Battles, Mike Doughty, Minus the Bear

September 2008
Five concerts, in one summary post:
Hotels, Motorist at Nectar Lounge
TV on the Radio at the Showbox SoDo
Balkan Beat Box, DeLeon, The Bad Things at Neumos
Goldfrapp at the Showbox SoDo
KJ Sawka, EOTO, DJ NoiseMaker at Nectar Lounge

October 2008
First concert at the Sunset Tavern
Hotels, Motorik, Denelian

Second concert at Nectar Lounge
Asobi Seksu

November 2008
First concert at Nectar Lounge
DJ Spooky, eR DoN, M'Chateau

Second concert at Nectar Lounge
Halou presents Stripmall Architecture, The Fading Collection, Obelus

Third concert at the Triple Door
My Brightest Diamond, Clare & the Reasons

Fourth concert at Neumos
Yeasayer, Icy Demons

Fifth concert at the Showbox at the Market
Minus the Bear, Annuals, Helms Alee

December 2008
One concert at the Comet Tavern
Tea for Julie, Hotels, Altspeak, Pillow Army