Live Music in Seattle - a week back and tonight…

Read any national publication, our local press, or tap into the non-existent “collective (un)conscious” and you quickly learn that Seattle is apparantely a live music mecca. I wouldn’t deny this, but for the most part the music supported by these claims doesn’t quite appeal to me, so I end up seeing a bunch of great live shows (many in the last week) which constitute almost no press…or some…or something…

Last Friday @ the Blue Moon

(Author’s note — I booked this gig and my band, Wah Wah Exit Wound, played it…full disclosure and such) What’s great about shows at the Blue Moon? They’re free, folks are friendly, sounds good, and there’s often sweet bands. Fortress of Victory opened the set with some killer crust-Sabbath heavy duo noodlings. Some folks were baffled by the band due, what I can only assume are musical prejudices toward “heavier” elements, but one look at the joy in the faces of show attendees and the metalheads jovially attacking each other next to the water cooler verify that Fortress of Victory were fucking awesome.

“The second guitar was a damn fine idea as this was not only loud, but some most excellent balls to the wall, kick you in the ass, beat you down, and make you gasp in awe rock music.”

I verify this also - as objective validity. Classic rock riffs, insanely fast drumming (from one of my favorite’s to watch in this city, Jay [last name here]), and overall ass-pummeling good times. Jay & Zu (who currently constitute the Fortress) say they’re incorporating Pete from Lesbain and the Abodox into their stage show (first performance with him on bass is at the Galway on 10/19).

Then Wah Wah Exit Wound played, and due to it being my band, I’ll subsist from commenting.

Show ended with Curious Mystery — banjos, autoharps, prepared slide guitar, rock & roll drumming and spooky ol’ songs. Sounds like Sonic Youth tackling Americana, with very little “indie-rock” cliche seeping through, and no “alt.country” showing itself (thankfully). Grooving, happy, spooky (dark), and with a constant level of disonance to drown the sad sweetness in.

Miro’s Chai House, Saturday, 10/6

The Spider Trio consist of local avant-garde sax legend Wally Shoup, Climax Golden Twin & Wall of Sound owner Jeffrey Taylor on guitar, and Dave Abramson (Diminished Men, Climax Golden Twins, Master Musicians of Bukkake) on drums getting way out there. Managed only to catch a song, but it was some intense free-jazz (or whatever you’d like to call it). It was part of the Seattle Weekly’s Reverbfest, but I didn’t stick around as I didn’t know a single other band on the bill.

Boris, Thursday, 10/11

Last night. Loud. Unbelievable loud. Shake buildings down loud. Heard mixed things about Boris live, and despite owning quite a few of their records, usually only have moments on them I like which leaves my head scratching, “How come they couldn’t keep it up?” Last night it was big ol’ rock & roll Boris (augmented by Michio Kurihara, of Japanese psych-legends Ghost). The second guitar was a damn fine idea as this was not only loud, but some most excellent balls to the wall, kick you in the ass, beat you down, and make you gasp in awe rock music. Tone down the volumes, and it could pass for “popular music.”

First two shows were FREE. Last show cost $10, but it wasn’t too much.

Tonight:

THE COMET TAVERN

Sugar Skulls — folky-new-wave-dance-prog

Sean — ultra-prog-keyboard grindcore with Luke & Mike (and Dave Webb of Girth, Wah Wah on geetar sitting in)

Ruins — epic, weird, illegible Japanese prog deities

$10

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