All the way from Brunswick, Maine…

It’s the pulsating sac of sound! Or in other words, that’s my old friend Chris Felax’s live radio show broadcast from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Chris spins new indie rock, electro, 80’s dance, pop culture snippets, new wave, techno and anything else that fits his fancy. Most music is so new that it hasn’t been released yet. Ever since I’ve known Chris (this goes back over 15 years ago) he’s been on the cutting edge of the music scene and owned more CDs than anyone else I knew in college (now having thousands of albums on his computer). He even taught me how to play Plush by the Stone Temple Pilots on the guitar. I know, I know, not cutting edge but I couldn’t resist mentioning. He also had this luscious long hair that would make the best of grunge rockers jealous. Oh, the early 90s! He was also in a short-lived band at the University of Michigan with Don Blum of The Von Bondies and Josh Tillingast of Transmission. Chris also goes by DJ Throatslice come October and has recorded his own home-brewed horror music made especially for Halloween and all things creepy that you can find on iTunes.

So lemme reel myself in here back to the point of this blog, the pulsating sac of sound! You should definitely check it out!

Station: WBOR 91.1 fm
Show Time: Tuesdays 8pm-10pm EST (or for us westcoasters: 5pm – 7pm PST)
Click here for the Live Webcast and here for the Show Blog

He even takes requests at: 207-725-3250. Chris, I want so more cowbell, play some LCD Soundsystem for me??? Please?

NOTE – 5/6/08. Just heard from Chris and he’s on vacation right now. He’ll be back on the airwaves beginning May 13!

A Diversion with Derby

A week and a half ago, the writers at NWMB had our first ever meeting at King’s in Ballard. This was a big to-do considering many of us have never met each other. I was very excited for this little get-together however a couple of nights before, I was torn on what to do b/c as you see, I found out that my favorite Portland pop band Derby was playing at the same time, same night.

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Well, I knew where my priorities were… I, of course, went to go see Derby. They’ve been a favorite for a while, for about 2 years now. I was driving one evening when I first heard them playing on KEXP — I immediately called my friend to look up KEXP’s playlist online to see who this infectious, melodic bundle of sugary pop goodness was. It was Derby. Soon thereafter my friend Christina and I caught an early show at the Sunset to check’em out and they did not disappoint. They were just as good live as the band I loved on the radio. So fast forward 2 years… Christina and I were at the Sunset again for an 8pm show. Now, I have to admit I sort of love the early show b/c I’m awake and in a good mood b/c it’s just the beginning of the evening however I feel sorry for bands that get that slot. Let me set the scene for you… We walk up to the Sunset and I hear Nat Johnson singing one of their catchy pop songs that you just want to play loud and sing along to on a sunny day, driving around in your convertible with the top down. (I take that back, since we do live in the Northwest, let’s say with our windows down instead.) I was so excited. Well after we walked in, the crowd was circled like 8 feet away from the stage and some people were actually sitting on the floor of the Sunset. Huh?!?! Where’s the Seattle welcome that Derby deserves? And jeez, what can you catch from sitting on the floor at the Sunset? The crowd was pretty lame but Derby was the exact opposite. They were still happy to be up there and ready to please, playing favorites from This is the New You while sprinkling in some songs from their new CD due out in June. It was a short set leaving me and Christina feeling like we wanted more however there was no more (so we thought at the time) and we headed over to King’s….

After a few beers and lots of talk about music, the party broke up and Christina, Kevin (editor-in-chief) and I headed out to the Smokeshop. As we walked past the Sunset, I was like “let’s go invite Derby for beers!” So we hightailed it into the Sunset and saw Isaac (the drummer), introduced ourselves and invited him and the rest of the band over. And I’m here to say, that made a recipe for a good time: 1 part Smokeshop, 2 parts Derby, 3 parts Rainer, a bucket of gin & tonic for Kevin and a dash of a little drumming toy bunny that everyone had to sing a tune to (you had to be there…). We talked with Nat and Isaac for a while. We found out they were heading out to play at the Brick (in Roslyn) the next night and were excited how they had some Foreigner and Night Ranger lined up for the set. Also playing an acoustic set at Hattie’s pre-giant fish tank was one of their favorite shows and more. All in all a very fun night! Definitely looking forward to checking out Derby’s new CD and a “later in the evening” show in Seattle. Meanwhile, go to www.derbyrock.com, I promise, they’ll be a new favorite.

Molly Shannon, Molly Shannon at the Blue Moon 5/3 @ 9

NWMB favorites Molly Shannon, Molly Shannon will be making an appearance at the Blue Moon Saturday May 3rd. Dive bar, PBR, MSMS — sounds like a rockin’ good time to me.

Here’s the bill in order of performance

Bill Sundt and the Cold Hard Truth

molly shannon, molly shannon

The Curious Mystery

Waves

Red Rover, Red Rover, Send Kendra On Over

A few weeks ago, I was checking out The Black Keys myspace page, you know how we love TBKs at NWMB, and I saw this pretty picture of a girl who left a comment. The picture had this 70s Christmas feel to it which made me interested enough to click to see more. That’s when I heard Kendra Morris for the first time. She’s not just a fan of The Black Keys like me, she’s a musician from Brooklyn, NY with a very cool sound. Like Cat Power? Then I think you’ll love Kendra.

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From what I’ve gathered from Kendra’s Myspace page is that she’s quite a character, sassy, eclectic and adorable. An outside observer might guess she’d be an indie punk version of Lily Allen however her music is quite the contrary and more equated to indie soul. It’s a beautiful mix of low-fi melody and bluesy melancholy that produces this hugely soulful yet modern sound. The first song that caught my ear, which happened to be playing from the myspace music player, was a haunting yet gospel-esque rendition of You Don’t Own Me – that 60s classic by Leslie Gore. You can definitely hear in her voice that she once sang gospel in church (until she got into too much trouble with the boys). Now she prefers to hang out in her closet making lofi jams with her toys and instruments. Did I mention she’s into boomboxes and ghettoblasters too?

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She has just released her first EP that is solid called This Won’t Hurt a Bit. I love every song on it but if I had to pick a favorite, there would be two: Teeth & Bones and Again. And looking into my crystal ball… with the popularity of Amy Winehouse right now, I think if Kendra plays her cards right, she definitely has a shot at the big leagues. She has that uniqueness and that special quality that stands out in front of the pack.

Check out Kendra’s myspace page. It’s chock-full of goodies: music to listen to & buy plus home videos to watch, even one that’s a mini-documentary starring none other than Kendra! She said she may be coming out our way soon, I certainly hope so, I can’t wait to see her and buy her a shot of Jack. She likes that.

Rock the Vote, Ya’ll!

In light of the Washington State Caucuses happening this Saturday, please GO SUPPORT YOUR CANDIDATE tomorrow. But since it is a music blog, I guess I should probably tie it into music somehow, right? Well I was curious to see who popular musicians are supporting — I found this interesting little tidbit on the internet I thought I would share:

REPUBLICANS
Mike Huckabee: Ted Nugent

John McCain: Burt Bacharach

Mitt Romney: Pat Boone, Donny Osmond, Marie Osmond

DEMOCRATS
Hillary Clinton: Madonna, Carly Simon, Tony Bennett, Jon Bon Jovi, Melissa Etheridge, Carole King, Janet Jackson, Quincy Jones, 50 Cent, Mya, Timbaland, Barbra Streisand, Merle Haggard, Elvis Costello

Barack Obama: Babyface, Jeff Tweedy, the Goo Goo Dolls, Macy Gray, Ne-Yo, Will Smith, Usher, Stevie Wonder, Harry Connick Jr., Pete Wentz , Win Butler (arcade fire), will.i.am/the Black Eyed Peas, the Grateful Dead, Jeff Tweedy, Conor Oberst, Joanna Newsom, the Cool Kids, Stephan Jenkins, OK Go, Shudder to Think, Dave Matthews, Pearl Jam

Also the most ridiculous quote I read from 50 cent: “(Hilliary) is a way for us to have Bill Clinton be president again, and he did a great job during his term” 50 cent is LAME.

Don’t know where your caucus is? Find it here: http://www.wa-democrats.org/caucusfinder

This music fan will be supporting Obama tomorrow.

David Lynch, meet Molly Shannon, Molly Shannon

Dear Mr. Lynch,

I am writing to introduce you to a new band out of the great Northwest. Their name is Molly Shannon, Molly Shannon (MSMS). From time to time, we have local bands contact us at NW Music Blog to check out and possibly write a review of their latest recordings. MSMS is one such band. Upon visiting their site for the first time, I was a bit taken aback thinking this must be a brainchild of yours Mr. Lynch. The eerie sounds that were emanating from my computer and images flashing of 2 bare chested guys with creepy material-made masks left me wondering “huh?” That’s when I promptly clicked “x” to close the browser. Shortly thereafter I started thinking that there had to be more to it than what I just experienced so I went back to MSMS’s website and I’m glad I did. What I discovered is that Molly Shannon, Molly Shannon has created a very complete and complex, not to mention darkly alluring, record: You think yr the Doctor, I think I’m the Sheriff.

What are YOU listening to today?

So if you are like me, working away in a cube, you’re probably sitting at your desk attached to your headphones listening to some music while trying to get some work done. Others may be out running errands, taking it easy, doing whatnot… or you could be like mrlevitan, who is probably in homework mode right about now. Just wondering what you’re listening to… I’ve been switching back and forth between Velvet Underground and David Bowie (Hunky Dory — I’ve been hooked ever since I saw The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou). The old stuff with the static, low fi sound seems soothing and fitting for a gray Seattle day wishing it would snow so I could go “work” from home.  Ok, your turn. Go!

P.s. Hope for snow. Tomorrow has the potential to be our “work” from home snow day. I love Seattle that way.

My 2 Favorite Duos — Back to Back

Hey there NW Blogosphere,

Just heard that the presale for Ghostland Observatory is happening right now for shows at the Showbox (Market version) on 4/4 (all ages) & 4/5 (21+). Code word is “showbox” if you want to head over to ticketmaster.com (be advised they’ll probably charge more than half the cost of the ticket in service fees)…

But more exciting to note is that you can rock out 2 nights in a row with 2 of the best kick ass duos around:

4/4 with ghostland 0.

4/5 the black keys.

Get to it!

xoxo,

jules

Pinback at the Showbox (MKT)

Get your emo on and take your sweetie to see Pinback at the Showbox (market version) this valentine’s day. Eventhough I must admit I haven’t seen Pinback live just yet and some of the time reserve their music for my melancholic moods, I hear they put on a good ol’ rockin show. I imagine Rob Crow is a character at the lead based on his choice of muisic lyrics, and I always love an entertaining frontman. I would be there with in a sweet tart heartbeat but alas, I’ll be out of town. Hoping you can go in my place!

Be Mine Pinback! I mean Valentine!

Get your emo on and take your sweetie to see Pinback at the Showbox (market version) this valentine’s day. Eventhough I must admit I haven’t seen Pinback live just yet and some of the time reserve their music for my melancholic moods, I hear they put on a good ol’ rockin show. I imagine Rob Crow is a character at the lead based on his choice of muisic lyrics, and I always love an entertaining frontman. I would be there with in a sweet tart heartbeat but alas, I’ll be out of town. Hoping one of my NWMB blogging buddies has plans to see them so they can do a write up to share what I missed!

If you like Pinback and want to check out one of Rob’s more obscure ventures — seek out Optiganally Yours presents: Exclusively Talentmaker. It’s like taking an old fashioned carnival ride thru the indie rock funhouse. All songs are brought to you by an Optigan. It’s like the cheesiest of organs mixed with some player piano, 70s style, on acid. If you decide to partake, while you’re there, say hi to the poodleman for me.

2007 Reviewed: Brits, Tango, Music to Drink Beer to (and possibly makeout to) & More

The New Year is nearly here so that means it’s time to review the big happenings of 2007. And since this is a music blog, that means music happenings (as it relates to my life of course) of 2007. I’m always torn on what to share here b/c I am more, how shall I put it, “mainstream” than my counterparts on NWmusicblog and probably its readers too. And I say “mainstream” in the sense that I mostly rely on KEXP for the music I listen to. However KEXP isn’t very mainstream in the larger scheme of radio. So I don’t really know where I’m going with that… Ok, here goes…

Oh, and I’m not going to do a top 10 or anything, god forbid I rank anything b/c all below are #1s in my book.

Let’s start with the easiest…

C-leb and A-bro this past halloween party weekend

It was Saturday night and my friends and I were bar hopping in fremont dressed up in our halloween finest. Did I mention is was my birthday too??  I wasn’t really planning on checking out any music but when we hit up the hi-dive my ears perked up to something I really liked! It was a very surreal moment … spiderman, edward fork & whisk-hands, green wigged aliens and many more characters dancing to the electronica/house sounds of C-leb and A-bro looking very maqueradesque in their shiny shirts, black vests and black eye masks. Their sound fit the moment: edgy and energetic with a touch of dark to it. Perfect for the halloween bash and getting me and my friends out on the dance floor. They’ll be playing this upcoming weekend November, 3 2007 at Necropolis Arthaven Day of the Dead event where I’m sure there will be more good music (and art too), costumes and ghoulish-ness to be had.

Beer koozies, music, sunshine, oh my!

 Heading out on Thursday to the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Preparing myself for excessive heat, muchas margaritas, way too much money spending and more music than I’ve seen in the past 2 years — all in one weekend!Below I’ve listed out the bands that I’ll be checking out between cowboy boots shopping and the aforementioned margaritas. It’s hard to believe this is less than  ¼ of the line up! I would love for anyone reading this to check out the ACL site and let me know of any must see bands that I shouldn’t miss out on. Click here to see the line up.

Here’s my list so far…

Speaking of Spoon…

Just got an email mentioning they added a Seattle show for 9/5 at the Showbox.  Kevin & Matt, here’s your second chance.

Hipsters around the block unite!

It almost felt like everyone made a stop at Urban Outfitters before showing up at the Capitol Hill Block Party on Saturday, July 28th. Lemme tell ya, premo people watching for the year happened here. And I have to say, all was pretty much a good time except the big clusterfuck of a crowd in the beer garden by the stage while Spoon was on. Never in my 15+ years of concert going have I been in such a messy crowd of people shoving, grabbing and being downright mean just to get out of the crowd. It was very uncomfortable. Ok, ’nuff said about that. John Vanderslice was a highlight playing his indie-pop tunes. He came out at the perfect time, late afternoon with sun shining and the crowd pretty much non-existent. Britt Daniel was spotted many times (by my friends as well as myself) meandering thru the beer garden and into Caffe Vita. Next up on stage was Aesop Rock. Not my cup of tea so headed into the Comet for some PBR tall boys then out for some food at the Six Arms afterwards. Made it back for Spoon where we ran into the aforementioned crowd of unpleasantness.

Smooth like Buttah…

Just had to share that I’m loving the Arctic Monkey’s cover of Amy Winehouse’s “you know i’m no good.” It’s so smooth and groovy*. Every time it plays on KEXP, I love it more and more.  I’m sad it’s not on itunes for me to buy so I can listen to it over and over. It makes me want to wear too much make up,  drink bombay sapphire martinis with lemon twists and smoke cigarettes while sitting in a vinyl high-backed barstool at an art-deco styled bar.  And I don’t even smoke!  Take a listen…

 *First use of “groovy” this year.

Attention Spoon fans!

Hey there Spoon fans (ahem, Matt, et al. ).  Check out the site below — they’re streaming a song a day until June 15th where then, you’ll be able to hear the whole album! Sweet! Record is due to hit the shelves July 10th. 

 www.gagagagaga.net

 Remember, you heard it here first, on Northwest Music Blog, not on myspace, ok?

Side note, My friend Carolyn said something really funny one day. She said “If I could marry a band, I would marry Spoon”.

One Golden Ticket to the Beastie Boys at the Croc

Wednesday morning I woke up knowing I would get a Beastie Boys ticket to the Crocodile for Friday nite. Was it intuition or just determination? Not sure but I could just feel it in my gut. When 4 o’clock turned up — the time the tickets went on sale at ticketmaster.com, I did what thousands of other Seattleites did, kept clicking “refresh” until the screen popped up to buy a ticket in hopes of getting one of the less than 500 tickets available for a rare Beastie Boys appearance at a tiny local venue, The Crocodile Cafe. And then bingo, I got thru! However to my dismay — when I entered in my 2 tickets I wanted to buy — it told me none were available. What? I kept trying and trying but got the same message. I then walked over to my friend’s desk and told him how sad I was that I missed out and he said to keep trying — so I ran back to my desk and did just that. After about 10 more tries, I got my ticket — I felt like Charlie when he found that golden ticket in the chocolate bar. I knew my gut feeling from that morning wouldn’t let me down. I scored one of the hottest tickets in town since I don’t know when…