Blakes Slideshow from October 2007
This is a series of photos I shot of the Blakes at their media-only CD release party at LoFi in October 2007.
Live Review: Suffering Fuckheads @ the Seamonster, 4/30
A friend of mine who came to the Seamonster with me last night commented after leaving the show, “I don’t know — I’m just really not that into jazz.” Something about too many notes, where’s the ideas, the beat, etc: common criticisms and hurdles with the form. Personally I do not listen to jazz much at home and when I do it will probably Skies of America as oppossed to Miles Davis or Charlie Parker. Live, though, I usually find jazz refreshing. Even the Suffering Fuckheads.
The Fuckheads’ core consists of Mike Peterson on drums (the Accussed, Sean) and local Hammond maestro, Ron Weinstein. (For last night’s show they were joined by a trumpeter and guitarist.) Despite the intense hyperbole spouted by their MySpace page* the Fuckheads are not nearly all that skronky-blast-beaty-or-avant-gardy, at least in the final sound. Peterson and Weinstein fly furiously through rhythmic and melodic ideas, using jazz stanards and originals to simply give them some ground to fly.
Peterson is almost a one man show in himself. Looking like some demented, red-bearded woodsman who beats the skins somewhere between grindcore precision and Elvin Jones swing, it takes awhile to fly throught he sheer wall of his playing to decipher lightspeed rush of various rhythms, shifts, and musical jokes. Weinstein counters appearing like a enthusiastic teenager in a happy older man’s body, intertwining flying jazz bass-lines and a variety of organ techniques — Herbie Hancock getting out there in Booker T. Jones’ body with Charlie Haden’s soul lost in his right hand. (Never enough hyperbole, y’know).
Despite being a gloriously gone noise, the intensity/oddness comes mainly from the viciousness of the playing. As organ and drums wind up insane fury, they never break into intentional skronk, abrasiveness, or atonal wankery. Their weird schizoid genius is constantly filtered through (here’s a gasp to the post-avant-garde-modernism-whatever crowed) a dominance of their instruments and a desire to play music, and not deconstruct it. Whenever the trumpet slides in for a solo, chorus or jam, whatever fury was being brewed seems to disspiate. It’s a sound that let’s you know you’re firmly on ground, somewhere in a George Mitchell song, and not some John Zorn experiment.
The Fuckheads are too freaky to get caught up in the aesthetics of shock and awe. They play. They shred. They take no prisoners. But they also sound damn good.
The Suffering Fuckheads perform every other Thursday at the Seamonster Lounge (2202 N 45th Street). Next show is Thursday, 5/14.
*”The Suffering Fuckheads music is a lethal cocktail of skronk and blues, post- bop coupled with turbulent blast-beats, and tenderyet-skewed ballads (Beautiful Love) along side innovative band originals (Bar Slut). The Suffering Fuckheads are not sonic wallpaper. They are not going to behave and play background music. They are not going to play your next shitty dinner party. They are not going to play your wedding, but they might do your divorce.”
Lifesavas, Grayskul, Rudy & The Rhetoric, Mic Crenshaw-Sat Apr 4,2009
Lifesavas and Grayskul at the Nectar…this is gonna be a great show. For those of you unfamiliar with Grayskul-they could be described as minimalist gothic hip-hop, which is better than it sounds. They’re on the Rhymesayers, which is a pretty good indication of a high-quality live show, and hail from Seattle. Lifesavas is a lovely complement to Grayskul’s witty gloom n’ doom…Portland-based, positive, upbeat, funky hiphop. Rudy & the Rhetoric are a UW hiphop duo. They’re all on the bill, as well as Mic Crenshaw, a Portland-based social worker by day, hiphop artist by night who’s an anti-racism activist and slam poet. Sounds promising.
Don’t forget…Nectar Lounge has a great happy hour from 4-7!
Lifesavas, Grayskul, Rudy & The Rhetoric, Mic Crenshaw
Sat, Apr 4, 2009, 9pm doors, $12
Nectar Lounge, 412 N 36th St (in Fremont)
206.6322020
The Return of Crocodile
Fifteen months after abruptly closing its doors, the Crocodile has reopened. To kick things off the venue hosted a pair of free shows. On Thursday night Hypatia Lake, the Kindness Kind and the Quiet Ones welcomed the Crocodile back to the Seattle music scene. Last night Akimbo, Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, and Patrol thoroughly blew out any dust that might have remained from the remodling.
First, the Belltown neighborhood hasn’t changed much. There is still no place to park and it’s full of weekend warriors from the burbs (as I walked to the venue I heard a woman yell, “Oh my god, my boobs are popping out.” as she tried to run across a cross walk before the light changed). The Crocodile on the other hand is almost unrecognizable. The entrance is now on Blanchard street (the doors at the bottom of the ramp near where the restrooms were that were never used. The old entrance on 2nd Ave now leads to a smokers pen.) When I walked in Patrol was already playing. One thing that hasn’t changed is the sound. The place still sounds fantastic. It’s great to see Jim Anderson at the sound board doing what he does best. The new stage runs along the south wall of the show room and seems much bigger. The new lighting is going to make every band look like huge stars. When you stand looking at the stage it’s easy to think you are in a much larger venue.
Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, AKA Tad Doyle’s new band, proved the sound system can easily handle the loudest, heaviest bands. And the sight lines are great. The huge column is now gone and there is a mezzanine (I think this mezzanine is what caused all the Neumos comparisons I overheard last night. Rumor has it that the bar in the mezzanine serves stiffer drinks). But the room does not have a good flow. The main bar is now opposite from the stage along what used to be the window in what was the cafe area. All night long people who were going to get drinks were running into people returning with drinks as they all tried to weave through the people watching the bands.
And what’s with the bathrooms? They seem way too swanky. Especially since at the end of the night they are still going to end up looking like the bathrooms at El Corazon.
I’ve only recently gotten into Akimbo. I’ve always thought they were great musicians, but never fell in love with their music. But damn are the fun to watch. The crowd was really into their set. Full-on moshing was going on and it made the place feel alive. Akimbo promised a Nirvana cover if anyone took a stage dive. And when the singer from Patrol did just that, the band kept their word played a version of “Breed” that whipped the crowd into a frenzy. I thought it was a fitting tribute to the house that grunge built.
This is not the old Crocodile. Some of the coziness has been lost, but overall I think the new version will be seen as superior to the original. I look forward to seeing many shows here.
The Upsidedown and Spindrift blow the doors off Tacoma, prepare for Seattle (3/8, The Comet Tavern @ 4:00pm)
Jsun Atoms of The Upsidedown has a smile that charms for miles, and it’s widely visable as he strides into the room to greet me. A handshake and man-hug later, we find ourselves on a cozy couch backstage at the Roseland Lounge. Upstairs, The Rebel Drones are cranking out their trademark sound, and Sleepy Sun is rallying in the next room as they take the stage next.
Sleepy Sun @ The Sunset
Do you enjoy quality rock? Do you think the spirit of Jim Morrison has inhabited another, younger singer? Is it possible for someone to channel Robert Plant while he is still alive?
I saw these guys (and energetic girl) two nights ago in PDX at the Roseland Lounge while gathering material for an article and I was immediately blown away. If there is a must see show of January, it is Sleepy Sun at the Sunset Tavern this evening, 10pm. Also playing are The Pica Beats and X-Ray Press. Don’t forget to yell the bands’ battle cry ‘Let’s get Wierd’.
http://www.myspace.com/sleepysun
West Coast Songwriters.org “Performing Songwriter Competition”
The first monthly Smileynote Studios – West Coast Songwriters.org “Performing Songwriter Competition“.
There were 17 wonderful, diverse original acts, traveling from as far as Seattle and Salem. It took place in Portland, at Macadam’s Bar and Grill.
- Overall Winners - Dan Miller & Lindsey Shaffer, with a solid performance of well crafted songs!
- Sponsor’s Choice - Tyler Stenson
- Judge’s Choice - Dan Weber, Lupe, and Chris Kokesh
- Honorable mention’s - Matt Price, Terry/Donna Lynn Davis, Ron Shaffer, and Dan Lowe
The night was hosted by Daniel Work – WCS NW CHAPTER Volunteer Director, and singer/songwriter, with lots of appreciated help from his wife!
The Judges were:
Tim Ellis- Uber-guitarist/producer and straight shooting advocate for musical artists
Peter Vaughan Shaver – Trusted local entertainment attorney, music lover.
Patrick Lamb - Grammy nominated NW/Portland based recording artist, singer-songwriter sax man.
We also raised some cash via the obligatory Singer-Songwriter TIP JAR, all donated to the FOOD BANK.
Visit www.WestCoastSongwriters.org to learn more!
Review: The Seattle Women Medieval’s Choir Dec 6th
The Seattle Women Medieval’s Choir concert at St. James Cathedral this past Saturday Dec 6th was magical. The sound of the female voices reverberating inside this beautiful space transported me to a different world.
The date was chosen not by chance. Dec 6th celebrates Saint Nicholas and his miracles. The choir repertoire this year was largely focused on songs for this famous saint. Who was, one might say, the original Santa Claus.
WMC features about 60 female singers, and conductor / musician extraordinaire Margriet Tindemans, who leads the choir, at times playing the medieval fiddle, with a captivating and charismatic performance. They were joined by percussionist Peggy Monroe and harpist Bill McJohn.
Their next performance is Saturday, December 13, 2008, 11 AM & 2 PM Bethany Lutheran Church, 7400 Woodlawn Ave NE, Seattle. Introduce children to the pleasures of medieval music through stories and songs about the transformation of St. Nicholas into Sinter Claes in Holland and Santa Claus in America. This special hour-long family program, in the intimate setting of Bethany Lutheran’s sanctuary, will conclude with a sing-along of American carols and the arrival of Sinter Claes, bearing the traditional Dutch gift for children of oranges. For the curious, ages 6 to 106.
Notes from the Capitol Hill Block Party
[NWMB reader Jill sent this in for our edification with a sticky note labeled 'better late than never' -- Matt]
Friday
PWRFL Power was fun. One guy, one guitar, good times. While I don’t know that I would ever buy an album, I would definitly pay to see him live again. But I’m a pushover for witty song writing.
Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head was a highlight. They were one of the bands that I was really looking forward to seeing, and the show didn’t disappoint. I’m very impressed with the charisma of these kids. One of the better performances I’ve seen in a while, in addition to the music (which is super fun and danceable). And I think some of their parents were there – how freakin’ cute is that? [pix]
Saturday
Chromeo: So, apparently I live in a dark cave in the middle of nowhere. I had never heard of Chromeo prior to seeing the block party line up, but I love the name. This is how I pick my music. Friends had good things to say as well, so I made sure to catch their set. The music was a little more electronic than what I usually listen to, but still good. There appeared to be slight choreography, which is never a bad thing, and they seemed to be having a good time on stage.
[Jill would also like you to know, sans sticky note, that Rod Stewart's Every Picture Tells a Story is $2 for the MP3 album download today at Amazon -- Matt]
Girl In a Coma at El Corazon a Standout for All Ages
Arriving late to the party as usual, we were amused to find Seth Green’s twin brother – smarmy look and gleaming white flat-brimmed baseball cap and all – at the door to wave us in. Perhaps the guest list policy is looser down in the Cascade ‘hood compared to places on Pike/Pine or Madison, because Mister Disaffected Son of Dr. Evil barely looked up from his Blackberry to let us in to El Corazon on a quiet Wednesday night.
The women of Girl in a Coma were already a few songs into their set, and were settling into their groove at 10:30. The crowd? Possibly plucked at random from a group of shoppers at nearby REI: lots of late-teens, an rocker couple in the mid-30s, some parents (chaperones, surely) and even some pre-teens bopping to the rock of this San Antonio trio. Nearly all the kids were jumping, twitching, shaking their thang in approximate time while lead singer Nina maintained command of the room onstage. (It was more than just the Red Bull energizing them, I am certain.) I was taken immediately by her poise: all at once asserting control with her microphone and guitar but also anxiously taking in the room, her eyes wide and darting from left to right behind stringy, sweaty locks.
“How does someone seemingly so young sing so passionately about… well.. anything?” I thought. Get the album and you’ll find that her voice and poetry belies her age. I don’t want to get hung up on the age thing, but instead flip it into a compliment. Though much younger than me, these three women have confident command of their artistry and it bodes well for fans like me who are late to the game. They aren’t going to disappear into the pop music ether. With their second LP planned for release in the next year, and a spot on Tegan and Sara’s fall tour, I expect GIAC to return to our city with many more fans anticipating their arrival. I don’t wanna blather on about her vocal style or they way she carries her guitar what kind of bass Jenn plays, so check out their videos at the Blackheart Records’ Youtube site.
If you’ve rocked the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Hammerbox, Joan Jett or even Social D, they will be a fresh update to your collection. They don’t ape the sounds of these comparative rock elders, but jump off from it and stamp it as their own with a distinct Texas flavor. The LP “Both Before I’m Gone” is available at all your favorite online music retailers. Amazon and iTunes have the download for $6.
Drummer Phanie has a series of video blogs up on her site on the YouTubes. Episode 4 even features a cameo from Oasis. The excellent video for “Say”, which has been rattling around my head all week, is here.
The Dodos at Neumos a couple Wednesdays ago
I had heard quite a bit of hype about The Dodos before I went to check them out at Neumos a couple weeks ago. After the show I went home and looked up some info on the band to get a better taste of what I had seen, and grasp of the buzz that I’d heard. And in the end I had noticed several things about the entire experience that lead me to my final conclusion about The Dodos show. First the opening band Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death was way more intriguing. Second The Dodos are very good musicians, and third the place was packed with 99% white people for a Wednesday night in Seattle, the other 1% were asian. What does that have to do with anything?
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Don’t Call it a Blog-back (I been here for years) …plus…Black Mountain!
Ah yes…nothing like a classic L.L. Cool J quote lead off my first post (Radio and Bigger & Deffer are both classics btw, despite the man’s recent acting atrocities.)
So hey there music nerds, it’s me, NadaMucho.com. I’ve been reading this here NW Music Blog for months now and covering local music and culture over at my own site since 1997. I’m tickled pink to be contributing to this fine blog.
I want to start out by telling you to GO BUY THE BLACK MOUNTAIN album. Like, NOW.
If you are a big phat dummy, like me, you missed their sold out show at Neumos earlier this year. Here’s hoping they are still playing small venues when they come back to Seattle.
The Dollyrots punk El Corazón
Last Tuesday was an interesting night to say the least. I ventured out to review the band The Dollyrots at El Corazón and woke up the next day with a flat tire, a screaming headache, and a Dollyrot’s t-shirt I’m sure I didn’t pay for. And thats how I guess I can describe The Dollyrot’s show, it kicked my ass. On tour to support their latest album “Because I’m Awesome” the band was amazingly receptive and humble, and the Jäger at El Corazón is friggn tainted I swear…
Currently signed to Joan Jett’s label Blackheart Records, “Because I’m Awesome” is super punk-pop with catchy verses and solid hooking choruses. And at first listen (and I’m sure the band is gonna love me for this) it reminds me of Avril Levine meets The Sounds. But that’s because of the high production quality of the album, once you see the band live it all comes together. I talk with my peers all the time about how to capture on recording the ‘live” feel so the listener can “get it” in their car as well as they do at the show. But with The Dollyrots that wouldn’t work, the album is only one-up’d by the live show. The polished poppy recordings are great, and help you get the jist of the songs, but when you see them live, 
Kelly Ogden’s raw badass vocals with Luis Cabezas guitar and Chris Blacks drumming punch you right in the face and let you know the band is for real, and punk as fuck. It’s a great combination to help them break through the hard-crusted lining that is the major label scene. And along with playing SXSW the last two years in a row, and sharing labels with bands like Green Day, Rancid, Ted Leo/Pharmacists, and Pretty Girls Make Graves the band seems to be on the high road to success.
With all that in mind you’d think they’d be on a tour bus with a ryder like as thick as The Odyssey. But no, they travel in a van with a trailer, eat pink malt balls (sorry Kelly I forgot which brand), stick to the per diem and drink tickets, and keep a level head (unlike me at their show). I was highly impressed with how grateful and humble the band is about being fortunate enough to make a living playing music. I’m not sure how I ended up with a free T (like i said the Jäger at El Corazón is tainted) but I hope they can forgive me cuz I’m gonna have to mail them $15. If you get a chance to see them live, DO IT… compared to the album it’s totally not what you’d expect, proving once again, you can’t judge a Dollyrot by its album cover.
Fast Foxes? No, FLEET Foxes.
As a dyed-in-the-wool music fan, it’s rather gratifying to watch a band ascend from the ranks of relative unknown to the enviable height of homecoming success story. As fellow music aficionados, I’m sure we can all boast about a band that we knew way back when, or an album we purchased before anyone else. Shoot, I know I gots hella bands you ain’t heard yet…the White Stripes? Check ‘em out. This local band the Blakes? Awesome, get their record. I kid, I kid. Frankly, I’m not here to brag, but there is a real sense of satisfaction that comes with witnessing a sold-out show for a group whose trajectory I’ve followed for some time. Case in point: baroque pop jammers Fleet Foxes, one of the more talented bands to come out of Seattle in recent years.
You may not be a fan of the outfit’s hymnal bucolic folk, but if you had been at Neumos last Friday night (4/18), you would’ve no doubt been impressed with at least the opening choral song, Sun Giant’s leadoff title track (sans mandolin). Bandleader Robin Pecknold and bassist Christian Wargo pilot most of the vocal harmonies throughout the Foxes sound, and they delivered with an astonishing climb into the stratosphere to start things off. Most bands amp up the guitar and drums more than anything else, but the focus with this one is clearly “more vocals in the monitor.” The sound engineer did a fine job at Neumos that night (though the drums could’ve used a boost), and the voices of the two main vocalists carried quite well. My lady made the comment following the first song, “How many bands can do THAT?” Not many, I answered.
The band proceeded to follow in order with the next two tracks off Sun Giant, “Drops in the River” and “English House”, much to the enjoyment of the crowd who were unabashedly there to support the local troupe; labelmates and headliners Blitzen Trapper aside. Much of the audience had clearly dissipated by the middle of BT’s set, and looking over my shoulder to the sea of heads during the Foxes set cemented this conviction even further. Next up were a few songs from their forthcoming full-length, including “White Winter Hymnal” and “Sun It Rises”. Pecknold played solo on another. Yielding to its popularity, fan-favorite “Mykonos” was played toward the end of the set, shortly before BT came on stage to offer brotherhood and five different versions of percussion (tambourines, shakers, etc.). The two groups had clearly bonded over their recent tour together, a first for the sly Foxes, who were quite overwhelmed with the adoration the hometown fans were showing. Pecknold kept saying how much he “loved Seattle.” Good for him, so do I.
The Fleet Foxes’ carefully considered songs played live aren’t quite as polished as their recordings would have you believe, but that’s not to say the guys aren’t accomplished musicians. Just more organic. True, some of the supplementary instrumentation that adorns their record goes by the wayside when they step on stage (to reiterate, someone build a statue of Phil Ek in a town square somewhere), but their music endures. Skye Skjelset, the lead guitarist, meticulously strums his jangly guitar, while drummer Nick Peterson pounds his toms with an ominous and lively excellence. Keyboardist Casey Westcott adds some harmony and texture of his own. I realize that they are still a fairly young band, but I’m excited to see how they progress and how their LP turns out.
The band is fast becoming a popular draw, as they don their Sasquatch attire next month. Saturday, the festival’s best day, will feature them along with other local heroes such as Grand Archives, Vince Mira, and Modest Mouse. Sustained success and inflation have made this a spendy concert, but it will be a good one. Start growing your beards now.
8 Bands 1 Day – A Synopsis of SP’s National Record Store Day
“Hey mark April 19th on your calendar as National Record Store day, were going to be having a few bands do in-store performances during the day… are you interested in running sound?” emailed the current Marketing Manager of Silver Platter’s record store to me sometime in February.
“Sure,” I replied, “Just lemme know how many.” Little did I know that the 3 confirmed bands at the time would turn into a 9 band bill for the first annual National Record Store day celebrated by record stores across the country last Saturday. I had the pleasure of mixing sound for most of the 9 acts booked at Silver Platter’s Queen Anne location. One band didn’t show and the headliner brought a hired gun to run sound so technically it was 7, and this is my story.
1:00 – The Mary McPage Band
The whole band showed up about an hour early, hung out, got to know me a little while they set up. And killed it with a terrific blues set. Mary McPage is a seasoned veteran of blues music in Seattle. So much so that The Mary McPage band, Mary McPage herself, guitarist Jevon Powell, and drummer Bill Page were all nominated for best-of category at the 19th Annual Washington Blues Society Awards show at the Triple Door on Sunday. Her band is full of rippers and Mary is full of the blues, a great way to start the day off for sure. They are playing again at Monahan’s in Everett April 25th if you wanna catch em.
2:00 – Matt Jorgensen + 451
You know a jazz player once told me a joke; a jazz musician plays thousands of notes to only a few people, and a blues player a few notes to thousands of people… In this case both blues and jazz had only a store full of peep but the jazz of Matt Jorgensen and 4-5-1 (separate letters as in chord structure) was really good and a nice second up to bat. A sax, drums, upright bass (which I love), and a Fender Rhodes keyboard brought me back to my days at the Lionel Hampton School of Music where jazz was the subject and we all studied it. Nice fills, good transitions, and solid playing with a cocky little jazz attitude to boot made for a good show. Their at the Sunset Tavern on the 23rd.
3:00 – Pat Monahan
Remember Rex Manning day in the movie Empire Records? Well Pat Monahan was Rex Manning on Saturday (although I don’t think any of the staff slept with him). If your not familiar with his work he was the lead singer for the Grammy winning band Train and wrote songs Drops of Jupiter and Meet Virginia. It was like asking The Eagles to play a song you don’t know… impossible. Regardless of my pre-disposition about his top 40 work in the past, the crowd was big and he had a certain magnetism and charisma about him which drew everyone in and laid them out with his ever recognizable voice. And whether you like the music or not, major label songwriters at this level are actually really good at what they do on stage, and he was no exception. His guitarist and keyboard players were badass to say the least, and he separated the pros from the ams in what I will continually reiterate on this blog… the delivery. It was flawless, and that made the show, with 5 fuckin songs… I have no idea where he plays next, you’ll have to look that one up for yourself.
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The Black Keys stole my face
I think it melted off by the third song in last night’s set.
I’ll be the first, but probably not the last, to say this: That was the best damned rock show I have seen in this town. That’s a credit to the band, and also the venue. The sound was dead ON. The crowd was into it and Patrick and Dan played like they really had to earn a paycheck.
More imagery to follow.
The Blow…Doesn’t
The Blow played last Saturday night to a sold out crowd at the Triple Door, and I’m going to do my best not to use corny puns throughout the course of this review by saying things like, “I was Blown away”, or “They Blowed the place up”… Instead I’d like to focus on something that I have been emphasizing to my peers for a while now about live shows, the delivery and execution. What I was expecting before I saw the show and what I got after were two completely different things but by no means was I disappointed. I’ve been interested in The Blow since the release of Paper Television in 2006 with founding members Khaela Maricicha and beat-master Jona Bechtolt (Yacht). Jona has since left the group to focus on his own project, but Khaela Maricicha astonished me with how simplicity with flawless delivery can execute a stellar performance that kept the whole place captivated and brought down the house.
If you haven’t heard the album it is very well put together with Khaela’s vocals over Jona’s simple and spacious, yet very danceable back-beats. And I think maybe I was expecting an almost DJ’d set with each track being mixed into the other and spun off to break the house into two. Instead with only her, a microphone, and a few bottle’s of water (one of which became a prop), in an almost comedy fashion Khaela carried all of us through her journey’s of love, loss, and want. And I don’t know if it’s her look, her confidence, her wit, or a combination of all three that magnetized the crowd like it did, but I was most amazed at how she seemed to self empower every woman in the place to relate to her. I was really impressed. I guess The Blow plays next on April 25th in Bellingham at Western Washington University, and if you get a chance to check the Portland band out I highly suggest it.
