The Blakes played Seattle’s LoFi on Thursday to kick off their tour to support their new self-titled album. They rocked, and I think they’re going to go big, soon. More on the Blakes later this week!
>>> Blakes photos <<<
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Though I was in LA for half of June, working all of July, bed-ridden with SARS for six weeks after July 30th and MIA for most of September, I still managed to bear witness to some rock and some roll and a lot of hip hop this summer.
I downloaded the new Common album, “Finding Forever” and despite the rough and dissonant track “Southside”, wholly endorse it top to bottom. You have probably heard “Misunderstood” with the Nina Simone sample on KEXP. This was in heavy rotation in my work van until…
Talib Kweli’s “Eardrum.” Dang, Kanye was busy, what with producing some of this album plus “Forever”. Judging by the credits, it’d be hard to beat this album: Pete Rock, Madlib, will.i.am (now off the hook as Fergalicious is off doing something else) and longtime producer Hi-Tek are responsible for its release. The beats and themes bounce all over on “Eardrum” as much as his flow on “Country Cousins.” (Is that an “Earth, Wind and Fire” sample in there?) Try to put this one down.
By the time I saw Lyrics Born and Rodrigo y Gabriela rock crowds at Bumbershoot, I had probably played Queens of the Stone Age’s “Era Vulgaris” about 30 times. These artists bolstered my faith in the State of Music 2007 as much as the subtext of “Era Vulgaris” tried to question it.
A special thanks to a couple of NWMBers for inviting me along to the Spoon show last month. Like an old locomotive trying to gain momentum, the band had to fight the mass of their last album - too slow and cumbersome for this listener - to get the show going. Once into the second half of the performance, though, they found their groove and sated up the sold-out Showbox crowd.
Surprise surprise at my friend Michael’s wedding reception at the Sunset Tavern: a private show by our beloved Cops. A great preview of the new album followed a short set during the cocktail hour that featured “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” and “Ballroom Blitz”. Hell yeah! Since my last visit to The Cops in late 2005, they have added a guitarist (Brandon of Free Electricity) and replaced founding bassist Brian Wall with Drew Church. They as solid as ever. I am eager to see them again this week with The Blakes at the Croc.
A fellow NWMB editor invited me out to see Two Gallants at the Croc earlier this month. The harmonics and minor-chord whiny-ness of Modest Mouse plus the two-piece frenetics of Hella. They totally underwhelmed me but it afforded me the opportunity to check out Blitzen Trapper, newly signed to hit maker Sub Pop. My idea that night: Radiohead mates with The Eagles and has a rockin’ Wilco baby. Whatever that whiskey-stained thought means. Check ‘em out and decide for yourself. Or grab the free show on the “KEXP Live Performances” podcast on the omnipresent iTunes.
I have been missing out on the goldenthroat rock, so tomorrow I am going to see Chris Cornell do something at the Paramount. Maybe he’ll take his shirt off. Or maybe he’ll play Billie Jean and I will try to sing along. Lately he has been covering Zeppelin’s “Thank You” and that out to be goldenthroat-tastic.
If Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings are on the road, I will have to catch the support of their third release. Anyone into it?
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Heavy on visuals, light on vocals. That’s my take.
I’ll have more tomorrow — er, later today — but a) the stage was a launch platform for the Most Visual Effects I’ve Seen at a Show(tm), while b) singer Wayne Coyne’s voice was very poor, like he had a chest cold. <- yesterday
today -> It’s no secret that he and J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. have two of the most unPavarotti -like voices in rock. But I was alarmed at how poor Coyne’s vocals were… “paper thin” came to mind. Is his voice always like this? He held his chest with his left hand for much of the show, which could indicate pain, illness, or well, anything.
The good news about all of this is that — buck up, Sparky! — you don’t have to have a strong voice to front a rock band!
They played old and new hits, 1993’s She Don’t Use Jelly and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots pt 1. And other material. It was ok, but I wasn’t blown away.
Coyne’s near-constant prodding of the crowd to sing along at a level he was satisfied with, plus his interminable, rambling monologues about George W. Bush, the US’s various wars, and love, got tiresome. Not that there’s anything wrong with speaking out against our insane puppet of a president, but if you do as the frontman at a concert, make your point (once) and get back to the music.
The Flaming Lips certainly do not fall under the Shut Up And Rock rock band header.
But I’m a critic. It’s my job to be critical. Overall, the crowd was appreciative, the sound at the Paramount was good, and the spectacle was grand. If you’re a diehard FL fan, there’s nothing I could say that would take away from your experience.
(In a 100% stoner move, I parked at a Taxi Cabs Only 11:30-2am spot (that’s not the stoner move, I was aware of it). My buddy Joe assured me we’d be out by 11:30. Halfway through the show I look at my watch and lo and behold, it’s 11:30. So I go out and move it. Then I come back and the band is not only still playing, but they play about 6 more songs, including an encore.
Then it hits me: having just returned from Denver the day before, my watch was still on Mountain time! It was 10:30 when I left. Pass the bong.)
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“Please hold your ‘woo woo’ until after the set. This is going to be good” – David Yow Last night I watched Qui and Lozen put on an amazing show at the Crocodile Cafe. I had heard some good things about Lozen, but hadn’t had the chance to see them. They are a female duo (sisters?) from Tacoma. Their music is heavy and driving. Normally I’m not really into music that is staight up metal, but their’s has just enough artsy touches and unconventional song structures to keep me interested. I picked up a copy of their album, Enemies Against Power. I like it, but it doesn’t quite sink its teeth in the way their live show did. Here is a non-album clip from Youtube. (thanks to Youtube, you never have to go out into the world and experience things first hand ever again)
364 days before last night’s show, David Yow was here in Seattle (remember?) for one, of only three, Scratch Acid reunion shows (the other two were in Chicago, for Touch and Go Record’s 25th anniversary party, and Austin, their home town).
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Outfuckingstanding. Un-fuckingfanstastic-believable. Brilli-fucking-ant. Outbrilliantstanding.
I’m blown away by how blown away I am by a band with ONLY ONE RECORD, by the way. Nevermind that, they played what was one of the best shows I’ve seen in months. Abso-ridiculously great.
They were relaxed and having a great time, and they played a bucketload of new material. If even half those songs are on the upcoming disc, it’s going to be Damn Good ™. The only conspicuous absence from Apologies to the Queen Mary was Modern World.
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More Bumbershoot. So after a full day of Bumbershoot, I was pretty tired. Then some things came up and after that I just couldn’t motivate myself to head down to the Seattle Center. So there is nothing to say about day two. If anyone is dying to know what happened, the Seattle Weekly and the Stranger had professionals covering the event. The Stranger has some nice pictures from day 1, here. Full coverage on their ‘Slog’.
So on to Day 3…
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A big, bloated post about a big, bloated festival. Before I even get to the Seattle Center, I’m already dealing with the crowds. Not long after I get on the bus, the bus becomes packed with people headed to Bumbershoot. As soon as I enter the gates, I immediately become engulfed by a sea of people who seem to have no idea where they want to be. As with nearly every year, I’m planning on seeing moslty local bands. Bands I would probably see a few times a year even if I skipped Bumbershoot. So as fight my way through the crowd, I’m wondering why I put myself through this. I left my house later than I planned, so there is no chance to see the Cops or the Cave Singers. So I head to the mainstage inside Memorial Stadium to see the Shins.
First I have to wait in a line that wraps around the stadium and stretches to the fountain. I find out the reason for the long wait is because at the entrance to the stadium all bags are being searched. What are they trying to keep out of the stadium? Primarily plastic water and soda pop bottles (which are sold by vendors outside the stadium) and any camera with a detachable lense. I notice many people were able to get glass beer bottles and pot inside the stadium without any problem. So the main point of the search seems to be to make people wait in a long, slow line.
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Fun!
>>>> Photos here <<<<
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