The Bravery w/ Switches Neumos doors @ 8pm

Uk quartet Switches (not THE Switches, they are very particular about that) will be opening for the Bravery on the 25th at Neumos.

Brit-pop and NY Post-punk in one glorious night!

Neumos-$15 8:00 All Ages

Spoils, Wah Wah Exit Wound, Friday January 18th, Blue Moon Tavern, FREE

SPOILS

The best rock & roll qua rock & roll band in Seattle. Existing in a realm void of the pre-requisite irony or blaspheming idolatory of which infects current popular music propagation.

Extracting themselves from their various other constituencies (Master Musicians of Bukkake, Earth, Asva), Milky Burgess, Diamond Vincent, and Don McGreevy rock free.

Primordial electric finger-picking, supergruv rhythm section, and vocalizations emanating from some being’s core.

Doped-up, sexed-up, and fog-imposed tributes to the pure romance of the hedonsitic side of things.

WAH WAH EXIT WOUND

The naysayers of progressive rock only indicate their unprogressive minds. Progenitors of progressive rock who use the term should operate with caution as well to avoid semantic pitfalls.

Compositions designed to frighten and challenge within pre-existing languages. Presented from the realms of ADD denial and dreams of schizophrenic absolution.

Funk in 9, drunken pirate sing-alongs, odes to solary ocular organs, and a complete musical thesis on one interpretation of Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations.

“Her eyes were the color of the sun!”

As always, the show is free. Because the Blue Moon is a free venue. And bands still get paid. Funny how that works. Required attendance for anyone who claims to have interest in the archaic musical tool known as “guitar.” Phenomenological demonstrations of various methods.

Only two bands on the bill so everyone gets to open up a little bit.

10 p.m.

Bee Simonds has got the Skillz

In the plethora of male dominated performing artists here in Seattle, there are only a handful of female performers on the scene. And even though by ratio there are far more impressive female musical artists than male, good looks don’t always make up for talent. Lucky for Bee Simonds, she has both.

Her performance at Neumos last Friday night was nothing less than pro. One would think that an opening slot to a full house would create a flinch of nerves or doubt in the rising artist but that’s not the case. Her Linda Perry approach to vocals and aggressively confident guitaring stole the night as she commanded the crowd smoothly from song to song. Even if you had never heard her songs before she instantly made you a believer of her life trials through her soulful vocal delivery. Her backing band was solid to say the least and emanated her already charismatic energy throughout the set.

And after the show, you didn’t find her in the greenroom with all the other bands that played that night, you found her at her merch table chatting it up with the people who like me, were so impressed with her show.

Her next gig is at The Nectar Lounge in Freemont on the 27th of January and if you haven’t heard of Bee Simonds, well neither had I. But if she continues to put on shows like the one last Friday she’s guaranteed to be a name everyone will know soon.

C-Leb, A-Bro and Adrian – Kinetic Stereokids – Elam at the High Dive

January, 17 2008 at The High Dive
9513 N 36th, Seattle, Washington 98103
Cost : $6 21+
C-Leb, A-Bro & Adrian
Kinetic Stereokids
Elam
C-Leb should have t-shirts and new songs available… should be a great show!!

rbally.net – Live Music Feast – Redux

About a year ago, NWMBlogger, Matt, wrote us about rbally.net
rbally.net features a collection of (free) MP3s from neumerous bands’ live recordings. Sadly, the site closed down last year but has since reopened for buisiness.
Now this isn’t just a mish mosh obscure prague rock and antiquated grunge. rbally features lots of current music that made it into our Top whatever listings of 2007. Just off the front page today I see Steve Malkmus, Radiohead, and Sonic Youth recordings ranging from 2005 to 1992.
Jennings, the papa of rbally admits he probably won’t be as prolific as he was about posting in the past but thinks it will be reasonable to expect a couple new listings a week, so keep your eye on it.

NWMB Recommends: Seattle Shows for January 2008

This month, the choices range from tributes for the “King’s” birthday to experimental rock at the Sunset. The highlights come from the High Dive in Freemont. The weekend of the 11-12, the High Dive stretches it’s musical range with 2 great lineups. 1 Hip Hop 1 Alt country. Jan 16th at the Funhouse smashes 4 worthwile bands into one night for a measly $5
(NOTE: New Years Eve recommendations can be found by clicking here. For the rest of the month follow the link below..)

Unscrew The Crocodile Employees Benefit Show – Sun Dec 30th

As you may have already read, Crocodile Cafe owner Stephanie Dorgan closed the club a week before Christmas, leaving all her employees a voice mail telling them, in a way as gentle as getting bent over a keg in the back, that they were all jobless-and thus “screwed”.

The local music community is rallying to support them. Former Croc booker Pete Greenberg (now booking Chop Suey) has put together an incredible bill to benefit the former Croc employees with performances by members of
Fleet Foxes,
Peter Parker,
the Pale Pacific,
Siberian,
Triumph of Lethargy
Skinned Alive To Death,
Dave Terry (of Aqueduct),
Siberian,
Pleasureboaters,
J.Tillman,
Damien Jurado,
and David Bazan.
With DJs Kristoffer K and Roy (Rooha-that’s Canuk for Roy…).

This is a chance to hear some great local music and support the team that brought us so many nights of debauchery.

Chop Suey–1325 E. Madison St.

Sun-Dec 30th
7pm $10 21+

Helms Alee at the Comet on 12/28 (tomorrow!)

This is a slow time of year for good shows, but tomorrow night at the Comet is a show that is not to be missed. Helms Alee is easily my favorite new band of 2007. They are loud, heavy and intense. They sound like sledgehammers in a thunderstorm, but still remain beautifully melodic.

The Showbox, The Crocodile and The Comet.. OH MY!

There is a rift in the Seattle music scene this month. Like the entire society that controls our nightly musical experiences is on a giant purge session.

First the Showbox is sold off to AEG, sure, sure they placate us with promises that the original booker and talent scout will remain in his position, but everyone just knows Celine is coming to town. It’s inevitable. This is a company concerned with nothing but the bottom line and they’ll throw any Clear Channel shit at you to make that dolla.

THEN, the Crocodile just up and closes it’s doors. Apparently, this was a long time coming. Stephanie Dorgan (owner) was reportedly brought to court after her first year for keeping shoddy accounting records. Her husband and partner in the Croc, Peter Buck-of R.E.M. fame, pulled out after their divorce last year. So I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. And every club is first and foremost a business. Yeah, right, I get it. But these are the places we revolve our social lives around. The places we go to see that little band from Albany we’ve been tracking all year. Of course we’re up in fucking arms about them being bought out by giant promoters and buttoning up shop.

Now, it’s rumored that the Comet Tavern is up for sale. The Stranger pulled a posting from Craigslist stating the following
——————————-
Seattle’s oldest bar – $400000
Seattle’s oldest tavern/bar, centrally located in Capitol Hill. Very established. Possible Class H and pull tabs. NDA required. DO NOT TALK TO EMPLOYEES. ——————- Check out the post here

Just when it was becoming a standard in the Seattle Music Scene. I mean. I’m pretty sure pull tabs AND punk rock can coexist, but damn! What the hell is going on here? Are we on the turn of a new music revolution? Or is Seattle Music just going to be systematically wiped off the face of the Pac NW?

UPDATE————-
The Comet Tavern HAS BEEN SOLD!!! The Seattle Times reports that the comet Tavern was sold TODAY – Wed Dec 19th. It is said that all will remain status quo with the venue/bar. Whew!

you can check out the short article here

“We, like, heart U, Seattle”: Les Savy Fav Show the Emerald City Some Love

Brooklyn legends—yes LEGENDS—Les Savy Fav made an inconspicuous appearance at Neumo’s this past Friday night (11/30)…oh wait, it wasn’t inconspicuous at all. Not only was the show sold out, but other bands with shows that night (Fleet Foxes, I’m talking to you) were proposing an exodus to the LSF set following their very own. And, of course, front-freak Tim Harrington put on his usual ridiculously entertaining spectacle. I hate to say ‘usual’ because it implies a humdrum quality, but the result is quite the contrary: what he may lack in vocal or lyrical clarity during a live performance, he more than makes up for in animated high jinks, silly, sometimes unintelligible banter, and a flair for dress-up beyond anyone’s good expectations.

Exhibit A (god, I wish I had a picture): As the band opens with “The Equestrian,” Harrington, donned in a cape and striped shirt, snakes his way through the crowd and hops up on stage to reveal a unicorn for a head. A UNICORN.

Win Tix for New Years Bash w/ The Blakes and The Saturday Knights

The Seattle Wolves FC, kick off New Years with an all-star line up. The quickly expanding Football Club is throwing down on their home turf at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila. The evening features local Seattle hip hop stars the Saturday Knights opening for NWMusicblog favorites, the Blakes (PDX).

Tickets for the New Year’s Party start at $35 and are available through www.SeattleWolvesFC.com. A limited number of hotel and VIP packages are available for the event as well. Event happens at Starfire Sports and Entertainment Complex, 14800 Starfire Way, Tukwila, WA 98188

To Win 2 Tix on the Guest List email us here with your full name.
Winner will be selected randomly and announced Friday Dec 21st

FREE SHOW – These Arms are Snakes, Thurs 11-29

For those of you who were on the fence about checking out the TAAS show, this past Wed the 14th, those who just plain missed it or more deserving, those who loved the show and want more… I’ve got a treat for you.

MORE Recommended Nov ‘07 Shows

While Kevin did a fantabulous job with this month’s upcoming shows, there were a few more that I wanted to call out:

The Ponys – I know, I know, this was already included, but for the love of god, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE support this band!  They’ve put out three (3) solid albums to date and their infectious garage rock—embellished with pop sensibilities—is sure to please.  Their latest release Turn The Lights Out is awesome, but check out the previous LP, Celebration Castle, for the real goods.  TONIGHT @ THE CROCODILE ($10).

Grand Archives (w/ Helio Sequence & Minus the Bear) – This show goes down at the Showbox (ugh, “at the Market”) Saturday Nov. 10th.  With three solid local bands on the bill, this will no doubt be good.  While Helio Sequence and Minus the Bear have received plenty of high marks before (and rightly so), it’s Grand Archives that whets my whistle.  Mat Brooke (of Band of Horses and Carissa’s Wierd fame) fronts this recently signed Sub Popper. $16 Adv / $18 DOS All Ages

These Arms Are Snakes – This band is so awesome, not even the fact that their name is just the 2nd most awesomest band name ever can diminish their awesomeness.  For fans of local post-hardcore (that just means it’s LOUD and AWESOME).  Part of ISIS’s 10-Year Anniversary Tour.  Wednesday Nov. 14th @ Neumo’s;$15 Adv All Ages.

Lake of Falcons – So, in case you were wondering, this is the band with the best name ever.  EVER.  Just think about it: A lake…of FALCONS.  Fashioning a “throwback” grungy sound with crunchy monster-guitars and dual vocals, it’s a pleasure to see them still booking shows.  They’ve been around on fantastic DIY label Beep Repaired for some time, but haven’t got their proper due.  A great chance to support the hard-hats of the local scene: Wednesday Nov 21st @ the Crocodile ($6).

Les Savy Fav – This is another of my favorites…Art-rockers from Brooklyn celebrate their first release in three years.  The bass lines will slice you into pieces, the guitars will make you squeal and you just might get some sort of ambiguous liquid thrown on you by satiric frontman Tim Harrington.  I love this band.  Friday Nov. 30th @ Neumo’s ($18 Adv)

The Cave Singers with Fleet Foxes - Can’t say enough about the beautiful, macabre folk of Seattle’s Cave Singers and the 70s AM radio-inspired musings of Fleet Foxes.  Check them out while they’re still under the radar. Friday Nov. 30th @ the Crocodile ($10)

That is all.

Partman Parthorse Rocks Comet, Infuriates Inept Centaurs

Caution! Inaugural post–read at your own risk…or something…

In eager anticipation for the past few weeks, the lady and I met up with some fellow audiophiles at The Comet Tavern this past Saturday night (11/3) to check out local sex-punks, Partman Parthorse.  Oh sure, they were the third act of a quadruple bill, but who were we kidding?  It was PMPH that truly piqued our interest.  The band’s fractured funk, augmented by the stage theatrics of front-dude Gary Smith, are not necessarily new to Seattleites with a keen ear and a Wednesday night at the Funhouse to kill.  They’ve been on the scene since 2006 (I was only introduced to them several months ago, after being blown away at the Funhouse and subsequently again during a High Dive set), so I will admit that I expected a slightly larger turnout for a balmy Saturday evening with an extra hour.   I suppose this poor showing might have been a function of the venue–while steeped in the tradition of local dive-bar-badassery, as an audience member the Comet leaves a bit to be desired.  Didn’t stop us, though.  Seven pints of High Life and one twisted ankle later, LeDon’t was totally into it.

In any event, it was Smith’s red underoos and the frenetic tempos of bassist/keyboardist Rachel Ratner that made the mostly female crowd’s hips quiver.  Not to mention the steady percussion of Lisa Smith and the angular stylings of guitarist Marshal Nall.  The real treat, however, came when said underoos were dutifully put on display two songs into the set, after which Smith could only be seen three quarters-naked, holding his monitor aloft as if it were a boombox and he was strollin’ through a SoCal (neighbor) hood.   I’m sure you can probably YouTube it.

I was mildly disappointed that only a few (“Partman Parthorse”, “Bang!”, “High Five Heaven”) of the seven or eight songs they played were from their lone LP, but the new tunes definitely sounded slick and the band was eager to exhibit.  I welcomed them unconditionally.

I would advise anyone itching for a radical sound and a unique spectacle to not look any further.  Just check out their next show, for chrissake:  Thursday, Nov. 8th with Pwrfl Pwr at temporary venue Pony (former space of the Cha Cha Lounge).  You can also catch them at the Wild Rose with The Intelligence Dec. 7th.  Be there or be square.

Recommended shows for November 2007

November is pulling the grey blanket over the city once again and it’s the perfect time to turn your attention back to the concert scene. So throw away your shades (cuz you KNOW you ain’t gunna find them in the spring anyway) and don the rain slicker. It’s showtime!

Click here to check out recommended shows..

De La Soul this Thursday at Neumo’s

De La for ten bucks? At Neumo’s? Dang. Even if it is co-sponsored by Red Bull, and they aren’t supporting a new album, it’s ten bucks and local. 

Kinski @ COMET Friday Nov 23rd

KINSKI, THE HACKS, SEX VID play the teeny tiny Comet Tavern on Capitol Hill. This is a show not to be missed. Kinski is gunna blow the fuckin windows out of the place!

CD Review and CD Release: Half Acre Day (Nov 1st @ Nectar)

The CD! Local Seattle Band, Half Acre Day, releasing Fourteen Trips Around the Sun avail Nov 13th

Right off the bat, Anemone, the first cut off Fourteen Trips Around the Sun, digs its nails into you like a wildcat. It reminded me of an epic Weezer ballad. Slowly sneaking through it’s first couple light and poppy measures and them BAM it’s all over you and you’re hooked into looping it over and over on repeat. The rest of the album follows this first song up with concise, well written pop songs. Some psych-pop, some indie, and it becomes obvious that this band’s members not only play along, but all have a hand in creating and forming each piece. Fourteen Trips Around the Sun is a disc that can be listened all the way through from first to last. A rarity in CDs today.