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

Block Party Extras

This weekend (Friday and Saturday) is the Capitol Hill Block Party.  Along with the official line-up, there are some added bonuses happening inside the fesival gates.

Half a block from the mainstage, the Cha Cha Lounge will host bands on both days.

Friday July 25th

Fences    5:45 pm

TacocaT     6:45 pm

Yes, Oh Yes     7:45 pm

T.V. Coahran     8:45 pm

Das Llamas     9:45 pm

Saturday July 26th

Kaylee Cole     5:45 pm

See Me River     6:45  pm

Weirdlords    7:45 pm

Triumph of Lethargy     8:45 pm

Wild Orchid Children     9:45

Around the time the main stage and Vera stage shut down, the Comet Tavern will get very loud.  Around 11 pm, the Comet will also host bands…

Friday July 25th

COCK BLOCK PARTY EXTRAVAGANZA -W/THE GIRLS , THE VALKYRIES -FREE!!!

Saturday July 26th

COCK BLOCK PARTY W/CHEAP TIME (NASHVILLE), THE UPSIDE DOWN (PDX) FREE!!!

Both venues are 21+ and will have free admission for all Block Party attendees.

The Blakes, The Broken West @ Neumos

Taking inspiration from early-’60s Brit rock and the D.I.Y. spirit of punk, the Blakes are comprised of Garnet Keim (vocals, guitar), Snow Keim, and Bob Husak (drummer). The power trio took root in 2001, when the Maine-born Keim siblings (who had been busking across the country since the late ’90s, working odd jobs and writing music) met Husak at a Seattle coffeehouse. The Keims were impressed with Husak’s percussion, likening its energy to that of the Who’s Keith Moon, and the three relocated to Los Angeles to write material for their newly minted band.

2008 Seattle Festival Guide

Sasshoot?  Bumberfest?  Sub Pop Block Party?  There are so many music festivals in and around Seattle, it can be pretty easy to get them all mixed up.  Here is a handy guide with dates, locations and links so that you can plan your summer.

Sasquatch:  When:  May 24-26  Where:  the Gorge Amphitheatre  Line-up Highlights:  Modest Mouse, R.E.M., The New Pornographers, M.I.A., The Breeders, Grand Archives, The Cure, Death Cab for Cutie, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, The Blakes, Sera Cahoone, The Cops, The Flaming Lips, The Mars Volta, Built to Spill, The Cave Singers, Kinski  My thoughts:  A very impressive line-up.  Plus many of these artists have not revealed plans to get any closer to Seattle than this.  More info:  http://sasquatchfestival.com/2008/

Noise for the Needy:  When:  June 11-15  Where:  Various clubs around Seattle  Line-up Highlights:  The Black Angels, Peter Parker, The Heavy Hearts, Math & Physics Club, New Faces, Lonesome Rhoads & the Good Company, Past Lives, Partman Parthorse, Amateur Radio Operator, Feral Children, Common Market  My thoughts:  Lots of great shows happening all over town.  Proceeds this year will benefit Urban Rest Stop.  More info:  http://www.noisefortheneedy.org/2008/index.php

Georgetown Music Fest:  When:  June 13-14  Where:  Georgetown neighborhood  Line-up Highlights:  Helmet, The Hands, Slender Means, Carrie Akre, The Lashes, Skullbot, Helms Alee, and more  My thoughts:  Last year’s best festival has once again assembled a great line-up of mostly local bands.  While you’re in the neighborhood, grab some pizza at Stellar Pizza and a drink at the 9 lb. Hammer.  More info:  http://www.georgetownmusicfest.com/

Scott H Biram at El Corozon

Sat, Apr 19
Scott Biram
Hillstomp
Bob Wayne & The Outlaw Carnies
$10 8:00P El Corazon

Scott IS the dirty ol one man band. His rock and roll is almost as gritty and dirty as he is. By dirty, I don’t mean he sings cheezy songs with dirty words. He’s got tin-can blues/rock that is just plain gutter filthy and good for the soul. This show ain’t gunna be pretty but a little raunch might make your night worthwhile. Here’s one of my faves – Been Down Too Long
[audio:http://www.chimehosting.com/bsr/scotthbiram/private/file_xfer/GraveyardShift/BeenDownTooLong.mp3]

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

Q & A with CJ of Drowning Pool

Calling from a tour bus rolling through Colorado, CJ from Drowning Pool checked in with us here at nwmusicblog.com World Headquarters to shoot the breeze about the band’s upcoming appearance in Seattle. They are scheduled to play tonight at the Showbox with Saliva.

Q: What was your last experience in Seattle like?

A: The crowd was great, and we were stoked that the opening bands were so good. You know, sometimes you get some openers that just haven’t cooked long enough? Not the case here. And the people are great, they really respect music.

Q: Are you guys big in Germany, like Hasselhoff?
A: You know, we did really well there! Those crowds know *all* the words to our songs!

Q: No kidding? Is that your biggest fan base?
A: Actually the most amazing response we’ve ever had overseas was in Oz. Down under, they love us. But in the U.S., the people in Kansas City go nuts for us. Even bigger than back home in Dallas.

Q: So you’re in new towns all the time, being on tour. Who do you trust when you look for a place to go after the show? Because I don’t think you want to just ask a cabbie to take you “where the kids go”, right?
A: We’re surprised that more people don’t come up to us after the show and hang out. We’ll finish the set, go backstage, but when we come back out into the club, people are gone. It’s surprising. We’re pretty approachable. We’re at the merch booth, at the bar, whatever. Come say hi.

Q: Have you ever had big bands ever come to your shows? I heard Henry Rollins tell a story once about how Billy, Frank and Dusty of ZZ Top showed up at a Rollins Band show and how humbling it was.
A: Yeah, you know, Pantera showed up one time… ha ha. This was like ten years ago. One of the guys [in our band] owed Dime[bag Darrell] some money… We were stoked that they were there but at the same time, we had to go to him and say “Hey, could you hold off on kicking Dave’s ass ’til after the show?” It was pretty funny. I mean, it was a matter of like, a couple hundred bucks, and they were like, “uh, yeah, we’re here to see you guys play, man. Who cares about the money?” Ha ha. That was pretty funny.

Q: Does a guitarist from a big-time national touring band get to play his own guitars? Do they just hand you stuff?
A: Well, after our first album got big, I was approached by some companies… Fender, Gibson. They wanted me to play their guitars, and I said I would if I could design them. They said: “We have people for that.” So I waited til I found the right deal. Washburn was really cool in the beginning. So I play Washburn.

Q: What’s the rest of your setup like?
A: I really searched for the right gear. I mean it, I spent 8 hours a day, three days in a row at a convention hall, plugging into amps to try to find the right sound.

Q: And what’d you come up with?
A: Kustom was the one. From the second I plugged in. Instant rock guitar sound. In all the clubs we play, it’s just… set a mic in front of it, and turn it on.

Q: So what’s playing on your iPod this week?
A: Pantera, and Mudvayne. But then it’s like, Sade is singing the next song.

Hear CJ and the rest of the band tonight, 24 March, at the Showbox at 8pm opening for Saliva.
They’ll return to Kansas City a few days after that to face rabid fans. Their tour schedule is here.

Tiny Vipers at Triple Door

Wed March 12

TINY VIPERS

w/opener YANN NOVAK
$12    7:30

I’ve only just began to get into Tiny Vipers. I just bought their first EP as a memento of the Fremont Sonic Boom and love it through and through.
Lead, Jesy Fortino,  has done her time in coffee shops and on mismatched bills. Her style is not folk, not alternative, but something different and wonderfully better. Tiny vipers  is backing up their latest release (and first full legnth) Hands Across the Void

King Cobra Grand Opening

King Cobra, the new venue in the space that was once the dance club Sugar, and operated by the people that ran Kincora, has announced four nights worth of grand opening events, plus part of their March calendar. From the press release…

4 NIGHTS OF RADNESS GRAND OPENING PARTIES

It Takes A Full Weekend To Celebrate Seattle’s Newest Rock Club!
February 19, 2008 (SEATTLE, WA): King Cobra, Seattle’s newest nightclub, live music venue and home for rock & roll, announces today the lineup for 4 Nights of Radness Grand Opening celebration, to take place February 28, 29, March 1, and March 2, 2008.

Thursday, February 28 $10
3 Inches of Blood
Book of Black Earth
Toxic Holocaust
Plaster
Doors 8pm, Show at 9pm
——————————
Friday, February 29 $7
Neutralboy
Android Hero
Rain City Shwillers
Bucklin
Doors at 8pm, Show at 9pm
——————————
Saturday, March 1 $6
The Emeralds
Neon Nights
The Valkyries
Doors at 8pm, Show at 10pm
——————————
Sunday, March 2 $8
Visqueen
Quadrillion
Super-secret surprise guest DJs!
Doors at 8pm, Show at 9pm
——————————
More press release after the break……

Foals and Blakes Galvanize Seattle – 2 Great Nights at Chop Suey

This past weekend (Feb 16 and 17) I spent, what some might consider, waaaaay too much time bouncing around the floor of Chop Suey. Both Friday and Saturday nights had bands that electrified the joint into a twitching and pulsing masses that some might even recognize as dancing…

The Blakes headlined Friday night’s show and shined as the gem of the night. They are jumping into a European tour this week and their enthusiasm was clear. The band has a magnetism that makes their style of grimey psychedelic rock unforgettable. The crowd at Chop Suey was charged with it and the band vamped it up with sweating screaming indulgence. Brothers Snow and Garnet Keim along with drummer Bob Husak neatly handed out all the hits from their self titled album which essentially means they played through the whole damned thing. They also tossed in some new songs to road test on the home crowd, likely to show up on a new album – most of which, I heard from Husak, has already been written for months. Can’t wait untile they’re back in the studio, but can’t complain about the abundance of shows lately. Be sure to catch them March 8th at High Dive with the Detroit Cobras.. oh and it’s $Free [audio:http://www.soundonthesound.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/two_times-the-blakes.mp3|bg=0xf2f7ff|leftbg=0xd6e69a|rightbg=0xb4d247|rightbghover=0x97c000|lefticon=0x97c000|righticon=0xfafcf2|righticonhover=0xfafcf2|text=0x0066ff|slider=0x0066ff|loader=0x99c2ff|track=0xffffff|border=0x0066ff]
The Blakes-Two Times
Saturday, Foals exploded into the night with jackhammer ferocity. For some unexplained reason, other than that Sub Pop wanted to pimp these relative unknowns to their local and loyal peeps, this show was $Free to anyone and everyone who bothered to show up. They are a 5 piece disco-rock band from Brighton fronted by Yannis Philippakis and Jimmy Smith on lead and rhythm guitar. They each play in perfect high pitched discord, almost everything above the 12th fret. Their guitars strapped close to their throats and chirping like electrocuted crickets.Walter Gervers takes bass playing into a jerking and convulsing realm along with the piercing leads. Jack Bevan’s drumming was presise and punctuated, but what really struck me as the night progressed was Edwin Congreave on keyboards and synth. This is where the bread and butter of the band comes from. The echoing pulsing sound. This is the source of the hypnotism, the part that kicks you in the back of the knees over and over causing you to bob and weave. The entire floor of Chop Suey felt it and it was seething.
There wasn’t much interaction with the crowd on a verbal level. Not that they didn’t “say” anything, it was more that we couldn’t make any sense of their thick Brittish accents, but Yanis made his way into the crowd twice. More stunning than exciting the crowd, but to their delight none the less.
I am anxious for the American release of their upcoming Sub Pop album, Antidotes due to release-in late March/early April. Astronauts and All-below-is a great example of the band’s hypnotic sounds but unfortunately will not appear on Antidotes
[audio:http://www.digitalwell.washington.edu/dw/1/51/04/04493492-feae-4c62-8f1c-a33848380349.mp3|bg=0xf2f7ff|leftbg=0xd6e69a|rightbg=0xb4d247|rightbghover=0x97c000|lefticon=0x97c000|righticon=0xfafcf2|righticonhover=0xfafcf2|text=0x0066ff|slider=0x0066ff|loader=0x99c2ff|track=0xffffff|border=0x0066ff]
Foals-Astronauts and All
Honorable mention of the night goes to the Sleepy Eyes of Death who performed behind a veil of smoke, creating an ethereal feeling that was compounded by their heavy, yet ambient music, a synthesized conglomeration of keyboards with heavily distorted guitar, lead by disco-beat drums. Some live, some mechanized. The whole thing sounded like something a machine that recently became self-aware would create. Keep an eye out for their upcoming LP as they are working full bore towards getting that completed.

[audio:http://www.sleepyeyesofdeath.com/mttf.mp3|bg=0xf2f7ff|leftbg=0xd6e69a|rightbg=0xb4d247|rightbghover=0x97c000|lefticon=0x97c000|righticon=0xfafcf2|righticonhover=0xfafcf2|text=0x0066ff|slider=0x0066ff|loader=0x99c2ff|track=0xffffff|border=0x0066ff]
Sleepy Eyes of Death-Mean Time Till Failure

Photos by Kevin leDoux 

Lifesavas w live band! at Nectar

Thurs, Mar 6

-Lifesavas w/ Live Band
-One Struggle feat. Ras K’dee

9 PM / 21+
$12 adv.

Some of the best Hip Hop out there comes right from Portland. Lifesavas blend soulful, hard-hitting beats, and spiritual consciousness. Check some out here:

[audio:http://www.audibletreats.com/download/Lifesavas/Lifesavas-Shine_Language.mp3 ]
Lifesavas – Shine Language

Sunday Night Blackouts at High Dive FREE!!

St Pattys Day Blowout! @ High Dive

Sunday Night Blackout
The Goondocks
DJ Taco Supreme

Free-Free Free

7:00

Seattle’s Sunday Night Blackouts are putting the rock back in rock and roll. I’m a believer that indie music will be killed once and for all if this sound makes a revival, and I’m OK with that. And once again, this show is FREE!!
Man, the High dive is just givin it away this month.  Blakes/Detroit Cobras on the 8th and this show tonight, they can do no wrong.

Feral Children at High Dive 2X

KEXP AUDIOASIS 6:00 show
Holy Ghost Revival
The Feral Children
$ 7

KEXP AUDIOASIS 9:00 show

The Feral Children
Sirens and Sailors
The Femurs
$ 7

Another of our favorites, Feral Children will be on twice tonight with the KEXP Audioasis Broadcast- a Monthly event designed to showcase local bands and support local charities. All Proceeds will benefit Parent Trust for Washington Children

What I’m Trying To Say is – Bring Back The Rock!

Rockin the ass out of Valentines day in Fremont.
It’s all a bit hazy, but it’s slowly coming back to me in bits and pieces. Valentines Night in Fremont, I attended what I’ve dubbed as the Unintentional Valentines Music Festival. The High Dive and Nectar both had 8-band lineups peppered with local favorites-both were considerably cheap to get into ($7 and &10 respectively)-and both are practically across the street from each other.
The High Dive was home to the Great Valentines Day Massacre. MC-ing the going-ons, along with Coz from presenters, Nada Mucho, was the (in)famous KEG. KEG IS “The Lone Ranger of Rock.” Everything you could possibly imagine from a person with such a title is doubly true for KEG. We even more appropriately titled him the Mayor of Rockville as he introduced himself to almost every individual in the crowd, shaking hands with his right while tossing his hair out of his eyes with the left. He paraded around the place decked to the teeth in butt-rock gear complete with ankle bandannas, skull headband, wristbands, bangles, spangles and obligatory rocker mascara. Even fingering his flying V as he went. KEG thanked each and everyone for coming. He even introduced us to Lake of Falcons, (who knocked the back wall out of the High Dive, but more on that later.) And all that’s not even the impressive part. Aside from being the one-man glam-rock show that he is, playing drum tracks and looping them along with rhythm guitar, then thrashing the ever living crap out of the stage, this guy has the best “rock-kick” I’ve ever seen. Seriously, we’re talking entire boot above the head, like 10 times a song. Fuckin’ A! And in the tiny 1/2 hour set that he played KEG pulled out every quintessential rocker move imaginable. From leaping off of chairs and monitors, to playing the guitar behind his head and with his teeth (not at the same time of course, he’s just a butt-rocker, not a god). The set ended with Keg’s sing-along tune, “What I’m Trying to Say is – Bring Back the Rock!” and left us all completely dumbfounded.
And all of this happened after Lake of Falcons broke in the night with an incredible-albeit short-set. I haven’t even gotten to that yet. Frig, I haven’t even left the High Dive yet. There’s still another venue to visit here. But first, lets talk about this Lake of Falcons.

Black Lips at Neumo’s: a different kind of review

The infamous Black Lips, in support of their rockin’ album, “Good Bad Not Evil”, played a Monday night at Neumo’s in early February. The show went kinda like this:

It’s not that they didn’t play their asses off. We just weren’t into it.
(p.s. someone STILL hasn’t sent me that King Kong track…)

Music for Lovers -Freemont’s Unintentional Valentines Day Music Festival

This Valentines day there is a strange anomaly happening in Fremont. Both Nectar and the High Dive have completely stellar line-ups scheduled consisting of sixteen, yes, count them, sixteen North West bands. 8 at each venue. Now the 2 places are not officially affiliated with each other, but they ARE officially right across the friggen street from each other. Now both are a great value on their own. Nectar is only running at $10 for the entire night. High Dive, even cheaper at $5 ($7 doors).

Now just consider this, pay the door fee at BOTH Nectar AND the High Dive. You would be dropping a total of $15 dollars and have access to all 16 bands. That means you can catch the Cops AND Partman Parthorse. Hell if you hate either, you have the option to head across the street and see someone you’ve never even heard of before.

It’s your very own valentines day music festival.
So, that’s the plan. Band listings are after the break. Both events start at 8:00

Sound Off! The under 21 Battle of the Bands

For the seventh year running, EMP hosts the all under 21 NW Battle of the Bands Competition, Sound Off! The event is meant to give young performers a once in a lifetime chance to showcase to Seattle what they have. In the past, bands such as Schoolyard Heroes, Idiot Pilot, Mon Frere, The Lonely H, Dyme Def, Capitol Basement, The Lonely Forest and Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head have all battled it out in the finals and into our playlists.

But before we get to the final, we get to work through The Semifinals (which should be noted, happen in THREE parts) begining this Sat the 9th and continuing on the 16th and the 23rd. The semi’s feature 4 bands apiece and the winner of each will proceed to the Final on sat Mar 1st. Each round costs all of 7 bucks for students and EMP members, 10 for the rest of us to get in. All shows happen in the Sky Church which is almost worth sitting and staring at even without a band playing.

Here’s the lineup for each of the “semi”finals with finals TBA.
I’ve heard most of the first night’s bands on KEXP’s Audioasis with Lisa Wood last Friday. I personally think New Faces have a solid shot. The lead singer-all of 16- has already come into a full rich baritone voice without any of the Peter Brady crackles. I have yet to listen to the bands for the remaining nights but I have links to all their MySpace pages if you want to hear them out.

With the track record that this event has, I’d recommend checking out as many of the rounds as you can.

Semifinals round 1 – Sat Feb 9th f- 8:00 features
The Batteries, Carnation, WA listen
The Dead Are Judged, Marysville, WA listen
New Faces, Port Townsend, WA listen
and
Southgate, Pendleton, OR listen

Semifinal round 2 Sat, Feb 16th – 8:00 features
KnowMads, Seattle, WA Listen
The Nextdoor Neighbors, Olympia, WA Listen
Pat Goodwin, Seattle, WA Listen
Scribes, Seattle, WA Listen

Semifinal Round “3″ Sat, February 23 features
Deer City, Issaquah, WA Listen
Kusikia, Tacoma, WA Listen
Man Down Medic, Seattle, WA Listen
Shotty, Kirkland, WA Listen

FINAL happen Sat March 1 – 8:00

Sights and Sounds of The Valley

Just a quick and dirty posting. Last night, The Valley popped my Jules Maes cherry. I was doubly eager to check out the show because I had never seen a band there, and ever since I heard “Come Down” on 90.3, I have been chomping at the bit to see and hear the band’s thunderous assault. In between pints down at the 9LB, I caught a bit of Bacchus’ set and they made a fan out of me, too. Heavier, faster-tempo than The Valley, and possibly more sweat. What struck me most about their presence was how good they made the room sound. Thicker-than-Texas toast kinda sound, the way this kind of music should be expressed. When the headliners stepped up, the volume naturally increased but the fidelity remained. Too bad this isn’t the norm *everywhere*, right?  And while some audience members near me bemoaned the crowd’s fixed gaze and lack of any kind of activity (are we supposed to waltz? what the…?) I thought it was a perfect scene – dark, loud and full of people that were stoked to be there. As for the sounds/sights part, video is to be uploaded to YouTube and will be available later this weekend. In the meantime, visit thevalleyrules.com or pick up their latest EP. And catch them at The Comet on Friday, 22 February.