Seattle Subsonic - March, 2009
Katharine Hepburn’s Voice CD Release @ the Sunset
| Friday, March 20, 2009 | ||
| 9:00 pm |
Katharine Hepburn’s Voice is not a new band, but then, you probably already knew that. They are, however, an omnipresent lo-fi goof-pop band with some fancy electro inclinations. Think Broadcast or Ladytron with an affection for melodicas, oversized Elton John spectacles and kittens. Comprised of Shannon Perry on vox/keys/etc. and D.W. Burnam on skins (and “now featuring the Bass stylings of Eli Chuckovich!”), this will be a show for dancing and drinking. Not crazy, fat-beat dancing, just waltzy-I’m-happy-to-be-here dancing. They also will have their new LP, “Stand Up” ready to sample. I’ve never seen the band live, but you came here for recommendations, so quit asking questions.
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Hopefully Gary from PMPH doesn’t steal his KHV buddies’ thunder. Down, Gary!
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Sunset Tavern / 21+ / $8
Mmmm…Crocodile
I think I just love seeing show posters with the Crocodile as the venue. This one has Head Like a Kite and Wild Orchid Children. No kids. Startled, owl-faced women are always good, too.
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Carry on.
Update: they forgot to mention Sleepy Eyes of Death is the other band. They’ve got some clout.
The Cops Final Shows (for awhile, anyway)
| Friday, March 13, 2009 | ||
| 7:30 pm | ||
| Saturday, March 14, 2009 | ||
| 10:00 pm |
The Cops will be going on hiatus (more info here), and this weekend will host their final shows (for awhile, anyway). Friday the 13th will be said Cops, PartMan PartHorse, and Battle Hymns at the Vera Project. The poster sez: “Final All Ages Show Ever!”
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The other show is at the Sunset, and will feature The Cops, The Sea Navy, and Wallpaper. Should be an energetic time, yet I fear the lights of Seattle’s music scene will flicker Saturday night. You could always count on a Cops show to punch you in the gut and then buy you a beer. I just realized how much Mike Jaworski emulated Joe Strummer while on stage. Look for Jaworski’s record label, Mt. Fuji Records, in stores (i.e. the Whore Moans, Point Juncture, WA).
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Vera Project: All Ages / $10 / 7:30pm
Sunset: 21+ / $10 / 10pm
Anchor Down Turns Steel into Dust…
It is not very often that I come across an album that I just can’t stop listening to. Sure, there are times where I pick something up and it will occupy my time for a few days…but Portland based Anchor Down’s new EP Steel to Dust has been on almost nonstop rotation ever since guitarist/vocalist Lucas Andrews dropped it into my hands last weekend. And for good reason, too…This EP is just plain amazing! .
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Anchor Down are the culmination of many years of musical development. Although only together about a year, each member of the band has vast experience in music…when they all came together, it just clicked. 3/4 Portland, 1/4 Seattle, this four-piece brings a double axed attack with intricate guitar solos, dueling raspy and harmonious vocals, and it is all anchored by a strong rhythm section. This is what melodic punk is meant to be. .
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Although reminiscent of many bands that have come before them, Anchor Down seems to take a little bit from many different influences to from a sound all their own. Having already drawn comparisons to the likes of Alkaline Trio, American Steel, and the Lawrence Arms, this debut EP picks up where Dillinger Four’s C I V I L W A R left off in the lexicon of punk rock releases, combining driving guitars with melodious punk hooks and lyrics dripping with self-analyzation. In short, the EP is near perfect…Here are a few tracks for your enjoyment: .
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Red Ink
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For all you Seattlites and Portlanders, the cd is already available at your local independent record stores (save for Easy Street Music)…for the rest of you, the album will be released nationally on March 24th, in conjunction with the release of the vinyl (which all you vinyl freaks will want to pick up… 400 copies on orange, 100 copies on blue, and 50 copies on clear vinyl). Now that you love it, go out and buy it!
K’naan is making people Believe at Nuemos Tonight
It is hard to describe the music of K’naan. He is highly creative, and at times schizophrenic, he is all over the board in terms of influence and style. He goes against convention with the intent to destroy all boundries created by the mainstream music machine. At the same time he rages against said machine he is embracing it (or maybe being embraced by it). On his new record “Troubador” he bounces from track to track showing occassional glimses of greatness. The whole thing is listenable with very few missteps but when Mettalica’s Kirk Hammett comes through for the 107.7 approved “If Rap Gets Jealous” the conceptual side of things goes a bit awry in my opinion.
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K’naan was born and raised in Somalia escaping on the last day the American Embassy was open during the horrendous war there in the early 1990s. He must have seen some shit, felt the pain and heard the cries of a war Americans have never experienced. This could the making of a very disenfranchised, pissed off, and militant man but K’naan isn’t the product of his enviroment, he’s a product of hope. He preaches love, unity, and equality in uber well articulated prose cultivated during his time as a well reknowned spoken word artist. He learned to rap before he could even speak english, listening to some of the greats and copying the phonetic patterns in their delivery. He is the fucking truth.
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Tonight at 8pm at Nuemos you can catch him live.
The Beautiful Truth CD Now Available For Purchase
The physical release of John Spalding’s posthumous Loveland album, The Beautiful Truth, has finally arrived. Most of you will remember the late musician’s passing this past November after a four year battle with cancer. You’ll probably also recall that his friend and producer Matt Bayles helped bring the album to completion. I also probably don’t have to remind you that there is an impressive pedigree of local musicians who lent their talents to John’s project, including including members of Minus the Bear, the Blood Brothers, Pretty Girls Make Graves, These Arms Are Snakes, Botch, and Helms Alee. Hopefully you were able to attend one of the many benefit shows that took place around town.
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Given my ‘collector’ tendencies when it comes to CDs, I wanted to wait for the opportunity to hold the album in my hands before listening all the way through (the MP3′s have been around for 3 or 4 months). You can do the same by heading out to your local Sonic Boom or Easy Street ($9.99). I just got mine on Sunday, so I haven’t been able to give it a proper spin yet. However, I will say that, not only is it for a good cause (the wife and medical bills John left behind), but I’ve heard enough to know that its genre-sprawling, fearlessly-looking-death-in-the-eye, earnestly triumphant temper should sit well with any soul. John’s stratospheric spirit shines through with ease. And, although I did say “genre-sprawling”, rest assured that the 90′s punk and indie rock that influenced John and his bands is on proud display. If you still ain’t sure, have a preview over at his myspace.
Actual Music Video From MSHVB: “Cheer For Fate”
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The first video from Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band containing their actual music. “Cheer For Fate” was conceived, shot, and edited by the band. This is the song that makes you think they sound like Modest Mouse. It also deals with subtitles, longing for love, and lots of physical destruction. Super 8 = awesome!
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Don’t forget: you can currently stream the entire album over at Spinner.com (scroll).
Raphael Saadiq Brings Stimulus to PDX
Last weekend at the Wonder Ballroom Raphael Saadiq appeared on stage without introduction nor opening band. His competent and energized backing band was already stomping through their take on “Age of Aquarius” and from there, none of them looked back. He has an extensive back catalog of R&B jams from which to assemble a set list, and he did so expertly. From “100 Yard Dash”, “Let’s Take a Walk” and “Sure Hope You Mean It” from his latest LP, to the Tony Tone Toni hits “Whatever You Want” and “Anniversary”, he crafted a fantastic show. It was pretty dynamic .
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During the opening song, the facade he displays on the cover of “The Way I See It,” began to rapidly strip away. Those black-rimmed glasses disappeared, and by mid-set, the shirt and tie were gone, too, revealing a ripped and tattooed crooner gone wild. The energy and charisma of the star was infectious: smiling, I told my date,”It just became THAT show! Awesome.” He delivered pure, unhindered and honest entertainment: a giant dollop of soul, some skilled choreography with his terrific backing singers and a little affable banter between songs. It was a the kind of feel-GREAT, make ya grin like a carefree fool kinda show that anyone look relish. Our little group of six never stopped dancing – and we definitely weren’t alone. The whole place was movin’ and groovin’. I hope Raphael and his band make a return trip to the PNW this year. I heard that their Showbox appearance termed “the best show the venue has ever had.”
"The Big Easy" being performed
Jammin' on bass at the show's end
RS in top form, seriously.
MSHVB, Say Hi Release Their CDs
Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I was able to stream to Say Hi‘s latest album, Oohs & Aahs, prior to last Friday’s CD release show, where the group opened for Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, also releasing their self-titled debut. The record, of course, was available for purchase beginning March 3rd. Both bands would play said new records in their entirety on Friday, with Say Hi actually executing this in tracking order (ed: maybe MSHVB did too, I can’t remember). Having not previously been a fan of Eric Elbogen’s quaint n’ quirky guitar pop, I was surprised when I found Oohs & Aahs rather satisfactory. I even hit repeat when the player stopped.
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Having previously been a fan of MSHVB, this made their impending show even more alluring. Yet, in a live, animated setting, Say Hi just didn’t capture me the way I hoped. The new album is pleasant and placid and I found the performance to be a bit overwrought; that capricious tranquility found on record was lost. The songs weren’t as poignant and somehow managed to sound like a bland carbon copy of themselves. Plus, Elbogen plays his guitar by shrugging his shoulders alot, which, superficially, kinda bugged. I’d recommend giving the album a whirl, though.
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MSHVB has seen a lot of eyes fall on them this past year, and this show was a 
culmination of all that fawning. I will first state that the show did come with the promise of ice cream, so there was clearly an incentive other than music. Me and my lady friend ended up scoring an entire pint of the MSHVB-flavored dessert, courtesy of ice cream boutique Molly Moon’s. We couldn’t possibly finish it, but we certainly tried. For anyone who left the show a bit confused about MSHVB, one must remember that this isn’t simply a formulaic pop band with punk and/or freak-out tendencies. The reason they’ve garnered some attention, IMHO, is because of their unique take on song structure, and their progressive approach to writing catchy guitar songs in which they fancy some mighty metal shred action and breakneck changes. I find their method refreshing. I also find their musicianship to be quite good, especially guitarist/Moog-ist Matt Dammer and drumming wunderkind Marshall Verdoes.
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Having said that, I also felt the band lacked a bit of restraint, and the midsection of their set careened off the tracks into a formless entity. I know, I know—I just said how I appreciate their impulsively zigzag prog-prop, but this was too much. Some of it felt too unbridled, and I think that they just needed more…bridle. Their performance of “Albatross, Albatross, Albatross” was excellent, though, as well as “On The Collar”, where frontman Ben Verdoes jettisoned his guitar and sat down opposite his brother to bang on a second drum kit.
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Spinner has just loaded MSHVB for all to hear (for the next week, I assume, though you can buy it March 10th), so go on over and check it out. It’s quite good. If you scroll through, you’ll find they also have new albums from Cursive, Elvis Perkins, and Handsome Furs.
Up the SPunks! (Yes…SPunks!)
Following the demise of the King Cobra, there has been a huge void left in the Seattle punk scene. While great places like the Funhouse and Galway Arms continue to book punk shows, the loss of King Cobra has meant that there is one less place for local (and touring) punk bands to play. Yet, it is looking as if that void may be filled very soon…
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The one great thing that King Cobra had going for it was that it supported the local punk scene quite heavily, allowing local showcases to go on and regularly booking great local bands to open up for touring acts. A lot of that had to do with Justin, who regularly booked punk shows there. Lucky for all of us out in the scene that enjoy punk rock (also known as SPunks, which stands for Seattle Punks), Justin is going to stick around and continue supporting and promoting the local punk scene. Although nothing has yet to be confirmed, I trust my sources, and it looks as if Justin may be setting up Punk Rock Monday Nights at the Bit Saloon in Ballard. This is music to my ears in a town that has so many awesome local punk bands.
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As soon as the first show is announced, I will be sure to post it on here…until then, just keep your ear to the ground and get out there and support your local scene. Whether it is punk rock at the funhouse, hip hop at nectar, or indie rock at the sunset tavern, Seattle has a lot to offer and in these tough economic times we all need to continue going out to these local shows to keep all of these great places afloat! Otherwise, we may be left with no small venues left, and we will all suffer for that!
Gossard and Friends @ Can Can
| Sunday, March 8, 2009 | ||
| 10:00 pm | ||
| Monday, March 9, 2009 | ||
| 9:00 pm |
Stone Gossard will be stuffing the Can Can to the gills on Sunday and Monday nights this week when he plays alongside such notable Northwest artists as Barb Ireland (the Fags), jazz multi-instrumentalist and composer Hans Teuber (Ani DiFranco, Julian Priester, Jovino Santos-Neto), acclaimed bassist Keith Lowe (David Sylvian, Fiona Apple, Bill Frisell), multi-instrumentalist Steve Moore, aka Stebmo (Sufjan Stevens, Bill Frisell), DJ Bean One as well as other special guests.
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Evenings will include new, original songs by Gossard and friends as well as classic covers of songs by Hank Williams, The Rolling Stones, Grace Jones, Johnny Thunders, Prince and more.
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Sunday, March 08, 2009 10:00 PM
Monday, March 09, 2009 9:00 PM
$20
HER Magma Fest 2009
Hollow Earth Radio is a local, community run, online radio station providing music and voices that you will not hear anywhere else on the airwaves. Because of that, it is important to support them when they put on such great music events as the Magma Fest. If that wasn’t enough, the shows that they are putting on are great!
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Magma Festival brings together a month long music event where a great concert is held Friday and Saturday nights throughout March. Each and every show is a celebration of local music that supports Hollow Earth Radio. So, what better way to get out there and support the local scene while hearing amazing bands than to come out?
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March 6th: VERA PROJECT:: 7:30pm
Moondoggies, Kusikia, Triumph of Lethargy, TacocaT – $9
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March 7: Fremont Abbey:: 8pm
Mount Eerie, Tiny Vipers, Mike Dumovich w/ Lori Goldston – $8
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March 13: The Greenhouse:: 8pm
You.May.Die.In.The.Desert, Panther Attack, LA Lungs, Wehrwolve – $6
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March 14: Rendezvous:: 10pm
Shenandoah Davis, Christopher FrancisCumulus, My Posse Don’t Do Homework – $7
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March 20: 20/20 Cycle:: 8:00pm
All of Mellon Collie & The Infinite Saddness by the Smashing Pumpkins done by local Seattle bands – $6
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March 21: Holy Mountain:: 8:00pm
Beep Repaired Family Tree – A shitload of bands from the Beep Family Collective – $7
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March 27: Fremont Abbey:: 8:00 pm
Seattle Phonographers Union, ST Rainbow, Sweet Potatoes. A night of field recordings & found sound. BRING A PILLOW AND BLANKETS – $8
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March 28 : 7pm SHARP Ballard Warehouse District (THE MINE): 5113 Russell Ave NW
EARTHQUAKE! VOLCANO ERRUPTION. w/ Pierced Arrows, Strong Killings, Victoria Galinsky, 1985/Matt Fuller, Yellow Hat Band, Orkestar Zirconium, Douglas Filkoe & Iji. Hosted by Duet-To-It. – $10
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Every one of these shows will be fantastic, so I expect to see all you readers at a few of them. It’s a great cause. And a great time!
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Hollow Earth Radio Magma Fest 2009 from dj deerborn on Vimeo.
