Seattle Subsonic

Seattle Subsonic - August, 2009

Brand New!

Brand New has released the cover art and track listing for their new album “Daisy”. Daisy,  will be the fourth studio album from the Long Island-based rockers. It will hit stores on Sept. 22.
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You can hear the first single ” at the bottom” on their myspace page here.
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This album will hopefully continue the greatness that was “the devil and god are raging inside me” . Listening to “at the bottom” really gives hope that it will not disappoint.  They will also be doing a headlining tour this fall with ” Manchester Orchestra” but they will not becoming to Seattle. If you want to make the drive to Portland you can catch them at the Roseland Theater on OCT 13th. OR if you wanna go see them in September.. catch them at the Puyallup Fair on the 16th.

anyway here is the track listing..
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1. Vices
2. Bed
3. At the Bottom
4. Gasoline
5. You Stole
6. Be Gone
7. Sink
8. Bought a Bride
9. Daisy
10. In a Jar
11. Noro

Pete Yorn @ Showbox Market

Thursday, August 20, 2009

8:00 pm

8:00 pm

For Nightcrawler, his first new studio album in three years, rocker Pete Yorn explores, and brings full circle, the day-for-life metaphor (morning-day-night) which began with his RIAA gold-certified debut album, musicforthemorningafter, in 2001 and continued through 2003′s Day I Forgot. “This new record is not so much for the night,” says Pete, “but for a later period in my life. The perspective I have comes from having lived more and experienced more.” Nightcrawler, which premieres a dozen brand-new songs, is perhaps the most musically complex and fully realized album of Pete’s career, a wealth of striking harmonic textures and sophisticated chord shifts framed in a lyric sensibility that’s dark and hopeful and knowing and funny all at once. Jason Killingsworth, writing in Paste magazine, said that Nightcrawler is “More daring and challenging than anything Pete Yorn’s done up to now.” “The record feels different and it sounds different, but it also feels like a continuation of what I’ve been doing,” Pete offers. “I feel like it’s taking more chances creatively as a whole and at the same time it’s just music that I want to make.”
www.peteyorn.com MySpace Page

Pete Yorn
with Juliette Commagere

Day: Thu, Aug 20, 2009 Days until show: 10 Doors open: 8:00 PM Ages: 21 & Over On sale now Ticket Prices*: $22.00 ADV-$25.00 DOS <!–Seating: Concert Setup –>

BUY TICKETS

Saturday Knights and EMP: What Happened?

The Saturday Knights performance at Seattle Center’s, Experience Music Project, EMP, left me a bit conflicted. First, my bias is that I am really interested in the prospect of the EMP having more shows. There are at least two great venues in the building, one large stage with a huge video screen back drop and a second venue that has a balcony, great lighting, and pretty decent acoustics. From what the promoters (volunteers?) indicated, they want to have more shows, like they did in the past. And I agree their venue is well suited for some amazing performances. Last Saturday’s show had tie-ins with their current Muppet exhibit (which is really well done and was free during the show).
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For the show, the stage was pulled away from the wall, elevated and hit with colored lights plus an atmospheric backdrop of swirling projected graphics. I liked the setup and was appreciative of the cool circulated air on a hot night. I want to see more bands here (I’ll keep saying it). I caught the end of Eldridge Gravy & the Court Supreme, which was a big band playing funky music and several players in Muppet attire.
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Both floors had a pretty whimsical showing for a good show that had been promoted with a stellar poster all around town. For some reason drink tickets, in the form of small rubber duckies, where ever flowing and contributed to my overall enjoyment. Plus, the drinks were only $3! I had never seen the Saturday Nights before. Two MCs, a Dj, a keyboardist, drummer, and a bassist on stage and with rock rap vibe that I could get into. But the Dj immediately had some frustration over the mic stand that led him to thrash one mic stand against another, bang a tambourine on the speaker (and the drummer’s head), and then he finally tossed the tambourine to the 2nd level crowd (which was returned and broke apart), before splintering a drum stick a few feet from myself. Such is rock. But the rest of the band never really caught on to the antics. It wasn’t the the dramatic finale to a kick ass set. It began as soon as they took to the stage. His actions felt more awkward, then expressive. The rest of the band did continue to move the crowd. I admittedly do have a harder time getting into the newer jammy hip hop groups, as the sound doesn’t always seem cohesive and the lyrics often fall secondary to the live music but the Saturday Knights did have good party music. The two Mcs, Tilson wore sported redpants and chucks with checkered open flaps and Barfly, a grungier hipster, akin to Sam Kinison meets John Belushi, played an exhausting set in a cool environment, sometimes leaving the stage or laying on it for minutes at a time (maybe they had too many ducks?). The highlight was probably when one of the MCs jumped into the crowd for a song, but the downside was definitely watching the conflict between the DJ and the frustrated stage hands, who paced around offstage.
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I’m all about rockers getting caught up in the moment and acting rebelliously, but I’m not sure that the DJ acted with the bands best interest. But I don’t know what happened behind the scenes, so feel free to defend yourself. I did see MC Barfly, get escorted out by security.Maybe the Saturday Knights and the EMP were not the perfect match.
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. I would absolutely see another Saturday Knights show. And, hopefully, they haven’t tarnished my hopes and dreams of seeing quality shows at the EMP on a regular basis. I am ready EMP!!! You have the facilities, now use them! Although, I recommend the 21+ people not have to descend two sets of stairs to use the bathroom and climb all the way back to the balcony. That’s a lot of extra work when you want people to buy drinks.

Former Shins Drummer, Jesse Sandoval, Talks About Getting Fired

Shins fans: do you remember how cloak-and-dagger the band’s lineup shuffle felt when you first heard about it? Well, the band’s long-time drummer, Jesse Sandoval, also felt left in the dark when he realized no real announcement was coming about the supposed breakup from the band’s primary songwriter, and seemingly all-around-good-guy, James Mercer.

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Sandoval, proud owner of a new taco truck in downtown Portland, spoke with the Portland Mercury recently and relayed his experience with the situation and his thoughts on Mercer and Mercer’s designs for the band. Read the interview here (there’s also a link to the entire transcript at the bottom). I won’t interpret too much, but I must admit, Mercer comes off as a bit of an inconsiderate cad. This is only Sandoval’s side of things, but I hardly doubt he’s fabricating anything.

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The news isn’t so much shocking as it is plain interesting, but he did feel like he simply got “fired” by his friend of almost twenty years. He ends by saying he doesn’t want any part of an anti-Shins movement. Nor do I, but I do really want a HUGE PART of whatever he’s cookin’ up in that truck of his. And I ain’t lyin’.

New Music To Stream RIGHT NOW

After today’s overwhelming discovery of new albums I simply have to listen to, I thought I’d aggregate ‘em here for the masses, whatever that’s worth to you. Nothing like free music to sample before you buy, right? Andalé!

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My favorite noise punk band (No Age) has a four-song EP due out October 6th. It’s called Losing Feelings, and you can listen to it on Sub Pop’s website. You’ll have to register your email, but that’s no big deal, really. FYI, it sounds more akin to Weirdo Rippers than Nouns (hazier, slower tempos), so whatever that’s worth to you. I like it. They’ll be up for Bumbershoot, on Sunday.

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Portland art-dance weirdos YACHT have a new LP out on James Murphy’s DFA label, called See Mystery Lights (Pitchfork Best New Music, for whatever that’s worth to you). You can listen to it on their myspace here. They’ll be at the Vera Project August 14th. Might I also suggest you watch the crazy new video for “Psychic City (Voodoo City)”, featuring the rad handmade jewelry stylings of PDX’s own Sword+Fern (aka, my sister)? Yes? Okay.

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Phil Elverum, native Anacortan and the man behind Microphones, Mt. Eerie and the production board on many excellent northwest albums (Mirah, Karl Blau, etc.) has his new Mt. Eerie record streaming over at NPR. Wind’s Poem is the title, and expect to be surprised, if not blown away (whatever that’s worth to you).

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I hate AOL (no particular reason), but I love their Spinner site, weekly home to twenty brand new releases that one can listen to for free. Right now, they’ve got the new Fruit Bats (Ruminant, Sub Pop), the new Modest Mouse collection No One’s First and Your Next, Japandroid’s Post-Nothing, and Creaturesque from Throw Me the Statue, among others.

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Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some shit I gotta go listen to.

Fresh Espresso Goes Down Smooth

dj100proof touched on this about a month ago, but the sentiment bears repeating: Fresh Espresso‘s Glamour is really fucking good. I’m not exactly breaking any news here, so chances are you fly honeys have heard and read all about this record on those other, more popular blogs. In any event, I’ll take the afforded opportunity to add my two cents. The first proper collaboration between MC Rik Rude and producer/MC P Smoov— “debut” just doesn’t seem fitting—the 14-track multifarious record signals a new shift in local hip-hop. Gallant urban consciousness has been usurped by slick-smooth party rap. Ok, so maybe Glamour didn’t “signal” the redirection (see: the Saturday Knights’ Mingle, Mad Rad’s White Gold, the burgeoning They Live!, Champagne Champagne’s self-titled release, etc.), but it certainly has brought the movement—pun intended—to its ass-shaking apex.

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Those familiar with Mad Rad will find some similarities with that ghetto-tech spaz clan’s debut (P Smoov is the primary beatmaker behind both works), but Rik Rude’s Bay Area-via-Michigan voice adds a welcome temperance and savvy to the album’s vibe. When Rik’s feeling hot, Smoov cranks it up; when Rik’s feeling pensive, Smoov slows it down. As such, the producer’s influences are diverse and proudly on display: techno, disco, funk, soul, neo-jazz, hip hop from all three decades. The songs, melded shrewdly together, fly by without being hyperactive. They get one hand waving in the air while the other simultaneously strokes the nodding chin. There are dance jams (“Diamond Pistols”, “Vader Rap”), a disco-funk odyssey ( “Big or Small”), west coast introspections ( “Something New”, “Elegant”, “Show Me How You Do”), spooky Madlib-esque sermons ( “Right Here”, “We Desire What’s Real”), futuristic intelligence ( “The Lazer Beams”) and big-time rap strokes ( “Girls and Fast Cars”, “Gigantic”).

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“Diamond Pistols” is the obvious mover and shaker in this collection. A cavalcade of organs and horns launch the “kick-drum anthem”, while Rude refers to himself as the “Spielberg with the word”. Smoov slides in after some crazy high-pitch synths, and exhibits a fancy food fetish. Moving on, I rejoice: somebody finally sampled the Bee Gees again! I’m serious, I ain’t got no qualms with the hairtastic, white-suited Gibb Brothers and “Big or Small” is stunning simply because of its ha-ha-ha-HA chorus. Another brilliant sample (Styx’s “Mr. Roboto”) propels “Vader of the Rap Game”, a robotic—what else?—foray into dancetronica that Justin Timberlake surely wishes he thought of first. Smoov’s hook kills me every time: “I can speak in bi-nary / I want her / she wants me”.

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Another hook in an album full of them, “Back up / because the lazer beams get so hot”, has been endlessly rolling around in my head. Deliberate drum beats emulate Rude’s calculated cadence while a blistering synth bursts from the background. And in perhaps my favorite cut, “We Desire What’s Real” evokes smoke-stained memories of the Madlib/MF Doom collaboration Madvilliany. Rude’s lyrical prowess doesn’t get any better: “smoke green til my eyes turn crimson” and “I don’t rap no more, I just breathe a verse”. The song’s somber tone stands above the rest.

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Diamond Pistols

Big or Small
Vader of the Rap Game

The Lazer Beams

We Desire What’s Real

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Be warned: there are numerous references to coffee and espresso on this record. In fact, as one friend pointed out, the first and last tracks, when looped on your stereo, can create two sequential songs entirely about coffee. I dunno, it’s a bit much. That won’t likely be an issue when seeing the duo live, of which there are ample upcoming opportunities. I don’t think I can miss the Beard Off.

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Aug 7 at the Mural Amphitheatre with Dyme Def (KEXP Summer Series)

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Aug 13 at the Funhouse: BEARD OFF! with They Live! and Lamborghiniz

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Aug 20 at Chop Suey with the Physics

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Rx Bandits – Steal Your FACE!

My dear music lovers. If you have not heard or seen the Rx Bandits before now. this is the time to do so. They have just released their new album “Mandala” which is nothing short of EPIC. They have always recorded their albums “live” with very little over dubbing. So seeing them perform live is fucking amazing. They run all their songs into each other making the show a amazing long jam session. full of energy. I would say this article pulled from the “Dallas Observer”  describes their live show the best…..
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“They look unwashed, unshaven, lazy and listless. They’re wearing what looks like the same clothes they pulled on days ago. They resemble Austin street-hippy people.
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If you’re looking to get your money’s worth out of a 20+ dollar ticket, you can get discouraged pretty quickly, watching California’s RX Bandits walk onstage.

If it’s your first time
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‘Cause then the band starts to play. Picture the Red Hot Chili Peppers before commercial fame tainted their concentrated, sweaty, songwriting intensity. The Rx Bandits, however, are much more progressive, creative, and cerebral than the guys who wrote “True Men Dont Kill Coyotes” ever were. And last night’s Dallas audience couldn’t stand still when the Bandits ignited their Bloc Party-ish riffs, and raw kinetic energy. To describe the room as vibrant is an impotent and underrated attempt; rather, the room jumps like drops of water added to a red hot pancake griddle. The melodies reach and explore far beyond the ska-pigeonhole the band was quickly stamped with four LPs ago, and the members reach for bending, twisted notes that only a skilled artist could pull off without sounding atrociously under-qualified.
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At times (despite their scratchy bird-nest beards, dirty thrift store fashions, and generally unenthusiastic first impression appearance), the Rx Bandits literally seemed to be trying to jump out of their skin when they played. It helped that they were hammering, warping, and mangling a ton of onstage percussion instruments. And that they break things down into long, freeform progressive jams highlighted by guitarist Steve Choi’s exceptional electric piano skills, racing turbo-tiptoe fingers up the scale and back again, accented with rhythm section sonic-booms, and crashes you can feel under your ribcage.

Unsurprisingly, they were consistently met with roars of approval loud enough to drown out any mundane, mouth-to-ear conversation.

This is not a band to be digested light-heartedly, or washed down with a fucking Fiji water. This is a band with an undefinable genre, and a force of prog rock chemistry to be reckoned with. You cant help but but drink something stronger, and shout out in between songs. Most importantly, you cant help but pay attention.
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Essentially: The RX Bandits soared…
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Go to this show. You will not regret it.
Fri.Aug.14.09 @ Neumos
Infinite Presents: RX Bandits, Dredg, As Tall As Lions

Rx Bandits : Mandala Preview

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:: Doors at 7 pm :: $15 adv :: Advance tickets on sale now

Rx Bandits @ Neumos

Friday, August 14, 2009

7:30 pm

My dear music lovers. If you have not heard or seen the Rx Bandits before now. this is the time to do so. They have just released their new album “Mandala” which is nothing short of EPIC. They have always recorded their albums “live” with very little over dubbing. So seeing them perform live is fucking amazing. They run all their songs into each other making the show a amazing long jam session. full of energy. I would say this article pulled from the “Dallas Observer”  describes their live show the best…..

“Dallas Observer Live Show Review
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RX Bandits.
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They look unwashed, unshaven, lazy and listless.
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They’re wearing what looks like the same clothes they pulled on days ago.
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‘Cause then the band starts to play. Picture the Red Hot Chili Peppers before commercial fame tainted their concentrated, sweaty, songwriting intensity. The Rx Bandits, however, are much more progressive, creative, and cerebral than the guys who wrote “True Men Dont Kill Coyotes” ever were. And last night’s Dallas audience couldn’t stand still when the Bandits ignited their Bloc Party-ish riffs, and raw kinetic energy. To describe the room as vibrant is an impotent and underrated attempt; rather, the room jumps like drops of water added to a red hot pancake griddle. The melodies reach and explore far beyond the ska-pigeonhole the band was quickly stamped with four LPs ago, and the members reach for bending, twisted notes that only a skilled artist could pull off without sounding atrociously under-qualified.
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Rx Bandits : Mandala Preview
go to this show. you will not regret it.
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Fri.Aug.14.09
Infinite Presents: RX Bandits, Dredg, As Tall As Lions
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:: Doors at 7 pm :: $15 adv :: Advance tickets on sale now

EMP|SFM’s Late Night Exhibitchin’

Saturday, August 1, 2009

9:00 pm

Experience Jim Henson’s Fantastic World at EMP|SFM’s Late Night Exhibitchin’, Saturday, August 1 from 9:00 pm – 1:00 am. EMP|SFM’s new afterhours dance party will feature live music, cheap drinks and super surprises throughout the evening and into the morning.
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Start the night out right, and get your inner-Muppet on for an Animal drumming competition! Drums and sticks will be provided, animalistic tendencies—that’s all you, baby. Dance to music by local rap-pop-rock legends The Saturday Knights, the deliciously funky Eldridge Gravy & the Court Supreme and wunderkind spin master DJ Electro Wolf. Enjoy $3 beers and other drink specials throughout the night. Oh, and did we mention surprises? What’s a bitchin’ event without a little spectacle here and there?
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Prizes for most-spazzy and most-snazzy Animal impersonations will be awarded. Save a place in the competition, send an e-mail to animalrocks@empsfm.org and get the low-down.
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