Seattle Subsonic - August, 2010
Ratatat's New Drugs Video Makes Me Want To Score
Ratatat has released the video for Drugs from their latest album LP4 and I have to sat it’s perfectly terrifying. Director Carl Burgess scoured through the best of the best (worst of the worst?) in stock footage that Getty had to offer and planted it a-la-carte for your viewing pleasure. Well, with his creepy, yet creative touch that is. I especially love/hate the akward woman with the blond bob and the leather jacket
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Carousel Festival 5
http://www.myspace.com/carouselfestival
TotalFest (in Missoula)
http://wantagetotalfest.blogspot.com/
YellowFever, Flexions, & Stephanie At Cairo Friday Night
Tomorrow night is Friday. Friday is a good night for doing things and having fun. With that logic in hand, I’ll assert an option of the show-going variety to my dear like-minded readers; that is, if you consider yourselves “dear” and/or “like-minded”. Cairo, which opened a little more than two years ago, is a small venue/art space over on Mercer St. (between Summit and Belmont). It has developed a wonderful habit of hosting shows featuring many of those deviant subterranean bands who I spend so much time blabbering on about here on SSS. Bands like U.S.F., PWRFL Power, Talbot Tagora, White Rainbow, Big Spiders Back, Butts, Katharine Hepburn’s Voice, and Partman Parthorse. The space is filled with far-out farrago and mixed-up mélange that aims to warm your heart, bedeck your body and shatter your conventions. Much like the music it decides to showcase.
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Tomorrow’s bill will feature a few local bands I’ve mentioned in the past, Flexions and Stephanie. Flexions are a groovy and menacing dub-rock trio featuring Devin Welch from Past Lives on guitar/vocals and Tyler Swan from Truckasauras on drums. Robin Stein plays bass and also sings. I haven’t seen them since the Block Party of 2009 (my video here), when Swan’s predecessor was a drum machine, but word has it the live skin-pounder and widened scope of interest has subtly transformed their militant, often steely, post-punk into something more ominous and bedazzling. You can listen to their self-titled EP here (drag the faders for each song). You might recall my review of Stephanie’s weird-pop debut back in June. While it did feel incomplete, it did show extreme promise with jaunty, Casio-worn tracks like “Freak Flag” and “WASP”. Expect something buoyant, unfamiliar and stylish.
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The “headliner” is the Austin duo YellowFever, whom I know little about, other than the pop classicism tunes they have on myspace immediately grabbed me (go figger). The band features core members Jennifer Moore (guitar/vocals) and Adam Jones (drums, etc.) and has a few releases under its belt. Moore sings with a smokey sort of nonchalance (often about cats, incidentally), coming off both aloof and impassioned as she chooses her octaves wisely. Her concise guitar melodies contradict the rambling, rumbling jazz-inspired drum parts Jones favors. Their off-kilter approach to pop is not unlike Micachu and the Shapes. Kudos to whoever put this bill together—should be a good one.
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8pm
$5
all ages
Titans of Industry Thursday 8/19
I’m pretty stoked on checking out this band, Titans of Industry, on Thursday, August 19. Their sound on their latest EP, LMNO EP, suggests that they will do great things live and I am counting on that. I also am intrigued by this venue the Mars Bar/ Venus Cafe. Time to check out the sitch.
Who: Titans of Industry, w/ Electric Leaves and The Cat from Hugh
When: Thursday, 8/19 @ 9pm
Where: Mars Bar in Greenlake
How: Im not sure about the cover actually…
Titans of Industry EP
I gotta give some props to Seattle band Titans of Industry (aka Titans’ve Industry) I just checked out their latest EP, LMNO EP, and Im really digging it. They have this sound that is a perfect mesh of catchy and sophisticated.
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The EP starts out with the attention grabbing These Cold Hands, with the piano keys making you want to move. On the third track, Millionaire Station, emerges a beautifully orchestrated composition that I did not see coming, completely catching me off guard on the slow intro moving into the harmonized crooning “Fuuuuck you baaaaaby.” Which, I gotta say, was a quite enjoyable.
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So I checked into the situation, formerly called Miniature, this is the Titans of Industry third EP. And a strong EP it is. Things that I really enjoyed about it was the mixture of style. There was only four songs to enjoy on this EP and each one of them had their own flavor going, and yet I would say that each one was catchy and sophisticated. This leads me to believe that the Titans of Industry have carefully crafted their style over the past few years and have emerged with their sound, heavy on the keys, with a little pop in the step. Its good mood music for sure. Check out These Cold Hands from the EP below. Then you can roll over to Mars Bar in Eastlake on Thursday, Aug 19 to catch the Titans of Industry in action.
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These Cold Hands
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The Best Venue You Have Yet To Go To
I got the chance this past week to get a behind the scenes tour of the newly revamped Columbia City Theater. Kevin Sur, resident booker and historian, and Abbey Simmons, press relations, gave me the low-down on the Theater, where it’s been, and where it’s heading.
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“The Columbia City Theater was built in 1917 and is the oldest vaudeville theater in the state of Washington. Having played a major role in the Seattle Jazz boom in the 40′s, the theater played host to the likes of Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Fats Waller.” [taken from Columbia City's website] It’s reportedly one of the first venues at which Jimmy Hendrix performed in the 1960s.
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The current owners, CB Shamah and Rob Hillman, were originally looking to open a bar. They wanted a place that could house fun and unique events. They found out the theater was for sale, and brought on Kevin Sur to take on the task of putting together one of the finest music venues in town—and he succeeded. After about five months of renovations and updates, the Columbia City Theater now hosts a beautiful stage—the type with deep red curtains and fantastic moldings that really makes you feel like you are watching a show back in the vaudeville days. The lighting in the theater is beautiful as well, using old halogen bulbs instead of L.E.D.s (which many venues use), lending a wonderful warmth to the space.
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Jim Anderson (of The Crocodile fame) was brought in to handle sound for the remodeled theater. He came in with a different, “less is more” approach, and he was able to get the best sound I have heard in Seattle. The room was built with such great acoustics that it does not take much to get optimal sound in the place. Just two main speakers and four massive subs fill your ears with the beauty of the music and nothing else.
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Kevin has put together one of the finest places for touring musicians to have a chance to play. The Theater now boasts a full bath and shower—and for anyone who has been on the road touring, there is nothing like a shower to make you feel human again. They also have two great green rooms for artists to relax in. Perfect places to kick back and forget the troubles of the road.
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One of the best things that I got a chance to see and learn was the Theater’s recording studio. Gary Mula, who used to be over at The Dutchman (which was home to many early Sub Pop bands like Mudhoney, and Soundgarden) runs the studio Sunday through Thursday, enabling the Theater to offer any musicians who play there a live recording. I had the chance to hear a few tracks from the recent Maldives show, which sounded great, since they have multi-track recording built right into the sound board. In the future, they plan to release more live recordings and even DVDs of live performances.
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With a fantastic D.I.Y approach to space and sound, the guys and girls over at the Columbia City Theater are ushering in a new era to the local music scene. If you have yet to catch a show there, they have plenty of great artists coming up. Head over to their website to find out more about upcoming shows and events.
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Big thanks to Abbey and Kevin for Showing me around!
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It's Gonna Get Hot Tomorrow Night at Cafe Fusion!
You all love KEXP, right? Well then here’s a show you won’t want to miss! Tomorrow, Saturday, August 7th, indie surf pop darlings The Hot Toddies will be performing at Fusion Cafe, a little known, yet wonderful, all ages venue in the heart of downtown! If you’re in the know, then you’ve already been here to see one of the numerous national touring artist that has performed here in the last year and a half. But if not, here is your chance!
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For all you avid KEXP listeners our there, you’ll remember The Hot Toddies from back in 2007 when their last album was released and they got major airplay on the station. In fact, they even did a great live in-studio performance (that you can listen to here). I think that the band’s bio gives the best description I have heard of them yet: “Oakland’s sweethearts,The Hot Toddies, mix 1950′s beach pop with indie rock riffs, a bottle of whiskey and a dry sense of humor.”
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Along with the Toddies, a bunch of other great local bands will be performing. There will be great acoustic sets from Chris Crusher (of Smokejumper, who were recently named one of the next 5 Seattle bands to get signed), Jefferson Death Star (Ryan Koreski from the Damage Done, another band who was also on that list mentioned above), MT148 (melodic singer/songwriter indie with inspirations ranging from the Weakerthans and Apple Seed Cast to the Murder City Devils), and Arms Like Cables (two guys playing together that sound like Chuck Ragan)! In short, it’s a show you don’t wanna miss. And do note…IT STARTS EARLY! 7PM.
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So, be sure to come out out if you love bands that “[blend] 60′s pop, doo-wop, and beautiful harmonies,” or local music. Either way, you will not be disappointed!
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Saturday, August 7th
The Hot Toddies (http://www.myspace.com/thehottoddies)
Chris Crusher (of Smokejumper)
Jefferson Death Star (http://www.myspace.com/therealjeffersondeathstar)
MT148 (http://www.myspace.com/mt148)
Arms Like Cables
@ The Fusion Cafe (909 4th Ave)
$6 – 7PM
Clips From Arcade Fire's Madison Square Garden Concert Last Night
I’m still digesting The Suburbs, but here are some good clips from the Terry Gilliam-directed, YouTube-broadcast Madison Square Garden set last night. I’m diggin’ all the color in the band’s outfits (you’ll recall the black and white Victorian steampunk steez the band employed in years past), and jeezus christ, how tall is Win Butler?? Anyway, this seems to be the only three videos released so far (aside from this backstage prep one). I was kinda hoping for a “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” or a “Suburban War”, but beggars can’t be choosers, I s’pose.
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Update: Some of the videos were moved or altered somehow, but they seem to be working fine now. They also have more songs up now at the YouTube page.
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I haven’t seen a Seattle or Portland date yet, but they have almost zero shows booked for September and October. Let’s hope!
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Update 8/11: Arcade Fire will be in Seattle Sunday September 26th at Key Arena (bah!).
The Halcyon Digest Experiment
Bands these days are continually coming up with new ways to promote their music and get their fans invested in their art. Deerhunter has proven adept at this strategy, and the latest stunt for their forthcoming album, entitled Halcyon Digest, is no exception. About a month ago, the Atlanta queer-pop/ghost-rock band asked their fans to be a willing street promo army, print out a light pole flyer (that Bradford Cox created on a Xerox machine), put it somewhere public, and then snap a photo. They asked the pictures then be sent to them, wherein they would reciprocate with free music, the first single from the new record. I, of course, participated.
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A few days after I sent in my photos, I received the email, giddy as Augustus Gloop swimming in Willy Wonka’s chocolate river. Naturally, before I could even head to the website and redeem my spoils, the .mp3s, complete with “secret” password and instructions, were plastered all over the overindulgent internet. Apparently, my belief in well-earned exclusivity was shortsighted; nothing is neither sacred nor secret anymore. The band eventually asked that the password and instructions be removed. They did post a gallery with all 328 participants. You can view all those entries here; mine’s in there somewhere!
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So what’s that popular acquiescent phrase again? “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”? That’s right. Since everyone and their mother (who’re Deerhunter fans, anyway) already has these, I’ve no qualms about now sharing the music here. After all, “Revival” is an airy Deerhunter ditty, with some light, foot stompin’ giddy-up, throwback rhythms and a seemingly southern religious bent. The B Side is “Primitive 3D”, a short, driving psych pop tune with a 90 second plaintive piano outro.
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Halcyon Digest will be out September 28 on 4AD (looks like they’ve eschewed their relationship with Kranky Records…?). The band will be playing the Showbox Market October 27th with Real Estate (yes!) and Casino Versus Japan. It should go without saying that I’m extremely excited. Track listing and cover art for the new record after the jump/cut/fold/whatever.
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