Seattle Subsonic

Alabaster, Shows and Shows, Overcome

November 18th, 2011

Seems to be a video kind of week for Seattle rock bands that I’ve written about and liked. Tuesday was the release of Out Like Pluto’s video, and now, here we have Alabaster’s new video for “Overcome”, the footage for which was shot on the same day as my book release party. I mention that because after a long day in front of the camera, they still came out to the Feedback Lounge way over in West Seattle to help me celebrate. They’re good people, and their music is too.

For the past few years, I’d gotten away from music like this. I was all about Beethoven and Pink Floyd and Traffic, not about finding something new. I was going back to the stuff I grew up with. I even started to think about playing in a cover band all the way up in Everett that wanted to rehash all the psychedelic rock of the 60′s and 70′s. But then I finished my book, and in the void of available time that followed, I jumped back full force into writing for Seattle Subsonic. And I went out to see shows and shows and shows … and shows. That’s the great thing about this writing gig. I see a lot of stuff.

And going out so often, one cannot help but find all the undiscovered musical gems in this city. Bands, Singer/Songwriters, Solo artists. And all kinds of music too. There’s a lot of folk, alt-country stuff in this rock and roll city, and much of it is very good. There’s a movement afoot creating bands with no bass player which I like because it’s unexpected, forces the musicians to be more creative. Some succeed in this. Some don’t. And there are just plain old good rock and roll bands. Case in point, Alabaster.

I first saw Alabaster in March at the Kingcat Theater at the perfect time. Music will do that. It will make a moment, an evening, a time of life. It will work its way into the heart and tug strings. It will give one strength even as it makes one cry. So I happened to see Alabaster at the right moment for me. There was the repeated phrase, “I can’t feel anything anymore,” and dream girls, those remembered and those of the moment, and I was hooked. And these days, I’m not in that place anymore, not sleeping drunk in the back of my car singing that phrase, and their music helped some with that.

They don’t attempt to be too cool or hip or work in the genre of the moment. They just write good rock music. Case in point, “Overcome” from their upcoming CD, Unraveled.

Overcome. It’s an appropriate word since I’m in a new place, but being etched into permanent memory, that first evening remains, the dream girl remains, and I still sing the other to myself sometimes, “I can’t feel anything anymore.”

Dave

“Unraveled” CD RELEASE PARTY! ( ALL AGES ) at El Corazon Saturday, December 10th
Me Talk Pretty-12:00am
Madina Lake-11:15pm
Hell Or Highwater (feat. Members of Atreyu)-10:30pm
New Years Day-9:45pm
Avion Roe-9:00pm
Alabaster (CD RELEASE)-8:15pm
Anchor The Tide-7:30pm