Author Archive
Doe Bay Fest Should Just Be Called Heaven
I was looking for adventure, and it came in the form of a last minute opportunity to go and volunteer at the 3rd annual Doe Bay Fest out on Orcas Island. For those not in the know about this festival, it is two full days of music and fun set to the back drop of the beautiful Doe Bay Resort & Retreat.
.
Having been to many music festivals this summer and in the past, I was completely blown away by Doe Bay. While Capitol Hill Block Party was, well, just a big fucking party with terrible sound, Doe Bay had something like 700 people drinking, singing along and just enjoying themselves without being complete jackasses. It was refreshing. The sound from the main stage was just perfect. The stage sits in a natural amphitheater and the sound travels through the grounds so that you can hear the bands play perfectly from anywhere.
.
Highlights from the main stage were, Hey Marseilles, The Maldives (who have played all three years), Drew Grow and The Pastors’ Wives, Grand Hallway, and the Portland Cello Project who did an amazing job on their own, but also accompaniment to most of the bands that played this year. Truly impressive.
.
After the main stage shuts down for the evening, things go inside. There is a cafe and yoga studio at the resort where the after party shows start. The cafe is a great place to sit and listen to some of the performers play acoustic sets, while the yoga studio is a sweltering hot mess of bodies and dancing. At one point my camera fogged up from the steam in there.
.
My two favorite acts and performances of the weekend were The Head and The Heart set and Drew Grow and the Pastors Wives with Kelli Schaefer in the yoga studio. This was really their fest this year. Both acts just blew everyone away with their fantastic music and just plain kindness. At Doe Bay everyone is just one big family.
.
Sunday was the best day to have been there. Most of the crowds left to battle with the Ferries for a ride home, while the rest of us stayed and just relaxed. There was even a slip ‘n’ slide set up by Chris and Kenny of The Head and The Heart. It was the perfect way to cool down on a hot Doe Bay day.
.
Sunday night was just a jam session by the remaining musicians. We were all hanging around the Sound on the Sound kids’ camp site playing music and singing along with Drew Grow and The Head and the Heart and Hey Marseilles. I even heard a rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” that Kelli Schaefer did acapella. It was the best evening I have had in a long, long time.
.
Doe Bay, you have truly impressed me with the people I met, new friends I made, and beautiful music I heard. I will be going back for years to come.
.
If you want to check it out next year, make sure to get your tickets early. It sold out in 10 days this year. I am sure it will take even less next year.
.
A video from the Yoga studio
.
Drew Grow and The Pastors’ Wives with Shenandoah Davis, and Kelli Schaefer from Dylan Priest on Vimeo.
.
See more Videos here. http://vimeo.com/user4534866/videos
.
See more Photos here. http://is.gd/enTfq
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.
.
“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.
.
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.
.
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.
.
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.
.
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.
.
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.
.
Big thanks to Abbey and Kevin for Showing me around!
.
.
The Maldives Blow My Mind Performing “Riders of the Purple Sage”
Seriously.
“I have never been sucked into a silent film like that before.”
“I was totally enthralled.”
“I really need to have that soundtrack!”
These were my conversations after the show.
.
The Maldives played amazingly scoring the “Riders Of The Purple Sage” like it was a modern day western. With theme songs for the characters and long winding epics that were the perfect back drop for revenge on the open range. I was truly impressed by this and wish I could have stayed for the 9:30pm show as well. I did find it hard to follow the movie at points. The music would just pull you in and you would forget that the film was still going but that’s just me. The movie was great though. It had everything a Western should. Quick-draw cowboys, numerous outlaws and villains, a cattle stampede, and an avalanche. Yeah an avalanche. I Would say the whole experience was one not to be missed. I hope SIFF does more of these in the future. Live music to a silent film is amazing. I know that Steven Merritt is going to be performing to “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea” on June 9th. Go to that one.
.
The Maldives Perform Riders of the Purple Sage @ The Triple Door
Local boys The Maldives are going to perform a movie score the way a movie score should be played. Live during the film. I have always been a fan of live music accompaniment to films. Without music, movies would be boring. Having a fantastic live band perform for you while you watch an old film takes that film to a whole new level.
.
“The Maldives have been breaking hearts and melting faces with their Northwestern brand of country rock since 2006. Their music is made of blue jeans and brown beards, fiddle tunes, and moonshine. They will provide musical accompaniment for cowboy legend Tom Mix’s silent 1925 film, “Riders of the Purple Sage”. Adapted from the sensational novel by Zane Grey (1911), this 1925 silent film is a consistently action-packed Western featuring quick-draw cowboys, numerous outlaws and villains, a cattle stampede, and an avalanche. Tom Mix plays easterner Jim Carson who reinvents himself as cowboy Jim Lassiter when he learns that his sister Millie and niece Bess have been kidnapped by dastardly lawyer Lew Walters and his cronies. Lassiter devotes himself to hunting the fiends down, and after several years on the trail, he comes across Walter’s three henchmen in a frontier saloon and kills them all in a gun duel. With the help of ranch owner Miss Jane Withersteen, Lassiter learns that Millie is dead but continues his quest to catch up with the wicked Lew Walters and rescue Bess from whatever fate may have befallen her. Maldives front man Jason Dodson explains, “There’s a band from the late ‘60s called ‘New Riders Of The Purple Sage’ that Mayor McGinn compared us to at his inauguration, which was a big influence on our selection!”
.
This will be some great fun.
.
Get your tickets for one of the TWO shows that night HERE.
Thanks to SIFF for putting this out there. I WANT MORE.
.
The Maldives perform “Riders of the Purple Sage” @ The Triple Door
May 25, 2010 7:00 PM and May 25, 2010 9:30 PM
Tickets are 16$ in advance.
Party with Head Like a Kite
I had a chance this past week to join the members of Head Like A Kite (HLAK) and a few others for a pre release listening party of their new album Dreams Suspend Night. The setting was the back room of Via Tribunali on Capitol Hill. It was a great backdrop to get my first listen of the new record. While snacking on some amazing pizza and sipping glasses of wine I kept finding myself bobbing my head to the soundtrack they were providing. The new album is a total party record.
.
It’s a great next step for HLAK. They cross a lot of music genres setting up each song like a single and it works. You could pull any one of the twelve tracks off for a single. Blending Hiphop and Electronica with a dash of Funk and a sprinkle of Rock and you find yourself dancing your ass off. They brought in a bunch of guests like Boom Bip, Her Space Holiday, members of the Long Winters, Swervedriver & the Saturday Knights to help them get you going. My favorite track is “Director’s Cut” with my man Tilson dropping mad rhymes (Tilson needs his own record as well!) It’s hard not to compare this track to older Gorillaz. It’s also the track that they pulled the album’s name from ” I close my eyes so I can watch the dreams suspend night”. This record will truly get a party started. Even if it’s just you dancing in your chair as you listen to it at your desk. If you want to hear more KEXP has the new album as well. Call or email and request! Official CD release is May 18th but you can get the MP3 version from iTunes starting April 27th which is this Tuesday!
.
Also you can catch HLAK Album Release show @ Neumos on May 21st (8pm; $10) DJ Terry Radjaw will be there getting the crowd warmed up.
.
And here’s a sneak peak of the first video single “Director’s Cut”:
.
.
More album info here! http://www.headlikeakite.com/
Person L @ El Corazón
I’m getting too old for this shit. That is, going to all ages shows. Other than being one of the “older” people in the room (and seemingly the only big PersonL fan) I sure hadn’t heard of any of the other openers for the night. Not that the opening acts were any good – nor was the headliner for that matter.
.
The night opened with Deas Vail. A band that seemed to be a combo of sad rock and piano ballads. If you were a 13-17 year old girl I think you would love this band. They were followed by PersonL (more on their set in a sec). Next up was the unfortunately named I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody’s Business. Mostly playing sad acoustic songs with vocals that were being echoed for no good reason. The headliner was Copeland… I didn’t stay for them. I did however pay the $17 admission fee for one amazing 3-min set from PersonL.
.
PersonL had the most energy of any band of the night. They played strong and hard through songs from their first album Initial and sprinkling a few new ones in as well. They really took the crowd by surprise. Some of their songs are set against some great blues guitar riffs. With their two drummers hammering out the beats the songs just keep moving along. They used their time wisely: with stops only for seconds to tune, they kept rocking for their entire set. Talking with the band after the show they were “excited to be out on tour again playing these songs they love to new fans”. Hopefully we will see them doing a headlining tour this summer.
I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody’s Business
Grand Hallway @ the Tractor Tavern
I just happened to go catch Grand Hallway at the Tractor last night. Tagging along with a friend for his birthday. I had no idea that i was about to see one amazing show. The place was completely packed. The show had sold out before the first band had finished playing. I had heard some G.H. before but was about to witness my first live show. Comprised of 8 ( yeah 8!) member’s G.H is able to pack an array of sound into their songs. i heard one enthusiastic fan remark that if you combine Ben folds with Arcade Fire you get Grand Hallway. I am kind of amazed that their 2009 album “Promenade” didn’t make anyone’s list of best albums list. Though i have a feeling that it will become much more appreciated in the coming year. Check out “Blessed be Honey bee” soaring violin’s, piano, pedal steel and some stellar vocals performed live its amazingly beautiful. If you can you must catch these guys live. check out the video below of Grand Hallway and the Seattle Rock Orchestra perform “Raindrops”.
.
Grand Hallway site
Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band Christmas Spectacular
The stage was set up to be a winter wonderland. Fake snow? Check. Drums and Amps wrapped up like presents? Check. A fake holiday fire place? of course! can’t have a Christmas rock show without a fake fire!
MSHVNB played an amazing show this past weekend at the crocodile. Even being a member down. Their sound and stage presence was good as always. So much energy that this group puts out. Layers of sound to fill your ears. And tennis balls being bounced off a tom drum to keep you on your feet and paying attention.
.
The opening bands were something to check out. Having never heard of “Left” i was enjoying their sound. Was not enjoying their Heckler though. Is there some kind of requirement to get into the crocodile that you already have to be drunk, loud, and obnoxious? I love the venue but the last few shows i been too seem to attract some really drunk people who feel the need to share with the band.
.
but i guess its close to the Holidays. Everyone is a bit drunk and crazy.
This was a fantastic Holiday show.
David Bazan
This very Saturday (Nov 7th) @ Neumos David Bazan and his band will be playing songs from his new Album “Curse your Branches” It’ his first full-length he’s released under his name. On it Bazan describes his recent struggles with faith and addiction in language that makes it clear how far he’s traveled since dissolving Pedro the Lion in 2005. If ever there was a spokesman for those suffering from the God-sick blues, David Bazan is it. Since the demise of Pedro the Lion, Bazan has been touring as just a man and a guitar, but for this record he took the initiative to record all the instruments himself, adding an unexpected layer of emotional complexity to a collection of songs that are already strikingly autobiographical and frank.
.
For this tour His new band is a northwest supergroup of sorts with Eric Elbogen of Say Hi (also playing), Andy Fitts of Aqueduct, Casey Foubert, and Blake Wescott.
.
After breaking in a new band, first at a couple of Edmonds house shows, then the following weekend up at Doe Bay Music Festival on Orcas Island, and touring over the last few weeks. I am sure that they will be ready to play a sort of home coming show for Seattle.
.
Get your tickets soon. There is a very good chance that this show will sell out.
Neumos Presents: David Bazan, Say Hi, The Sea Navy :: Doors at 8pm :: $13 ADV
- © hayley young
Noah and the Whale @ the Crocodile
NOAH AND THE WHALEEEEE!!!!!!! NOAH AND THE WHALEEEEE!!!!!!!
.
This was the chant heard over and over throughout the night. Screamed by what would appear to be NATW’s biggest fan.. and I do mean biggest. For a folk show their was plenty of drunk “fans” screaming and starting fights within the crowd. Something you would expect more from a rock show. At one point Charlie (lead singer and guitar) was asking fans to get in between a couple of girls about to throw punches in the middle of their set… when did folk music get so hard core?
.
Other than those few crazy people the show was great. NATW set was fantastic. I was really hoping that they would be showing their new film “the first days of spring” since it is accompaniment to their second album. That would have been amazing to have a live score to the film… Next time.
.
Hear more Noah and The Whale @ their Myspace here
Blue Scholars “OOF!” EP Release party
Blue Scholars’ “OOF!” EP release party at 10 p.m. Tuesday (that’s tonight!!) at ‘Ohana Restaurant & Sushi Bar in Belltown, 2207 First Ave., Seattle; $5 (206-956-9329).
Coffee, sushi, and hiphop: What’s weird about that?
Listen to the tracks below!
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.
.
You can hear the first single ” at the bottom” on their myspace page here.
.
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..
.
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
