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Come Bid Adieu to Seattle Legends!
It is sad, my friends, but the time has come for Seattle’s own Dateless, probably the finest pop punk band ever to grace us with their tunes, to call it a career. It should come as no surprise to readers of this blog, as I broke the news a month ago, but it should still lead to sadness. Dateless is that rare combination of pop punk simplicity with dueling male/female vocals, an amazing rhythm section, and intricate guitar solos. From basements in Olympia to huge music festivals in Baltimore, Dateless has spread the gospel of Seattle pop punk across this country, and we are all better off as a music community, no matter than genre, for their existence. No one that I have met has done more to bring music fans together than Chris Crusher and his bandmates!
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For those of you not familiar with the band, here are a few tracks for you to check out:
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Now that your ear drums have been sufficiently pleased, I am here to tell you that you have one final time to check Dateless out. That’s right, Le-Vy, Chris Crusher, and KII will be performing tonight at the Funhouse (down by the Space Needle) along with local favorites Success! (whose new album, of which I got a sneak listen at the rough mix, is amazing) and San Jose, CA’s the Pillowfights (a girl fronted pop-punk band whose new EP is being streamed here). This is a not to miss show. One more performance by Dateless is all we get, so come on down to the Funhouse and celebrate with the whole music community!
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Wednesday, March 25 – 21+ – 9 PM
Dateless
Success!
The Pillowfights (CA)
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@ The Funhouse (206 5th Ave N)
HER Magma Fest Continues This Weekend!
On Friday, March 6th, I was lucky enough to attend the kickoff of the 2009 Magma Fest put on by Hollow Earth Radio. Held down at the Vera Project, the show had a diverse lineup of local acts, all of whom brought out a crowd. The night started off with Portland based Kusikia, who were just a drummer and a guitar player/singer (although she did switch to bass for one song). They were extremely experimental and varied from puk rock to progressive indie post-punk. Next on the stage were TacocaT, a Seattle based power pop band that falls somewhere between the Ramones and Sleater-Kinney. The colorful performance was great, and I was blown away that I had never seen them before!
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Next up were Post-Punk Noise band Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death, featuring Spencer Moody and Dann Gallucci of the Murder City Devils, and Andrea Zollo from Pretty Girls Make Graves. As soon as they started playing, they took command of the crowd, who were mesmerized by the warbling keyboards, thrashing guitars, and epic drum beat. I had seen TOLSATD once before, but never in such great form. I was highly impressed.
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Finally, local indie rock favorites the Moondoggies played, and the room, which was already rather filled, become seriously packed. I had never seen the band before, and was impressed at the intricate guitar solos and harmony played on the organ and keyboard. Although very different from all of the other bands that played, the Moondoggies seemed to be a perfect end to the night, showing all the different genres of music that HER supports!
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For those of you not in the know about Hollow Earth Radio, it is a community run internet radio station that “presents a forum for music, sounds and perspectives commonly under-represented by the media.” They are a strong supporter of local music and work hard to get out there into the local music scene. The Magma Fest is just one example of that. There are two shows coming up this weekend so be sure to check them out:
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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 ton of bands from the Beep Family Collective. $7
A Punk Rock Legend Comes to Seattle Tomorrow Night!
It’s not very often that a legend comes to Seattle. And yet, tomorrow night, just such an event is occuring. In fact, you don’t just get one legend, you get two! Tomorrow at the GRN STRP House in the U-District, Classics of Love and Mike Park will be playing with local favorites Dateless and the Damage Done. Classics of Love features the band Hard Girls (members of Shinobu and Pteradon) with the legendary Jesse Michaels of Operation Ivy and Common Rider fame. This is only the third time Jesse has played in Seattle (once each time with those bands), and people are driving from as far as Montana for the show!
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Along with Classics of Love, Asian Man Records Founder Mike Park will be playing. You might remember him from bands like Skankin’ Pickle, the Chinkees, and The Bruce Lee Band. He was at the center of the third wave ska explosion way back when it was just getting started, and has continued to be a trend setter in terms of the music he plays and the albums he puts out on his label.
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Throw in the fact that this is Dateless’ second to last Seattle show EVER, and you have to show up. In short, this is a show you wont want ot miss in one of the most intimate atmospheres you will ever see these artists! And all the money goes to the touring bands, so please come and support the local scene!
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Saturday, March 14
Classics of Love (feat. Jesse Michaels of Op Ivy)
Mike Park
Dateless
The Damage Done
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GRN STP House (819 NE 70th St.)
8pm / $5 (and make sure you bring $5, because we will be collecting it…the bands came a long way to play for us!!)
Help Save Hell's Kitchen TONIGHT
Hell’s Kitchen in Tacoma is in a world of hurt. It’s not because they don’t have good shows, because they do! And it’s not because the shows they have aren’t well attended, because the kids love HK! It’s because they need to install a state of the art sprinkler system that is ogoing to cost the club over $60,000 because they need to pay the City of Tacoma $25,000 just to get enough water pressure so that the new sprinkler system will operate. In light of this, the good folks over at SeattlePunk.org have put together a show with the intention of saving the club.
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And yet, this is more than justa show. Sure, there will be great performances from bands like Neon Nights and the Hollow Points, including the third to last Pacific Northwest show for soon-to-be-defunct Seattle pop-punk legends Dateless, but there will be so much more. The night is co-sponsored by the Northwest Chapter of the Gypsy Queens, an organization whose motto is “tats not tits,” as they seek to promote a positive image of women who have tattoos. The girls present (and there will be a lot of them) will be posing for photos with all of you concert goings, with the pictures being snapped by SeattlePunk.org’s staff of professional photographers. And for those of you who want to get your drink on, they will have $1.50 tall cans! This is a night you wont want to miss, so hop in your car, or ride the Sounder, and head down to Tacoma to help prevent another important venue in our music scene from going under!
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Thursday March 12th A Benefit to Save Hell’s Kitchen
The Hershey Squirts
Dateless
Neon Nights
Space Cretins
The Hollowpoints
Hooker Farm .
@ Hell’s Kitchen (3829 6th Ave, Tacoma) Doors @ 7pm / Show @ 8pm – $5 – 21+
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w/ the following Gypsy Queens:
Miss Bacardi GQ (Chapter Prez / West Coast Rep)
Miss Dusty Lee GQ (Head of Tech dept)
Meshay GQ (Chapter VP)
Raven GQ (Head of Music dept)
Gypsi Bones GQ (Seattle regional rep)
Gremlynn GQ (Tacoma regional rep)
Savannah GQ GQ LuCfur
(Head of GQ movement dept)
GQ Jesyka Gypsy Queen Christi
Mizz Behavin GQ
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!
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!
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.
Mama, I'm Cheap!
Discordant Indie darlings Cursive are back with their latest release, and for a limited time only you can get it for super cheap. In an effort to battle leaks and reform the record label model, Saddle Creek released the new Cursive album, Mama, I’m Swollen, through the Saddle Creek Online Store on March 1st for a mere dollar. After that, it goes up $1 per day until the actual release date when it will be available at it’s full price of $9! As of today you can pick it up for $3.
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Yes, I know what you are thinking…another Cursive record….why would I even bother after the way 2006′s Sleepy Hollow turned out. This record, however, is a return back to form for Tim Kasher and the boys, bringing out the genius that was 2003′s The Ugly Organ. I am not ready to say it is that good, only having listened to it once, but after one listen I can honestly say I am a fan of the record, and it has restored my faith in the band.
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If you were a fan of The Ugly Organ, you will love this! I will definitely be buying this on the red vinyl.
Farewell (and good riddance) to the King Cobra!
When I found out earlier this week that King Cobra was closing down (it broke on the seattlepunk.org message board before anywhere else), I was pretty bummed. While I have known people that have had negative experiences there, that place, in its short-lived history, had some excellent shows. While I generally attended punk shows there, at the end of this past summer they started doing the occasional hip hop show, and I was excited to see the venue become a mainstay of two underground scenes that I am proud to consider myself a part of. The venue was doing a great job of supporting scenes that other venues are not always so quick to champion. It is possible that that led to its demise, but that is neither here nor there…
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I was most likely apologetic due to my fondness for the club, but I had heard from patrons on a consistent basis that the staff there was not up to par. As a whole, the security is solid, and the bartenders seem to do a great job, but from what I had been told, the doorman and the sound guy left something to be desired. As a passive individual, I simply chalked it up to clashes of personality…but after tonight I realize I was simply naive.
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In all likelihood, the people at King Cobra are bummed out that they are losing their jobs. But as professionals, they should not be taking it out on the patrons. At one point tonight, my friend took my camera and snapped a picture of Slats: a Capitol Hill mainstay and one of her acquaintances. It happened to catch the doorman in the corner of the picture, at which point he motioned to her to cut it out. I decided to bring up a running joke of the night (to my friend, mind you) and mock a friend who was their earlier, who had said that he was going to get kicked out because it was the second to last day it was open. Out of nowhere, the doorman grabbed me, took me outside, made me delete pictures off of my camera. He then repeatedly chastised me for my comments. When I tried to explain to him that I was mocking another individual, he simply called me names…eventually he let me back in, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. Later, when I tried to again apologize, as did my friend who started the whole thing, he simply blew us off.
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This story is not unique to me, as I talked to several others who were escorted out this evening (including people who were performing) for the smallest of things. I understand that people get out of line. I understand that people at the venue are on edge because they are losing their jobs. But as a faithful patron who stood up for that venue on many occasions, I cannot accept the fact that the staff can treat people that way. If that is the way the venue wants to treat people, it really should not continue to exist.
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That being said, tomorrow is the last day at King Cobra. I urge you to go out an celebrate the last day of what should have been a great legacy in Seattle…a local venue that celebrated the local scene. And, if any of the staffers happen to read this, I urge you not to take your frustration out on the patrons…we are people too!
New Supergroup "Tinted Windows"
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Yesterday, NME reported that a new supergroup called Tinted Windows has formed, and that the album will be coming out April 21st. Why is this of any significance? It is because of who is in the band…The band includes James Iha (former guitarist of Smashing Pumpkins), Bun E. Carlos (the drummer for Cheap Trick), Taylor Hanson (yes…of the band Hanson!), and Adam Schlesinger (bassist for Fountains of Wayne).
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That sure sounds like a weird lineup to me. But anything with Adam Schlesinger in it has to be pretty great. He is truly the master of writing pop songs. Beyond his work in Fountains of Wayne, Schlesinger composed the award-winning soundtrack for That Thing You Do, along with the soundtracks for Josie and the Pussycats, Art School Confidential, Orange County, and more. He even won a Tony Award for his score to Cry-Baby. And let us not forget that he penned eight songs for the Colbert Christmas Special! Want to hear for yourself, then head on over to the Tinted Windows Website and listen to the power pop goodness!
