Seattle Subsonic » Jules

Kendra Morris is Back and is as Souful as Ever

Jules — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 23:03:00 +0000

Once upon a time on a blog that I wrote for long ago, I introduced Seattle to a stand out young crooner from the big apple, Kendra Morris. She’s out of the closet, where she once recorded her jams and has stepped up into the big time with a new self titled collection of soulful and heart-gripping tunes. You’ll hear tinges of Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys and Erykah Badu mixed in with 60s soul; what comes out is purely and uniquely Kendra.
-
One might never expect such a rich and mighty voice to emerge from Kendra Morris’ petite frame. Her potency as a singer and performer grew from a childhood immersed in music, traveling with her family to perform gospel in the prison ministries and asylums of St. Petersburg, Florida. Kendra moved to New York in 2003, making music inside a tiny closet with only a guitar and 8-track recorder, always keeping it simple – an aesthetic that continues to shape her sound. The southern influence of the soul and humidity in her voice adds a raw energy that one would attribute to a generation long lost to the internet and digital media.
-
Morris’ voice is a courier to a world where story telling is the only means for passing on life’s lessons, humor, and drama. After releasing two self-produced EP’s she teamed up with seasoned producer Jeremy Page (The Cars, Ed OG, That Handsome Devil) to work on this self-titled EP. The collaboration has birthed a collage of tracks that echo the music and experiences of her childhood. Kendra’s real strength lies in combining mysticism and the strange emotions invoked by the human spirit.
-
Kendra’s powerful voice has been featured on projects for MTV networks, Nair, Electro-Harmonix and an upcoming collaboration with rapper AZ. You can purchase the EP for $5 (and hear it too in its entirety) at: www.kendramorrismusic.com.

Kendra Morris – Pity Pity

Kendra Morris – Don’t Cry

Kendra Morris – Spooky Boy

Beyond Ipanema: A Story of Brazil’s Musical Exports

Jules — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:51:57 +0000

Hey, we have a guest writer! Written by my friend Heidi ….
-
Today I had the pleasure of viewing Beyond Ipanema at the Seattle International Film Festival. This film is a music documentary that transcends barriers of classification due to the fact that is less a love letter to Brazil than it is a sharing of musical ideas and influences between the United States and Brazil. Many musicians who became well known and influential for their impact on the styles had to do so outside of their own country to be recognized on a larger scale. Carmen Miranda was the first major influence from Brazilian culture to impact Hollywood and was a smashing success as an export from Brazil to the United States. Next came the Tropicalista movement, and musician David Byrne, unearthed many names from Brazil including Tom Ze.
-

-

“I found myself becoming more intrigued by how these artists all influenced each other and the evolution of their craft.”

This was all leading up to the biggest explosion….Bossa Nova. This came in to its popularity when American Jazz was really on its way out due to the increasing popularity of rock music by the Beatles and Rolling Stones. This Bossa Nova had a bass line that incorporated new rhythms that nobody had heard before and it took off like lightning! Sergio Mendes, Caetano Velosa, Joao Gilberto and the Mutantes were all huge exponents of this nuevo style. It was also really beyond music in that it was about politics, culture, technology and the development of a real “world music” — whereas before it seemed to be music you couldn’t fit into any category. There are so many musicians I learned about in this film that I would like to discover for myself through hearing their music.

The film also introduces viewers to the Frederick Douglass Academy, where Samba is part of the regular music program. Hundreds of students have mastered Brazilian rhythms under the guidance of (non-Brazilian) music teacher Dana Monteiro. From the regular classes, a group of about 40 kids was formed and they have been performing under the name Harlem Samba. The public high school has also organized educational trips to Brazil, where students were exposed to Samba masters.

Director, Guto Barra, does a fantastic job of melding together the different and varied stories of Brazil’s musical exports and tells us about the many projects that take place when people from different cultures get together to create new styles. Actually, this is when the most fascinating part of the story takes place. I found myself becoming more intrigued by how these artists all influenced each other and the evolution of their craft. Now with the advent of the internet and the global nature of our world it is not so necessary to travel so far to get the real influence of the culture. I recall a line in the film where someone said (I don’t recall who it was), “Geography is not so important now but rather it is the artist’s essence”. That stayed with me.

There’s one more showing of this film, June 4 @ 5 pm at the Kirkland Performance Center
-

Beyond Ipanema: An Exploration of Brazilian Music at the SIFF

Jules — Thu, 27 May 2010 18:24:47 +0000

The Seattle International Film Festival is in full swing. And with showers in the forecast all weekend, going to a movie sounds like the perfect treat. This coming Monday, aka Memorial Day – I’ll be heading on over to the SIFF Cinema to check out Beyond Ipanema. It’s an exploration on how Brazilian music has made waves across the global culture. Also what’s so great about seeing a SIFF film is that the director, Guto Barram will also be in attendance. Rainy Day, Brazilian music… I’m sure I’ll be craving a Caipirinha after!

More from the SIFF website:

“For decades, music has been the prime cultural export of Brazil—not something that can be said about just any country. From samba and bossa nova to tropicalia and baile funk (as recently documented in SIFF 2009 film Favela On Blast), Brazilian music has made waves globally since the 1940s when Hollywood went bananas for Carmen Miranda and her fruity hat. After Miranda hit the stage, Astrud Gilberto’s breezy hit, “The Girl from Ipanema” launched a bossa nova craze that infiltrated suburban cocktail hours all over America in the 1950s. And, more recently, a renewed interest in tropicalia hit the indie rock sphere, from inspiring Beck’s album, “Mutations” to the reunion of Os Mutantes at the Pitchfork Music Festival in 2006, playing to a crowd of thousands of dancing hipsters. Beyond Ipanema features interviews with musicians like David Byrne, Caetano Veloso and M.I.A. for a thorough, stylish, and breezy exploration of Brazilian music and the waves it’s made in global culture.”

Screenings:

SIFF Cinema

May 29, 2010 9:00 PM

May 31, 2010 1:00 PM

Kirkland Performance Center

June 4, 2010 5:00 PM

A Short & Sweet Post for Spoon

Jules — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 01:04:29 +0000

You can listen to Spoon’s latest — Transference streaming on NPR. It’s going to be released on January 19th so it’s a special sneak peek.

See, what did I tell you, short & sweet.

Pavement to Play Sasquatch

Jules — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:41:03 +0000

Pavement will make it to the NW after all. They’ll be the headliners of the Sasquatch Festival next Memorial Day weekend (MAY 29th-31st). Looks like I’ll have to reschedule my Chicago trip! Discounted 3-day passes went on sale this past Saturday and no other acts have been announced.

DJ Throatslice is Back to Bring Out Your Inner Zombie

Jules — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:18:43 +0000

Leaves are changing, the weather has gone from 80-something one day to high 50s the next, the gray has set in and so has the rain. October is full bloom in Seattle and Halloween is a mere 15 days away. I wonder how many versions of the late, great Michael Jackson we’ll see this year? Thriller Michael, Billie Jean Michael, Alien Michael. Just so many to choose from! And… Halloween does fall on a Saturday this year, perfection for a spook-a-rific rager.

To get your Halloween dance party started, DJ Throatslice is back with another ghastly endeavor with Flesh Eating Freaks. Flesh Eating Freaks is a culmination of spooky sound effects and techno beats married with cinematic elements and prankster “gotcha” moments. It’s an entertaining listening experience that will not only bring back those childhood memories of goofiness and cheap thrills but will get your inner zombie twitching like M.J. on the dance floor.

Headless Horseman

Paralyzed by Fear, Maggot Smile and Back to Hell! are just some of the titles you’ll find if you’re in a mood for a little terror. And with any great Halloween album, Flesh Eating Freaks has no shortage of screeching cats, howling wind, screaming damsels in distress, and ghoulish laughter and taunting.

Paralyzed by Fear

Born from the fetid bowels of Detroit, Boston, and Portland, Maine, DJ Throatslice came onto the scene at the start of the millennium and has been kicking corpses ever since. With beat-driven horror songs and Halloween-flavored tunes, the only question he asks is “why aren’t you playing this music at Halloween parties?” Looking to fill homes with fear and dread, DJ Throatslice turns out yearly Halloween mini-albums and proper recordings for your listening dread.

Visqueen at the REVERB Festival This Weekend

Jules — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:32:16 +0000

I’ve mentioned this in a comment or two on Seattle Subsonic how much I enjoyed the REVERB Festival last year. Now I’m making it official in a blog post. There was just something about it that brought back memories of old Seattle. It had a feel of “big town” Seattle: super mellow, non-pretentiousness, no lines, lots of colorful character and good music. Maybe that feel had something to do with the gray day and that I was there way before the onslaught of 10pm bar-hoppers showed up in Ballard. Needless to say, I’m pretty excited to go again this weekend. One band in particular I’m looking forward to is Seattle’s Visqueen.

I never really paid that much attention to Visqueen in prior years however their latest release Message to Garcia has made a big blip on my music radar as of late. Their newest album is a collection of songs that is a loving homage to front woman Rachel Flotard’s father who passed away from cancer earlier this year. It’s filled with power pop guitar riffs while leading lady Rachel Flotard’s unique voice is apparent singing straight from the heart and rocking at the same time. An eclectic cast of musicians lent a helping hand–Neko Case, pedal steel wizard Jon Rauhouse, The Fastbacks and The Long Winters–to create an extra-special electricity that resonates throughout the album.

Hand Me Down

[audio:http://www.seattlesubsonic.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/01-Hand-Me-Down.mp3]

Visqueen will be playing an all ages/early show/record release party this weekend at the REVERB Festival. They’ll be at the old school Ballard Eagles (where time has stood still for who knows how long) at 4pm. See you there.

Telekinesis! Making the Rounds

Jules — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:05:54 +0000

Jeez… Where has the year gone? I walked past Bartell’s downtown and the jack-o-lanterns and skeletons dressed up in pirate garb were on display (not to mention the fun-sized candy has shown up in the office). And when the Halloween stuff comes out of the closet, my mind automatically jumps to “it’s almost Christmas” and when I get to the Christmas thought, I automatically start thinking about the next year . I know, I know, I really should just take one day at a time and concentrate on the present but I already started to think about my top music picks for 2009. However, do I have any? Well, yes, I have one for sure and that’s Seattle band Telekinesis! but what else, hmmmm… I got nothing, I think. I really struggled so far this year finding anything that really struck my chord as awesome. Good news is I have 3 months left so, come on music, wow me!

At any rate, I digress, this post is about Telekinesis! who has been making their rounds and is now off on a European tour. The multi-instrumental-talented Michael Benjamin Lerner (the heart and soul of Telekinesis) earlier this week played on NPRs All Songs Considered: Tiny Desk Concert. It’s really quite picture perfect and makes me wish I was there sitting at the tiny desk with them.

However since I wasn’t invited, I’ll have to fondly hold onto my memories of catching them at Bumbershoot a couple of weeks ago. I signed up for KEXP’s secret show and if you haven’t been to one (KEXP’s secret show) before, I highly recommend it. We got there somewhat early and were able to sit in the front row. KEXP’s set up was pretty much what any concert go-er would ask for. Not only was Telekinesis! up close and personal but the band played a super tight show and the sound was right on. A friend of mine who has not only been in several Seattle bands but also composes music for video games said the drum sound (MBL was on drums) from that show was so good that it felt like we were actually on stage, in the band. All day we kept saying that Bumbershoot would be downhill after the 1pm show with Telekinesis! because nothing could really top what we got to be a part of –and we were right.
-
Foreign Room

So if you haven’t made Telekinesis! part of your album collection yet, you should. In my humble opinion, it’s one of the best of the year. And with just 3 months left of 2009, I’m really hoping there will be more than just one band on my list! I’m sure I’ll be able to dig up a few more by the end of the year. Dan Auerbach’s was released this year, right?

Pavement is coming to a town near you!

Jules — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:02:52 +0000

Yes, you heard me right! This news is really one of my dreams come true! After years of speculation, the 1990s indie darlings, Pavement, will be returning to the stage with the lineup of Mark Ibold, Scott “Spiral Stairs” Kannberg, Stephen Malkmus (the man with the dreamiest hair ever) , Bob Nastanovich and Steve West reuniting for dates around the world in 2010.
.
The first confirmed show will be September 21, 2010 at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park. According to Matador “Things worked out really well when Diana Ross played Central Park in 1983, and we have no reason to suspect Pavement’s return to the live arena won’t generate similar headlines.”. Still waiting to hear about when they’ll be in Seattle so stay tuned but if you’re interested in the New York show, a pre-sale begins tomorrow at 10AM EDT – password is “Zowee”.
.

Matador also emphasized that the tour is not a “prelude to additional jaunts nor a permanent reunion” so don’t get your undies in a bunch thinking this is a forever thing or that they’ll be recording new tracks. They will however be releasing a greatest hits compilation to support the tour. Hey, we’ll take anything we can get, right? B/c lemme tell you, I’m tired of seeing Steven Malkmus and people yelling out in the crowd to play Pavement songs when it’s the Jicks on stage.

The New Crocodile: Hot or Not?

Jules — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 23:41:31 +0000

I was so excited for last Friday night. A party with full spread and open bar near Madison Park for the first half of the evening and then off to the CD release party for Telekinesis for the second half at the Crocodile. My friends and I figured that we would stay at the party until 10ish then head on downtown to catch Telekinesis at 10:45 as they were the third act. Sounds logical, right? Third act 10:45ish, fourth act on by midnight? Well to our dismay that was not the case. When we got there, at 10:50 – Telekinesis was breaking down their stuff and the next band Throw Me the Statue was setting up for their set. Talk about major disappointment. What the hell? Do we live in Florida or something, home of the early bird special? The next disappointment was the new Crocodile. The minimalist interior hit a sore spot that made me miss what brought me to Seattle in the first place.
-

I very much consider myself an old school Seattle fan. The reason I moved here from the Midwest, away from family and friends mind you, was largely due to its character and quirkiness accompanied with the lush greenery and majestic beauty. 15 years later, where did all the character and quirkiness go? Well, I’ll tell you… down the toilet. So long to so many great places that oozed colorfulness, mind you dirty coloful, yet they had soul like the Frontier Room, the original Moe’s, Sit ‘n Spin pre-band room where beer wasn’t yet on tap, Eileen’s, and of course, the Crocodile. But this post isn’t supposed to be a big boohoo about missing the old Seattle. There are still things I love like being able to have a citified life while living in a house with a yard. But now, with the new Crocodile, just hammer a new nail in the proverbial quirkified coffin. Yes, there are new owners with new style. Sure, the dreaded blocking weight bearing beam is gone but so is the character too. And I’ll insert a nod to the musicphiles out there, who love the sound guy and the sound system however it’s just another drone-like sterile establishment on the beaten path of Belltown. Maybe I’m jaded b/c I’m just not a Belltown fan. And I like places to have soul to them however I felt like I was in a small warehouse with stage and bar and that’s about it. A room to see music with nothing else to stimulate the senses. I realize it’s all new and everything and I’ll give it the benefit of doubt–maybe the interior decorator hasn’t finished yet but I’m one who likes my music with more than just a dash of atmosphere. And that’s something the Crocodile lacks. Like I said, maybe they’re still working on it however first impressions mean a lot and I wasn’t impressed. Perhaps I’ll make it back again to see a band I LOVE, note the all caps, but as for a place where I’d like to hang out to go check out a new-to-me local band, I’ll just mosey on up to the Comet where I’ll get my music fix on with the good ol’ dingy ambiance of dollar bills stuck to the ceiling circa 1985. Or maybe Neumo’s . Or the Sunset. And I like the Showbox (ahem, “Market”) for what it’s worth.