Author Archive
Grand Hallway – “Blessed Be, Honey Bee”
This one’s been making the rounds, so I thought I’d throw it up here; mostly because it’s probably the best song on Grand Hallway’s record Promenade. Depending on your opinion, of course.
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The soft-rockin’ chamber-folk ensemble kicks off their spring tour tomorrow night at the Doug Fir in Portland, and includes a stop at SXSW next week. The band’s homecoming is April 8th at the Crocodile with Friday Mile.
New Liars – Sisterworld
Here’s the new (and deliciously disturbing) video for “Scissor” by the freakazoids in Liars:
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The rampant drone-rock trio will play Neumos Saturday May 1st with Fol Chen. You can listen to the new album Sisterworld, released yesterday on Mute, over on the band’s myspace. So far, so good. If you like it, I’d recommend picking up the special 2CD version, complete with a visually unique folding-style package and remixes/reinterpretations of the album’s songs by Thom Yorke, Tunde Adebimpe, Devendra Banhart, and Bradford Cox, among others.
BRMC @ the Showbox MKT
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I went down to the Showbox last Friday (3/5) with a couple friends to check out Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The San Francisco band is touring on the heels of their sixth LP, Beat the Devil’s Tattoo, which hits shelves tomorrow. The show was sold out. I’ve been a big fan of BRMC for a long time now—since their first record—and this performance did nothing to change that. I’ll admit that the band is less revelatory to me now than in my younger years but Robert Been and Peter Hayes are nothing if not excellent musicians and songwriters. Critics have long derided their lack of ingenuity—save for Howl, I suppose—but to them I scoff. Their heavy-loaded garage-gaze oscillates among the mysterious, the rebellious, the boot-stompin’, and the stirring. I get thrills watching/listening to them play their instruments every time. Not to be outdone, Been and Hayes played each non-new song with noticeable changes and embellishments that made for little rediscoveries throughout the night. The guys were willing to let the songs linger, too, busting out a few divergent guitar tangents here and there.
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One interesting aspect is the addition of new drummer Leah Shapiro (you might recall she toured with the Raveonettes in 2008 for the Lust Lust Lust album). I’d give her an ‘A’ for her skills, especially given how deep the band delved into their back catalog, but she differed from Nick Jago in content. Where Jago was more apt to take an alternate route, Shapiro seemed to keep time in a more straightforward manner. The band pumped out a cool 24 songs (by my count), leaning heavily on Tattoo and B.R.M.C. Songs from Baby 81 included “Berlin”, “Weapon of Choice” and “666 Conducer”. From Howl, “Ain’t No Easy Way”, “Sympathetic Noose” and “Shuffle Your Feet” were also played.
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I like the new record (you can stream it parts of it over at their myspace), but I don’t think it’ll end up being my favorite. That distinction belongs to Take Them On, On Your Own. “War Machine”, “Mama Taught Me Better”, “Shadow’s Keeper” and the title track are all high quality songs, though. Not to mention the 10-minute (!) opening closing track of “Half-State”. As usual, they didn’t talk to the crowd much (I don’t think Hayes said one word), except when Been asked for a request during the encore. “Ok, ‘Rifles’ it is,” he obliged.
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New Band Of Horses Album Art Is Boring
Skyrocketing, Seattle-spurning folk-rockers Band of Horses revealed the artwork for their third album today. It’s called Infinite Arms and will be released on May 18th on a label that is currently TBD (and not Sub Pop). The dudes are curiously still using the calligraphy-type font for their records; which is weird, cuz they (Ben Bridwell) just don’t seem to be the calligraphy type (ha!). BORRRR-ing.
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Haven’t seen/heard any new tunes yet, but they’ll be sure to debut them at Sasquatch! on May 31st.
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Update: Reverb apparently has word that the record will be released in conjunction with three different labels: Brown Records, Fat Possum Records, and Columbia Records.
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$5 Cover – Seattle Premier At SIFF
Speaking of music and movies (they go well together, no?), this Monday March 1st at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) Cinema—located inside McCaw Hall—you can catch the screening of the much-ballyhooed Seattle version of MTV’s $5 Cover. It’s an hour long and tickets are (ironically) $10. First come, first served; no advance tickets available. Starts at 7pm.
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If you missed this little endeavor, basically it’s a stylish profile of 13 Seattle bands as they wade their way to varying degrees of success. Director Lynn Shelton, who made the Sundance hit “Humpday”, is a local gal herself. Bands who have a shot at larger fame include Thee Emergency, TheeSatisfaction, the Moondoggies, Champagne Champagne, the Lights, the Maldives, the Spits and more.
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The trailer gives the movie a sort of docu-drama feel, hinting at a sort of semi-reality (it is MTV, after all), which I’ll admit is kind of a turn off. I don’t watch MTV and I prefer regular ol’ documentaries. But the bands Shelton and Craig Brewer (“Hustle & Flow”) chose to work with are all solid and representative of just how varied our enclave is. Seattle (and the NW) is pumping out some cah-razy shit these days. Trailer below:
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Under Great White Northern Lights
The much-anticipated White Stripes documentary screens at the Northwest Film Forum this weekend, for two nights only. Friday (2/26) and Saturday (2/27) at 9pm. Looks pretty righteous, but I hope they address that darned brother/sister/girlfriend/boyfriend thing (jk!).
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I saw another documentary with Jack White not too long ago. Huh, fancy that.
Past Lives In-Store At The New Sonic Boom
I went down to the new Sonic Boom on Melrose Avenue for the first time Tuesday night to a) check out the new Sonic Boom, b) pick up a copy of Tapestry of Webs and c) watch a live performance from Past Lives. Success on all three fronts. (I even picked up a few other albums. Yay.)
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First, the store: it’s pretty nice and spacious. But it’s a record store, so nothing special; just rows upon rows of CD and vinyl racks (the vinyl area, btw, is much larger than what they had at the old 15th Avenue location). The performance area is rudimentary, but no less effective. And it’s high up so the band’s feet are basically at eye level—good for swarms of people. The lighting is a bit poor, with a large hanging fixture right where most frontmen/women would have their face. Owner Jason Hughes astutely turned it off mid-way through the set. Now they just need some mood lighting of some sort. Neon signs? Strings of lights? The possibilities are endless.
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Second, the band: I don’t have to tell you these guys were spot on (they were). It’s how they roll and their maturation as a cohesive unit has been pleasing to watch over the last few years. Past Lives, who tread adroitly in uncommon groovy art-punk, are easily one of the most exciting local bands around (FWIW, Pitchfork recently gave Tapestry an admirable 7.5 rating). Watching them play, I was struck by this realization: they remind me of TV on the Radio. More stylistically than sonically, but the similarities are there. Both bands have an experimental nature to their music; both bands have a unique lead vocalist who often keeps one arm contorted somehow while performing; both bands have a thick-bearded guitarist contributing high-register backup vocals; and both bands have a dexterous drummer with a hip-hop style. What’s this mean? Not much, I just thought it interesting.
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They played “the hits”, if you will, from the new album: “Past Lives”, “Hospital White”, “Vanishing Twin”, “Paralyzer”, and “Hex Takes Hold”. Below is a video for “Vanishing Twin”:
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Don’t forget, you can stream the whole album on pastliveslife.com.
Thee Oh Sees, the Urinals, and Unnatural Helpers Totally Fuckin’ Killed It
Dudes, I’ve been totally dying to get some of these pics up from the Funhouse last Friday night (2/19). It was easily one of the best shows I’ve been to the last few months (check the Show Critic tag, there are some doozies), as it was a garage rawk fest for the ages. Or at least the age that contains the last few months. Unnatural Helpers opened up for the Urinals who opened up for Thee Oh Sees, and all three totally fuckin’ killed it.
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I showed up just in time to catch Unnatural Helpers, as their dark and dirty Stooge-grooves turned out to be the perfect catalyst for a raucous sold out show (if you don’t frequent the Funhouse, then you’re missing out; no kiddin’). As you’ve likely heard, the band has an LP coming out on Hardly Art pretty soon, and all I can say is that I hope they were able to capture on record the gritty punk spectrum that the they so easily tread on stage. They’re not breaking ground, obviously, but they’re doing their damnedest to stomp all over it just for the hell of it. Led by Dean Whitmore on drums/vocals, this is a motley crew of shredders playing feel-good, drop-kick garage-punk. Sounded like they might lose another player (guitarist Brian Standeford; Kimberly Morrison has already been replaced on bass), but if Charles Leo Gebhardt sticks around, they should be alright.
That’s Thee Oh Sees founder John Dwyer up there, and it was a hoot watching him play guitar. My knees were against the stage for this set, so it was the perfect setting to finally see these popular San Franciscan swamp-punkers. Dwyer is a caricature on stage: tattoos and tank top, shoving his beat up Burns Double Six high into his armpit and shifting freakishly on his toes as if he were Wile E. Coyote on one of those ACME high wires. He plays like a maniac and his music shows it. I love the vocal interplay between he and Brigid Dawson, drenched in echo and retro sass. The rest of the band, it’s apparent, has to work at keeping up with the main man. Drummer Mike Shoun was front and center and played as if his life depended on it (it probably doesn’t). Petey Dammit plucked his Fender in the background like an old-timer, content to lay rhythm. They were all great, though, and you can see a couple (high quality) videos I shot here and here.
Thee Oh Sees
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Unnatural Helpers
The Urinals
HER Magma Festival 2010
Hollow Earth Radio (HER) is curating its popular 3rd Annual Magma Festival next month, and will feature the online radio station’s signature hyper-eclecticism of local earthed (Dylan Carlson of Earth!) and unearthed (Emeralds!) acts. The “festival” is spread out over the four weekends of March (easy to keep track of, no?) and across several different locations touting varying degrees of renown. The Vera Project, The Fremont Abbey, the Healthy Times Fun Club, and the Henry Art Gallery are among the more prominent venues, while the Mine, 20/20 Cycle, The In, Kenyon Hall, and Shafer Baillie Mansion are among the less reputed.
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So, local music-loving geeks, whatever your schedule or taste, you’re likely to find something here to suit your fancy. Might I suggest (obviously) the inaugural lineup at the Vera Project on March 5th? Folk-rockin’ frontwoman Thao Nguyen plays with local one-man sonic tribalist Alaskas, Deception Pass, and Grr. Or might I suggest the Eruption Show at the Mine on March 27th with an absolute crap load of bands that I know little about but might favor for a joyous time? Good, thank you.
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The poster’s type is kinda small, so click it for largeness or visit the site for more links and details. Show prices range from $6-$15, but you can buy a $50 pass that gets you into all the shows. Proceeds will benefit the radio station in specific and the DIY community in general.
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SUPPORT IT OR THEY WILL ABORT IT! (I just made that up.)
Talkdemonic Played the Mars Bar
Here are a few pics of Portland drum and viola duo Talkdemonic. They headlined the final day of the Cumulus Festival this past Saturday night (2/13) at the Mars Bar on Eastlake. I couldn’t believe that it had been close to five years since I last saw them live.
The lush, laptop-aided instrumental jams of this band sounded a bit thin for the first half of the set; turns out they were trying out some new tunes on us guinea pigs. Lisa Molinaro, the violist, said they were about 75% finished with their fourth record. My bet is that they’ll improve with repetition. The last part of their performance was more on par with what fans can expect. Heavy, skittish skins from Kevin O’Connor, elegantly aberrant mini-symphonies from Molinaro, precisely placed electro touches and the beautiful feeling of temporary, atmospheric paralysis. I don’t think I heard any songs from Beat Romantic, but I could be mistaken.
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Talkdemonic will next entertain Seattle as part of Sleepy Eyes of Death’s record release show on April 30th at Neumos.
Sasquatch! Lineup Is Nice, But Maybe Not For The Price
In case you missed it, the lineup for the 2010 Sasquatch! Festival was released Monday night during a concert at the Crocodile (I was unsuccessful in my attempts for those coveted free tickets). Here’s the day-by-day schedule:
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Saturday, May 29th
My Morning Jacket / Vampire Weekend / The National / Deadmau5 / Broken Social Scene / OK Go / Wale / Public Enemy / The Hold Steady / Miike Snow / Z-Trip / Brother Ali / Minus The Bear / WHY? / The Very Best / Portugal. The Man / Mumford & Sons / The Lonely Forest / Nurses / The Middle East / Patrick Watson / Morning Teleportation / Laura Marling / Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros / Fool’s Gold / Garfunkel & Oates / Dam-Funk / Shabazz Palaces.
Sunday, May 30th
Massive Attack / Pavement / LCD Soundsystem / Tegan and Sara / Kid Cudi / Nada Surf / Dirty Projectors / The xx / The Long Winters / Simian Mobile Disco / Midlake / Girls / Vetiver / The Tallest Man On Earth / YACHT / Booka Shade / Caribou / Avi Buffalo / City and Colour / Cymbals Eat Guitars / A-Trak / Fruit Bats / tUnE-yArDs / Local Natives / Freelance Whales / Jets Overhead / Rob Riggle / Luke Burbank.
Monday, May 31st
Ween / MGMT / Band of Horses / She & Him / Passion Pit / The New Pornographers / Drive-By Truckers / Boys Noize / Camera Obscura / The Temper Trap / Dr. Dog / Neon Indian / No Age / The Mountain Goats / Phantogram / Quasi / Japandroids / Mayer Hawthorne & The County / The Low Anthem / Fresh Espresso / Hudson Mohawke / Telekinesis / Past Lives / Yes Giantess / Craig Robinson
Pretty solid, no? Yes, I agree; but while this is certainly a better than average group of bands, musicians, and comedians, it doesn’t set my heart aflutter like in years past. Personally, I’d say Sunday is the best mix (mostly due to the headliners) but I see how any random person might prefer any of those three days. But here’s my deal: it’s difficult not view the price of this thing as somewhat of a rip-off. It seems to get pricier and pricier every year and is the biggest reason I haven’t attended in a long time (well, that and the state of the “campground”).
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Let’s do some math: $170 3-day pass + $15 (estimated) ticket fees + $99 for all-weekend camping (no single day campground prices) + $100 for food/drink/water + $50 for gas = $434! Good lord, that’s a lotta dough. Sure you can maybe split the camping, sustenance and gas amongst friends, but that $100 for food and drink could easily be $150, and if you only want a single day ticket, that’s $80 a day ($70 if you buy early, $86 if you buy late). Now, I’m no miser, but I do prefer to spend my money wisely. Is $300-400 worth it? I dunno, but if the prices keep going up, how can this be A) sustainable and B) desirable?
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I also forgot to mention that the 3-day passes are only available for 2 days starting Feb. 20th. Geez louise.
Real Estate: Easy, Breezy And Not The Least Bit Sleazy
Given that I’ve listened to Real Estate about 50 times in the past six weeks, you’d think I would have managed a write up by now. Well, as luck would have it, you’d be wrong. (To be fair, you’d be “wrong” about something which you had no intention of or reason to be thinking about. Which is silly. Never mind, this is anti-thought.) Real Estate is the first proper record from Real Estate, a young outfit from New Jersey which features the man—on guitar—behind the lo-fi jam-pop of Ducktails and more sun-drenched slacker songs than you can shake a stick at. The guitars are lazily layered one upon the other, replete with copious amounts of jangle and chained delay. The vocals, provided by Martin Courtney, are warm and distant, like the late summer sun. The thematic imagery of water is omnipresent, from song titles to lyrics to supposed recording techniques. The drums—quite literally—sound as if submerged in a turquoise swimming pool, recorded to cassette, and then played back into a mic through a shitty boom box. And it sounds fantastic.
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If I may gush, “Fake Blues” is my absolute JAM right now. I simply can’t get enough. I replay it, and then I replay it, and then I switch to “Beach Comber” (my other absolute jam right now) and then replay it again. The former is a peppy and ironic take on a classic formula, Courtney confessing that he’s really got no business writing the blues. Life is good. The up and down rhythm of Matthew Mondanile’s high pitched Strat is hypnotic while the deep “timpani” drums gallop in the background. The latter is thoughtful twang, easy and breezy, gussied up for a waltz-y shoreline jaunt and laid out in the sand to bake. The album isn’t all catchy ditties, though, as the foursome wanders in and out of its own bliss to explore their tunes with a mature naiveté.
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From a West Coast perspective, the culture of New Jersey has historically been equated with general sleaziness (i.e. Bon Jovi’s glory years, Atlantic City, the Sopranos), but this record bucks that trend quite emphatically. Maybe it’s because Courtney (astutely) spent his college years here in our Evergreen State? Dunno. Whatever the reason, warm up your winter with the tracks below.
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(Sorry for the low digital quality)
