Author Archive
Hot Bodies In Motion & Allen Stone CD Release @ the Croc Tonight!! [9/10]
The weather blows, but if you need a pick me up catch Hot Bodies In Motion tonight. Everytime I see them play its a fun show and the crowd gets moving; might be the pick me up needed. They’ve got a killer indie blues rock sound which is a nice change if too much indie folk is starting to numb your mind.
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The CD release is for singer/song writer/guitarist Allen Stone who has a killer voice and grittier outlook and lyrics than most. Haven’t seen him before, but I’m always impressed with CD release shows and he has quite a following.
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ALLEN STONE (CD RELEASE)
Hot Bodies in Motion
Brett Hite
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The Crocodile – 8PM
$10 – 21+
Anomie Belle & Emily Wells Trip Hopping @ Triple Door
Last weeks show at the Triple Door featuring artists Anomie Belle and Emily Wells was a fantastic pairing; both amazing female multi-instrumentalists, violinists, and electronic producers with different styles (trip hop versus hip hop would be a real narrow comparison as they are both eclectic).
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Seattle musician Anomie Belle, fit perfectly in the dark, candle lit room of the Triple Door. Anomie’s trip-hop style, downtempo eletronic music, was at its best when deep and darker, as her voice goes low and is perfectly shadowed by the heavy bass; this was very moving in the cold ambient theater. She performed her solo act onstage with a live band including a cellist, violinist, drummer, and bassist; she switched off between the mic, keyboard, violin and guitar. I’ll be looking forward to the newly completed album.
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On the another part of the spectrum, Emily Wells was more hip hop, or actually a mess of things that just worked very well together. I jokingly referred to her as the child of Tom Waits, Bjork, M.I.A., and Mitch Hedburg with complete disregard to any logic. She loomed over the wide keyboard like a mad scientist, often mixing it up with violin, toy keyboard, and other indiscernible items. On the other side of the stage Sam Halterman kept perfect rhythm on the drums and from afar, in the dark, resembled idol Justin Guarini (except with talent). Or, maybe, this is just when my martini set in (seemed an appropriate drink for the Triple Door).
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Emily sang hooks then seamlessly recorded the hook and looped it in later as she shifted focus to other parts of the music and instruments. At times her voice was seductive or gritty or high pitched or bluesy or was it jazzy or was she rapping a hymn? I enjoyed that diversity. Her lyrics ranged from topics such as whiskey, love, and secrets to a cover of Biggie’s “Juicy” to burning down a house just to forget about things (I get it). I was entertained with how she worked the crowd, speaking with a assertive yet quiet nervousness; and even delicately (and humorously) managed an unruly patron who may never remember shouting “I love you” many times in the quiet venue. Later, the theater backdrop turned to surreal stars which fully enhanced her more atmospheric songs. That was a nice touch and topped of a great night of music.
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In contrast to Anomie’s set, it was different to see so much come out of Emily’s two person ensemble, rather than a full band and she worked it well, at one point quickly joining on the drums. Now I’ve been wondering what an Anomie Belle solo performance is like (I know she does it) and to date I’ve only seen her with the full band. Awesome set from both artists. Check them out.
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And the next time you go to the Triple Door wear a coat and make sure they don’t seat you on the side with a partial view and adjacent to the subwoofer. Other than that, love to the Triple Door!
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http://www.anomiebelle.com/
http://www.myspace.com/emilywells
Emily Wells & Anomie Belle @ Triple Door
I can always get behind local artists playing at the Triple Door. Its a uniquely great venue; the acoustics and the vibe are inspiring. I’m excited to hear the wide range of Anomie Belle’s multi-layered music in this space. Should be epic!
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Anomie Belle shares the stage with experimental folk artist, Emily Wells.
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http://www.myspace.com/anomiebelle
http://www.myspace.com/emilywells
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Wednesday, August 25
Doors @ 530/ Show @ 7:30
All Ages – $12
Streets For All Seattle Kickoff Party @ Nectar TONIGHT [July 29th]!!!
On July 29th a bunch of great local bands, the Mayor, members of the City Council, and a lot of people who believe cars aren’t the only way to traverse the city will be partying at Nectar Lounge. The Kickoff Party and Fundraiser is for the Streets For All Seattle non-profit campaign, which seeks to make walking, bicycling and transit the easiest means of transportation in Seattle.
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This blogger and avid biker/bus rider has been volunteering his time and passion for local music to get some kickass bands involved with the event. If you haven’t checked these groups out, I highly recommend seeming them live.
They are all pros at moving a crowd:
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Hot Bodies in Motion
(http://www.facebook.com/hotbodiesinmotion)
To the Sea
(http://www.myspace.com/totheseaband)
C-LEB
(http://www.myspace.com/c-leb)
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Come support a great organization and relish in the fact that your money will go towards supporting and growing alternative transportation in your own city (don’t let Portland keep showing us up). Plus, you’ll get to see fun bands, who are generously donating their time, while drinking beers alongside your local government; and that’s pretty rare!!! Better make sure you don’t say something dumb (leave that to me).
Say “Hi”, if you can find me [hint: check the bar].
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When: July 29th @ 7PM
Where: Nectar Lounge
Cost: $10 Suggested Donation
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For more info check out the Facebook event!
C-Leb, Hot Bodies in Motion, and To The Sea @ Nectar!
Come party with great local bands, the Mayor, members of the City Council, and a lot of people who believe cars aren’t the only way to traverse the city will be partying at Nectar Lounge. The Kickoff Party and Fundraiser is for the Streets For All Seattle non-profit campaign, which seeks to make walking, bicycling and transit the easiest means of transportation in Seattle.
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Support alternative transportation in your city, drink beers alongside your local government, And check out these amazing local groups that are pros at moving a crowd:
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Hot Bodies in Motion
(http://www.facebook.com/hotbodiesinmotion)
To the Sea
(http://www.myspace.com/totheseaband)
C-LEB
(http://www.myspace.com/c-leb)
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Details:
When: July 29th @ 7PM
Where: Nectar Lounge
Cost: $10 Suggested Donation (feel free to give more!)
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For more info check out the Facebook event!
Girls Rock! Seattle Summer Camp 2010 Showcase
Great music all summer long in Seattle is a given, and, as of 2008, we are also home to a fantastic and praiseworthy summer camp, Girls Rock! Seattle. Seattle’s talented female artists are volunteering their time and musical expertise so that 80 girls from ages 8-16 will get a chance to express themselves, make noise, build self-esteem, and learn the whole gamut of the music process. The mission of the organizations is to, “provide girls with an opportunity to participate in an environment that fosters leadership, encourages social change, and cultivates a supportive community of female peers and mentors.”
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The week long camp, from July 26-July 31, culminates with a showcase at Neumos on July 31 at 1pm. Show your support and check out Seattle’s latest talented young women. Get tickets here.
Where: Neumos
When: July 31 @ 1PM
Cost:$10
Get ready for Girls Rock! Seattle
Great music all summer long in Seattle is a given, and, as of 2008, we are also home to a fantastic and praiseworthy summer camp, Girls Rock! Seattle. Seattle’s talented female artists are volunteering their time and musical expertise so that 80 girls from ages 8-16 will get a chance to express themselves, make noise, build self-esteem, and learn the whole gamut of the music process. The mission of the organizations is to, “provide girls with an opportunity to participate in an environment that fosters leadership, encourages social change, and cultivates a supportive community of female peers and mentors.”
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The goal of the camp is to demonstrate that, “every genre of music, every technical job, and every creative endeavor in the music industry is available to any girl or woman who wants to explore it.” The week long camp covers a lot, from playing an instrument, songwriting, zine making, self-defense, the history of women in music, and it even has a dj workshop.
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One interesting class hopes to make up for a big gap in the music industry, as the audio engineering field remains underrepresented with less than 5% of the field being female. Local musician and female producer, Anomie Belle, will be bringing awareness to the field in her class, Recording and Production Workshop, which will cover how to take recording into your own hands. She’ll be teaching, “how the pros make records with digital audio recording and virtual instruments through software programs like Protools, Reason, and Ableton Live.”
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Now that you’re caught on to another thing we are doing right in Seattle for music, make sure to show your support for this awesome non-profit. The week long camp, from July 26-July 31, culminates with a showcase at Neumos on July 31 at 1pm. Get tickets here.
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Keep up the great work. Seattle Subsonic applauds you!
Hot Bodies In Motion @ High Dive Tonight [7/3]
Why I’m promoting this show: I found this band playing a block party, on a closed off street, in Wallingford; I was just walking by and stopped to check them out for 2 straight hours, because they never stopped playing. They had set up on their front lawn with amps and proceeded to entertain a handful of neighbors (and kids). Points for that! Plus, they were really damn good; Ben Carson was friendly with the crowd and had a solid voice, as did Zach Fleury. Hot Bodies In Motion played a strong set of original danceable indie blues rock material, then switched it up with cover songs for the neighbors, some jamming, and finally struggled through a hilarious rock version of Alladin’s, “A Whole New World” by request for the kids.
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It was a strange way to come upon a new band and, sadly, their posted tracks on Myspace/Facebook don’t yet do them any justice. I recommend checking these guys out tonight. And to keep watching them. For a better feel, watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDnjQgJIfJk
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I might request Disney songs.
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High Dive -Sat. 7/3 – 9:30 PM – $7
Hot Bodies In Motion
Cornerstate
The Throwbax
Fremont's Full Of Music This Weekend
If naked bicyclists and bizarre floats aren’t enough to fulfill your overcast Solstice weekend, then get behind an awesome free music lineup. Check out: http://www.fremontfair.org/music/
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My recommendations:
Saturday – Loosen up to some funk and jammy ska rock; proceed to mellow out with some folk and indie rock groups (who are on the rise) for FREE!!:
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2:30pm- Eldridge Gravy & The Court Supreme
3:45pm- Panda Conspiracy
4:15pm – Ravenna Woods
7:00pm – To the Sea
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Then, drink some beers, pretend it was sunny all day, and head to the Big High CD release @ the High Dive. I’ve been interested to see what this pool of Seattle rock vets (and some gnarly beards) have put together, including drummer Barrett Martin (from Screaming Trees and Mad Season), bassist Sandy (he’s in a dozen bands), Mesa and Ari (who have their own duo act). That should be good times, post-watching the sunset over at Golden Gardens.
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Sunday – Find a bloody mary [several] and an omelet (Mae’s or Pete’s Egg nest?); get back in the game. Wander around the fair and let me know, which Sunday acts were worth checking out. I’m unfamiliar.
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4:00pm – Thaddillac – I was listening to his stuff and its good (and hard to spell 2 ‘d’s and 2 ‘l’s. ok. got it). Thaddeus Turner is Seattle’s guitarist extraordinaire, as lead guitarist for Maktub and touring guitarist for too many great bands to mention (look it up). He’s made a long overdue solo debut and I think it’ll be worth checking out.
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Recover.
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You’ve got a busy summer of music ahead.
Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside Is Impressive
Noise for the Needy kicked off last night with 4 bands at Chop Suey. The lineup from start to finish made for a very long show, but Portland band, Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside were worth the wait.
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Like an actress from the Wonder Years, Sallie Ford took to the stage with 60-70s style clothes, glasses, and big hair with bangs; plus her guitar. I really didn’t know what to expect. Her voice was a complete surprise; rough, high pitched and perfect. Possibly one octave away from being super annoying, but it never reaches that point and remains enthralling. Her sound was a mix of the past (20′s-30′s jazz gospel?) with a modern sense and updated lyrics, not afraid to be explicit. This was fun; real fucking fun!
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The dwindled crowd made up for the previously passive crowd and took to all forms of retro dance and swinging each other around. I had been contently dancing near the bar, but I do have to give special mention to the random patron on the dance floor that slowly (and hilariously) reeled us down to the dance floor with persistent hand gestures. While it was a sweaty mess, it was far more entertaining down there (thanks).
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The band supporting Sallie was also amazing. A big portion of the stage was filled with an upright bass, which is a great thing, and was accompanied by a drummer and a guitarist. They made some good music!
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Also, of mention, was the first ever performance (I believe) from Soul Jelly, a 10 or 12 person funk band who filled the stage and pulled off near perfect covers of George Clinton and the Parliament Funks hits. I say near perfect because, while the sound was spot on, P-Funk is all about the funky looks (including the guy in the diaper and whatever has been braided into George’s hair throughout the years). But they’re also about high ticket prices, so maybe Soul Jelly can fill the void for the thriftier folk.
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So, in review: 4 bands, $8 dollars, and the money is donated to Teen Feed (an awesome cause). There’s no downside that.
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Seriously. Go check out a Noise for the Needy show this week!
