Seattle Subsonic - Music
Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head…
…is not that hot. But this is:
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Me + Yr Daughter
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A little Thursday morning pick-me-up. Glistening Pleasure is out now, but you can listen to more here.
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TV on the Radio Tix 2 for 1! (er 2 for 2)
Well we may have initially encouraged everyone to get tickets to see TV on the Radio play the Showbox as soon as they went on sale, (as well you SHOULD have) but as it turns out good things come to those who wait(ed).
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For today (Tues Aug 26th) only, the Showbox is offering a 2-for-1 discount for TV ON THE RADIO! That comes to $11.50 a ticket… then you add in TicketBastard’s “fuck you” charges and well, I guess you’re looking at full priced tickets again. At least you don’t have to drive down to the Showbox box office to get them. Just click on this ticket link and enter the password “dearscience” to get a pair of tickets for half er, full price.
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Or.. you could just drive down to the Showbox, grab your tickets at the box office there and enjoy the Green Room’s Happy Hour Specials. $2 domestic bottles, $3 micorbrews and draft beers, $3 well drinks, $1 off appetizers. Yeah, do that. Screw TicketBastard. They friggen suck a mule.
A Club of Their Own? A Bit of Liars Club + Free EP
Went and saw The Liars Club Saturday night at The Bit Saloon. Perfect place to see them. Seemed like their kind of crowd.
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Interesting night all around…Monty Python references abounded–from the ‘Spam’ door stamp, to the “I Fart in Your General Direction” t-shirt the bartender wore. Didn’t help that my buddy and I had just randomly seen the Spam sketch prior to heading out that night. Was it predisposition or preordained?–I’ll never tell.
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I must admit, I didn’t catch much more than peripheral audio from opening band, Pablo Trucker–not an indictment of their music, it’s just that I happened to be playing the world’s longest game of “Elvira” pinball ever. Won’t bore you with the details, but suffice to say The Bit’s table ain’t quite right.
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I was pleasantly surprised by the unassuming Seeing Blind. They had energy, something very unique to offer, and even though their tunes weren’t really my thing the crowd seemed to be enjoying themselves. I mean they have a cellist, fer chrissakes! And her contributions were no gimmicky afterthought. Overall, quirky, skillful, arty stuff without putting on arty attitude. Check ‘em out if you like your rock infused with a bit of jazz and an odd quasi-mix of Throwing Muses, Jeff Buckley and Tori Amos. (Don’t blame them if the comparisons are off. Again, not my area of expertise).
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Round about midnightish The Liars Club came on. Guitarist, Chris, had let me in on the prior night’s drama–Bassist, Alex, had either severely sprained and/or broken his left fretboard-fingering wrist. Thing was all swollen up and wrapped in a brace, but there he was–ingesting various suggested ‘pain-relievers’ and downing medicinal adult-libations. And at the volume The Liars Club played, I can honestly say I couldn’t tell if Alex was ‘on’ or ‘gone’. It was my first time seeing The Liars Club live, and I gotta say they did not disappoint. Sufficiently loud, sufficiently energetic (especially with newish drummer, Steve), and sufficiently polite (singer K.C praised a show-goer for his ‘metal-hair’). It’s true–dude was fully metal from the frizz halo around his Mustaine-do to the toes of his butt-rockin’ boots. The Liars Club weren’t dissin’ on him either–they were sincerely appreciative of his attendance and style. That about sums up their vibe that night. Happy to rock some faces, and makin’ the best of The Bit’s small space (K.C patrolled the crowd like a death-spiraling fish in a tank). I’ll give ‘em a Bronze, with most of the minus being a technical deduction for the apparent physical handicap. Nevertheless, they medal (or should I say ‘metal’)–and I’m pretty sure next time I see them they’ll stand taller on the podium. (and there will be a next time).
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If there’s anyone out there who hasn’t heard The Liars Club’s latest efforts, I’d advise you to have a listen. Feel free to download the entire EP with the last link.
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Wide Open Beaver
Wedgewood Hop
Trust Fund
Born on a Friday
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Download Entire Liars Club EP
New Album Details From The Thermals (!)
Hey dudes, your favorite punk band from Portland, owners of bouncy hair, jaded views of institutional Christianity, and several orange t-shirts have come forth with some new details regarding their 4th LP, allegedly due in the Spring of 2009. Last time they played here in Seattle, they dropped the hint that it might be called One Special Enjoy.
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From the band’s myspace blog:
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The demos are gone! Thanks to everyone for listening and for all your sweet comments, but we can’t have anyone developing strong emotional attachments to them, ourselves included. It’s what producer John Congleton calls demo-itis. It is a terrible disease that can affect us all. Kathy and I just finished tracking the ACTUAL RECORD with John at Supernatural Sound in Oregon City, or as we call it up here the N-dub OC. We recorded 15 songs and we must say we are thrilled with the sound, and we think you will be as well! We will be mixing the record next month in Dallas with John at his studio Elmwood. Still planning on an early spring 09 release, stay tuned! Track list below, so when we start playing shows again people can request songs they haven’t heard yet.
xoxo
h
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Well, that’s simply awesome. I’m excited. Also, check out these videos from mtv.com to watch Kathy (on drums!) and Hutch play “live” demos of “I Let It Go” and “You Dissolve”.
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Tracklisting (numbering my own):
1 When I Died
2 I Called Out Your Name
3 When I Was Afraid
4 Liquid In, Liquid Out
5 I Let It Go
6 At The Bottom Of The Sea
7 When We Were Alive
8 My World
9 Now We Can See
10 We Were Sick
11 How We Fade
12 Time Fell
13 I Think Of You
14 You Dissolve
15 Everything Is Thermal
Happiness… is a Cheap Beer.
Last night, The Seattle Subsonic Happy Hour at MOE Bar went over like a Twinkie at fat camp. The turnout was good enough to warrant this becoming a monthly event, the next happening Thurs Sept 18th and then the third Thurs of each following month. Mark it down! Do it!
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It was great to see everyone who made it out as we loaded our guts with $2 beers and unloaded a giant pile of CDs, tickets and other music schwag. Nobody was kidnapped by roving bands of bike messengers and evidence points to everyone making it out of the bar on their own accord (though that might NOT be a sign of a good party). Some would call that successful.
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Special thanks to Light in the Attic Records for being present and for bringing a box full of goodies. There were some damn happy folks leaving MOE Bar that night with prize packages that were practically LITA’s entire catalog. One can only assume it will help to spread the good word. Kudos to The Liars Club for making an appearance and handing all the kiddies a free copy of their EP. If you didn’t get one, you can download the EP Free here. The Liars Club plays the Bit Saloon in Ballard this Saturday night (Aug 23rd). I recommend dropping any other plans you may have as they intend to blow the front windows right the frick outta the place. Members of Safe Passage Clause also swung in with copies of their new EP and C-Leb had tentative news of an full-length album releasing Oct 31st. You’ll be hearing more about both very soon. Universal Music deserves a bow for supplying great pile of goodies for give-aways as well. (This it starting to sound like the friggen Oscars, isn’t it..? “I’d like to thank the bartenders, and Miller for making the High Life, and…” OK, enough already.)
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Here’s to seeing repeat offenders for Sept 18th… and to aspirin… guh.
And now… back to the music.
New Music Wednesday Round Up
Hello there. Here are some new developments from some of the bands you and I have been tracking recently. Some are local, some are not, all may be worth your time…that is, if your time is valuable. If you’ve got some sort of lazy/sloth/no-energy thing goin’ on, I can’t help you. You can only help yourself. Get off the couch.
Jaguar Love - This Portland band’s first record, Take Me to the Sea on Matador Records, hit stores yesterday (Aug 19th). Johnny Whitney is fast becoming one of the more “polarizing” figures in rock music (if he wasn’t already), but his off-the-wall approach to lyrics and vocals, coupled with catchy guitar-and-drum trade-offs from Cody Votolato and J Clark make for a worthwhile listen. There’s that word again. Watch the group’s first video and read my review here.
Past Lives - Another Blood Brother spin-off, this local quartet has been busy creating moody, rock-punk of their own explosive variety. They recently signed to Seattle label Suicide Squeeze and have released a stellar 5-song EP, Strange Symmetry. Sample the entire album here and download it for just 5 bucks. Pressings will be released November 4th.
These Arms Are Snakes - The band with my favorite name ever is set to release a few new projects. One, their collaboration with Pelican will be available during their upcoming tour with Suicide Squeeze labelmates sBACH. (Tour starts Aug 31st at Bumbershoot.) Two, their 3rd full-length, Tail, Swallower & Dove will be released October 7th. Check the band’s new blog for a song from T,S&D to be posted soon. [Update 8/22: "Red Line Season" is now up on the band's myspace.]
Deerhunter - Seriously, people have GOT to start talking more about this band. They’re not hard, they’re not soft, they’re just intricately…right. The arrangements exhibited on their records, Cryptograms in particular, are astonishing and main ‘hunter Bradford Cox reminds me of a more subtle Lou Reed with actual singing skills. The Velvet Undergound was never this exhaustive, however. Microcastle, the new LP, is now available on iTunes; hardcopies due in October.
TV on the Radio - Apparently you can stream the first song released from Dear Science—due for release September 23rd—but all I can hear is the first 90 seconds. It sounds like Prince.
Venus Verse - And, finally, a little local band we’re friendly with has cancelled their show at the Skylark Aug 29th. But, in good faith, it’s because the band is working on their second EP. They’ve recorded a new single that’s a ”pretty poppy, uptempo little number and might remind you of a prom in the early eighties”. Awesome. Download their excellent debut here. Seriously, do it.
One more update…
Head Like A Kite - You’ve most likely heard Dave Einmo’s ubiquitous album There is Loud Laughter Everywhere already, but if not, feel free to stream the record in it’s entirety on Mush’s website. Be the internet.
OMG, ANOTHER update…
Talkdemonic - This Portland-based electro-acoustic instrumental duo is getting set to release their 3rd LP, Eyes At Half Mast, on September 16th. Their last record, Beat Romantic, was an amazing musical landscape of powerful percussion, beautiful viola accompaniment, and lush electronic displays floating throughout. Listen to new song “March Movement” here.
Third Annual Reverb Fest is A’brewin…
Seattle Weekly’s third Annual Reverb Fest is going to be talking control of practically every stage, nook and cranny of the bars and venues in Ballard on Saturday, October 4th 2008. There are grand plans of having over 60 local bands play throughout the day, and that # is most likely going to be realized. Details on the whole event are rather vague right now as to stage/venue times but some things I DO know are that the booking is in the care of Kwab Copeland, former booker for Sunset and recently departed from the Hi-Dive to focus on events such as this and Sunday Bloody Sunset. I also know that we do have a couple friends and site favorites playing the “big show”.
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Panda and Angel are currenly recording a new full length with Ben Kersten ( of Grand Archives). Seems to be a pretty good fit for a style they proclaim as “a poignant memoir of melancholic regret, cathartic revelations and vibrant but tempered pop orchestrations.” I’ll be interested to see if Ben makes an appearance this night. Below is a little sample from their self-titled EP.
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Man Plus bring their undefinable offerings to whichever of Ballards rock altars they end up playing. It’s like a giant mystery unfolding ain’t it?
You can check here for LB’s full review on their latest album
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One of Seattle Subsonic’s old friends, C-Leb is allso on the bill.
C-Leb is also working on a new full-length slated for release on Halloween, I can only hope we hear something off it before then.
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17th Chapter, another of our favorites, also have a spot reserved someplace in the mayhem. But your guess is as good as mine as to where right now. I’m betting on the Tractor as it totally suits their country-esque style of the rock.
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I just hope all these guys aren’t playing at the same time in different venues, but trusting my luck, they probably are. I guess this is my plea to Kwab and the planners.
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Here are some others I found announced. Consider this your own personal playlist for getting to know your local bands:
Husbands, Love Your Wives
Greyskul
Onry Ozzborn & The Gigantics
See Me River
DJ B-Girl
Truckasauras
The Braille Tapes
Wizdom
The Moondoggies
Red Jacket Mine
Little Penguins
Elder Mason
Blood Red Dancers
Hazelwood Motel
Michael Vermillion
IMAGUN
Kublakai (of the Let Go)
The Lonely Forest
The Curious Mystery
Neon Nights
Coffin Break
Emeralds
Black Whales
Thee Sgt Major III
The More We Get Together, The Happier We’ll Be
So let’s get straight to the point here.
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Seattle Subsonic is throwin a happy hour ho-down, this Thursday, August 21st at MOE Bar (attached to Neumos) from 5-8:00pm.
That’s 3 full hours of happy… uh, hours. A real deal, seat of your pantaloons, mondo fiesta and we’re comin’ in loaded with bunches of schwag to hand out from a host of local and national bands, some super neat-o buttons (ooh buttons), and buckets of random music trivia. We may just spare you the trivia.
This is all about cheap drinks and cheap thrills so grab your cheap dates, a fist full of singles and let’s have us a party.
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Joining us along with will piles of local music celebs, will be our special guests (and Seattle label) Light in the Attic Records. We’ve been getting real familiar with LITA over the past couple years with their incredible debut releases from local favorites The Saturday Knights and The Blakes, as well as helping The Black Angels put out their mesmerizing sophomore album, Directions to See a Ghost. These guys also have a gift for reaching into the past and digging out some serious treasures - better than finding out you’re really David Bowie’s kid. (Aw yeah, that’d be AWESOME!) Some of their reissues have been the ruby slipper of soundtracks, The Harold and Maude, a revival of Seattle own funkmasters, Wheedle’s Groove, and their upcoming release, Cold Fact, from Rodriguez, the Motor City’s pride from the 60’s and 70’s. All helping keep up Seattle’s rep of being a music mecca.
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Light in the Attic MIGHT just be carrying a bag full of goodies for all you kiddies.
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If that don’t getcha, let’s talk about 2’s.
$2 bottles, $2 wells, some $2 drafts, and $2 off grub.
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2 Legit..
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Cuz your friends are my friends,
and my friends are your friends.
The more we get together,
the happier we’ll be.
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See you on Thursday.
R.I.P. DRM
That’s Digital Rights Management.
As a refresher, DRM is coding built into media files that limits the number of users that can access/play that file. Sometimes, as in the case of iTunes music store, a song I buy can be played on up to four other devices that I “authorize”. For instance, I have three Macs, an iPod and now an iPhone. I can’t send you an iTunes Music Store purchase with my iTunes password, as my devices use up my 5 licenses. Bummer, right? Apple and others set this up their music stores like this so they’d play nice with the captains of the music industry.
But what if you could play music in your friend’s iTunes library without ever having to take possession of those MP3/AAC files? Uh oh. DRM doesn’t mean jack all of the sudden.
I found an app this week that allows me to stream the music library of up to 30 other users to my computer or phone, and I immediately began to think of how irrelevant DRM had become. I’ll spare the sales pitch of this program, but it works in the same way as opening your notebook in a coffee shop and seeing the shared libraries of other people in the room. Except now, those shared libraries belong to up to 30 of your friends, and they don’t even have to be in the same time zone as you. And I can play songs from those libraries whether I am on my Mac at home or using my iPhone. Yeah, suddenly battling for a 16GB iPhone over an 8GB model doesn’t seem to mean jack, either. Having potentially 30 other libraries from which to stream tunes, in addition to the power of services like Last.fm and Pandora, makes a pretty strong case for the music industry to declare DRM dead.
Saturday Knights have a treat for ya… and it’s better than pie!
They’ve played the KEXP BBQ - they rocked down at the Capitol Hill block party - damn, they even hosted a donut eating conpetition at Top Pot donuts. The Saturday Knights have been every friggen place there is to be unleashing the latest and greatest from their new album “Mingle“. Hell, we’ve sat here and ranted about the album until we were red in the face and peed out pants a little. But have you gone out and bought the album… HMMM?!?! OK some of you have, and to you I say kudos and congrats at having the summer’s official theme music fully pumping through your systems while rollin Broadway in your whip lookin for freaks and flippin your switches. I also say sorry for what’s coming next.
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Light in the Attic is releasing the entire TSK Mingle album for FREE!
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Indeed, it’s true. and after tax that comes to $FREE.99. For those who didn’t get that, let me reiterate. Reach in your pocket, grab your wallet, throw it in the garbage, cuz you don’t need that isht. (that’s radio edit for feces) Just click here and you will soon own what DJ100Proof calls ” something different. And believe me when I tell you…different is good. As in the best Seattle release of 2008 good.”
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On another note (that is if you’re still here and not busy downloading) you can come hang with some of the LITA folks and grab some cool schwag at the Seattle Subsonic Happy Hour this upcoming Thursday Aug 21st 5-8pm at MOE Bar (attached to Neumos) There’ll be cheap drinks so bring your cheap dates. More on that coming very soon.
The Universal, Built to Spill @ Showbox Mkt
| Thursday, September 4, 2008 | ||
| 8:00 pm |
Babydollars (PDX)
The Universal (Temporarily in Idaho)
Built to Spill (Idaho)
Thursday, 4 September @ Showbox Market
8PM, $25, 21+
For an opening act, Doug Martsch has borrowed a four-piece outfit called The Universal from the planet Kinktubulonus. While BtS is celebrating their 1997 major-label debut, “Perfect From Now On” by playing it in its entirety, The Universal might round out their set with a cover of The Wellwater Conspiracy’s “Daybed” top to bottom.
Nevertheless, get to the show early to catch the opener. Their craft departs at midnight from the roof of the Westin.
CSS @ Showbox
| Thursday, September 18, 2008 | ||
| 8:00 pm |
Thursday, September 18th @ Showbox (Market)
Doors @ 8
$20 ADV/$22 DOS
All ages
Remember that catchy Apple iPod Touch commercial, ‘Music is my boyfriend…’? Well, the song’s actually called Musk is my Hot Hot Sex, by Brazilian-signed-Subpop group Cansei de Ser Sexy, or C.S.S. (the Portuguese band name literally means ‘tired of being sexy’). Their second album, Donkey, was released last month and they’re touring all over, including a stop at Subpop headquarters of course. Despite having received mediocre reviews, I think Donkey’s a hit. It’s a catchier and more refined spin-off of their previous self-titled release, which was full to the brim thrashy electro-punk-rock. Heavy synth, raging guitar, unrelenting beat, blunt spoken and conversational vox, poppy undertones, and plenty adolescent attitude. CSS is one example of Subpop’s more recent efforts of dabbling into refreshing new territory.
