Seattle Subsonic - Seattle Music Scene
Whoa. Sub Pop Scores Major Coup, Signs Shabazz Palaces
Per KEXP. (Update: And now the label itself. You can get a free 5-song sampler there.)I think this is an incredibly smart and intelligent move for both band and label. Sub Pop has always shown an ability to morph with the times (their recent world music collaboration with Jon Kertzer a good example), and teaming up with Seattle’s most innovative and intriguing hip hop act in years, if not ever, should reap benefits. We should see some exciting exposure for Butterfly and his mate, Tendai Maraire, and of course, new music. Kudos to one of the best labels around, period.
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Funny anecdote: When I was looking up on Vimeo that Jaill video I posted last night, I noticed Sub Pop also had added this Shabazz video to their profile, which I thought was weird. “Weird,” I said to myself. Now I know why. AND KNOWING’S HALF THE BATTLE. It’s old, but I never posted it, so here you go, watch it again.
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More on Shabazz Palaces from me here (.mp3s) and here (CHBP review).
YellowFever, Flexions, & Stephanie At Cairo Friday Night
Tomorrow night is Friday. Friday is a good night for doing things and having fun. With that logic in hand, I’ll assert an option of the show-going variety to my dear like-minded readers; that is, if you consider yourselves “dear” and/or “like-minded”. Cairo, which opened a little more than two years ago, is a small venue/art space over on Mercer St. (between Summit and Belmont). It has developed a wonderful habit of hosting shows featuring many of those deviant subterranean bands who I spend so much time blabbering on about here on SSS. Bands like U.S.F., PWRFL Power, Talbot Tagora, White Rainbow, Big Spiders Back, Butts, Katharine Hepburn’s Voice, and Partman Parthorse. The space is filled with far-out farrago and mixed-up mélange that aims to warm your heart, bedeck your body and shatter your conventions. Much like the music it decides to showcase.
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Tomorrow’s bill will feature a few local bands I’ve mentioned in the past, Flexions and Stephanie. Flexions are a groovy and menacing dub-rock trio featuring Devin Welch from Past Lives on guitar/vocals and Tyler Swan from Truckasauras on drums. Robin Stein plays bass and also sings. I haven’t seen them since the Block Party of 2009 (my video here), when Swan’s predecessor was a drum machine, but word has it the live skin-pounder and widened scope of interest has subtly transformed their militant, often steely, post-punk into something more ominous and bedazzling. You can listen to their self-titled EP here (drag the faders for each song). You might recall my review of Stephanie’s weird-pop debut back in June. While it did feel incomplete, it did show extreme promise with jaunty, Casio-worn tracks like “Freak Flag” and “WASP”. Expect something buoyant, unfamiliar and stylish.
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The “headliner” is the Austin duo YellowFever, whom I know little about, other than the pop classicism tunes they have on myspace immediately grabbed me (go figger). The band features core members Jennifer Moore (guitar/vocals) and Adam Jones (drums, etc.) and has a few releases under its belt. Moore sings with a smokey sort of nonchalance (often about cats, incidentally), coming off both aloof and impassioned as she chooses her octaves wisely. Her concise guitar melodies contradict the rambling, rumbling jazz-inspired drum parts Jones favors. Their off-kilter approach to pop is not unlike Micachu and the Shapes. Kudos to whoever put this bill together—should be a good one.
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8pm
$5
all ages
The Best Venue You Have Yet To Go To
I got the chance this past week to get a behind the scenes tour of the newly revamped Columbia City Theater. Kevin Sur, resident booker and historian, and Abbey Simmons, press relations, gave me the low-down on the Theater, where it’s been, and where it’s heading.
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“The Columbia City Theater was built in 1917 and is the oldest vaudeville theater in the state of Washington. Having played a major role in the Seattle Jazz boom in the 40′s, the theater played host to the likes of Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Fats Waller.” [taken from Columbia City's website] It’s reportedly one of the first venues at which Jimmy Hendrix performed in the 1960s.
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The current owners, CB Shamah and Rob Hillman, were originally looking to open a bar. They wanted a place that could house fun and unique events. They found out the theater was for sale, and brought on Kevin Sur to take on the task of putting together one of the finest music venues in town—and he succeeded. After about five months of renovations and updates, the Columbia City Theater now hosts a beautiful stage—the type with deep red curtains and fantastic moldings that really makes you feel like you are watching a show back in the vaudeville days. The lighting in the theater is beautiful as well, using old halogen bulbs instead of L.E.D.s (which many venues use), lending a wonderful warmth to the space.
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Jim Anderson (of The Crocodile fame) was brought in to handle sound for the remodeled theater. He came in with a different, “less is more” approach, and he was able to get the best sound I have heard in Seattle. The room was built with such great acoustics that it does not take much to get optimal sound in the place. Just two main speakers and four massive subs fill your ears with the beauty of the music and nothing else.
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Kevin has put together one of the finest places for touring musicians to have a chance to play. The Theater now boasts a full bath and shower—and for anyone who has been on the road touring, there is nothing like a shower to make you feel human again. They also have two great green rooms for artists to relax in. Perfect places to kick back and forget the troubles of the road.
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One of the best things that I got a chance to see and learn was the Theater’s recording studio. Gary Mula, who used to be over at The Dutchman (which was home to many early Sub Pop bands like Mudhoney, and Soundgarden) runs the studio Sunday through Thursday, enabling the Theater to offer any musicians who play there a live recording. I had the chance to hear a few tracks from the recent Maldives show, which sounded great, since they have multi-track recording built right into the sound board. In the future, they plan to release more live recordings and even DVDs of live performances.
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With a fantastic D.I.Y approach to space and sound, the guys and girls over at the Columbia City Theater are ushering in a new era to the local music scene. If you have yet to catch a show there, they have plenty of great artists coming up. Head over to their website to find out more about upcoming shows and events.
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Big thanks to Abbey and Kevin for Showing me around!
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It’s Gonna Get Hot Tomorrow Night at Cafe Fusion!
You all love KEXP, right? Well then here’s a show you won’t want to miss! Tomorrow, Saturday, August 7th, indie surf pop darlings The Hot Toddies will be performing at Fusion Cafe, a little known, yet wonderful, all ages venue in the heart of downtown! If you’re in the know, then you’ve already been here to see one of the numerous national touring artist that has performed here in the last year and a half. But if not, here is your chance!
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For all you avid KEXP listeners our there, you’ll remember The Hot Toddies from back in 2007 when their last album was released and they got major airplay on the station. In fact, they even did a great live in-studio performance (that you can listen to here). I think that the band’s bio gives the best description I have heard of them yet: “Oakland’s sweethearts,The Hot Toddies, mix 1950’s beach pop with indie rock riffs, a bottle of whiskey and a dry sense of humor.”
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Along with the Toddies, a bunch of other great local bands will be performing. There will be great acoustic sets from Chris Crusher (of Smokejumper, who were recently named one of the next 5 Seattle bands to get signed), Jefferson Death Star (Ryan Koreski from the Damage Done, another band who was also on that list mentioned above), MT148 (melodic singer/songwriter indie with inspirations ranging from the Weakerthans and Apple Seed Cast to the Murder City Devils), and Arms Like Cables (two guys playing together that sound like Chuck Ragan)! In short, it’s a show you don’t wanna miss. And do note…IT STARTS EARLY! 7PM.
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So, be sure to come out out if you love bands that “[blend] 60’s pop, doo-wop, and beautiful harmonies,” or local music. Either way, you will not be disappointed!
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Saturday, August 7th
The Hot Toddies (http://www.myspace.com/thehottoddies)
Chris Crusher (of Smokejumper)
Jefferson Death Star (http://www.myspace.com/therealjeffersondeathstar)
MT148 (http://www.myspace.com/mt148)
Arms Like Cables
@ The Fusion Cafe (909 4th Ave)
$6 – 7PM
The Halcyon Digest Experiment
Bands these days are continually coming up with new ways to promote their music and get their fans invested in their art. Deerhunter has proven adept at this strategy, and the latest stunt for their forthcoming album, entitled Halcyon Digest, is no exception. About a month ago, the Atlanta queer-pop/ghost-rock band asked their fans to be a willing street promo army, print out a light pole flyer (that Bradford Cox created on a Xerox machine), put it somewhere public, and then snap a photo. They asked the pictures then be sent to them, wherein they would reciprocate with free music, the first single from the new record. I, of course, participated.
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A few days after I sent in my photos, I received the email, giddy as Augustus Gloop swimming in Willy Wonka’s chocolate river. Naturally, before I could even head to the website and redeem my spoils, the .mp3s, complete with “secret” password and instructions, were plastered all over the overindulgent internet. Apparently, my belief in well-earned exclusivity was shortsighted; nothing is neither sacred nor secret anymore. The band eventually asked that the password and instructions be removed. They did post a gallery with all 328 participants. You can view all those entries here; mine’s in there somewhere!
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So what’s that popular acquiescent phrase again? “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”? That’s right. Since everyone and their mother (who’re Deerhunter fans, anyway) already has these, I’ve no qualms about now sharing the music here. After all, “Revival” is an airy Deerhunter ditty, with some light, foot stompin’ giddy-up, throwback rhythms and a seemingly southern religious bent. The B Side is “Primitive 3D”, a short, driving psych pop tune with a 90 second plaintive piano outro.
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Halcyon Digest will be out September 28 on 4AD (looks like they’ve eschewed their relationship with Kranky Records…?). The band will be playing the Showbox Market October 27th with Real Estate (yes!) and Casino Versus Japan. It should go without saying that I’m extremely excited. Track listing and cover art for the new record after the jump/cut/fold/whatever.
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Zola Jesus Is The New Siouxsie Sioux…And I’m OK With That
There’s been something of a recent revolution regarding female pop musicians the past few years. I think Lady Gaga has quite a bit to do with it, as her off-the-wall corporal decor has made her middling pop anthems all the more entertaining. Her bizarro, anything-goes MO has even provoked well-worn label queens like Beyoncé and Xtina to rethink their own yawn-inducing images, even if those maneuvers reeked of predictable copycat recycling. And while Gaga and her pro-gay, not-totally-lame dance music ethos is intriguing—especially considering all the shock-and-awe videos—it’s still nail-bitingly mainstream. Fortunately, there is a counterbalance even more outlandish in the form of Karin Dreijer Andersson, aka Fever Ray, aka one half of The Knife. Her music is stunning, and so is her style. Just a peek at one or two of her bone-chilling videos and you’ll likely give her the weirdo crown, which she’ll promptly back up with excellent electro-goth spook jams.
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The impact has also been felt locally, as Seattle has its own burgeoning Gaga-wannabe in Lisa Dank, and I’ll even throw in progressive space cadets THEESatisfaction, who can rock the house with the best of them. So with all those handy reference points in tow, I finally come to the ultimate subject: Zola Jesus. A 21-year-old Wisconsin witch-rocker riding a recent comeuppance, Zola Jesus (born Nika Roza Danilova) is the artistic offshoot of many performers both past and present. Fever Ray and Gaga, of course, come to mind easily. Bat For Lashes, who’s swirling nocturnal ambiance ZJ also seems to have been taken by, is another. But it’s particularly difficult not to reminisce of the great banshee herself, Siouxsie Sioux, when listening to ZJ, whose voices were undoubtedly linked in another lifetime. Her music doesn’t have quite the punk element that SS often had, but the harrowing, deep-octave despair is spot on. And I’m ok with that; Gaga, after all, is basically just a carefully versed combination of Elton John, Michael Jackson and Madonna. So the revolution continues, as solo female artists are taking more and more risks to separate themselves from the swarm. For her part, Zola Jesus has this slick new video, which combines spooky, sci-fi aesthetics with warm, lovelorn emotion. It might just be the elbow room she needs to rise above.
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“Night” is the first track of her Stridulum EP, which came out March 9th on Sacred Bones Records. My trusty CHBP companion and I regrettably missed her set at the Vera Stage a few weeks back, but she’ll next appear in Seattle September 25th, opening for the xx at the Paramount.
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!
EXTEND BAR SERVICE HOURS POLL!!
The Mayor has released his new Nightlife initiative. He is getting feedback on it via an online poll. Please make sure you voice is heard!
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Take it HERE! It takes 5 minutes. If you want extended service hours, tell them here!
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Filling out this survery WILL really make a difference. PLEASE do this. And pass it on to other supporters of nightlife you know.
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It takes 5 minutes. If you want extended service hours, tell them here!
Seattle Grunge by Justin Henderson
As much of a cultural impact Grunge music had on the world, it didn’t really last all that long, at least not in its heyday. Then again, The Beatles lasted only seven years, and Jimi Hendrix made music for only four years, and they are considered some of the most influential of all time. Sometimes all it takes is to take a chance and hope your music connects with someone, which is ironic considering the majority of grunge musicians had no aspirations to be famous; they just wanted to make music.
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Grunge Seattle (written by Justin Henderson and published by Roaring Forties Press) takes a combination of all known Seattle grunge musicians and explains how the music they made came to be. It is well known that Seattle is the Mecca of all things grunge, but was it ever apparent why this was the case? What is it about this area that influenced musicians to create a style of music that, at least at the time, went completely against the grain? Henderson doesn’t just take this at face value, he does a good job explaining the history of the region, and how its pre-Microsoft isolation from the rest of the world created an atmosphere that was much less expensive to live in. One of the main reasons grunge musicians thrived in Seattle was because in the early to mid 80’s they could afford to!
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There were so many bands in Seattle at the time, and it wasn’t just a hobby, it was a lifestyle! A key point of the era is that the bands supported each other. They lived together, went to each other’s shows, worked day jobs together, and evolved together. Grunge is a rare style of music that can claim self-influence. It was no secret that bands ‘borrowed’ guitar riffs and drum rhythms from each other, in fact, it was encouraged. The grunge era of Seattle really was about community and giving each other support, until eventually the music evolved to a degree that the rest of the world paid attention.
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Grunge Seattle will be a treat to aficionados who have fond memories of grunge, both pre and post explosion. There are several references to ancient music clubs that don’t exist anymore, as well as thoughts from some of the impresarios of grunge: Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman of Sub-Pop records. There are also some good maps that are handy for reference to the locations of these clubs where it all happened.
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If anyone wants to pick up a copy of the book, there will be a release party at Moe Bar (attached to Neumos) this Wednesday, July 28th at 8pm. Justin Henderson will be there, and if you have a story to tell, he’ll probably have a few for you as well!
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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!
Washington Mile at Sunset Tavern
I’m pretty stoked to check out Washington Mile at the Sunset Tavern on Friday, July 23. Firstly, it will be absolute chaos on Capitol Hill with the Block Party going on so I am counting on the escape being a good idea. Next, their new album, Simple Hearts, was very promising, and I have high hopes of a killer live show. Lastly, the line-up of the evening is looking to be strong: starting out with the psychedelic pop of Seattle band Elder Mason, the CD release of Seattle folk band The Good Luck Number, rolling into Washington Mile, and finishing out with Seattle’s own Jubilee.
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If you are not attending Block Party, I would highly recommend trekking to Ballard to enjoy Washington Mile, and the rest of this killer line-up. You can check out some songs from Simple Hearts here.
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What: Washington Mile (among many others)
Where: Sunset Tavern
When: Friday, July 23 @8:30
How: $7, 21+
Why: Block Party is way too expensive.
Black Happy IS BACK!!
Seattle music goers you are in for a fucking treat! For the first time in 15 years one of the most underrated and unknown superstar NW bands Black Happy is reuniting for five shows in August, three of which are already sold out. August 6-7 at the Knitting Factory in Spokane, and August 20-22 at the Crocodile right here in Seattle. The 7th in Spokane and 22nd in Seattle still have tickets available, but there is a reason they sold out the first three shows in 15 years and why extra nights were added. The impact they made on the NW before they split in 1995 was huge, and deserving of every bit of hype about their reunion.
First let me just say in the early 90’s there weren’t (for the average kid) music blogs, cell phones, myspace, facebook, twitter or any of that bullshit. The only way anybody knew anything about good bands was word of mouth, going to shows, or picking up a copy of The Rocket. In 93 NW people were already eager to move onto (and support) the next big band that wasn’t grunge or 80’s glam rock. Black Happy emerged as a salty toothed giant from Idaho with way more potential and local feel than anything else going down at the time. Sure grunge was in full swing but Ten, Badmotorfinger and Nevermind were all 91, so the release of Peghead in 1993 gave the NW music lovers what they had been waiting for, another band to support with a new sound. Full horn-section-backed heavy metal that that brought an eight-piece band onslaught laying waste to a culture of kids that couldn’t get enough of it. Big crowds filled rooms and like a human whirlpool of rhythm flowed to the heavy riffs and droning horns and it wasn’t ska. The huge live sound brought a level of badass that was more than just a four piece with amps turned up. And in 1995 on the verge of blowing up with huge NW support, they were “living the dream.” So … why did they split?
Let me just put it like this, I’m sure the real internal breakdown and final demise of Black Happy is personal and intensive. But have you ever grown up with, lived with, or even been around 8 people for an extended period of time? Its hard, and even harder in a band, and in 1995 the group emerged as the four piece Shoveljerk … it was not the same, people didn’t understand, and that ended Black Happy.
One of the reasons I play (and write about) music today is influenced by this band. Not because I was young and impressionable, I’ve met plenty of hacks. But Black Happy was (and are) not that. They are probably one of my top-ten favorite bands of all time. They impacted a ridiculous amount of musicians and music goers and are worth check before they take another 15 year break. Here is a sample of their sound … and this was in 1993 … the sound was way ahead of itself … This is not a show to be missed.
Black Happy – Peghead – Bullmonkey
