Seattle Subsonic - Show Critic
Priscilla Ahn Is Talented…And Also A Complete Goofball
So, I’m not quite sure how many of you blog-peekers read Filter Magazine (or any print periodical, for that matter), but if you don’t, go check out your local Sonic Boom and give it a whirl. It’s the only music mag I make an effort to buy and read regularly, so it’s safe to call it highly recommended. Since I discovered the publication back in 2005 when it was only about ten issues old, I’ve been exposed to a ton of music through its offbeat and savvy industry introspection, its timely and informative interviews, and its myriad record reviews present in every issue. They even examine independent movies, often talking with the director, and generally include some sort of non-music-related art feature. A cornucopia of cultured goodies, if you will.
But this isn’t a review of Filter, it’s a review of Priscilla Ahn, a Korean-American Pennyslvania-bred goofball of a folksinger with a lilting, sugary voice and a fancy for the whimsical. I first heard about the crafty chanteuse in their latest issue, and when said magazine gave me the chance to see her “LIVE! at the Triple Door” last Tuesday (8/26), I snatched it up. I honestly hadn’t given her album much more than one listen prior to the show, so my expectations, while somewhat uninformed, weren’t very lofty.
Aside from the fact that she’s an extremely talented songwriter—the kind that belies “major label” status these days (her debut, A Good Day, was released by Blue Note Records in June)—she’s also a complete ham in between songs. Of course it was interesting to hear her perform a wonderfully sad “Lullaby” about dying dogs, but it was the hilariously morbid story about a cop in her hometown of Bernville, PA who needlessly shot a local pup six (SIX!) times she said was the inspiration for the song that truly sucked us in. Or the story she recounted about a lame house-party she attended after moving to L.A. where she and her friend simply tried to imitate those around them for entertainment that spawned “Wallflower”. Her nervous, popgun laughter peppered throughout her stories made her all the more affable and charming. When her jokes began, I didn’t think they’d be funny, but by the end I found myself hootin’ right along with her and everybody else.
Musically, though, she kept the intrigue, using a harmonica, kazoo (!) and live vocal loops to flesh out her otherwise sparse musings. And while her songs are mostly minimalistic, she did turn it up a notch for “Red Cape”, a rollicking little number reminiscent of the playfulness found on Laura Veirs’ excellent Year of Meteors. Ahn played just about every song on her album, plus a few more, and most involved the help of Gus Seyffert on bass. Seyffert, a long-haired lanky fellow who performs under the name Willoughby (there may or may not be more band members—sarcasm’s a bitch), opened the show with a quirky set of guitar-and-sample songs that were just as heartfelt and pondering as Ahn’s. They had the added distinction of reminding us of early Beach Boy demos convoluted by the magnificent angst of Elliott Smith.
Check out the tracks below to see exactly what I been sayin’ about Ms. Ahn. You’ll be able to catch her again (presumably with Willoughby) October 3rd in Portland at the Aladdin Theater and October 4th at Neumos.
Wallflower - Priscilla Ahn
Red Cape - Priscilla Ahn
Lullaby - Priscilla Ahn
Stone Temple Pilots @ Bumbershoot
A big draw to me – and I’m sure lots of other fans – for Bumbershoot is the efficiency. Shows start when they’re supposed to, artists play their allotted time, and the crew gets the next band set up like clock-work. For <b>Stone Temple Pilots</b> to show up a half-hour later than their scheduled start time was incredibly shitty. I’m sure they’ll have their reason for it, but I really don’t want to hear it. When you play a festival like Bumbershoot, you show up on time. The fans have been on their feet all day, and to make them wait an hour between sets shows a complete lack of respect. If you can’t make that happen, don’t sign up for it. I talked to a couple of friends after the show and they heard rumors about Scott Weiland and why the band was late, and anybody who’s followed the history of STP can probably figure out what these rumors are. Who even knows if they are true, but the band is doing this to themselves by showing up as late as they did. The Seattle music scene has been through enough front men bent on giving into their cynicism rather than nurturing their creativity and to see even a hint of that tired old cliché and rock-star boorishness does not bring back pleasant memories and is really not welcome. My message to STP is this: Grow the fuck up! When a band as successful as yours gets back together after 6 years your fans expect to see some maturation, not a repeat of what caused you to break up in the first place! I absolutely mean this, and I want you to succeed this second-time around, because your performance fucking kicked ass! Do not destroy yourself with this pettiness!.
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The band was tight, and embraced the rock ‘n roll hits of their past with a fervor not seen with bands who do not have a bright vision of their own future. They started out slow with the anthemic ‘Big Empty’, and Scott Weiland truly demonstrated his talent with his vocal range during the chorus. After that the band kicked into high gear with one of my personal favorites, ‘Wicked Garden’, and the way the crowd responded to that song you could easily forget that they even broke up. The band segued into ‘Big Bang Baby’ before ripping the stage with another favorite of mine, ‘Vaseline’. There is no doubt that these guys are pros, and what the fans want, they deliver. I was kind of hoping to hear some new stuff, but then again why would I go to see STP if I didn’t want to hear the hits? It was pretty much a greatest hits show, which the crowd certainly didn’t have a problem with. I’m not sure if Weiland was good at making fun of himself, or just plain clueless when introducing ‘Plush’. ‘This song was on our first album and you might have heard it before.’ Yeah, about every fucking half hour for the entire summer of ’93!
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STP, you rocked the shit out of Bumbershoot, and you should be proud of that. Now get it the fuck together and don’t disrespect your fans, show up to the shows on time!
Return of the P
I’ve yapped a bit about LA’s People Under the Stairs over the years, and I’ve gotta run my mouth about ‘em again. Their latest LP, Fun DMC, is set to hit the streets this month. So singles are out and a tour’s in order, natch.
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Two songs are available now legitimately through iTunes and elsewhere. The iTunes version is the least expensive by fifty cents (hooray for the weak dollar!) and though it is tagged as the “Clean” version, it’s not edited. A few f- bombs snuck through… Anyhow, enough of that, what’s up with the songs? “Step Bacc” is a familiar and funky fast-tempo brag-rap track in the spirit of “The Outrage” and the outstanding “The Double K Show”. Thes One leads off and then hands off the mic to Double K. Their delivery is solid, the straightforward high hat and wood block tempo is bumpin’; another proven and dependable product from these two.
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“The Wiz” is set to a super-chill synth and bass background. (Is this Nightmares on Wax? Maybe some influence from J Boogie?) This a new sound for them, the way “You” was on their last record, and a success. Big Double takes point here and bam - Thes One sings the chorus? Didn’t see that coming. It’s cool, really groovy. Check back for samples from the new album to appear here this week.
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The P hits the stage at King Cobra Sunday night, 28 September. This is their tenth year of makin’ music and movin’ people, so come out and raise a glass. They’re already celebrating on the “Step Bacc”:
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“just last year / we made six figures / and drank a lot of beer / so how is that underground? /
it doesn’t really matter / no one’s left in LA / and our catalog’s getting fatter”
2008 REVERB Music Fest - Listen in to the Full Line-up
The is a shiver is passing through the very heart and soul of the Seattle music scene as the 2008 Seattle Weekly’s REVERBFest peeks out from behind the Bumbershoot mamoth. Boasting over 60 Seattle area bands in the lineup, ReverbFest is picking up some serious momentum. As we close in on one month until the “big show”, October 4th is already looking to go down as one of the greatest conglomeration of local talent I can ever remember having seen. Palms are getting sweaty… pupils dilating… this is like porn for the Northwest audiophile. They’re going to be pouring it ON with everything from Hip Hop to Country, featuring the old bucks straight through to the spring chickens. I count no less than 9 stages littered throughout the thick of Ballard’s hip-happenest area mostly on Ballard Ave and Market. 5 of these venues even are billed as all-ages. It appears that the 30 somethings and the 13 year olds hanging at the Ballard Bowl will have yet another topic to on which to meet eye to eye. Another great way to piss off the condo associations.
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Below we have a full schedule that is about 99% solid for all the venues involved. You’ll also find tunes from some of the bands we’d recommend you make an effort to catch to help get you jazzed. Peruse the other band links to check out some music from bands you haven’t hear before. I’ve already found some new favorites, such as Blood Red Dancers (Sunset), and Trombone Cake. (Lock and Keel). Last year this event cost all of 8 clams. Dunno exactly what’s planned this go-round, but I’m betting it’s going to be worth it. (give songs a sec to load)
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YEAH! Bring on ROCK-Tober! (*=Recommended)
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THE SUNSET TAVERN 5433 Ballard Ave NW
12:30am - The Moondoggies
11:30pm -Grayskul*
10:30pm – Madraso
9:30pm - Team Gina
8pm – Police Teeth (live on 90.3 KEXP Audioasis)
6:30pm - Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth (live on 90.3 KEXP Audioasis)
5pm - Sage
4pm – Blood Red Dancers*
3pm - Thee Sgt Major III
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THE TRACTOR TAVERN 5213 Ballard Ave NW
12am - Shim
11pm – North Twin*
10pm – Massy Ferguson
9pm – 17th Chapter*
8pm - Lonesome Rhodes & The Good Company
7pm – Michael Vermillion
6pm - Kate Tucker & The Sons Of Sweden
5pm - Zach Harjo
4pm – Elder Mason
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MARKET STREET ATHLETE (ALL-AGES) 2232 NW Market St
10pm - Orbitron
9pm - Onry Ozzborn & The Gigantics
8pm - Truckasauras
7pm - Wizdom
6pm - Kublakai
5pm - Rypynt
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SALMON BAY EAGLES (ALL-AGES) 5216 20th Ave NW
10pm - Aqueduct
9pm - Mono In VCF
8pm – Boat
7pm – Black Whales
6pm – Panda & Angel
5pm – The Lonely Forest
4pm – The Monday Mornings
3pm - C-Leb & A-Bro*
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MR SPOT’S CHAI HOUSE (ALL-AGES TILL 10PM) 5463 Leary Ave. NW
11pm - Diminished Men
10pm – The Curious Mystery
9pm – Man Plus*
8pm - Pufferfish
7pm - Husbands Love Your Wives
6pm - Arbitron
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HATTIES HAT (ALL AGES) 5231 Ballard Ave NW
6pm - Ian Moore
5pm - Herman Jolly
4pm - Sweet Potatoes
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LOCK AND KEEL 5144 Ballard Ave NW
12am – At The Spine
11pm – The Quit*
10pm – Trombone Cake*
9pm – Red Jacket Mine
8pm – Gatling Gees
7pm – The Little Penguins
6pm – The Braille Tapes
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CONOR BYRNE’S 5140 Ballard Ave NW
7pm - The Rainieros
6pm - Bob Wayne & The Outlaw Carnies
5pm - The Crying Shame
4pm - Hazlewood Motel
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THE BIT SALOON 4814 17th Ave NW
12am - Dragstrip Riot
11pm – Neon Nights
10pm – The Valkyries
9pm – Guns N Rossetti
8pm - Bacchus
7pm - Emeralds
6pm - Keg
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TRIPLE (ALL AGES) 5227 Ballard Ave NW
9pm - Knox Family
8pm - Canary Sing
7pm - Piece
6pm - DJ B-Girl
I am in Love With Janelle Monae
I confess.
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Janelle Monae had me before she even belted out a single note. Her costume, her hair, her demeanor, everything about here was stunning. An amazing talent. A little ball of energy…and then out came that VOICE. Holy Jeebus.
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Her first 2 songs, which blend seamlessly into one another, are truly something to witness live. (They are good on the cd, but really don’t compare to the mellower tracks on the second half, where she gets to show off her range.) I saw her Friday night in Portland, OR at the Doug Fir Lounge. She rushes out onstage in full doo-wop Motown regalia, with pompadour hair and black and white saddle shoes, like a football team out of the tunnel. Her backup band is also dressed to the nines in what can only be described as: the Temptations meet Outkast. She dances, two steps and hits every note so perfectly that I was just blown away with in the first 2 minutes. The audience couldn’t help but clap and dance along with her. If that wasn’t enough she proceed to come down into the crowd and dance like there was no tomorrow, and even muster up a crowd surf in that intimate venue. WOW. I am sprung.
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Then she blessed the crowd with an absolutely amazing ballad entitled ‘Smile.’ With the guitar as her only 
backing track, Janelle let out one of the most inpressive vocal displays I’ve heard in a long time and came with such emotion you couldn’t help but get goosebumps. What a talent she is. It’s kinda ridiculous. After that the audience was mesmerized, and she closed with my personal favorite song, Sincerely Jane. A very soulful song, with a destinct motown feel, about misguided youth. Again, the vibe she gives out when performing isn’t something you see everyday. The whole crowd was in the palm of her hand.
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Monae has been in the music biz for a while getting guestspots and it paid off when she landed a record deal through her Wondaland Arts Society label. She came up in Atlanda and worked with Outkast on their ‘Idlewild’ album and Big Boi’s ‘Got Purp Vol. 1′ collective. You can see these influences right off the bat. Ms. Monae is essentially a female version of “3 Stacks” himself, Andre 3000. Very original style and infectious personality all wrapped up neatly in an aura of unlimited talent. She is currently signed to Bad Boy and the album was executive produced by Diddy himself. Props to the Did-ster for letting her personality shine thorugh on the record and not forcing her into the poppy mold.
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Here is a video of Janelle Monae performing Sincerely Jane.
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Her cd ‘Metropolis’ is available in stores and she will be back in Seattle in October. DO NOT MISS IT.
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
Blackalicious & STS9
Don’t you just love it when you see some bands you know absolutely nothing about and you wind up having a great time?
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I was excited to see Blackalicious and Sound Tribe Sector 9 at Marymoor Park only because it was a beautiful day and listening to music outside sounded downright nifty! At the time I knew nothing about either band, but if I didn’t enjoy the music, well, at least I would be outside. I can’t tell you how bummed I was to find out the show had been cancelled at Marymoor at moved to The Showbox. I have nothing against the Showbox, I think it’s one of the best venues on the West Coast, but dang it, I wanted to be outside! I was half hoping my friend would call to inform me that she had sold the tickets and we wouldn’t be going, the idea of sweating in the Showbox just didn’t sound all that appealing, especially since I knew nothing about the two bands. Also, I’ve never gone out of my way to see hip-hop shows, but I figured if there was an opportunity to see some new music, what the hell.
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We got there a bit early and were able to score some chairs and a table, so at least we wouldn’t be crammed against the 18 and over crowd on the floor. We just hung out and talked while the DJ & bass player duo Conspirator warmed the crowd up with some tunes and riffs. As with most shows, the crowd was fairly sparse at the beginning, but the floor quickly filled up when the first set finished.
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The cool thing about Blackalicious was how they built their set around a steady escalation of rhythm and rhymes. Front man Gift of Gab took the stage almost as he if he was in a Suge Knight look alike contest, but the irony was completely forgotten as he treated the crowd to a rhyme that sounded like a car accelerating from 5mph all the way to 100mph in about 4 minutes! DJ Chief of Xcel handled the background just as he should have, and kept the crowd moving for the entire 50 minute set. It was good to see a group perform progressive songs with politically charged lyrics, the only regret I have is that I couldn’t really understand them, as he raps with the speed of that guy from the old Micro Machines commercials. Oh well, how else to you keep a crowd moving?
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My friend told me that she bought tickets for Blackalicious, so I didn’t even know that STS9 was even going to be there, let alone headline. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a purely instrumental group, so seeing these guys was a real treat. They kept the crowd pleased through their groove-jam style of performance that didn’t really involve hypnotic trance techniques. Heavy on the rhythm with every instrument given it’s due. It was also really cool to see a jam band where they don’t just stay planted on one spot playing their instruments, which made it easy to get into.
I’m always pleased when I find new bands to listen to, although I still think it would have been cooler to groove to these guys underneath the stars instead of the plasterboard ceiling of The Showbox. I’m going to check out iTunes and sample some of the tracks of these two bands; I just may want to listen to them when I go running!
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.
Telepathique Electronifies at the Paragon
Friday night after $1 PBRs at the Nitelite, I found myself stumbling into the Paragon to see Brazilian electro-pop trio (usually duo) Telepathique. The Paragon you may be wondering, well I was wondering too. I pretty much associate the crowd at the Paragon as where the Belltown scene was born. Guys with stripey shirts (why???) and girls with halters were there galore. However mixed in was a handful of the hipster persuasion, all in slight denial that they were actually hanging out at the Paragon.
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Not really conducive for any type of rock show to take center stage, Telepathique came out around 10 or so and crammed themselves into a corner of the packed Paragon with their computer gear, turntables and drum kit. As soon as the beats sounded, the belltown-like scenesters made their way to the back of the bar and the hipsters crowded around giving their full attention to the band. Telepathique, from Sao Paolo, Brasil, is normally just 2: Mylene with her sort of a disheveled Courtney Love meets Belinda Carlisle appearance on vocals and Erico Theobaldo, manning the drums, turntable and programming. Plus in attendance on Saturday was another Brazilian guy playing the guitar.
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Telepathique put on a pretty good show, one that would make many (even a Seattlite) get out to the dance floor with their mix of electro-pop, rock, and baile funk. You know, I’m beginning to love more and more the integration and blending of electronica into different genres of music (especially after seeing The Helio Sequence in July) . And I’m starting to figure out that the key to great live electro-<insert your genre here> is to create a seamless sound where computer beats mesh perfectly with the live instruments. This would be one of the critiques out of this past Friday’s show – when Erico kicked it on the drums, it distracted from the overall sound. Also, the vocals were sort of drowned out. But this could have been a problem with the venue too. Overall I’m glad I caught their act. Aside from the sound problems—they were there to please and have fun. Their attitude was infectious, well with the hipsters anyway.
Bands I Saw At The Block Party - Part 2
Continuing on with our “coverage” of the weekend, here are my experiences (straight from my eyes and head—spooky) from Day 2 at Ye Ol’ Block Party. The day was highlighted by an even bigger crowd full of people doing their darnedest to look ugly, several more first time encounters with a band (6 out of 9!), the ridiculous amount of trash produced by all the free garbage being given away (Jones Soda, Monster, Kettle Corn), and a delicious Polish sausage to accompany my High Life. To the music…
Fresh off several months of massive globe trotting, the local boys from the Cave Singers played to a hot and humble crowd, who was eagerly awaiting their ghostly folk tunes. Fudesco busted out an electric-acoustic and played first fiddle on a new song more akin to set-closer “Dancing On Our Graves” than the more protracted and chilling ”New Monuments”. If the second album has the up tick in tempo and improved craftsmanship the band employed on Saturday, look for it to be highly anticipated. Kinda like Pete Quirk after he ate that pot brownie and had to escape his ceiling fan the night before. True story.
Huh. Coulda swore the Physics were supposed to play the Vera Stage at 4:15. Turned out to be these dudes, bent on gettin’ us to make some nooooooooooize.
Kimya Dawson (sweet photo, huh?)
Ah, Kimya Dawson, the feel-good set of the weekend. My primary exposure to her up to this point was from the release of Juno, so I didn’t quite know what to expect. Not only did her quirky, innocent-auctioneer delivery complement her eccentric and candid story-telling, but she also invited her little bro “Junglefoot” up on stage to perform for the first (or near-first) time one of his own equally individual songs. My heart is warm with affection and blood. I am an animal, after all.
The Builders & The Butchers (another keeper pic)
I think this band won LB’s fabled “Best Band Seen That I Previously Knew Little About”. Oh sure, I’d heard about their wave-making down in Portland over the past few months, but hadn’t really had the chance to delve into their music. As we decided to head into their set at Neumos on a whim, we were met with a rollicking set of gritty, unwavering, Mountain Goats-meets-Zeppelin-via-Beirut folk-rock. This band has a lead mandolin player, for chrissakes. And a Frank Zappa lookalike on acoustic bass to boot! Egad! The perfect excuse for a road trip down to P-town.
Fleet Foxes [not pictured]
I suppose the sound directly in front of the main stage was adequate, but hanging in a beer garden packed to the gills with drunkards, the gentle harmonies and plaintive guitars of the city’s current favorite sons were simply lost somewhere along the way. When people shut up, you could actually hear Robin Pecknold’s voice penetrate the cool summer air and Sky Skjelset’s strings shimmer with the cloud-covered sun. But since I’ve made a habit of seeing this band over the past few years, we went to abuse our eardrums listening to…
Another Portland band I’d heard little about prior to this day, Black Elk fuckin’ rocked the Vera Stage like it was CBGB’s circa 1978. So much so, that the band’s drummer had to replace his broken kick pedal for the final song with that of following act Akimbo. Vocalist Tom Glose shimmied and contorted his body to the blistering bass lines of Don Capuano as if he hadn’t been doing the exact same thing for the past 15 years (I suspect he has). Think These Arms Are Snakes without the fancy keyboards and goth-poetry lyricism, and you might get yourself closer to the dark, rip-roarin’ anthems of Black Elk.
Chromeo is all well and good. They’re two fun-loving guys who really know how to use a vocoder, a few different keyboards, and a call/response with the crowd (not sure about the guitar, however). I actually like Chromeo’s escapist dance music—and boogied just to prove it—but for some reason, I kept feeling like I should’ve been inside a thumping, sweaty Chop Suey to get their full effect. Crappy Sound 2, LB 0.
I’ll be honest (since I mostly lie), Craig Finn’s voice really kind of bugs me. But I went into this performance with an open mind due to The Hold Steady’s obvious musical talent and wealth of energy—mostly channeled through Finn’s barefaced geekiness and hometown lyricism. The man would absolutely not stop moving back and forth from one end of the stage to the next, pleading with the people. But it all fell into the right place as the crowd couldn’t get enough of their bloozy, innocuous punk rock.
In all truth, I’m not sure there’s another band I would’ve rather ended my Block Party experience with than Feral Children. You might have noticed that I’ve written about this chaotic drum-fest AD NAUSEAM, but it’s only because they keep getting freakin’ better. Every time I see this band, their songs and performances are fleshier, more frenzied, more obsessive, and altogether affecting. This is not feel-good rock for the masses, it’s menacing and malicious noise-rock that’ll blow yer socks right the fuck off.
Bands I Saw At The Block Party - Part 1
Here are a few snapshots of my weekend, along with some brief reactions. Overall, the sound on the main stage sucked and somebody sold too many tickets, but, as always, the positives (sneaking my flask in, doling out amateur fashion criticism) outweighed the negatives (motorheads, achy knees). Oh, and the music was top-notch. As always.
One of the bands I was most eager to see, our first show of the day didn’t disappoint. Intelligent guitar work and rapid-fire drumming accompanied by Jordan Blilie’s screaming and crooning. Look for this newish band to only improve with time.
PWRFL Power finally won me over. I’d been reluctant to enjoy his offbeat, cheeky, sometimes-heartfelt songwriter stories—dubbing them hackneyed and boring—but the newest Brooklynite took full advantage of his Vera Stage homecoming. Guy can really pluck his guitar, too (the same one Kurt Cobain had, we were informed).
Girl Talk: meh.
Got another notch in my musical bedpost while watching MC Pearl Dragon charm the crowd inside King Cobra. DJ Gajamagic’s beats were smoov at times, bombastic at others. You’ll notice P shed his shirt at one point. You’ll notice the other MC’s (Thomas Gray, I believe) hilarious nod to MTV days of yore. You’ll notice the freakin’ party bumpin’ on stage.
Easily the best (or my favorite—you decide) show of the entire weekend. Les Savy Fav’s sublime art-punk is the perfect backdrop for the Number 1 Showman In Rock Music, Tim Harrington, who had (at least) three wardrobe changes, two separate audience adventures, and kindly lent a hand in preparing some street meat. All while keeping tabs on his bare belly and his next potential “jungle gym”; and the singing, of course. I asked him earlier in the night (seriously) to play one of my favorites off their latest record, and the band cordially complied.
I’ve made no attempt at masking my admiration for one of Seattle’s hardest-rocking, double-bass playing, grunge-punk bands (that’s a category, right?), and ending my drunken night with them in the King Cobra was fitting. Their songs grow tighter as their fan base grows taller.
Mudhoney Blows the Place Up, No Age Shuns Ageism
Like many music freaks with an ear to the ground, I jumped at the chance to see a free show featuring one old-skool punk band and one new-skool punk band playing together. KEXP and Free Yr Radio were nice enough set up a lowly publicized, complimentary all ages show down at the KEXP parking lot last night (7/23) with L.A. DIYers No Age opening for grizzled Seattle vets Mudhoney, apparently still riding high from the release of their eighth LP, The Lucky Ones, back in May. So high, in fact, that three-quarters of the way through their set, the band rocked so incredibly hard that the PA system blew a fuse, a jackbox, or whatever, causing a stir and a 15-minute impromptu intermission. It also could have simply been a faulty set up by the sound dude; the jury is still out.
Thankfully, someone finally fixed the technical difficulty and avoided an embarrassing finish to the show by allowing the band to dutifully conclude their set. I like Mudhoney, but I feel like their best years are behind them (their first single, “Touch Me I’m Sick”, is still their best song). They are, however, a local iconic presence that can still coax the aged cave dwellers out from their darkened lairs, as well as those of us floating somewhere in the middle who find their Stooges-via-Sonic Youth blues-punk entertaining enough. The crowd, made up of city-rockers from yore and younger scenesters on hand to catch one of LA’s recent pleasant surprises, was an exercise in dichotomy. In addition to the general people disparity, several local musicians were in attendance (members of Feral Children, the Heavy Hearts, the Purrs, Cancer Rising, Partman Parthorse, Past Lives), along with the resident KEXP DJs and, of course, Sub Pop’s head honchos. I love shows where the people-watching enhances the act on stage.
I don’t know if people regularly make this comparison or not, but the one thing Mark Arm has going for him is that he reminds me of Iggy Pop a little bit. Mostly facially, but his voice and cadence are similar as well. I find his lyricism trite some of the time, instinctive at others; theatrically, though, he’s got nothing on the lead Stooge. Lead guitarist Steve Turner can still shred with the best of ‘em, however, and many of their tunes had the mosh pit ravenously feeding on its victims.
No Age, currently touring with fellow SoCal art-punkers Mika Miko and Abe Vigoda, is the future of punk music. Adhering to venerable standards with well-timed guitar freak-outs, laden in feedback (intentional or otherwise), and head-pounding drums, the duo adds a serving of atmospheric experimentalism to its affable demeanor and catchy-but-not-poppy “melodies”. Dean Spunt plays drums and sings; Randy Randall abuses his guitar and then loops it. I came across the band late last year and quickly admired their first album, Weirdo Rippers. Their second, Nouns, builds upon the first but has a more controlled feel to it.
Many of their songs are short, so they ripped through a set that highlighted “hits” from both records, creating a soundtrack for the first-time crowd-surfers as Randall jumped off anything he could find. And given the amount of cloaking done on his recorded vocals, it was nice to hear Spunt’s words come across rather clearly. The band announced that they will be playing a house-show Friday night somewhere in Seattle, but did not (publicly) reveal the details. A cursory search through the various rogue-venue “websites” yielded no results. The task is at your hand.
(The PI is the only place I’ve found pics posted so far.) And here’re some more.
