Seattle Subsonic

Seattle Subsonic - Venues

Sasquatch! Lineup Is Nice, But Maybe Not For The Price

In case you missed it, the lineup for the 2010 Sasquatch! Festival was released Monday night during a concert at the Crocodile (I was unsuccessful in my attempts for those coveted free tickets). Here’s the day-by-day schedule:

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Saturday, May 29th
My Morning Jacket / Vampire Weekend / The National / Deadmau5 / Broken Social Scene / OK Go / Wale / Public Enemy / The Hold Steady / Miike Snow / Z-Trip / Brother Ali / Minus The Bear / WHY? / The Very Best / Portugal. The Man / Mumford & Sons / The Lonely Forest / Nurses / The Middle East / Patrick Watson / Morning Teleportation / Laura Marling / Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros / Fool’s Gold / Garfunkel & Oates / Dam-Funk / Shabazz Palaces

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Sunday, May 30th
Massive Attack / Pavement / LCD Soundsystem / Tegan and Sara / Kid Cudi / Nada Surf / Dirty Projectors / The xx / The Long Winters / Simian Mobile Disco / Midlake / Girls / Vetiver / The Tallest Man On Earth / YACHT / Booka Shade / Caribou / Avi Buffalo / City and Colour / Cymbals Eat Guitars / A-Trak / Fruit Bats / tUnE-yArDs / Local Natives / Freelance Whales / Jets Overhead / Rob Riggle / Luke Burbank

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Monday, May 31st
Ween / MGMT / Band of Horses / She & Him / Passion Pit / The New Pornographers / Drive-By Truckers / Boys Noize / Camera Obscura / The Temper Trap / Dr. Dog / Neon Indian / No Age / The Mountain Goats / Phantogram / Quasi / Japandroids / Mayer Hawthorne & The County / The Low Anthem / Fresh Espresso / Hudson Mohawke / Telekinesis / Past Lives / Yes Giantess / Craig Robinson

Pretty solid, no? Yes, I agree; but while this is certainly a better than average group of bands, musicians, and comedians, it doesn’t set my heart aflutter like in years past. Personally, I’d say Sunday is the best mix (mostly due to the headliners) but I see how any random person might prefer any of those three days. But here’s my deal: it’s difficult not view the price of this thing as somewhat of a rip-off. It seems to get pricier and pricier every year and is the biggest reason I haven’t attended in a long time (well, that and the state of the “campground”).

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Let’s do some math: $170 3-day pass + $15 (estimated) ticket fees + $99 for all-weekend camping (no single day campground prices) + $100 for food/drink/water + $50 for gas = $434! Good lord, that’s a lotta dough. Sure you can maybe split the camping, sustenance and gas amongst friends, but that $100 for food and drink could easily be $150, and if you only want a single day ticket, that’s $80 a day ($70 if you buy early, $86 if you buy late). Now, I’m no miser, but I do prefer to spend my money wisely. Is $300-400 worth it? I dunno, but if the prices keep going up, how can this be A) sustainable and B) desirable?

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I also forgot to mention that the 3-day passes are only available for 2 days starting Feb. 20th. Geez louise.

Piecora’s Pizza Is Now A Music Venue, Too

Raise your hand if your favorite memory of Piecora’s Pizza on E. Madison St. is post-grade school soccer game grub fests. Yep, me too. CYO, BABY! The long-standing New York-style pizzeria has decided recently (I think) to get into the music biz. Why not? Everyone else is doing it. It’s not like there’s a dearth of bands out there to occupy your calendar with. Chop Suey is just a few blocks down the hill and makes for some nice competition.

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It’s called Piecora’s Back Room and shows are presented by Radio Free Seattle. Here’s the current schedule:

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Sasquatch Launch Party At The Croc: w/ Fresh Espresso, Atlas Sound, and Surfer Blood

Just saw this on the Crocodile’s facebook page. Sounds pretty cool and it looks like you can pick up free passes at both Easy Street locations. Or by listening to The End; which…why would you do that, again? The 2009 records from both Atlas Sound (about who I’m genuinely surprised at his inclusion here) and Fresh Espresso made my Favorites lists of last year. They good. More recently, I’ve been pleasantly pleased with Surfer Blood’s Astro Coast. It’s high-energy Floridian power-rock with brit-pop and pop-punk tendencies that recalls both Weezer and the Smiths in careful doses, but with enough weird and woozy moments to keep it interesting.

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Goes down on a Monday, February 15th, with tickets available on the 12th. Press release from Live Nation after the jump/cut/fold/whatever.

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Intelligence Fans: Trainwreck! At The Orient Express Starts Tomorrow!

It wasn’t too long ago when I first stepped foot into the Orient Express down in SODO near the Spokane Street Bridge. I gazed upon the huge fish tanks with a childlike wonder. I roamed the tiny halls with a childlike curiosity. Then I drank shots of tequila like an old fashioned a-dult. Formerly Andy’s Diner, the place is now a kitschy Chinese restaurant and lounge constructed (most awesomely) from several old train cars and home to a myriad of banquet, bar, restaurant and, yes, karaoke rooms. In short, it’s a one stop shop for dive bar fun.

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Well, as luck would have it—and oh does it have it—there’s a new night there and one of my favorite bands, the Intelligence, has its grubby little paws all over it. Lars Finberg and his woman Susanna Welbourne formed a band, named it Puberty, and invited some dudes from the Old Haunts, the Shins, and the Cops to play with ‘em as the house band. Curtis James, Drew Church and Dave Hernandez play in a newish band called Little Cuts and will be joining Finberg and Welbourne in what looks to be a debaucherously wacky time. The Facebook page says Mike Jaworski (Virgin Islands, the Cops, Mt. Fuji Records) is in the mix, too. Yowza.

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A DJ, drag queen, and signature drink will all play host to the catatonically zany tunes of Puberty. If you like the Intelligence, you’ll no doubt enjoy this offshoot. You can listen to some demos on that aforementioned FB page (I wouldn’t worry about their sluggish nature, the band will surely rip the roof off the place). The inaugural “Trainwreck!” goes down tomorrow night (2/4) at 10 pm, and looks to be setting up shop for the next two first Thursdays as well. Press release (copped from Line Out) after the jump/cut/fold/whatever.

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Mad Rad Returns to Neumos, And It’s Free

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You’ll recall an altercation local hip-hypers Mad Rad were part of at Neumos one year and one week ago today: they got in a scuffle with security and were subsequently banned from most venues on Capitol Hill, the center of Seattle’s music universe. Well, through a rad and rabid thirst for stardom, playing shows as *far out* as Kirkland and as *dubious* as the Comet, and a court acquittal to boot, the group returns riding high. All is now apparently well between the esteemed venue and the fervid foursome. They’ll be celebrating this Thursday the 21st with a free show, and Breakfast Mountain (PDX) and Macklemore (whose free downloadable EP VS. is quite good) are coming along for the festivities. Arrive early and stay late.

Del tha Funky Homosapien @ Neumos w/ Bukue One, Yirim Seck, and Life Cycle

Sunday, December 6, 2009

8:00 pm

You know Del.
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Even if you haven’t heard his solo albums, futuristic concept album with Dan the Automator (and Kid Koala), or any work from the super indie rap collective, Hieroglyphics; Del tha Funky Homosapien has been in your head before before.
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There are few emcees with as distinct a voice and style, as Del’s. In the mainstream, he should be recognized from the 2001 Gorillaz hit, “Clint Eastwood”, which still sounds fresh every time I hear it getting air play. Or, if you’ve played the classic PS2 game, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, Del’s funky song, “If you must” stood out on a killer compilation.
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I recommend going to the Neumos show, Sunday Dec 6th!!!
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Del tha Funky Homosapien
w/ Bukue One (fellow Oakland emcee and DJ)
Yirim Seck (from Seattle)
Life Cycle (from Tacoma)
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Sun-Dec 6-Doors@8pm
21+/ $20 adv.
Neumos

C-Hill Loses Another Venue: War Room To Close

What was word on the cyberstreet yesterday became official today: the War Room is closing its doors on November 30th. Following in the footsteps of King Cobra, which closed this past February, the eclectic concert and dance venue with the coolest rooftop bar around is calling it quits after five years. Bummer. I didn’t make it there nearly as often as other venues in the neighborhood, but the times I did were always memorable. The first show I saw there was Wolf Parade (no shit) and the last was a random dance night. In between, a party for John Spalding featuring the Cave Singers, Past Lives, and Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive To Death was especially significant. The neo-vintage communist wall decor always drew a lot of compliments, too.

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Anyway, no word yet on the future of the space. Owners Marcus Lalario and Brian Rauschenbach continue with their bar Captain Blacks. I wonder if the Maharaja is PO’d about this?

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The club was always willing to mix things up, and played a prominent role in local nightlife, often donating its space to causes or friends. If you thought the War Room was just another lame Capitol Hill hip-hop club, I suggest reading the press release after the jump/cut/fold/whatever.

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HT: Reverb

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Update, some additional comments from Lalario and Kerri Harrop, via Line Out: “Asked if he thinks the odds are good of the club being bought and maintained as is, Lalario says, “If I’m a betting man, I would say so, but the way things are in this world who knows what’ll happen.” …and… “Club spokesperson Kerri Harrop agrees that chances are “pretty strong” that a buyer will step up to take over the club as is.” We shall see…

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Don’t Forget: Sonic Boom Moving Sale!

Hey you! We have to make sure that we don’t just buy digital anymore, people. I’m serious, we have to support the brick-and-mortar record stores, especially the cool ones that sell all the cool music we like. Think about it: what would urban epicenters look like if small, independent record stores disappeared? It would be tragic—TRAGIC—if that happened. They’d be soulless, and with little 1s and 0s floating around everywhere. The listening stations: gone. The free in-store peformances: gone. Convenient ticket counters: gone. You’d be forced to buy music at fucking Wal-Mart, for chrissakes.

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The Capitol Hill Sonic Boom is moving in November (not too far, just down to Melrose, between Pike and Pine) and Wednesday (10/14) marked the beginning of their big 11-day moving sale. Don’t let the relocation to a bigger space fool you: business is shitty for Sonic Boom and I don’t have to tell you why. You’ll recall the Fremont store closing in Feb. 2008. But we’ve all fallen on tough times, right? So, luckily, this sale should benefit both merchant and consumer. All non-sale items will be 20% off, including CDs, LPs, 7-inches, DVDs, toys, accessories, and more. Plus, thousands of CDs are being marked down to $1 (or three for $2).

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Get thee to 15th!

Run Vera Run (with the Maldives)

The Vera Project held their first annual fun-draising fun-run (Run Vera Run) this past Sunday, at Seward Park on a chilly and sun-soaked morning. As you’ll recall, we signed up for Team Sonic Boom, and were thus graciously awarded Top Pot doughnuts and custom t-shirts from the store’s co-owner, Jason Hughes. Score.

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It was a fairly relaxed and enjoyable morning, considering the following: the course wasn’t even quite 5k (more like 4) and no race times were taken, the sun was warm, free espresso, miscellaneous refreshments and trucker hats courtesy of Caffé Vita, free massages for any participants, and a humorous and helpful warm up session from our faux-Scandanavian instructor Inga, a.k.a. Vera Project co-founder Shannon Stewart. She led us in some basic calisthenics and then successfully taught us some silly choreography to “Once In A Lifetime”.

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Of course, the biggest reason to participate was raising money, of which approximately $32,000 was donated. The person who brought in the largest haul won a slick, dark green Gibson guitar. After the race, local country rock outfit the Maldives played a leisurely set on a small outdoor stage. It was good, honest listenin’ for good, honest, aching muscles.

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You can see more pics over on our photo page.

Variety of Rock @ Neumos Tonight

If you need a way to forget today’s rain and kick off a weekend of music (followed by Saturday’s Reverb Fest in Ballard) there’s a wide range of local rock at Neumos tonight for 8 bucks.
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Uncle Doodad is headlining the evening with probably the loudest rock of the night. I watched them perform their self-described “Face Melting Americana” at a house (right after playing a show) and the whole house actually did shake. The neighbors also made many appearances, which ended their set early before they got through a 20 song set list. It was a great time. Their long list of songs range from heavier rock, to jam, to music with reggae influences, as the lead singer/guitarist often switches between different instruments.
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Also, on the bill, are Lost Dogma, playing indie country americana, Noah Parriot, playing acoustic indie, and what might be one of my favorite bands of the night, Ghost Town Riot. Ghost Town Riot’s myspace defines them as “ghettotech/ freestyle/chinese traditional”, which sounds fairly implausible, but they do have an intriguing sound, similar to RX Bandits and Sublime.
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If you are looking for a completely different fair tonight there’s a solo act which involves a stage full of supporting robots, bondage, and heavy metal; check out Captured! By Robots @ the Funhouse for $10. Best of luck.
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Neumos/ 21+/ $8 adv
Friday Oct 2
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http://www.myspace.com/uncledoodad
http://www.myspace.com/ghosttownriot
http://www.myspace.com/lostdogma
http://www.myspace.com/nizop8

Rain Machine Coming To Seattle

And I ain’t talkin’ no weather pattern. You’re familiar with Kyp Malone, lead guitarist for TV on the Radio and winner of LeDoux’s illustrious Top Beard’s of 2008 contest, right? Good. And I’m sure you’ll recall the excellent record (cool it, haters) he and his bandmates put out earlier this year, not to mention TVOTR’s other acclaimed albums? Great. Well, the man with the careful fingers and the urgent, warbling falsetto has a side job now, one that he’s dubbed Rain Machine. One where he plays nearly all the instruments and whose self-titled debut was recorded in California, including Malone’s former Bay Area stomping grounds. At first glance, it purports to be a daring, emotive venture into the spacious confines of jazz, blues, rock and afro-beat.

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I haven’t heard the entire record, so I can’t expound on its likely creative breadth and varied nuance, but given Malone’s previous output, you can rest assured that it’ll be anything but boring. “Give Blood”, the first track released, is evocative of a grungier TVOTR song, with a few odd changes, frantic lyrics and a primal male/female refrain. Malone even goes so far as to inject a verse inspired (hopefully) by Stevie Wonder’s “Part Time Lover”. It’s good, but I like the other available track more. “Smiling Black Faces” unwinds slowly, with a heartbeat and a hovering guitar. The crescendo is slow, but the climax is exultant.

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In the fairly interesting Rain Machine bio put out by Anti-, Malone says, in relation to his TVOTR duties, “there’s a different freedom that comes with doing something by yourself, and I think this album reflects that.” As someone who’s a fan of TVOTR’s expressive liberties, and innovative weirdos in general, I can certainly appreciate the change of direction. See him and his band defy objection at Neumos, October 1st.

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“Give Blood” audio on YouTube

Live performance of “Smiling Black Faces” on YouTube

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With Diane Cluck
Doors at 8 pm
$12 adv
Advance tickets on sale now at: www.ticketswest.com, Moe Bar, select QFCs, Rudy’s Barbershops

Runners Unite! (So As To Support the Vera Project)

One thing I like to do with my free time is run. Run and run and run and run. Like the WIND. Or, Forrest Gump (but without the stale, podunk platitudes). Preferably not from the cops. As you may have guessed, another of my big free time-eaters is supporting the local music scene. Sweet Jesus, I can now combine the two! That’s right, the Vera Project—Seattle’s all-ages beacon of hope—is hosting a real life jog-a-thon October 11th at Seward Park (did you guys have jog-a-thons in grade school??). Walkers, all you sloooooooooow walkers, can join in too. No speed discrimination here. Here’s a li’l description, courtesy of the website:

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Join the Vera Project and hundreds of runners, walkers and fans of music and art in Seward Park for a 5k run/walk to support youth access to music and the arts in Seattle. We’ll have live music, performers along the course, an awesome warm-up routine led by some of Seattle’s finest ‘80s-style dancers, great food and of course prizes for the biggest fundraisers. Register now to get in on the action!

Registration consists of whatever donation you want to make, along with the donations of anybody who wants to sponsor you (100 clams guarantees you a swell t-shirt). I’ll remind you that this is a fundraiser, so signing up for zero would be weird. You can also form a team, or join an existing team (provided you don’t smell or kill puppies or something). Me and the wife chose to join the Sonic Boom team, cuz that’s basically how we roll. Word has it that the Maldives will be performing after the race. Excellent.

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Registration and participant check-in	10/11/2009 8:30 am – 10:00 am
Run/Walk start time 10am!	10/11/2009 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Post-run/walk festivities	10/11/2009 11:00 am – 2:00 pm

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Supposin’ you might be keen on this, here’re a couple things to think about. You don’t have to actually run/walk to donate. You can sponsor ME (or some other loser) and I will run my little heart out for your generous support. Also, it’s not one of those annoying half-marathons or full marathons or whatever; it’s only 5 kilometers! Or 3.1 miles for you English folks! Your grandma could do that with her walker! (Seriously, she could.)

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Leave a comment if you’d like more information. And do it for the music, maaaaaaaaaaan.