CRUSHINGit

Moving! Moving! Moving!

Mike — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:22:30 +0000

This blog has been moved to the following location:

seattleplaylist.wordpress.com

See you on the other side!

Filed under: General

September Concert Recommendations

Mike — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:11:29 +0000

Aug 29-30 at Chateau Ste Michelle, Pink Martini

Aug 30 at Tractor Tavern, Kasey Anderson.

Sept 2 at Moore, Hootenanny For A Healthy Gulf.

Sept 3 at High Dive, Thee Emergency and Curtains For You.

Sept 3 at WaMu Theater, Slayer and Megadeth.

Sept 3 at Tractor Tavern, Fastbacks Tribute w/Young Fresh Fellows.

Sept 4 at Bumbershoot, Grynch, Great Waves, Star Anna, Born Anchors, Zoe Muth, The Maldives, Atlas Sound, Feral Children, The Budos Band, The Decemberists, Jamie Lidell, Neko Case, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Cute Lepers, Solomon Burke, Bob Dylan, The Raveonettes, Visqueen.

Sept 5 at Bumbershoot, The Tripwires, Unnatural Helper, Sweet Water, Hey Marseilles, The Redwood Plan, David Bazan, Fences, James Cotton, Delorean, Hole, The Dandy Warhols, Weezer.

Sept 5 at Paramount, Pavement and Quasi.

Sept 5 at Hard Rock, Surfer Blood and Dead Confederate.

Sept 6 at Bumbershoot, People Eating People, JEFF the Brotherhood, BOAT, The Whigs, Helladope, Kings Go Forth, Meat Puppets, The Moondoggies, Bomba Estereo, Japandroids, Surfer Blood, Wild Orchid Children, The Thermals, The English Beat.

Sept 6 at Easy Street Records, Ra Ra Riot.

Sept 7 – 12 at Jazz Alley, Dr. John.

Sept 8 at Tractor Tavern, The Purrs.

Sept 8 at Crocodile, The Young Evils.

Sept 8 at Vera Project, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists.

Sept 8 at Showbox, The Walkmen and Helio Sequence.

Sept 8 at Rialto, Patsy Cline Tribute.

Sept 9 at Neumos, The Tallest Man on Earth.

Sept 10 at Showbox Market, Menomena.

Sept 10 at Neumos, Cold Cave, Sleepy Eyes of Death, Absolute Monarchs.

Sept 10 at Black Lodge, Absolute Monarchs.

Sept 10 at Snoqualmie Casino, Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

Sept 10 at Puyallup Fair, Brett Michaels.

Sept 10 at Showbox Sodo, The Smashing Pumpkins.

Sept 10 at El Corazon, Frank Turner.

Sept 11 at Sunset Tavern, Deadstring Brothers.

Sept 11 at Triple Door, Patsy Cline Tribute.

Sept 11 at Marymoor Park, The National and Okkervil River.

Sept 12 at Tractor Tavern, Titus Andronicus and Free Energy.

Sept 12 at Triple Door, Modern English.

Sept 13 at Showbox Sodo, Gaslight Anthem.

Sept 14 at Showbox Sodo, Ratatat.

Sept 14 at Triple Door, Johny Winter.

Sept 16 at Chop Suey, Kele and Does It Offend You, Yeah?

Sept 16 at Crocodile, The Redwood Plan.

Sept 16 at Funhouse, Witchburn.

Sept 17 at Tractor Tavern, Ravenna Woods.

Sept 18 at Columbia City Theater, Whalebones.

Sept 18 at High Dive, Motopony.

Sept 18 at Town Hall, The Airborne Toxic Event (acoustic)

Sept 18 at Showbox Market, Cloud Cult.

Sept 19 at Marymoor Park, Train.

Sept 19 at El Corazon, The Head Cat.

Sept 20 at Puyallup Fair, Queensryche and Tesla.

Sept 21 at Chop Suey, Hot Hot Heat.

Sept 21 at Sodo Showbox, The Cult.

Sept 23 at Crocodile, Fences and Head & The Heart.

Sept 23 – 25 at Tractor Tavern, Shake the Shack Rockabilly Ball.

Sept 23 – 26 at Jazz Alley, Tower of Power.

Sept 24 at Showbox Market, Local Natives.

Sept 24 at Sunset Tavern, The Blakes.

Sept 24 at WaMu Theater, Primus.

Sept 24 at Puyallup Fair, Uncle Kracker.

Sept 24 at Columbia City Theater, Rachel Flotard.

Sept 25 at Easy Street Records, The Young Evils.

Sept 25 at Crocodile, The Melvins.

Sept 25 at Paramount, The XX.

Sept 25 at Puyallup Fair, Heart.

Sept 26 at Puyallup Fair, Kid Rock.

Sept 27 at Hells Kitchen, The Melvins.

Sept 27 at Paramount, The Flaming Lips.

Sept 27 at Showbox Market, Neon Indian.

Sept 27 – 28 at High Dive, Brad.

Sept 28 at Showbox Market, Matt & Kim and Fang Island.

Sept 29 at KeyArena, Arcade Fire.

Sept 30 at Triple Door, John Roderick.

Sept 30 – Oct 3 at Jazz Alley, Nancy Wilson.

Filed under: Seattle

BOOZE, BROADS AND OTHER DISASTERS AT THUNDERBITCH

Mike — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 22:24:12 +0000

For the record I only had a beer and two glasses of wine, there are only classy, talented women in this tale and the disaster was that I lost all my photographs from last night.

Tether Design Gallery in Pioneer Square is showcasing vintage album covers, concert posters and other band propaganda in their latest exhibition called, “Thunderbitch: Women Designers in Northwest Rock.” And for the First Thursday Art Walk ownership decided to invite a few local performers down to promote the event. Art. Women. Music. It was hard to talk me into this one.

http://www.thunderbitch.com/

I walked in and it was impossible to miss Barbara Ireland – all in red: hair, dress, boots (wait, she put the boots on later.) We made a little small talk and agreed to meet in the back of the gallery after her gig. She used to perform in a band called, The Fags – among several others – and I wanted to shoot her next to one of her old concert posters in the show.

And now the boots. Barbara’s got a pair of fire-engine red, thigh-high, badass boots that give her about four extra inches, all kinds attitude and magic musical powers – so she asserts. Stone Gossard helped her lace ‘em up and then accompanied her on guitar to a handful of sultry, acoustic songs ending with Iggy Pop’s, Search and Destroy.

Enter my buddy. We traded notes on the Thunderbitch show. Ran into several good friends, old friends and people who’s names we couldn’t remember. Then he saw Rachel Flotard of Visqueen at the merch table. He was a little impressed. I had to paw my way past him before I could con her into posing for a quick snap shot – another redheaded heart-stopper. Visqueen banged out several tunes – every one I wanted to hear including, Hand Me Down and Ward. Baby, come on. Come on. Come on.

We were talking after the show and Rachel mentioned that she’s playing at the Triple Door in a couple weeks with Black Francis (Pixies and Frank Black and the Catholics.) It was fun finally getting a chance to meet Rachel – if ever so briefly - but I was starved and I had just seen Damien Jurado (the final act at Tether) at ZooTunes a couple weeks ago. So we swam upstream through the waves of summertime Art Walk patrons washing through the streets and grabbed some crab and prawns at a nearby restaurant.

My buddy is an old friend of the gallery owner, Stanley Hainsworth of Nike and Starbucks fame. So after a couple glasses of wine we headed back for a little post-concert conversation and a peak at some of his private collection.

All-in-all it was a pretty perfect day in the Northwest…right up until my phone die. And I mean really died. With all the photos and all my show notes. I drove home that night with the blinker stuck – signaling right the entire time. Well, not the perfect evening. But as close as most of us ever get.

Filed under: Seattle Tagged: Art Walk, Barbara Ireland, Black Francis, Damien Jurado, Rachel Flotard, Stone Gossard, Tether, The Fags, Visqueen

August Concert Recommendations

Mike — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:58:01 +0000

Aug 8 at Columbia City Theater, Kasey Anderson.

Aug 9 at Market Showbox, Bonnie Prince Billy.

Aug 10 at High Dive, Brad and Hank Khior.

Aug 11 at Studio Seven, Micheal Schenker Group.

Aug 12 at Chateau Ste Michelle Winery, B-52’s and Blondie.

Aug 12 at High Dive, The Maldives.

Aug 13 at Marymoor Park, Rodrigo y Gabriela and The Temper Trap.

Aug 13 at Columbia City Theater, Kristen Ward.

Aug 13 at Chop Suey, Kandi Coded.

Aug 13 at Neumos, Sky Cries Mary, Satchel, Manooghi Hi.

Aug 14 at Triple Door, John Roderick.

Aug 14 at Wild Rose, Woven Bones.

Aug 14 at Marymoor Park, Jakob Dylan and BoDeans.

Aug 14 – 15 at Seattle Founder’s Day Festival, Feral Children, Redwood Plan, Vince Mira, The Cops, Kinski, Dog Shredder.

Aug 14 at Concerts at the Mural, Quasi, The Lonely Forest and The Joy Formidable.

Aug 14 at Comet Tavern, Black Nite Crash and Erik Blood.

Aug 15 at Sunset Tavern, Oswald Effect.

Aug 16 at Neumos, Tokyo Police Club and Freelance Whales.

Aug 16 at Chop Suey, J. Roddy Walston.

Aug 17 at Tulalip Amphitheatre, Buddy Guy and Robert Cray.

Aug 17 at El Corazon, Killola.

Aug 18 at Market Showbox, The Hold Steady and Jaill.

Aug 18 at Sunset Tavern, The Neon Wilderness.

Aug 19 at Sunset Tavern, Kinski and The Lights.

Aug 19 at St. Edward State Park, Hey Marseilles.

Aug 19 at Neumos, Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven.

Aug 20 – 22 at Crocodile, Black Happy.

Aug 20 at Sunset Tavern, Mark Pickerel, Jason Dodson, Zoe Muth, Betsy Olson.

Aug 20 at Nectar, Jar of Flies, Outshined and Heartless.

Aug 20 at Studio Seven, Animals As Leaders.

Aug 20 at Seattle Center Mural, Tea Cozies.

Aug 20 at Vera Project, Casiokids and Light Pollution.

Aug 20 at Black Lodge, Ravenna Woods.

Aug 21 at Last Supper Club, The Crystal Method.

Aug 21 at Arts in Nature Festival, Fences and Hey Marseilles.

Aug 21 at Triple Door, Black Francis (Frank Black) with Rachel Flotard and Rusty Willoughby.

Aug 21 at Chop Suey, Witchburn CD Release.

Aug 21 at Jazzbones, Semi Precious Weapons.

Aug 21 at Columbia City Theater, Thee Emergency.

Aug 21 at Showbox, All Hail the Crown.

Aug 21 at Maymoor Park, The Swell Season, Sera Cahoone, The Cave Singers, and Chuck Prophet.

Aug 22 at Paramount, Melissa Etheridge.

Aug 22 at Arts in Nature Festival, Chris Ballew.

Aug 22 at Tractor Tavern, Red Dress.

Aug 23 at Neumos, Boris, Red Sparowes, and Helms Alee.

Aug 25 at Neumos, Wavves.

Aug 27 at Chateau Ste Michelle, Earth Wind and Fire.

Aug 27 at Tractor Tavern, Shim and Motopony.

Aug 27 at The Living Room, Rocky Votolato.

Aug 27 at Triple Door, Vince Mira and the Dusty 45s.

Aug 27 at High Dive, Low Vs Diamond.

Aug 27 at Columbia City Theater, The Fucking Eagles.

Aug 27 at Ballard Mine, Heiress and The Redwood Plan.

Aug 28 at Chateau Ste Michelle, Crowded House.

Aug 28 at White River Amphitheatre, Godsmack and Puddle of Mudd.

Aug 28 at Funhouse, The Them.

Aug 28 at Tractor Tavern, Grand Hallway.

Aug 28 at Sunset Tavern, Whalebones.

Aug 28 at Blue Moon, Virgin Islands.

Aug 28 at Black Lodge, Ravenna Woods.

Aug 28 at Rendezvous, The Bismarck.

Aug 29 at Marymoor Park, Vampire Weekend, Beach House and Dum Dum Girls.

Aug 29 at Snolqualmie Casino, ZZ Top.

Aug 29-30 at Chateau Ste Michelle, Pink Martini

Aug 30 at Tractor Tavern, Kasey Anderson.

Sept 2 at Moore, Hootenanny For A Healthy Gulf.

Sept 3 at High Dive, Thee Emergency and Curtains For You.

Sept 3 at WaMu Theater, Slayer and Megadeth.

Sept 3 at Tractor Tavern, Fastbacks Tribute w/Young Fresh Fellows.

Sept 5 at Bumbershoot, The Tripwires, Unnatural Helper, Sweet Water, Hey Marseilles, The Redwood Plan, David Bazan, Fences, James Cotton, Delorean, Hole, The Dandy Warhols, Weezer.

Sept 5 at Paramount, Pavement and Quasi.

Sept 5 at Hard Rock, Surfer Blood and Dead Confederate.

Sept 6 at Easy Street Records, Ra Ra Riot.

Sept 7 – 12 at Jazz Alley, Dr. John.

Sept 8 at Tractor Tavern, The Purrs.

Sept 8 at Vera Project, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists.

Sept 8 at Showbox, The Walkmen and Helio Sequence.

Sept 9 at Neumos, The Tallest Man on Earth.

Sept 10 at Showbox Market, Menomena.

Sept 10 at Neumos, Cold Cave, Sleepy Eyes of Death, Absolute Monarchs.

Sept 10 at Black Lodge, Absolute Monarchs.

Sept 10 at Snoqualmie Casino, Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

Sept 10 at Puyallup Fair, Brett Michaels.

Sept 10 at Showbox Sodo, The Smashing Pumpkins.

Sept 10 at El Corazon, Frank Turner.

Sept 11 at Sunset Tavern, Deadstring Brothers.

Sept 11 at Marymoor Park, The National and Okkervil River.

Sept 12 at Tractor Tavern, Titus Andronicus and Free Energy.

Sept 12 at Triple Door, Modern English.

Sept 13 at Showbox Sodo, Gaslight Anthem.

Sept 14 at Showbox Sodo, Ratatat.

Sept 14 at Triple Door, Johny Winter.

Sept 16 at Chop Suey, Kele and Does It Offend You, Yeah?

Sept 16 at Crocodile, The Redwood Plan.

Sept 16 at Funhouse, Witchburn.

Sept 17 at Tractor Tavern, Ravenna Woods.

Sept 18 at Columbia City Theater, Whalebones.

Sept 18 at High Dive, Motopony.

Sept 18 at Town Hall, The Airborne Toxic Event (acoustic)

Sept 18 at Showbox Market, Cloud Cult.

Sept 19 at Marymoor Park, Train.

Sept 19 at El Corazon, The Head Cat.

Sept 20 at Puyallup Fair, Queensryche and Tesla.

Sept 21 at Chop Suey, Hot Hot Heat.

Sept 21 at Sodo Showbox, The Cult.

Sept 23 at Crocodile, Fences and Head & The Heart.

Sept 23 – 25 at Tractor Tavern, Shake the Shack Rockabilly Ball.

Sept 23 – 26 at Jazz Alley, Tower of Power.

Sept 24 at Showbox Market, Local Natives.

Sept 24 at Sunset Tavern, The Blakes.

Sept 24 at WaMu Theater, Primus.

Sept 24 at Puyallup Fair, Uncle Kracker.

Sept 24 at Columbia City Theater, Rachel Flotard.

Sept 25 at Crocodile, The Melvins.

Sept 25 at Paramount, The XX.

Sept 25 at Puyallup Fair, Heart.

Sept 26 at Puyallup Fair, Kid Rock.

Sept 27 at Hells Kitchen, The Melvins.

Sept 27 at Paramount, The Flaming Lips.

Sept 27 at Showbox Market, Neon Indian.

Sept 27 – 28 at High Dive, Brad.

Sept 28 at Showbox Market, Matt & Kim and Fang Island.

Sept 29 at KeyArena, Arcade Fire.

Sept 30 at Triple Door, John Roderick.

Sept 30 – Oct 3 at Jazz Alley, Nancy Wilson.

Filed under: General, Seattle Tagged: #AbsoluteMonarchs, #AnimalsAsLeaders, #ArcadeFire, #AtlasSound, #B-52, #BeachHouse, #BetsyOlson, #BillyIdol, #Bismarck, #BlackFrancis, #BlackHappy, #Blondie, #BOAT, #BobDylan, #BombaEstereo, #BonniePrinceBilly, #Boris, #BornAnchors, #Brad, #BrettMichaels, #BuddyGuy, #BudosBand, #CamperVanBeethoven, #CloudCult, #CoconutCoolouts, #ColdCave, #CottonJames, #Cracker, #CrystalMethod, #CurtainsForYou, #CuteLepers, #DandyWarhols, #DavidBazan, #DavidBroombergQuartet, #DeadstringBrothers, #Decemberists, #Delorean, #DeptofEnergy, #Does ItOffendYouYeah?, #DogShredder, #DrJohn, #DumDumGirls, #Edward Sharpe, #FangIsland, #Fences, #FeralChildren, #FrankBlack, #FrankTurner, #Free Energy, #FungiGirls, #GaslightAnthem, #GrandHallway, #GreatWaves, #Grynch, #Heart, #Helladope, #HelmsAlee, #HeyMarseilles, #Hole, #HotHotHeat, #JamieLidell, #Japandroids, #JEFFtheBrotherhood, #JimMessina, #JohhnyWinter, #JohnRoderick, #JRoddyWalston, #KandiCoded, #KaseyAnderson, #Kele, #KennyWayneShepherd, #KidRock, #Killola, #KingsGoForth, #Kinski, #KristenWard, #LocalNatives, #LonelyForest, #LowVsDiamond, #Maldives, #ManooghiHi, #ManooghiHi #JohnRoderick, #Matt&Kim, #MeatPuppets, #Megadeth, #MelissaEtheridge, #Menomena, #MichaelFranti, #MichealSchenkerGroup, #ModernEnglish, #Moondoggies, #Motopony, #NancyWilson, #NekoCase, #NeonIndian, #NeonWilderness, #OkkervilRiver, #Oswald Effect, #PandaConspiracy, #Pavement, #PearlyGateMusic, #PeopleEatingPeople, #Primus, #PUSA #MichaelShrieve #RandyHansen, #Quasi, #Queensryche, #RachelFlotard, #Ratatat, #RavennaWoods, #RedDress, #RedSparowes, #RedwoodPlan, #RingoStarr, #RobertCray, #RodrigoyGabriela, #Rush, #Satchel, #SemiPreciousWeapons, #Shim, #SilversunPickups, #SkyCriesMary, #Slayer, #SleepyEyesofDeath, #SmashingPumpkins, #Solomon Burke, #Spanishfor100, #Squeeze, #StarAnna, #SurferBlood, #SweetWater, #TallestMan nEarth, #TedLeo, #Tesla, #The XX, #TheAirborneToxicEvent, #TheBlakes, #TheCops, #TheeEmergency, #TheEnglishBeat, #TheFlamingLips, #TheFoghorns, #TheFuckingEagles, #TheHeadCat, #TheHenryClayPeople, #TheHoldSteady, #TheJoyFormidable, #TheMelvins, #TheNational, #TheNewPornographers, #ThePurrs, #TheRaveonettes, #TheReverendHortonHeat, #TheTemperTrap, #TheThermals, #TheWhigs, #TitusAndronicus, #TokyoPoliceClub #FreelanceWhales, #TowerofPower, #Train, #Tripwires, #Truckasauras, #UncleKracker, #UnnaturalHelper, #VampireWeekend, #VanEps, #VinceMira, #VinceVira, #VirginIslands, #Wavves, #Weezer, #Whalebones, #WildOrchidChildren, #Witchburn, #YoungFreshFellows, #ZoeMuth, #ZZTop, CrowdedHouse, EarthWindAndFire, Jaill, Pink Martini, TheLights, Visqueen

Concert Recommendations For July

Mike — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 23:50:35 +0000

July 16 at Sunset Tavern, Black Nite Crash.

July 16 at Columbia City Theater, M Bison.

July 17 at Crocodile, Manooghi Hi

July 17 at Funhouse, The Cute Lepers.

July 17 at Neumos, Motopony.

July 17 at Columbia City Theater, Curtains For You and Ravenna Woods.

July 17 at Market Showbox, Minus The Bear.

July 17 at Snoqualmie Casino, Gin Blossoms.

July 18 at ZooTunes, Star Anna and Damien Jurado.

July 19 at Crocodile, Admiral Radley.

July 19 at Neumos, Pearly Gate Music.

July 20 at Paramount, Neil Young.

July 22 at Crocodile, Obits and Unnatural Helpers.

July 23 at Jazzbones, Shim.

July 23 at Market Showbox, Steel Panther.

July 23 at Columbia City Theater, Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs.

July 23 at Tractor Tavern, Young Fresh Fellows.

July 23 at Neumos, Unnatural Helpers, Champagne Champagne.

July 23 at Capitol Hill Block Party, Macklemore, Shabazz Palaces, Yeasayer, MGMT, Vera Stage, Jaguar Love, Fruit Bats, Cha Cha Stage, The Absolute Monarchs.

July 24 at Capitol Hill Block Party, Redwood Plan, Obits, Avi Buffalo, Blitzen Trapper, !!!, Vera Stage, Grand Hallway, Cha Cha Stage, Born Anchors and Feral Children.

July 25 at Capitol Hill Block Party, The Maldives, Blue Scholars, The Dead Weather, Vera Stage, Truckasauras, Ravenna Woods, Grand Archives, Duchess and the Duke.

July 25 at Seattle Center, Rocky Votolato and Kristen Ward.

July 25 at Vera Project, Duchess and the Duke and Grand Archives.

July 26 at Market Showbox, Wolf Parade.

July 28 at Market Showbox, Toadies and Absolute Monarchs.

July 28 at Triple Door, David Bazan.

July 29 at Funhouse, Tacocat.

July 29 at Columbia City Theater, Chris Burlingame.

July 29 at Moore Theater, Toad The Wet Sprocket.

July 29 at Tractor Tavern, Leon Russell and Kristen Ward.

July 30 at High Dive, The Lights and Whalebones.

July 30 at Chateau Ste Michelle, Jackson Browne.

July 30 at Sunset Tavern, A Tribute to The Kinks.

July 31 at Paramount, Silversun Pickups and The Henry Clay People.

July 31 at Funhouse, Coconut Coolouts and Fungi Girls.

July 31 at Nectar, Sleepy Eyes of Death.

July 31 at Market Showbox, The New Pornographers.

July 31 at Tractor Tavern, The Foghorns.

Aug 1 at Triple Door, Jim Messina.

Aug 2 at Studio Seven, Van Eps.

Aug 3 at Market Showbox, Squeeze.

Aug 3 at Triple Door, Pearly Gate Music.

Aug 4 at Triple Door, David Bromberg Quartet.

Aug 5 at Tulalip Casino, Billy Idol.

Aug 6 at Neumos, Truckasauras.

Aug 6 at Concerts at the Mural, Grand Hallway.

Aug 6 at El Corazon, The Reverend Horton Heat.

Aug 6-8 at Summer Meltdown, Presidents of the United States of America, Michael Shrieve’s Spellbinder, Randy Hansen, Dept of Energy, Spanish for 100, Panda Conspiracy, Manooghi Hi.

Aug 7 at High Dive, Thee Emergency.

Aug 7 at White River Amphitheater, Rush.

Aug 7 at Marymoor Park, Michael Franti.

Aug 9 at Market Showbox, Bonnie Prince Billy.

Aug 11 at Studio Seven, Micheal Schenker Group.

Aug 12 at Chateau Ste Michelle Winery, B-52’s.

Aug 13 at Market Showbox, The Temper Trap.

Aug 13 at Columbia City Theater, Kristen Ward.

Aug 13 at Neumos, Sky Cries Mary, Satchel, Manooghi Hi.

Aug 14 at Triple Door, John Roderick.

Aug 14 at Concerts at the Mural, Quasi, The Lonely Forest and The Joy Formidable.

Aug 16 at Neumos, Tokyo Police Club and Freelance Whales.

Aug 17 at Tulalip Casino, Buddy Guy.

Aug 17 at Tulalip Amphitheatre, Robert Cray.

Aug 18 at Market Showbox, The Hold Steady and Jaill.

Aug 19 at St. Edward State Park, Hey Marseilles.

Aug 20 at Studio Seven, Animals As Leaders.

Filed under: Seattle Tagged: #AnimalsAsLeaders, #B-52’s, #BonniePrinceBilly, #BuddyGuy, #CoconutCoolouts: #FungiGirls: #SleepyEyesofDeath: #NewPornographers: #Foghorns:, #DavidBrombergQuartet, #FreelanceWhales, #HeyMarseilles, #JimMessina, #KristenWard, #MichaelFranti, #MichealSchenkerGroup, #PearlyGateMusic, #RavennaWoods: #Motopony: #ErikBlood: #TheeEmergency: #Witchburn; #Helladope: #Satchel: #Melvins: #JohnRoderick: #CurtisSalgado: #Pigeonhed: #BlackNiteCrash: #ManooghiHi: #CuteLepers: #MinusTheBear: #, #ReverendHortonHeat, #RobertCray, #Rush, #SkyCriesMary, #Squeeze, #StarAnna: #DamienJurado: #Shim: #SteelPanther: #YoungFreshFellows: #WolfParade: #Todies: #AbsoluteMonarchs: #Tacocat: #LeonRussell: #KristenWard: #TheLights: #SilversunPickups: #HenryClayPeople: #Coc, #TemperTrap, #TheeEmergency, #TheHoldSteady, #TokyoPoliceClub, #Truckasauras, #VanEps, Jaill

If I Were Music Czar Of Seattle

Mike — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:08:51 +0000

Imagine I was touched on the shoulder with a weighty broadsword and declared Music Czar of Seattle. My initial fiats would be as follows:

1. ) If you didn’t come to listen to the band, then move to the back and make room for people who did. Respect the band. Repeated offenses and you’d be banned.

2.) And speaking of banned. Who brings a backpack to a show? If you’re in a crowd of people huddled around the stage – every time you spin around – you’re sweeping people out of the way with your hump. Besides, what’s in that backpack? Backpacks are banned.

3.) You can never have enough cowbell.

4.) Ticketmaster will be hit with a processing fee, a convenience charge, a “lame excuse to double the cost of the ticket” surcharge and basically taxed into extinction.

5.) If there are five bands on the bill, the first band must start by 8:00 PM or earlier. Do the math. If the headliner doesn’t start until 12:30 AM, a lot of the crowd is going to miss the headliner. Double the fine for any all-ages shows that do this on a school night.

6.) If you love the band, make some noise.

7.) You can’t sell tickets to a festival until 95% of the bands are announced. I don’t know where I got that number. I’m just tired of lame TBD acts added to round out the line up.

8.) Venues must post start times for each band on their website.

9.) You must support local music.

10.) Is saved for you. Please add your comments or suggestions below.

Filed under: Seattle Tagged: local bands, music, Seattle

June Concert Recommendations

Mike — Mon, 31 May 2010 22:01:42 +0000

June 24 at Crocodile, The Purrs.

June 25 at Funhouse, The Them.

June 25 at Hard Rock, Kevin Woods plays w/Malfunkshun.

June 25 at Sunset Tavern, The Cops and The Tripwires.

June 25 at Palace Ballroom, Wine Women and Song.

June 26 at Sunset Tavern, Red Fang, Kinski, Virgin Islands.

June 26 at Georgetown Music Festival, Black Whales, and Tea Cozies.

June 26 at Vera Project, Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Unnatural Helpers.

June 26 at Blue Moon, The Foghorns.

June 26 at High Dive, Dum Dum Girls and Crocodiles.

June 27 at Market Showbox, Josh Ritter.

Juen 27 at Crocodile, Meiko.

June 30 at Paramount, Wide Spread Panic.

June 30 at ZooTunes, Steve Earle with Joe Ely

July 1 at Tractor Tavern, Ravenna Woods and Motopony.

July 2 at Chop Suey, Erik Blood.

July 2 at Funhouse, Thee Emergency.

July 3 at Crocodile, Helladope.

July 3 at Tractor Tavern, Satchel.

July 6 at Chop Suey, Sleepy Eyes of Death.

July 6 at Market Showbox, Melvins.

July 8 at Triple Door, John Roderick.

July 15 at Neumos, Pigeonhed.

July 16 at Sunset Tavern, Black Nite Crash.

Filed under: Seattle Tagged: #Akimbo #DogShredder #Heiress #Tripwires #BrianJonestownMassacre #Junip #PsychedelicFurs #LouBarlow #Sharon Jones #TheHeavy #Offspring #APlacetoBuryStrangers #TheThem #TheCops #Tripwires #RedFang #Kin, #BlackNiteCrash #Pigeonhed #JohnRoderick #SleepyEyesofDeath #Satchel #Helladope #TheeEmergency #RavennaWoods #Motopony #KevinWoods #Malfunkshun #Crocodiles #Shim

The Truth About Star Anna

Mike — Sun, 16 May 2010 19:50:05 +0000

I bellied up to the bar at the Buckaroo Tavern last Saturday night for a beer or two before the Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs show up the street. On one side of me was a young meth addict. You could tell he was new to his disease. He wasn’t very good at hiding it. On the other side of me was a pair of pretentious musicians swapping war stories about their bands. And all around me the watering hole was quickly filling with thirsty packs of 20-something locals.

Meth guy worked at a nearby restaurant. He kept offering the barkeep a 5er for a 3 dollar beer. But he would have none of it, “Oh you don’t pay for anything in my place.” It’s an old game. You don’t pay in my place and I don’t pay in yours. If you were ever a server – you understand. It’s an obligatory kabuki dance – hardly even a real conversation.

So I spun around to the musicians beside me and their conversation had moved to the re-release of the recently remastered Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street album. As fate would have it, my editor had just picked up a vinyl copy of said masterpiece. Plus, he was also packing a copy of the infamous unreleased Rolling Stones movie, “Cocksucker Blues” so we were playing a lot of Rolling Stone in the edit suite earlier that same day. Now, I’ve met Mick Jagger. I have a great Keith Richards story. If these guys are Stones fans, I had a lot to share.

One of the two seemed polite – even genuinely interest. But the other looked at me like I just kick his dog – certainly annoyed that I had interrupted his diatribe. Their conversation wasn’t a real one either – one person had way too much to contribute and the other was a good listener. So my presence was exactly one person too many. Within a minute they flashed some cash at the bartender and I could hear the annoyed one rattling on as they disappeared out the door and into the night.

About the same time I got a text that whittled our threesome going to the show down to me. So I settled the bill and stumbled up the street to see Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs, solo.

I walked into the Fremont Abby filled with friends and family of the band, plenty of musicians, scenesters, local music aficionados, and – wouldn’t you know it – my two Rolling Stone buddies from the bar. One just rolled his eyes and pretended not to see me – the other made small talk for a minute. I felt a little out of place. It was like one big club. Everyone seemed to know everyone else. Fortunately, the band started before one more person had to pretend they remembered me from somewhere.

I had seen Star Anna a few times before at the Showbox, the Tractor Tavern and the Hootenanny for Haiti. At every show someone would inevitably turn around and say, “Who is she?” Translation, she’s obviously a talent, but was she in another band that I don’t recall? Or is she someone famous and I’m just figuring this out? But last Saturday at the Fremont Abby she was among friends, and people who realize we’re at the beginning of something special.

And she was…the truth.

They played acoustic. They touched a couple of my favorites, a new song and even a Beatles cover, “I’ve Just Seen a Face.” But all-in-all what I always take away from her shows is that it’s an honest moment. It was real.

It’s the way she stares off into space between phrases – like she’s composing the next line in her head. It’s the way she bounces her leg – not always in time with the music – but like something’s welling up inside her, struggling to get out. It’s the way her lyrics smoldering at a low burn, punctuated with wails and moans.

I’m not sure if you’re a country, indie, folk kinda fan. But if you want to hear a talented girl from Ellensburg sing you an honest tune, treat yourself to an evening with Star Anna. She’s the truth and that’s all I can say about that.

And the Laughing Dogs deserve a word or two here as well. Justin Davis is rock solid and a great pairing with Anna. You can hide a lot of mistakes with an electric guitar. But when you’re acoustic, you’re pretty much naked. Great technique. Wonderful attack. Justin delivers likes Fed Ex.

Wanta show off to your cool music friends? Ask them if they’ve ever seen Star Anna.

Next shows:

5/16/10 Hawthorne Portland

6/19/10 The Conway Muse Mt. Vernon

7/11/10 Yakima Folklife Festival Yakima

7/18/10 ZooTunes w/Damien Jurado Seattle

Filed under: Seattle Tagged: Star Anna; The Laughing Dogs; Fremont Abby; Seattle; Ellensburg; music; Rolling Stones; Buckaroo Tavern; ZooTunes: Folklife; Hawthorne; Conway Muse

May Concert Recommendations

Mike — Tue, 11 May 2010 16:39:11 +0000

May 23 at Tacoma Dome, Los Inquietos Del Norte.

May 24 at Chop Suey, Great Waves.

May 25 at Chop Suey, Motopony.

May 25 at Triple Door, The Maldives: Riders of the Purple Storm.

May 25 at Showbox Market, Broken Bells and The Morning Benders.

May 26 at Blue Moon, The Foghorns.

May 26 at Jazzbones, The Cherry Poppin Daddies.

May 26 at Crocodile, The Long Winters and Grand Hallway.

May 26 at Funhouse, Coconut Coolouts.

May 27 at Rendezvous, Satchel.

May 27at Neumos, Caribou and Toro Y Moi.

May 27 at Vera Project, Citay.

May 27 at Black Lodge, A Gun That Shoots Knives.

May 29 at Seattle Center, Folklife Festival.

May 29 at Triple Door, Damien Jurado.

May 30 at Funhouse, The Them.

June 2 at El Corazon, Buzzcocks.

June 2 at Sunset Tavern, Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers.

June 3 at Tractor Tavern, Deadstring Brothers and Betsy Olson.

June 4 at Blue Moon, Satchel.

June 5 at Nectar, Grynch.

June 5 at Crocodile, Sleepy Eyes of Death play Radiohead.

June 5 at Hard Rock Seattle, Kristen Ward

June 5 at Sunset Tavern, Trackasaurus and Sex with Strangers.

June 5 at Hells Kitchen, Accused.

June 5 at Neumos, The Misfits.

June 7 at Crocodile, Born Anchors.

June 9 at Tractor Tavern, Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers.

June 10 at El Corazon, Bone Thugs n Harmony.

June 10 at Sunset Tavern, Erik Blood.

June 10 at Crocodile, Great Waves.

June 11 at Chop Suey, Black Whales.

June 11 at Neumos, Delta Spirit and Ezra Furman and the Harpoons.

June 12 at Neumos, The Album Leaf and Kinski.

June 13 at Hard Rock Seattle, Visqueen.

June 13 at Tractor Tavern, John Vanderslice.

June 13 at Studio Seven, Marcy Playground and Amsterdam.

June 14 at Moore, Dweezil Zappa (plays Frank Zappa)

Filed under: Seattle Tagged: #AnnaStar, #DweezilZappa #MarcyPlayground #Amsterdam #Kinski #TheAlbumLeaf #Visqueen #JohnVanderslice #DeltaSpirit #EzraFurman #BlackWhales #ErikBlood #ZoeMuth #TheMisfits #Accused #Trackasaurus #SexwithStranger, #HeyMarseilles #ManooghiHi #QuadStock #PandaConspiracy #ClemSnide #Femurs #FrightenedRabbit #Foghorns #GrandHallway #ShoutOutLouds #HeyMarseilles #RedwoodPlan #Mono#CurtainsforYou #HeadLikeaKite #Thee

The Stupidest Soundgarden Fan In Seattle Part II: A Glutton For Punishment.

Mike — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 00:47:38 +0000

Four months ago I had signed up on the Soundgarden website to get updates from the band. Lucky me, because the website was about to send fans a secret code for a chance to buy tickets online to the first Soundgarden show in over 13 years. There were no physical tickets for sale at the box office. That would have been good information to know yesterday. You see my phone battery was running on fumes after mistakenly waiting in line for 10 hours to buy a ticket. Standing outside the Showbox at the Market that morning, I was exhausted, cranky and my feet hurt. But I knew that seeing the secret code in my in box would make everything right in my world. After all, it would make a colorful story – right?

Tickets went on sale at about 10:05. It sold out in 15 minutes. I never got the code. I never had a shot at this. Ever. My parking meter had expired. My phone battery was dead. After standing in line all night, it was time to leave.

I can’t lie. A soft bed looked real nice when I got home. But like the glutton for punishment that I am, my first move was to crack open Twitter. Frankly, I was overwhelmed. It wasn’t just me – a lot of fans didn’t get the code. And for some reason Seattle decided I was the one they needed to share this with on Twitter. Somehow I’d become the central clearinghouse for all the anger and frustration people needed to vent. Post after post poured in all afternoon with questions and confusion. I reposted a fraction of the tweets so that @Soundgarden could see what was happening.

Then word broke of a scavenger hunt at 12:15 PM. It worked like this, the Soundgarden website would send picture clues to fans that lead them to a hidden bottle cap. The first one to find the cap gets the tickets. The first clue confirmed that the cap was hidden in…THE PIKE PLACE MARKET! Quick geography lesson: The Showbox at the Market is across the street from the Pike Place Market – you know the place I just came from, the place I’d just spent 10 hours waiting in line. This would be information useful to me…two hours ago.

Fans posted comments on the photo clues as fast as they were released. More anger. More frustration. Not because they didn’t get tickets. They were angry for reasons that could have been avoided by releasing more details to their fans the day before. It broke me. This was not a band issue. This was a management issue. I love the band. But Alice in Chains did this so much better.

I unfollowed Soundgarden and walked my dogs for the first time in days. When I got back around 2 PM what did I find? Soundgarden sent me a secret code, “dangersound.” I gave it a try – hoping against hope that there was a second wave of tickets released. Of course there wasn’t. This was the code I needed 4 hours ago. How many times can you kick me before I stop coming back?

I turned off the phone, took a shower and slipped into bed. You’d think this is the end of the story. But a few hours later while sorting through more emails and messages about the show, a friend called. He was going down to the Showbox with a few buddies who were plotting to sneak into the concert. I was desperate – not stupid, so I passed. They never made it in. Besides, I was clean and drinking a nice wine with dogs sleeping at my feet. I was done. And really, how many times can you kick me?

Well as it turns out the concert gods had one more swift kick. Give or take a catnap, I had about 4 hours of sleep in 3 days and I really couldn’t face reading real-time tweets from the concert, so I finished that bottle of wine and fell asleep around 8 PM.

I woke up around 10 AM the next day and opened 3 direct messages from my Twitter peeps. One was from someone who got his secret code about twenty hours late. I feel yer pain, bro. Another message was from a local PR firm that sent me a bootleg of the Soundgarden concert. Hey, thanks! And the last DM was from a well connect twitter pal. It came in around 8:30 PM the night before.

“Where do you live? If I get down there and somehow there’s a tic floating around… how quick could you be there?”

Quick geography lesson: For the record I live about 20 minutes away. And Soundgarden took the stage at 10:00 PM. Could he have gotten me into the concert? I don’t ever want to know.

- The Stupidest Soundgarden Fan in Seattle

Filed under: Seattle Tagged: Nudedragons, Seattle, Showbox, Soundgarden