Band Members Jason Dodson, Ryan McMackin, Chris Zasche, Tomo Nakayama, Kevin Barrans, Tim Gadbois, Chris Warner, Seth Warren, Jesse Bonn
Photo by Suzi Pratt
March has been a busy month for The Maldives. Early this month, they were featured in Lynn Shelton’s $5 Cover: Seattle premiere, and now Ballard’s own alt-country rock band is bound for SXSW to show the rest of the nation that Seattle can successfully popularize more than the grunge and indie-rock that we are best known for. Two nights ago was The Maldives‘ SXSW send off party, and even though it was late on a Wednesday night, the sold out audience packed the Tractor Tavern, eager to see one of Seattle’s most popular local bands. Opening with “Goodbye,” lead singer Jason Dodson appeared relaxed and happy to be playing before fans who were singing and clapping along to the now-popular lyrics and rhythms of Listen to the Thunder, the band’s first LP that debuted last fall. The strong, full-bodied songs “Blood Relations” and “The Time is Right Now” flooded the Tractor with a huge presence that only a band of nine could illicit. Unfortunately, the Tractor’s sound system was a couple notches too high, making me resort to using earplugs, which in turn muffled the full effect of hearing The Maldives live. There was also an excessive amount of background chatter that was drowned out during the loud cuts and amplified during the soft, slow ballads. Due to an unpleasant mix of rude crowd members, one of whom even answered his mobile phone during the show, and an overblown sound system, this particular show was not among my top-rated, but The Maldives themselves remain highly rated and recommended in my book. Be sure to catch them live if you haven’t yet!
Photo by Suzi Pratt
Something should also be said for Or, the Whale, one of the bands opening for The Maldives. This country rock band from San Francisco will also perform at SXSW. Their mix of boot-stomping rockers and swelling ballads are in the same fashion of The Maldives, except Or, the Whale features two female singers whose powerful voices blend with their male counterparts to produce soaring harmonies accompanied by smooth guitar riffs, plucking banjos and pounding drums. Seeing them live is a special treat since this seven member band really gets into their music, using the small stage area to sway and rock out. Even though a majority of the audience was there to see The Maldives, nearly everyone was blown away by this other talented West Coast alt-country band. If you’re a fan of The Maldives, check out Or, the Whale, and you too shall be pleasantly surprised.
Last Tuesday, a great group of bands sold out Neumos. Anyone lucky enough to make it through the door, and there were a number of fans trying to find tickets who weren’t lucky enough, were treated to a fantastic show by Bear Hands, The Lonely Forest, and We Were Promised Jetpacks.
The first band to hit the stage was the Brooklyn based Bear Hands. After playing a live set on KEXP earlier in the day, a lot of folks were excited to see them and made it in early to check them out, myself included. We were not disappointed. They were easily the loudest band of the night. Rocking the crowd with their riotous percussion segments, featuring several of the band members playing various drums, and soaring guitar and bass riffs. They’re set was a great primer for what was to come later. They are definitely a band to keep your eyes on in the future. Sorry the following video isn’t from Neumos.
The second band of the night was local boys The Lonely Forest. The Anacortes based band, led by John Van Deusen, has been creating quite a buzz in the local music scene over the past couple of years, so I was eager to see them live. Their set was interesting as it was filled with mostly new material from their soon to be released major label debut. It was still the piano driven pop that’s expected from them, but it was, in my humble opinion, somewhat lacking. It reminded me of Dashboard Confessional but with more piano. It was still a good show, but I can see now why Eric Grandy says that they are destined for Twilight soundtracks.
The headliner of the evening was We Were Promised Jetpacks. The four Scottish rockers have been making music since 2003, when they won their schools battle of the bands competition, but their debut album, These Four Walls, was only released in June of last year. This is their first North American tour as a headliner. Last year when they visited Seattle, they were the opener for fellow Scottish rockers Frightened Rabbit. This time they were the main act, and they showed the packed house at Neumos that they deserve top billing.
The band entered on stage to a prerecorded and kind of weird launch sequence. They played along with the weirdness until the launch sequence stopped and they took off into their song “Keeping Warm.” They followed that by going straight into the popular and fast paced rock song “Quiet Little Voices.” From the get go, We Were Promised Jetpacks had the crowd bouncing along to their lively rock songs. It wasn’t entirely fast paced though. They slowed down the mood and picked it up often in the same song. It set a nice pace for the show as they tore through their repertoire.
For most of the show, the crowd screamed, jumped, danced, and stared as We Were Promised Jetpacks rocked our worlds. At times, lead singer Adam Thompson didn’t even use his microphone. He just knocked his microphone stand over and screamed the lyrics while the crowd sang along. The band was enjoying themselves so much that they decided to skip the formality of leaving the stage before the encore, telling the audience that just wanted to keep playing. Unfortunately, they couldn’t play all night, and they ended their set with the epic song “Short Burts.”
It was a phenomenal performance by We Were Promised Jetpacks. It was a treat to see such a humble band, they thanked everyone from the venue and the fans to their own mothers, rock so hard. The opening bands were a pleasure as well. All things said and done, it was one heck of a Tuesday night.
In the mood for the silky smooth acoustic stylings similar to Bright Eyes with a dash of Sufjan Stevens? Well you’re in luck. Once again Drew Victor is bringing just that to the small confines of The Sunset Tavernall the way from the musical hot-bed of Brooklyn , New York. But don’t be fooled, it seems that Seattle is like a second home for him. His ninth album Stand Still Faithful Mountain was recorded here at Litho Studios with his friends from Grand Hallway, and The Maldives. So lets roll out the welcome mat, he’s going to deliver us some special musical goodies.
Speaking of The Maldives, this Seattle mainstay is going to be pleasuring the people with their rootsy-country sounds at The Tractor tonight after kicking off their spring tour last night at The Doug Fir in Portland. These co-stars of the $5 cover series Seattle shot over last summer with countless other Seattle faves are revving up their music prowess to showcase their sound at SXSW next week in Austin, Texas. So be sure to head down, and give them a warm send off tonight.
On the other end of the spectrum, but heading to SXSW as well, Neumos is hosting one of Seattle’s most up and coming metal bands known as Book of Black Earth. If you have some frustrations from the week or just want to let it all hang out, then you need to step right up. These boys evoke the metal gods to each and every show, so I am sure its going to be a rough and tumble night in the pit. Or, you could just stand back and let the vocals of T.J. Cowgills permeate your skin and saturate your pores. NO matter which you choose, this is going to be heavy, but its going to be good.
For more show ideas, please visit our friends over at ReignCity.com
Having had Snoop Dogg present for almost the entirety of my pop-culture awareness, I was stoked to go to his show and see what Tha Doggfather had to offer in terms of a live show. The bass from Mash Hall’s opening set was audible from blocks away. When I made it past the rigorous search for weapons at the door, I hit the wall of weed smoke one would be disappointed not to find at a Snoop Dogg show.
The crowd was the most diverse I have ever seen at a Seattle show. There was no age level, race, or social group that was not represented in this Snoop Dogg crowd. Mash Hall was halfway through their set when I got in, and though they were giving it their all, the crowd was just not having it. Everyone was standing still, there were boos and big thumbs downs—the audience seemed more interested in Ludacris’ “Move B*tch” (the first track played between sets) than they were in anything Mash Hall had to say. This is surprising, since a lot of the things Mash Hall has to say … are about weed. What does a Snoop Dogg crowd love more than weed?
For second act Step Cousins, a local hip-hop super-duo feat. Xperience and Macklemore, it was an entirely different story. Xperience hit the stage first, accompanied by DJ/producer Ryan Lewis. Lewis was spinning some mad beats with some mad bass, and I had to bust out my earplugs for the first time in months. Lewis and Xperience got the crowd pumped before bringing out Macklemore, arguably one of Seattle’s favorite MC’s. Macklemore gets away with doing pretty much whatever the hell he wants: getting the crowd to repeat ridiculous noises, making a Snoop Dogg audience go crazy for a dark track warning about overdosing on drugs, performing a ballad for Irish folk, and even donning a wig, a fur coat, and bringing out back up dancers for his crazy closing track, “And We Danced” … though I’m not so sure the crowd got the joke on that last one.
Finally, after an hour long set change, most of which contained chants for “SNOOOPP DOOOGGGGGG,” a video popped up on the screen. The crowd roared with excitement, and from what I could see, the video mashed up clips of Snoop and weed, gunfights, pimp cups and 70’s era pimps, among other things.
Snoop finally came out in all of his ‘blazing’ glory (with a heavily blinged out microphone, of course), he launched straight into“Next Episode.” The crowd was singing along, and by his second song, clouds of weed smoke were so thick I could have cut them with a knife. Snoop Dogg played a lot of classics at this show, including “Gin & Juice,” “P.I.M.P.,” “Jump Around,” and crowd favorite “Drop It Like It’s Hot.” Snoop Dogg even busted out a little Marvin Gaye, singing “Sexual Healing” before launching into his own “Sensual Seduction.”
Snoop was digging the love from the crowd, and repeatedly thanked his fans for all of their support over the years. He finished his hour long set with “What’s My Name,” leaving the crowd begging for more. There was no encore, and the mostly inebriated crowd poured out of the venue, buzzing about the show. Though some parts of Snoop Dogg’s set felt a little forced and lackluster, I had a pretty great time overall. There’s nothing quite like spending your Saturday night with a hip-hop legend.
Since no video was allowed at this particular show, I bring you Snoop Dogg’s most recent TV appearance–a performance of new track “I Wanna Rock” and 90’s classic “Insane in the Brain” with special guests Cypress Hill.
Band Members:
John Medeski – piano and keyboards
Billy Martin – drums and percussion
Chris Wood – bass
Medeski Martin and Wood(MMW) are legends in both the jazz/jam scene. The avant-groove jazz trio has been together since 1991, releasing a plethora of acclaimed albums, touring the globe relentlessly. Last time they were in Seattle, in November 2008, they played a sold out show at the Moore Theatre. It was a treat to see them return last Saturday to the relatively small confines of the Showbox at the Market. The more intimate setting, a special guest, and the fact that it was the last show of their tour, made for an outstanding night of music that saw both the crowd and the band enjoying themselves to the fullest.
The first set started with the rollicking song “Agmatia” that saw John Medeski layering surreal electronic sounds with melodic, almost klezmer style keyboard playing. It was a great opening song that built up the energy in the room. The set continued with mostly new songs of MMW’s three disc set The Radiolarian Series. Some songs were groovy, some were loungy, and some songs were a combination of the two. Either way, the boys were holding it down and giving the audience a great show. The highlight of the first set was a special guest appearance by local saxophonist and human jam machine Skerik. He joined the band for the last song of the set, a roller coaster of a song called “Flat Tire” that saw the band alternating between rocking out and getting weird.
The second set continued where the first set left off. Chris Martin kept playing slick grooves on his electric bass, leaving his more common upright bass behind him.John Medeski kept slapping the keys of his many pianos and keyboards, leading the band through more songs of their Radiolarian Series as well as a couple of tracks of their stellar 2002 album Uninvisble. Billy Martin kept banging away on his drum kit while playing his collection of odd percussion instruments. Of the numerous musical highlights of the second set, the song that stood out the most to me was the encore cover of “Baby Let Me Follow You Down.” It was a new approach to an old song made famous by Bob Dylan. The classic folk song, which appears on disc two of The Radiolarian Series, was given the jazz treatment by MMW and it sounded phenomenal.
Medeski Martin and Wood showed yet again that they are masters of jazz. The show was everything from mellow to rocking. Sometimes the band would get lost in their weirdness, just to pull it all back together before getting lost again. This theme was repeated several times throughout the concert. It was an outstanding show of musical timing and precision. MMW never disappoints in their live concerts and last Saturday was no exception. Everyone, from the band to the hippies and the hipsters, enjoyed themselves. Check out the video below to see them rocking out with Skerik.
X-Ray Press, who are too good to believe, will be playing the Blue Moon Tavern tonight. This band totally rules and is carrying the torch of smart, discordant, Faraquet-inspired math-rock into the 2010’s, at least in the NW. Tonight’s show will be the second-to-last show they play before heading off on a West-Coast tour for the spring. Catch them and try to keep time.
The Sweet Dominiques’ Seattle brand of lo-fi indie/folky/surfy goodness just feels good to listen to, and they’ll be at the Skylark for free. There is no valid reason not to go see them. The show at the Skylark starts earlier than the others, so it stands to reason that it will end earlier than the others. One could easily see them at Skylark and make it in time to see the headlining act in any other part of our fair city.
Extra Life are genuinely difficult to listen to–there is no pop-sensibility to be had here. Instead, what is on display here is as dissonant, interesting, and avant-garde as violin-soaked metal can be. Violins screech away, drums crash, and the vocalist sings in what sound like classically trained tones. Much of Extra Life’s sound could be summed up in one word: assault. Definitely the most interesting show of the night. If you’re interested in seeing something you’ve never seen before, Extra Life’s show at the Comet is the one to go to.
Band Members
David Bazan – vocals, guitar, drums
Blake Wescott – backing vocals, guitar
Very rarely does one get to experience the intimacy of being present at a house show. Last year, Jamaal Jackson said the following regarding house shows: “There’s something so satisfying about the close proximity that people can share with a great band and each other in the warm environment offered by the generous soul who decided to host the event.” Last Friday evening, this unique opportunity presented itself in the form of local Seattle musician David Bazan playing one of his now-famous living room shows.
As one of the last few living room shows Bazan will play before launching a national tour with his band, this show took place in Queen Anne in a lovely home with approximately 30 guests in attendance. Bazan took his seat in front of the fireplace armed with an acoustic guitar and a snare and kick drum, while his counterpart Blake Wescott donned an electric guitar. The show opened with a “Priests and Paramedics,” a song from Bazan’s former band Pedro the Lion. Throughout the evening, Bazan played a mix of songs from his solo album Curse Your Branches and Pedro the Lion, at one point recognizing that he was beginning to add some of his favorite songs from his former band into his live shows.
After playing several songs, Bazan would pause to take questions from the audience, divulging interesting insights. When asked if he was working on another love song to accompany “Options,” Bazan admitted to having a somewhat cynical view on romance, citing the blind path of love expressed in the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as an example, but said he is indeed working on another love song. He also revealed the initial intent behind his living room shows as a way to make ends meet while following his label’s request for him to stay under the radar before his album was publicly unveiled. Fortunately, Bazan and his listeners found the living room shows such a success that even after Bazan’s new album was released, he continues to perform in intimate settings.
With the main focus of the room being Bazan’s strong, clear voice, the enraptured audience was allowed to quietly meditate on the deeply personal and emotional lyrics.
When the gap between
what I hoped would be
and what is makes me weep for my kids
I take a cleansing breath
and make a positive confession
But is that what bearing witness is?
Though it may alienate your family
and blur the lines of your identity
Let go of what you know
and honor what exists
Son, that’s what bearing witness is
Daughter, that’s what bearing witness is
“Bearing Witness”
There was no need to battle for viewing space or be distracted by faraway chatter. The audience clearly wanted to be there to listen to Bazan and together we were mesmerized by the emotional narrative of his songs and his musical talent. This was a more than ideal scene to enjoy a live acoustic show. The next time you have an opportunity to attend one of his house shows, I encourage you to take it. Bazan will be playing two more living room shows this weekend before going on tour next month. See his full tour schedule HERE (sadly, Seattle is not on it). Please enjoy clips from the show!
Band Members: Lance Phelps- Drums
Sean Wood- Guitar
Erin Wood- Bass
If The Spits recommend that you take the next day off from work or what have you, then it’s probably in your best interest to do so. Having never seen one of their shows myself, I was amped to see them at Chop Suey, but for some reason wasn’t quite sure what was in store. After watching Personal and the Pizzas from Jersey (think men’s conglomerate out of the movie Grease), sing songs such as “Pizza Army” and “I Don’t Wanna Be No Personal Pizza” while combing their greasy hair and dodging Olympia beer cans, they set a raucous tone for the headliners, and the energy was building with every song piped into the room.
Finally, with thick blankets of fog rolling onto the stage and video images of the macabre film Faces of Death played on a large projector screen, The Spits came out with cymbals on fire (literally), and fire crackers exploding, as if to slap the crowd in the face with not only their punk prowess, but simply their arrival. It was as if they were egging the crowd on to see what they may have brought for the band, and in no time flat the crowd was starting to give The Spits as much of a show as the band had brought them, but without the fire (thank god, because the first thing that came to my mind was the infamous Great White show). The crowd was no place for the weary, and if you weren’t on alert you could easily be taken out with the flow of moving bodies or simply kicked in the face by one of the over-eager crowd surfers. All senses were in overload, and sometimes all survival instincts were necessary to take in the showmanship of the Seattle punk gods, and gods they are. The coolest kids at the table will tell you that The Spits are where it’s at, and their following is pretty rabid. I spoke to four different people who were there from not only L.A., but as far away as NYC, and Philly. Good raw punk is a dying art form, and I think more people will come to embrace it because of bands like The Spits.Balls to the walls music with no apologies is hard to come by, but this Seattle mainstay is guaranteed to be legendary and inspirational for the new punk generations to come. Next time you have the chance, go see them! I can’t wait for their next show.
Here is one live video of the opening, and the rest was mayhem!
Band Members:
Van Pierszalowski – guitar, vocals
Ryan Stively – bass
Gram Lebron – guitar
Tyson Vogel – drums
Cambria Goodwin – vocals
Port O’Brien started as a bedroom recording project between Van Pierszalowski and Cambria Goodwin while the two of them spent their summers in Alaska. Van would work on his fathers fishing boat, and Cambria was a head baker in Larsen Bay supplying baked goods for the seasonal fishing community. Their first full-length album, All We Could Do Was Sing, is all about the anxiety and loneliness of living and working in a desolate fishing community in the middle of the nowhere. Their second album, Threadbare, which you should go and buy right now, is a bit more heartfelt. It was recorded just after Cambria’s brother had died. It deals with the emotional turbulence of having lost someone close, but it’s not a complete downer of a record. It’s tinged with a bit of optimism. Their songs are delicate mix between folk and indie rock. Some songs are slow and some are fast, but either way, they are beautiful.
On Saturday night, Port O’Brien played at the Tractor Tavern in Ballard. It was their second stop on their North American tour. Unfortunately, Cambria Goodwin wasn’t with them. She was still in California and would be joining them later in the tour. The rest of the band was Port O’Brien mainstay Ryan Stively and two new members; Gram Lebron from Rogue Wave and Tyson Vogel from Two Gallants.
The band opened with a song off their first album, All We Could Do Was Sing, called “Don’t Take My Advice.” It starts with Van slowly strumming his acoustic guitar and singing about his desire to not settle down. About halfway through the song the rest of the band joined in and the stage was set for the rest of the show. This was not going to be chill folk rock, like their albums. This was going to be an all out rock show. They followed with the rollicking song “Sour Milk/ Salt Water” from their most recent album Threadbare. Van was bouncing around the stage, controlling the crowd like a true maestro. When he asked the crowd to sing the la la la part of “Oslo Campfire” the entire audience sang along with conviction.
For the duration of the show, Port O’Brien rocked the audience’s world. Songs that were slow on the album, were given an extra kick, and the songs that were already upbeat were turned into fist pumping anthems. They played songs off both albums, as well as some material off their very first compilation, The Wind and the Swell. The show culminated when the band handed out pots and pans and invited the audience on stage to play “I Woke Up Today.” Everyone in The Tractor was singing along and banging together anything they could get their hands on, including bottles and cans.
All in all, it was an amazing show. The fact that Cambria Goodwin wasn’t with them was kind of a bummer as it meant that we weren’t able to hear some of the more melodic and beautiful songs like “In the Meantime” and “Treebones.” At the same time, the show was maybe more rocking because she wasn’t there. They never really had to slow down and they could keep the tempo up for the entire show. Who knows? What it means is that I have even more reason to see them next they come to town, and that day can’t come quick enough.
Last night at The Moore Theatre, I was privileged to see the handsome and talented violin virtuoso David Garrett perform the last of his two Seattle shows. This German American musician is just a couple years shy of age thirty and already has a list of accomplishments. A child prodigy, Garrett learned to play the violin at age four, recorded two CDs at age thirteen, played in multiple prestigious orchestras, and was named by Guinness World Records as the world’s fastest violin player. Add in the fact that he is a former Armani model, and it is understood why he is called the “David Beckham of the classical scene.”
Simply dressed in jeans and a casual jacket, Garrett made an attention-grabbing entrance by sauntering down the aisle of The Moore while playing his violin. He then unleashed a variety of songs including classic Bach and Vivaldi, bluesy numbers, rock tributes, and even the Pirates of the Caribbean theme, proving that the violin doesn’t just make music your grandmother would love. Granted, The Moore was packed with mostly older folks and families with children whining to go home at intermission. However, Garrett’s covering of popular songs by artists such as Queen and AC/DC are in accordance with his goal to give young listeners something contemporary mixed with classical music in an effort to find a new audience for the classical genre.
Throughout the show, Garrett was full of smiles and humor, often telling stories to introduce the next song he was about to play. He told of his struggles to find an “affordable” apartment in New York City when he studied at Juilliard before playing the song “Summertime,” and humorously detailed an incident in which a woman held an umbrella over him as he played outdoors, not to save his violin, but just so she could hear him play the song “Air” in its entirety. By far my favorite songs were his last two before intermission: the bluesy “Summertime” and Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal,” both of which definitely have a modern ring to them, convincing me that Garrett is indeed making steps in the right direction to win over a new generation of listeners.
Please enjoy some clips from the show, including “Smooth Criminal” and Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters.”
Seattle Show Gal is in hot pursuit of undiscovered talent! How many great bands are out there that are slipping through the cracks? Seattle is saturated with so much music, it would be nearly impossible to sift through it all to find the good stuff. The Seattle Show Gal staff is not so proud to think that we can bring you all of it, but we are actively pursuing all different types of acts to give you a pulse on what is going on--right here in Seattle! (See more in "About")
Very rarely does one get to experience the intimacy of being present at a house show. Last year, 
