Chop Suey is taking you a journey to the motherland Saturday night with a show from three Balkan-inspired bands that will have you singing “Back in the U.S.S.R.” for the rest of the week. Headlining the show is Seattle band Kultur Shock. Their songs are striking, combining more classic elements of punk and metal songs with an Eastern European flavor that reflects the backgrounds of two of the band’s members—one from Bosnia, the other from Bulgaria.
Kultur Shock’s tracks tend to feature blatant social commentary, mostly about immigration. “Country Mohammed” is a song that incorporates metal-esque riffs with old-world violin and banjo straight out of Deliverance country. The song gives a first person account of a man, presumably of Eastern European origin, who moves to the U.S. and adopts all of the country’s backwards ideologies (and even picks up a southern accent) in order to be a ‘real American’.
Opening for Kultur Shock is Orkestar Zirkonium, a fourteen-member balkan-inspired band also hailing from Seattle. The excellently arranged drum-and-brass songs will charm you and likely keep your toes tappin’ for the entire set.
Make sure you head to the show early to see the very first act. Chervona is yet another Balkan-inspired band on tonight’s bill, but with an awesome, upbeat gypsy flair. Hailing from Portland, Chervona sound like they know how to get a party started—if anyone can make you dance the punk rock polka, it’s these fellas.
Seattle Show Gal has some tickets to give away to this rad show. If you’re interested, click HERE or email contests@seattleshowgal.com with subject line “Balkan or Bust!!!!” for a chance to win tickets for you and a pal!
The Kultur Shock video below is a music video that’s … a little on the nontraditional side. It cuts back and forth between a live performance and a short silent film of their own making (with the live performance serving as the soundtrack for said film). Enjoy!
This Friday, The Editors make their triumphant return to Seattle on the heels of their January 19th, US release of In This Light And On This Evening. It’s been almost two years since The Editors were last in town and fans can expect the same high-energy, grandiose performance that they are well known for. The combination of the aural and visual aspects of an Editors’ show is certain to stir and energize the audience like no other post-punk rock revival.
Often compared to the likes of Joy Division and Echo & The Bunnymen, Tom Smith’s deep, crisp baritone voice is hauntingly pleasant and poignant. While the comparisons are inevitable, The Editors have taken their sound in a different direction compared to past albums. The signature Editors intensity is still there, but where previous songs like “Munich” were representative of their ‘tone,’ “You Don’t Know Love” is more indicative of the sound you can expect from their new material. How will this affect their show??? Tom might sit down and fiddle with the black and whites more, but besides that the show will be amazing. Bet on it, and go out to see them and buy the new album (it’s only $5)! Princeton and local group Black Nite Crash will be opening.
Band Members Erik Walters: Vocals/Guitarist
Kyle Musselwhite: Lead Guitar/Vocals
Marcus Ourada: Percussion
Sean McCotter: Bassist/Keyboard
Photo courtesy of Jason Friendt
The Globes came out, plugged in and went right to work. Right off the bat, Erik Walters’ voice stood out with a sturdy, melodic sound, and when Kyle pitched in it all seemed meant to be. But even more so than that … the band’s instrumentation is so polished and tight, they seemed to plow through every song without a misstep. The thing is, these days good, tight bands are becoming the standard in Seattle. Writing amazing songs along with some good consistent hooks and some fantastic musical layering is not when the artist really starts to emerge from the pack. Its the live performance behind it.
These are four very talented musicians who certainly don’t take their craft lightly, but seeing them live is almost repetitious. From one song to the next, the onstage persona’s remain the same. The Crocodile gave them beautiful lighting and a couple of haze makers, and the band rested upon on those two things for their visual representation (which wasn’t all that bad). A band that is as on point musically as The Globes, certainly has to have a musical connectedness to each other. It would be amazing to watch this play out on stage, but everyone seems to be pretty content in their corner and rarely come out of it. The band is pretty young and are obviously taking care of the big issues first, but when you are given the opportunity to headline The Crocodile, people would rightly be hoping for a total package. Given a listen to The Globes EP, it would reason that they have the talent to deliver the total package, but seeing them this night was a bit of a let down.
They are currently working on a LP that will hopefully be out in 2010, and lots of gigging will ensue. I’m not jumping ship yet, but I want to see how it all unfolds. The Globes are a fantastic band, and their recorded stuff is solid. Now I am waiting for them to make the next step. If it happens … it’s going to be explosive.
Dense, melodic, and important sounding, Danish band Mew is a fantastic band. I won’t mince words here: Mew make really lovely music. It’s indie rock with dreamy, poppy vocals to be sure, but there are elements of prog and dance that are integral to the experience. If Jaga Jazzist got together with a shoegazy version of Yes to make a record, this would be it. No more stories / Are told today / I’m sorry / They washed away / No more stories / The world is grey / I’m tired / Let’s wash away (yes, they used the entire poem for their fifth album’s title) is as epic and thoughtful of an album as it’s title would lead you to believe.
Mew themselves make jokes about being “pretentious art-rock,” but hugeness aside, No more stories… is an accessible album to its very core. The vocals are reverb-heavy and the music is hard to play, but anyone can go to the Mew show at Neumos this week and have a good time. There have been comparisons of Mew to Rush, but the danceable poppiness of Mew is what makes them entirely unlike Rush in most respects.
Still, the progressive aspects of the band are what set them apart and will serve to make their show an interesting one–this is a band that won’t mess around when they get on stage. Clearly, Mew is a band to be taken seriously.
Check out our Mew contest! Click HERE, or e-mail contests@seattleshowgal.com with “Mewwwwwwwww!” in the subject line for your chance to win a pair of tickets to the event. Don’t forget to include the name that the tickets should be held under at the door. Winner will be drawn at random at 3PM on the day of the show so don’t sleep on this one because it’s a gooder!
Band Members
Matt Shaw – Vocals, Guitar
Tyler Cofey – Vocals, Guitar
Brian Pake – Vocals, Bass
Justin Cronk – Drums
On Thanksgiving day, there was at least one thing to be thankful for, and that was the previous night’s performance of With Friends Like These at The Crocodile. The band was celebrating the release of their new album Dead & Gone, and while the record sounds good, the band just wasn’t cutting it live. So I guess the show was something to be ambivalent about, rather than thankful.
With Friends Like These has a very tight sound, especially withJustin Cronk (of Vendetta Red) on drums. They cite on their MySpace that their sound is influenced by the band Jawbreaker, which is a very accurate description. With Friends Like Thesehas continued the post-hardcore sound of the mid- to late-90’s. The only problem is that lead singer Matt Shaw’s voice sometimes sounded a bit whiny for the type of music the band plays. Shaw’s solo work is less Jawbox and more Bright Eyes, where that whine fits right in. All that aside, the ferocity of the band’s performance makes you forget your problems and puts you back into your “This is not a Fugazi” T-shirt.
The audience took a bit longer than usual to get into the spirit of the show, but eventually the venue filled and people were rocking along with the band. While the crowd was definitely having fun, no one seemed blown away by the music. One couple even had a long conversation about salvia in between sets, stopping when the one song started and continuing when the song ended. At any rate, the crowd yelled for an encore at the end of the set, and yet again for another encore (which they never got).
With Friends Like Theseis great for fans of post-hardcore that feel the genre needs more local attention. They have a solid sound, and when all four band members go at it, you can tell they have the skills that made bands like Jawbreaker so good.
Here is a clip from their November 25th show at The Crocodile.
Band Members
Michael Benjamin Lerner – vocals
Chris Staples – electric guitar
David Broecker – electric, acoustic and bass guitars
Jonie Broecker – bass guitar, keyboards
Photo by Jamaal Jackson
The great state of Washington has a lot to offer, and local music is just one of the aspects that shines to garner worldwide respect and appreciation. With Seattle as an epicenter for Washington-based music, it is particularly overwhelming for a music enthusiast to sort through and choose from the many incredible bands and musicians working and fighting for opportunities to shine as brightly as their home state.
On November 27 at the Showbox at the Market, there was an impressive showcase of Washington-based musical talent as Anacortes, WA act The Lonely Forest played for a voracious crowd supported by Telekinesis and The Globes, bands also based here in Seattle, WA.
Telekinesis took the stage armed with a collection of songs that clearly indicate a keen sense of songwriting and an exhibition of undeniable talent. The first song of the set garnered a visible reaction from the crowd as lead singer/songwriter Michael Benjamin Lerner took center stage, occupying his drum set while simultaneously singing each song with such zeal that it was difficult to resist getting caught up in the moment. Why anyone would want to resist being overtaken with such infectious energy is a different debate. After the first few songs, Lerner moved out from behind the drums to pick up an acoustic guitar for several songs performed solo. Illuminated by a single stage light, Lerner performed a few tunes from his repertoire which were somewhat slower, but still maintained a lighthearted pop charm that could get any of the songs stuck in your brain long after having listened to them. Since this was one of the last shows Telekinesis will have played before each band member moves on, Lerner ended the show by giving gracious thanks and acknowledgment to his band mates for their friendship, hard work and dedication. Be on the look out for Lerner and the rest of Telekinesis as each member soon embarks on his own new musical journey.
Band Members John Van Deusen
Eric Sturgeon
Braydn Krueger
Tony Ruland
Photo by Jamaal Jackson
Judging solely by the tangible air of anticipation emanating from the restless crowd awaiting The Lonely Forest, it seemed unlikely that those in attendance would leave the Showbox disappointed. Even before the band set up their equipment, lead singer John Van Deusen multi-tasked while striking up enthusiastic casual conversation with voracious fans. After the band made their way through soundcheck, Van Deusen gave a ’shout-out’ to his hometown of Anacortes, WA which was met with proud cheers, hoots and whistles from the crowd. Launching into their set with ferocious strength, The Lonely Forest started things out on a high note with Van Deusen jumping about the stage and using feedback from his amp to make his guitar give off piercing squeals.
If every generation is in need of an anthem, then Van Deusen and The Lonely Forest stand ready to provide the world with several options. The Lonely Forest’s arsenal of songs are tinged with the dark, brooding longing of the reclusive, over-medicated introvert yearning and searching for affection. Despite deeply personal lyrics that speak of observing the outside world from within, a hazy sense of personal reality (or non-reality) seeps through. In songs such as “Two Pink Pills,” The Lonely Forest emphasizes the poetic juxtaposition between their words and musical compositions. The effect is a type of music that could serve a soundtrack to a daydream, sweeping listeners away into another world.
Those in close proximity to the stage danced whenever a song was playing, while those in the back took any opportunity to push their way to the front. The fervor of the crowd earned it an encore during which The Lonely Forest closed out the evening with a short set of songs that fueled the collective energy of the evening. Don’t miss out on the energy of this local band the next time they play!
The Lonely Forest- Turn Off This Song and Go Outside (Live at the Woods)
This post is something of a special feature. Special occasions call for special feature posts! November 17th at The Fremont Abbey was a red carpet affair for Seattle’s finest musicians. There were best of performances, a worst of, and a couple that were somewhere in between. Hats off to Scott Teske and the Seattle Rock Orchestra.The Seattle Rock Orchestra created an event where people felt like Gods gallivanting in the clouds. Five thousand years from now, there will be a class on Seattle Rock Mythology where they will tell about music being played by angels among humans. Scott’s conductor hand was as powerful as a titan, and the celebrity guest singers were like the children of God’s among us.
The outstanding celebrity guest performers will be given SSG awards with blurb explanations. The first goes to . . .
Matt Shaw, with the “Way to kick off the set, you understated hottie!” award.
Matt Shaw, of With Friends Like These, started the set off with “Neighborhood #1 – (Tunnels).” He walked to the front of the room, handsomely understated, and sang with fire, energy, and yearning. He embodied the desperation of the song perfectly. Shaw set the bar high for the other guest singers. When he completed, the audience roared.
Ian Bell receives the “Yeah I’m a tool, and what are you going to do about it?” award.
Ian Bell, of Black Swedes, took the stage as if he were the main act, and everyone else in the room just happened to be there.It was very awkward.Shenandoah Davis joined Ian to sing “Une Annee Sans Lumiere.” She was speaking to him privately before the song about God only knows what, then directed him to the microphone as if he were drunk. “Une Annee Sans Lumiere” was very awkwardly preformed. There was about a minute where Bell and Davis danced at the end of the song that felt like the audience was peering in on a private moment–that we shouldn’t have been peering in on. NEXT!
Ian Bell had center stage for “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out).” This song started a bit awkward with Bell’s face contorting and him not singing directly into the microphone, but about halfway through, he really brought joy and happiness to the song–and the room. The second half of “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” almost made me forget that when they announced his name he looked at the audience with water bottle in his mouth and lifted his eyebrows like he was Cosmo Kramer. Ian Bell FTW!
Alessandra Rose gets the “MORE, MORE, MORE–HOT! HOT! HOT!!!” award.
Alessandra Rose, of The Kindness Kind, was dressed to kill! Her blonde hair was in a full-on Sonic the Hedgehog hawk, she had a golden sequenced dress on, she could have walked on anyone’s back with her golden spiked heels. Even with all that going on, Rose was nothing of an egocentric performer. Her rendition of “Wake Up” embodied pure strength. Each note off of her lips was powerful, poignant, and s-e-x-y! She was a high note of the evening.
Alessandra Rose and Shenandoah Davis performing “Haiti” was another high note. This song is simple and sweet, but three minutes of it was not enough. 10 minutes of “Haiti” would have been perfect, but thankfully SSG came FTW and brought the video camera–you can watch these leading ladies sing sweetly over and over.
Last but NOT least, Shenandoah Davis with the “DAHHHH!” award.
What is there to even comment about this? For most of the show, Shenandoah Davis played the fine roll of supporting actress, coming in with those intrinsic harmonies that made the leading vocalists shine. When Shenandoah Davis humbly took front and center to sing “In the Backseat,” she delivered controlled explosions. Her rendition was so emotional, there were tears falling all over the room. After the set, Shenondoah had an exchange with a fan that sounded something like, fan: “Shenandoah, you were making me cry!” Shenandoah Davis: “Good! I thought I was the only one crying.” No Shenandoah, you were NOT the only one crying. Thank you for being an integral part of the evening, and closing the set, pre-encore, with a BANG.
Thanks again to Scott Teske, for setting up a beautiful evening, and for letting the early bird Seattleites be a part of it.
Band Members
Frank Black (Black Francis): vocals, guitar
Kim Deal: bass
David Lovering: drums
Joey Santiago: guitar
In case you haven’t heard, the Pixies are in town, and last night they performed at The Paramount Theater for the first of two sold out shows part of a tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of their sophomore album Doolittle. Although this album wasn’t a huge Billboard top 100 hit upon initial release, it was the foundation for Nirvana’s Nevermind, and it includes radio hits such as “Monkey Gone to Heaven,” and “Here Comes Your Man,” the latter of which was performed live on Conan. The influential alt-rock group played 1989’s Doolittle album from start to finish, with songs from B-Sides at the start and the finish; there were too many favorite songs to pick just one. The fans sang along with Black Francis and Kim Deal to the hits, and were on their feet for most of the show, even if they had actual seats and didn’t need to be. In the words of a fan, the whole night was “vintage bad-assery.”
Rain Machine, the solo project of Kyp Malone from TV on the Radio, opened, and even though their slow, soulful sounds aren’t terrible, they aren’t great either. They did not mesh well with The Pixies’ style. I wouldn’t say it was the best choice for an opening act for The Pixies. To start off their set, The Pixies began with a movie clip from Un Chien Anadalou, a short film by Luis Buñuel filled with surrealist themes that influenced many of the songs of Doolittle. Unfortunately, this knowledge seemed lost on many members of the audience, who as a whole seemed confused by the film, but on the plus side, left them more than eager to welcome the band to the stage.
Musically, the band didn’t disappoint! With Frank Black’s creepy, surrealist vocals clashing with bassist Kim Deal’s honey-sweet harmonies and guitarist Joey Santiago stealing the spotlight towards the end to show off his captivating ability to craft perfectly controlled guitar frequencies, at one point mimicking the Jeopardy theme. The Pixies sound just as good live as they do on their recorded albums, which is lucky because every live show of this tour is being recorded and is available for purchase. In terms of stage presence, age has taken its toll on each member of the Pixies, so they are not much to look at. There was also very little dialogue between songs, with the exception of Kim Deal’s occasional chirps, mostly referring to A and B Sides, references that also seemed unrecognized by the audience. Perhaps in an effort to make up for their lack physical appeal and stage movement, a screen behind the band projected video clips that were unique to each song, and at times were more attention-grabbing than the rest of the band.
Even though the Pixies were an all-ages show, the older crowd that they appeal to made up most of the attendees. There were very few if any teeny boppers trying to crowd the stage, which made the concert experience relatively stress-free and enjoyable. It does however raise the question about the future popularity of the band, since they are not anywhere near as popular as Nirvana, a band heavily inspired by the Pixies. There is talk of the Pixies recording a new album next year, possibly in the Quentin Tarantino Hollywood movie style. It will be interesting to see what this reunion tour and possible new music will do for the Pixies.
Please enjoy a video clip from another live Pixies show below (recording was not allowed at The Paramount).
Upcoming Shows
Nov 13 Seattle, WA
Nov 14 Eugene, OR
Nov 16-17 Denver, CO
Nov 20 Chicago, IL
Nov 23-25 New York, NY
Nov 27 Boston, MA
Nov 30 Washington, DC
Band Members
Ryan Looman – Lead vocals and guitar
Patrick Scanlan – Backing vocals and guitar
Mike Walker – Bass
Murray Benson – Drums
Since Smile for Diamonds is a relatively unknown band in Seattle, it wasn’t a surprise to walk into an empty venue; there were 12 to 15 people in attendance throughout the duration of the show–probablyfriends and family since the members of the band called out to them by name. If The Sunset Tavern gave out drink tickets to the band that night, they might have lost money. At one point, lead singer and guitar player Ryan Looman addressed the audience saying, “Thank you so much for coming. We booked this show last minute.” The sparsely attended show did not get Smile for Diamonds’ spirits down. They give this performance their all; it was admirable. Although most in attendance sat on bar stools, there was a girl who reciprocated the band’s energy and danced throughout the entire set. She danced as if she were amidst a packed house. Dance on lone-girl, dance on.
Listing bands such as Botch, Minus the Bear, and Radiohead in their “Influences” and “Sounds Like” tab on MySpace, it’s clear that Smile for Diamonds are out to make some epic music. However, their interpretation of epic music falls short. Smile for Diamonds’ music is on its way to being progressive, but gets caught in-between going somewhere and being monotonous. What seemed to anchor Smile for Diamonds’ inertia is the vocal section. In the song “March of 06,” the music was as clear as a bell, emotionally evocative, and forward moving. The tones that were used on the guitars were pretty close to perfection—then the vocals came. The monotone vocals were distracting at best, oppressive at worst. As the chorus was sang over and over, the length of the song became more and more apparent. The music moved forward, but was forcibly pushed back, like twisted iron, wrapping around the vocals. For a band with so much raw potential, it was a bit of a shame.
Looman further commented that this was their eighth or ninth show. For most of the set, Smile for Diamonds sounded like mature group, but there were the occasional off moments that popped up like a zit on prom night. As this band continues to play gigs and gain experience, I have no doubt that the growing-pains will subside. Until then, I’m sure that they will continue to make their friends and family happy with their music.
Upcoming Shows
Nov 20 2009 8:00P Stutter Studio Lynden, Washington
Nov 21 2009 10:00P Hi Fidelity Lounge Bremerton, Washington
Dec 5 2009 8:00P Brown Lantern Anacortes, Washington
Band Members:
Josh M. Carter – Vocals,Guitar
Sarah D. Barthel – Vocals Keyboard
With so many music genres and bands dipping their fingertips into electronic and synth sounds, it can be difficult to tell apart the GREAT from the “Great-but-only on cd Great.” Phantogram, comprised of Sarah and Josh from Saratoga Springs, fall into in the first category. Actually they fall more into the FANTASTIC category after the gush worthy show they put on at Vera earlier this month. If you don’t like gushing, you probably won’t want to read the rest of this review.
Having listened to Phantogram’s self-titled EP for a few weeks before the show, my expectations were pretty neutral. Many electro-synth fusion-esque groups sound great on record but fail to meet expectations during live shows and ultimately leave the audience let down–much like a disappointing sexual experience. Phantogram definitely dispelled any precognitions that the show was going to be a watered down, poor sound quality, muffled version of their album.
For an all ages show on a Friday night, it was surprising at how tuned in the mostly younger crowd stayed with Phantogram through almost the entire set. As Phantogram took the stage, it seemed they were going to get the “oh it’s only the opener” stand off from the crowd. Once the first note hit, the floor filled with bodies and everyone stood to attention to watch. Besides the synth and electronic element of the set, both Sarah and Josh’s vocals were strong and audible. Sarah manned the beat making while assuring the crowd that it was okay to dance. Moving about the stage, playing guitar Josh resembled a mellow Dan Auerbach, but maybe it was just the beard. Honestly the only bad thing about this show as the number or ridiculously tall teenage boys that travelled in packs. Trying to see over their 6’2’’ and taller heads was frustrating!
A great bonus to Phantogram’s show was hearing songs off their full album Eyelid Movies which is currently only released overseas. The good news is that shortly after the show at Vera, it was announced that Phantogram signed with Seattle’s very own Barsuk Records. Eyelid Movies will be released here in the states early 2010. Phantogram is currently in Europe. Hopefully we’ll see them next year promoting their album release. Check out a clip from the show as well as an interview with Phantogram
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")
