The Croc is a showcasing local Seattle talent tonight. In the house will be CMYK, Hotels, The Fascination, and Noddy. If you’re in a dancing mood, you’d better plan on being present to catch Seattle’s own CMYK band. With a name based on a subtractive color model, this band makes colorful, poppy electronic music that, according to their website, has “the ability to coax even the crustiest of hipsters onto the dance floor.” CMYK is made up of musician/producer T-Minus, his sister Shorty Circuits, and friend Sex Brains. They started out in 2004 under the name The Long Ranger, and are now known for their music that is deeply-rooted in pop with influences of Motown, Hoedown, and any other music that gets your body gyrating and booty shaking.
Following in the same electro-music fashion as CMYK will be The Fascination Movement. While trying not to make comparisons to other bands, The Fascination Movement sounds very much like Cut Copy with their pulsing rhythms and electronic sound reminiscent of 80s pop. While the band is fairly new to the local music scene, one of its members played bass on the new Fleet Foxes album, and the band is signed to Aube Records, a German label with strict standards for electronica music. Bottom line: The Fascination Movement is a band that can’t be missed by fans of Cut Copy and electro music.
Building off of the colorful pop of CMYK and the synthy music of The Fascination Movement, the music of local band Hotels could be a “sci-fi film soundtrack synth rock.” The band was founded by bassist/vocalist Blake Madden and it splits both its time and members between Seattle and New York. Don’t miss their latest Seattle performance at The Croc tonight!
The final artist on The Croc’s bill tonight is Noddy. With a name based off of a popular toy man from a British book series, the musician Noddy is Jared Mills, who recently debuted his solo album A Seed. Mills is the singer/songwriter from Seattle band Man Plus. While some Man Plus fans might hear similar indie pop and punk sounds in his solo effort, the primary difference is Mills putting more emphasis on electronic edges and grooves when performing solo.
Don’t miss this great lineup of influential electronic groups within the Seattle music community at The Croc tonight! Below are a few videos and sound clips to get you inspired!
If I could literally experience two shows simultaneously, and yet give each of them their own full attention, tonight would be that night. First, at The Crocodile we have the amazing Fanfarlo from London. With their orchestrated indie-folk-pop, they bring swirly synths, trumpet solos, violins, and acoustic guitars, in which they quickly transport you to lush summery soundscapes, and will solidify the feeling of spring that hovers in the air. This band has really mastered the ability to merge a sincere melancholy with a true passion that captivates their audience and certainly is one of music’s most promising new bands. This one would be hard to miss.
Below is live footage I shot of them when they played Chop Suey:
On the not-so-new end of the spectrum, and still one of the most highly regarded noise-pop bands out there, is The Magnetic Fields. This beast from the east headed up by Stephen Merritt, who is a master of melodic nuance and austere wit, has a history of revering the mixing pot of the 60’s and 70’s British folk-revivalists. With that said, tonight’s show is going to be more or less a spotlight on the newer, cleaner, crisp textures of The Magnetic Fields. This doesn’t mean you won’t hear the fuzzed out guitars of times past, but you’re certainly going to hear some cleaner folk music, no doubt. Nonetheless, tonight’s show at Town Hall will be nothing short of amazing. Hope you got your ticket in advance!
For more options, please visit our friends at ReignCity.com and stop back later today–we will be updating!
As already mentioned by Jon Olken this morning, SSG has a major crush on People Eating People. That being said, we’re in the practice of getting up close and personal with artists we have the hots for. Good news readers, you get a peek inside Nouela Johnston’s basement to hear her sing her heart out one-on-one style.
Since you can read about how much we at SSG love Nouela Johnston here, here, here, here, and here, lets get right down to the business of the private performance and interview. Nouela Johnston and I talk about her background in music, how she feels about the being a musician in Seattle, some personal nuggets about her lyrical content, and her future aspirations. It’s hard to imagine, but you just might love People Eating People more after you watch these videos. Enjoy, and be sure to check her out tonight at The Crocodile.
For those of us missing out on tonight’s sold out Alkaline Trio show at Neumos, never fear! There are still a plethora of shows going on tonight worthy of your attendance. Read on!
Tonight and tomorrow night at the Showbox at the Market, you can expect to get more than an audio overload of genre-blending electronic music if the Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9) show is on par with other rave reviews. You’ll also get treated to a spectacular live performance featuring an exciting LED light show. STS9 is a quintet of instrumentalists who fuse rock and electronic music with bits of hip-hop, funk, jazz, and a number of other genres, making for an array of songs that touch on a number of different moods and styles. Get your dancing shoes ready and be prepared to have all of your senses engaged!
For an evening of acoustic folk music, head to the Tractor Tavern to check out Port O’Brien, an Oakland-based band named after a bay on Kodiak Island. Port O’Brien’s music seems perfectly suited for musical singalongs, containing hints of folk and indie rock infused with lyrical themes of loneliness and hardship. Unlike most bands, Port O’Brien’s lyrical references to seafaring are totally legit since the two core members spend summers working long hours near the seas of Alaska. Prepare to stomp your feet and sing along with Port O’Brien in Ballard tonight, and look out for SSG’s show review next week!
Finally, for a taste of local flavor, Seattle musicians Massy Ferguson and Kristen Ward will be bringing their rock tunes to The Crocodile tonight. With growling vocals, epic guitar riffs, and slamming piano sounds, Massy Ferguson’s raucous Americana rock shows never fail. The band has been on an international tour and will be hitting up SXSW next month, so catch them while they are here! Kristen Ward and her well-known folk-rock music will also grace the stage.
The Sasquatch Music Festival kicked the springtime festival season off in style last night at the Crocodile with their line up announcement concert featuring Fresh Espresso, Surfer Blood, and Atlas Sound. Sponsored by Esurance, it was definitely a full blown party that peaked with a video announcement of the partial line up for this year’s Sasquatch Music Festival. Partial you say? No need to worry, we have gotten access to the entire line up and are posting it here for your excitement, and enjoyment. Bon appetite!
My Morning Jacket / Massive Attack / Pavement / Ween / Vampire Weekend / MGMT / Band of Horses/ The National / LCD Soundsystem / Tegan & Sara / Broken Social Scene / Passion Pit / Deadmau5 / She & Him / Public Enemy / Nada Surf / The New Pornographers / The Hold Steady / The xx / Dirty Projectors / OK Go / Drive By Truckers / Kid Cudi / The Long Winters / Minus the Bear / The Mountain Goats / Quasi / Camera Obscura / Fruit Bats / Brother Ali / Midlake / Dr. Dog / Caribou / Simian Mobile Disco / City & Colour / No Age / The Temper Trap / Vetiver / Miike Snow / Portugal. The Man / Telekinesis / Mayer Hawthorne / Why? / Girls / Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros / Wale / The Lonely Forest / Japandroids / Boys Noize / Yacht / Freelance Whales / Laura Marling / Patrick Watson / Past Lives / Cymbals Eat Guitars / The Low Anthem / The Very Best / Phantogram / Neon Indian / Nurses / The Tallest Man on Earth / Fresh Espresso / Mumford & Sons / Jets Overhead / tUnE-YarDs / Shabazz Palaces / Fool’s Gold / Morning Teleportation / Z-Trip / Dam-Funk / Hudson Mohawke / The Middle East / Local Natives / Avi Buffalo / Booka Shade / A-Trak / Yes Giantess / Craig Robinson / Rob Riggle / Garfunkel & Oates / Luke Burbank
If you want to be one of the first to know the official Sasquatch lineup, I hope you got your tickets from Easy Street Records on the 12th. Those puppies flew out of the store faster than … well, they went fast. The tickets were gone in a matter of hours. They might be letting people in at the door, but don’t count on it. Good news though, SSGs will be in the building, so follow @SeattleShowGal on Twitter for real time updates.
Finessing our eager ears with their brand of rock and roll will be Surfer Blood. It’s been rumored that they will indeed be playing Sasquatch and we’ll know for sure tonight. Surfer Blood seems like the perfect fit for the Sasquatch party. We’re all going to be in the mood to sing, dance, drink, celebrate, and frolic. Surfer Blood evokes all of those positive feelings. Enjoy the video clip below of Surfer Blood at KEXP, and get in the mood to party! Sasquatch 2010, here we come!
If you’re in the mood for some post-valentines day goodness by way of Tennessee, make your way over to Neumos. Brendan Benson makes happy little love songs. He’s what you get when you cross emo with Americana. Playing an array of instruments including the guitar, bass, keyboard, and drums, Benson has been able to make a career out of his own brand of solo albums, charisma, and charm. If you’re in the mood for some vocals reminiscent of Ben Gibbard infused with classic folk, you’ll probably enjoy this set. Brendan Benson has been running his own show since 1996, so it’s clear when you see him live that he knows what he’s doing, and the show you get, is exactly the show he designed for his audience.
This is a pretty rare show. In honor of it, Neumos is giving away two pairs of tickets to SSG readers! All you need to do is clickhere, or e-mail contests@seattleshowgal.com with the words “Brendan Benson Is Soooo Romantic” in the subject line for you chance to win. Winners will be e-mailed by 3pm today, so get on it!
For more show ideas, please visit our partners at ReignCity.com
The Sasquatch Festival lineup announcement party is going down on February 15th! It’s a free party, you can get your tickets from Easy Street Records starting February 12th, and they are going to FLY out of the stores! There is only so much room at the beloved Crocodile, so how can you guarantee your entrance? Well, you can camp out in front of Easy Street, our you can get at your close, personal friends at Esurance. (Corporate name drop!)
Esurance is a sponsor of Sasquatch 2010, and they’re making friends with the dear Seattleites. They’re currently running a ticket giveaway via Facebook. All you have to do is tell Esurance what your favorite song would be if you were Sasquatch, himself. The authors of their favorite three answers will win a pair of tickets the Launch Party on 2/15. Winners announced tomorrow morning at 9am. All the details can be found at www.facebook.com/esurance. HAPPY CLICKING, and I’ll see you on the 15th. Fresh Espresso is going to crack!
Exciting news! Instead of industry leaks and blog posts, The 2010 Sasquatch lineup will be announced live at The Crocodile on 02/15! Not only do we get to hear the lineup at a red-carpet event, there is going to be red-carpet entertainment. Live Nation sent over a press release this morning, here are the details!
Seattle, WA – Live Nation and Adam Zacks are pleased to announce The 2010 Sasquatch! Music Festival Launch Party presented by Esurance and sponsored by Jack Daniel’s happening on Monday, February 15, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at the Crocodile.
For the first time in the festival’s history the lineup will be announced LIVE at this very special event featuring performances by Surfer Blood, Atlas Sound and Fresh Espresso and hosted by Luke Burbank. Prize packages from Esurance and Xbox will be given away all night, along with limited-edition festival posters and more.
Free tickets are available courtesy of Esurance by listening to 107.7 The End all week to win, or by stopping by either Easy Street Records locations starting Friday, February 12th at 9:00 a.m. (limit 2 per person).
Surfer Blood calls West Palm Beach home and, while still in their early 20s, pen summery indie songs that even the most hook-laden power pop band would rightfully be jealous of. Called “irresistibly catchy” by Pitchfork, Surfer Blood’s critically acclaimed debut album, Astro Coast, was released on January 19.
Atlas Sound is the solo moniker of Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox, so named since 1994, when a sixth-grade Bradford made recordings on a karaoke cassette machine. Now signed to 4AD, Atlas Sound is those ideas that he “can’t make work with a five piece rock band,” employing stream-of-consciousness writing alongside ambient electronics.
Fresh Espresso, named by local blog SoundOnTheSound as representatives of “the next wave of Seattle hip-hop,” is producer/composer P Smoov (of Mad Rad) and MC Rik Rude.
Are you looking for something to do tonight? Well you’ve come to the right place, because SSG has a SLEW of recommendations. We’ve been giving you sneak peeks at tonight’s amazing lineup, so scroll away for a host of musical ideas for tonight, as well as a chance to win tickets for one of them (pay close attention!). Fire away!
Flowmotion is Seattle’s “best-kept-secret” of Seattle’s live music scene. They’re a live rock band whose expert blend of funk, jazz, and smooth rock are known for producing a sound as large as the packed crowds who come to watch them. Playing everything from tender ballads to balls-out hard rock, this quintet’s sound and equated energy flows like no other. Also playing at The Croc tonight is Five Alarm Funk, a band that Jodi Kaufer raved about in a review last year for its “Afro-funk rhythms, blaring horns, and epic amounts of energy.” Read the rest of Jodi’s review HERE, then make your way to The Croc tonight to check out these two amazing bands!
Local band The Senate will be in town tonight playing two shows at The Triple Door. Below are a few words by yours truly from my earlier preview, which you can read HERE. Read on, and then catch one or both of The Senate’s shows tonight–it is their five year anniversary, after all.
The Senate is known for their ‘face-melting acoustic riffage‘…With only two acoustic guitars, an upright bass, and their voices, The Senate’s music ranges from sweet and simple to driving and hard-core, all the while sprinkled with smart, catchy lyrics. ‘I had no idea acoustic instruments could rock so hard,’ says bassist Andrew on the band’s website. You will have a similar feeling when you hear The Senate’s tunes.
Local radio station KEXP is hosting its monthly live broadcasting of radio show Audioasis and there are a couple reasons why you should be at The Sunset Tavern tonight. First, this live broadcasting event benefits a different charity each month, and this time, CD Forum is in the spotlight; all net proceeds of tonight’s show will go to Seattle’s leading Black arts and culture presenter. The second reason is tonight’s lineup which will include piano-based rock from People Eating People, 60’s style political rock from Blood Red Dancers, and conscious-inspiring rap from D.Black. Check out Billy McManus’ more in-depth preview HERE, and make your way out to Ballard tonight!
Jimmy LaValle and his band The Album Leaf will be making their way to Neumos tonight, bringing with them the ambient post-rock tunes they are known for. Their latest album A Chorus for Storytellers was recently released, coinciding with the band’s ten year anniversary. The 11-track album is full of crisp, flowing, complex tracks, and is said to be one of the band’s best. See what Gabriel Arguelles had to say about them yesterday by clicking HERE, and be sure to show up early tonight to catch Sea Wolf and Anomie Bell!
Who wants to be “Awesome”? Well tonight is your chance to be enveloped in awesomeness by experiencing said band at Chop Suey. Billy McManus has seen them several times before and has this to say about them:
Awesome is more of an artist collective than a band in reality. While it is true that all seven members are amazing musicians, that is really just the tip of their collective iceberg. Their wide range of talents and interests are what make Awesome’s music so worthy of their name…They can go from vaudeville to rock, then stop for a beat and go right into swing, with all of these changes often occurring in the same song…If you haven’t seen them yet, give them a chance and you might just find a new favorite band. At the very least, you will see something that is becoming increasingly rare: a band with actual musicians!
See Billy’s full preview HERE, and find out how you can WIN TICKETS to this show (there’s still a few hours left, so GO GO GO!!).
Unless you count the unlikely to sell out Face to Face show at Key Arena, tonight is a decidedly chill night in music. At The Crocodile is Noah Gundersen and the Courage who has been making subtle rounds with their dramatic folk-rock. Singer/songwriter Noah Gundersen leads the band along side his siblings Abby Gundersen on violin and vocals, Ivan Gundersen on drums, and Travis Ehrentrom who isn’t technically a sibling, but he can get down on his bass. Noah Gundersen’s voice is incredibly sweet and is well complemented by the roots/folk music masterfully played by the Courage. Having released a live recording of their show at The Triple Door in 2008, the group is preparing their debut full band studio release.
Tonight, the Rendezvous’ Jewel Box Theaterpresents “Softly Now,” their first Wednesday of the month, mostly acoustic, local artist event that showcases some of Seattle’s finest up-and-coming singer song writers. Tonight features Norman Baker opening the night with his folk poetry that leads the listener through mystical journeys complete with mythical creatures. His vocals have a dry quality that is well accented by his experimental melodies. Supporting his recent debut album The Art of Not Knowing, here’s Norman Baker performing Black Eyed Waltz live:
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")
Local band The Senate will be in town tonight playing two shows at The Triple Door. Below are a few words by yours truly from my earlier preview, which you can read 
Local radio station KEXP is hosting its monthly live broadcasting of radio show Audioasis and there are a couple reasons why you should be at The Sunset Tavern tonight. First, this live broadcasting event benefits a different charity each month, and this time, 
