It’s been a long 13 years but tomorrow night will finally mark the return of Seattle’s own, Satchel. For some of us, it will be the first opportunity to see Satchel in a live setting; for others, this has been an anxiously awaited event. With members from Malfunkshun, Brad, Pigeonhed, and Green River, Satchel is truly a part of Seattle’s rich musical history. Featuring one of Seattle’s most prolific songwriters and a none-too-shabby group of musicians, Satchel formed in the mid-90’s groups during that period in Seattle when the scene was garnering insane amounts of attention and yet somehow, Satchel never really received the acclaim they deserve, at least not from the industry anyway. Fans, music lovers, friends, and other musicians have known all along there was, and still is, something special about Satchel.
Satchel’s return to the stage tonight will be the first of (hopefully) many more appearances leading up to and in support of their new album, Heartache and Honey, which was recorded in late 2009 with the three original members: John Hoag- guitar, bass; Shawn Smith- vocals, piano, bass; and Regan Hagar- drums, bass. Also featured playing bass on the album are Jeff Fielder, Lonnie Marshall, and the original Satchel bassist, Mike Berg. The first single, “The Return Of….” can be heard on Satchel’s website and if this song is any reflection of what fans can expect on the whole album, those 13 years have been worth the wait. Don’t miss your chance at being one of the first to hear the new material in a live setting and witness another chapter in Seattle music history begin.
Take a walk down memory lane and enjoy these videos from Satchel’s appearances during the 1996 Lollapalooza tour (back when it actually toured from city to city):
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.
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.
THE SEATTLE ROCK ORCHESTRA PRESENTS FUNERAL: A TRIBUTE TO THE ARCADE FIRE
November 17th at 8pm at the Fremont Abbey
Seattle, WA – On Tuesday November 17th, 2009 the Seattle Rock Orchestra will perform The Arcade Fire’s iconic album Funeral in it’s entirety, featuring 50 piece orchestra, backing band and guest vocalists including Matt Bishop (Hey Marseilles),Ian Bell (Black Swedes), Jima (The Purrs), Alessandra Rose (The Kindness Kind), Matt Shaw (With Friends Like These), Jasen Samford & Danny Oleson (Exohxo) & Shenandoah Davis. Exohxo opens with a set of fully orchestrated indie-pop tunes.
Since December of 2008 the Seattle Rock Orchestra has accompanied local artists Jeremy Enigk, Jesse Sykes, Damien Jurado, Rosie Thomas, and bands Black Swedes and Grand Hallway. Comprised of some of Seattle’s best professional & amateur classical and pop musicians, SRO collaborates with bands and artists to produce one-of-a-kind symphonic shows.SRO is directed by bassist and orchestrator Scott Teske.
This is an all ages show.Doors at 7pm, show at 8pm.Presale tickets can be purchased online on the Fremont Abbey blog at www.fremontabbey.org/?p=541 for $12 (general) and $10 (students/seniors), or for $15 at the door.Purchasing tickets in advance is recommended as past shows have sold out and tickets have not been available at the door.The Fremont Abbey is located at 4272 Fremont Ave N.
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")
