Sasquatch is doing something a little different for the 2010 festival. They’ll be announcing the festival’s eagerly anticipated line-up at a free live show next Monday (February 15th) at the Crocodile. The evening will feature three bands we’d be thrilled to see at Sasquatch itself: the summer sounds of Surfer Blood, the epic experimentation of Bradford Cox as Atlas Sound, and Seattle’s favorite party soundtrack, Fresh Espresso.

It’s a line up that would sell out if The Crocodile was charging $20 a pop, so you better believe it will be a packed show with that oh-so-enticing free price tag. Here’s how you can guarantee you’ll not only see three great bands, but you’ll be the first on the block to hear who’ll be serenading you over Memorial Day Weekend.

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 12^th at 9:00 a.m. (limit 2 per person).

Sharon Van Etten ::: Photo by Cat Stevens

We may only be a month into 2010, but I can’t imagine a song coming around in the next 11 months that will enchant me more than Sharon Van Etten’s “Love More.” It’s a bold statement, but all those critics last January said that Merriweather Post Pavilion was the best record of 2009, right? And sure enough, it was number one on their best of lists.

Another blog said it better than I could, and I’m willing to admit that. Regarding “Love More” The Tripwire said, “[it] accomplishes in just five minutes what most songwriters fail to find in years of trying: it opens you up.” And it’s true, my heart sings along as much as it breaks with every aching note of “Love More.”

There’s no artist in America today that I am more excited to hear what’s next from than Sharon Van Etten. However, even if “Love More” is the only thing she releases in 2010, Sharon Van Etten will have had a successful  year. That’s how beautiful this song is.

Download “Love More” courtesy of Weathervane Music

The Northwest’s premier battle of the band’s Sound Off! get’s going this Saturday, featuring the first four of twelve semi-finalists who qualified for the competition. I myself participated in the selection process, spending an afternoon in a room nestled in the rafters of the EMP|SFM, reviewing over 30 bands, separating the interesting and ready-to-be-heard from the not-quite-there-yet of under-age bands from all over the Northwest. This first night of Sound Off! is showcases two pop bands and two heavier rock bands, each with their own strength. As a part of the selection committee I can attest (Sui Generis) live up to their latin name, they are a truly unique post-rock juggernaut. Bellingham two-piece Candy Sound on the other hand channel all sorts of familiar Northwest influences.

Saturday, February 13th, 2010
In the EMP SkyChurch
opening concert for Sound Off!

(Sui-Generis) ::: on Myspace
Apache Chief ::: on Myspace
Candysound ::: on Myspace
Sea Fever ::: on Myspace

Tickets “can be purchased at the EMP|SFM box office either in person or by calling 206-770-2702. Tickets are $10 for the general public, $7 for students or EMP|SFM members. Doors are 7:00 pm, shows start at 8:00 pm.”

Courtesy of EMP we’re giving away a pair of tickets to one lucky reader. Drop your name and email in the comments and I’ll randomly choose someone to take a friend this Saturday to see some of our area’s most promising young bands play one the city’s most extravagant stages, the EMP Sky Church. Enter by 12 noon PST on Wednesday February 10th, at which point we’ll choose a winner. You never know, you might see one of these same bands on the same stage at this year’s Bumbershoot.

If their was a rift in time and a deserted island from the 1980s slowly and simply floated in to it.   Somehow, the lead singer of Frightened Rabbit and the slightly cracked future lead singer of, well, Future Islands also (perhaps they were on a cruise ship for wailing indie musicians) ended up on this island.  In a moment of passion (tiny bottles of vodka from a washed mini-bar) love was made, and in this rift of time and space, a wee little child was made, and it sounded just like this.

One part high school steel drum band, one part lovelorn keen, one part synth-powered Eighties.  And you know what?  It’s almost amazing.

Future Islands - Tin Man

“Crowd with body surfers during Mudhoney’s set at the KNDD Endfest, Kitsap County, Washington, 1991″ ::: Photo by Charles Peterson, courtesy of EMP

Slowly moving from photo to photo in the Experience Music Project’s new Taking Aim photography exhibition curated by Graham Nash, I’m struck by the weight of achievement and history represented in the room. Musician and band names that I’ve known and loved for decades, and photographer names who I’ve come to idolize only recently as I myself have become an active live music photographer. For me the 98 photographs Nash has chosen aren’t simply great photographs, but famous photographs; photographs included in rock photography books I’ve been poring over for years now. Photo’s that capture revealing moments for artists like Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, the Beatles and Neil Young, musicians who are all well represented in this exhibition. Images that were defining for movements like Hip Hop, Grunge, and Punk. Images you’ve seen used in books, on album covers, on magazine Covers, on college posters, and t-shirts. Seeing them large and up close instead of on a tiny computer screen or magazine page, one can almost taste the air of the moment and feel the intensity of the interaction.

Above the door to Sound on the Sound HQ sits a poster of the famous psychedelic Beatles portraits by famous fashion photographer Richard Avedon, a set of four head shots, one of each of the Beatles, where each had been color modified to more closely match his aura. Seeing the individual portraits larger than life-size and with the color exactly as Avedon intended put’s the portraits in a whole new light. Each portrait is so large you can see the detail of the Beatles faces, and the colors pop. I can find no other word for the light blue of Paul McCartney’s portrait than ‘delicate.’ The red and yellow in John Lennon are far hotter than I remembered from any poster or print I’ve seen. Each of the Beatles pictures included in the exhibition have their own special energy, and Annie Liebovitz’ equally famous portrait of a naked Lennon and spooning Yoko Ono, taken just hours before Lennon was gunned down, stands with the Avedon portraits as two of the most notable and moving choices for the show.

Sub Pop photographer Charles Peterson was in many ways the house photographer for the Seattle-homed “grunge” movement, and is one of my inspirations. His photos were a large part of attracting me into the endeavor of waiting it out in the front row night after night and to always being ready for a crowd surfer or two (see one of his pictures above). He relayed a new spirit of rock n’ roll as it was being portrayed by a bunch of guys who were permanently displaying a middle finger to the world. Among the photo’s featured is one of the black and white frames from the set Peterson took of Nirvana destroying the stage at Raji’s in Hollywood. This photo and many of his others are the closest thing I have to a template. I’m looking to capture a moment and photo like this to define each band I love in the same manner. When the band’s we’re talking about look not just good but like compelling performers, the Seattle music scene as a whole looks good and as compelling as we know it to be.

Ironically the photo that stuck with me the most wasn’t a fiery and colorful live Lynn Goldsmith shot, or a classic Bob Dylan portrait via Jim Marshall. It was a black & white self-portrait taken by Graham Nash of himself in a mirror, or actually two mirrors. A shaving mirror is the focus, though Nash clearly hasn’t shaved or had a haircut for sometime. In the published book accompanying the exhibition, Nash admitted to leaving this photo one out of his original choices, and having to be convinced to include it. I’m glad he did include it, because for me, even in the context of all these other great photos, it’s the portrait choice in the show that feels like not simply a great rock photo, but feels like a significant American photo from the 20th Century. One could ponder for ages what’s behind those eyes…

For any lover of popular music, and particularly music from the last half of the 20th century, this exhibition offer’s the one degree of separation almost every fan is searching for. This is the opportunity to look into the sometimes larger than life eyes of many of rock n’ roll’s legends. It’s a chance to stand with the Beatles in center of Shea Stadium and see the excitement on their faces as they march to the stage. Most of all it offers an intimate look into the lives of artists like Neil Young, Johnny Cash, and Graham Nash himself, providing a window into their creativity and life that can’t be replicated otherwise.

Taking Aim is open now through May 23rd at the EMP|SFM at Seattle Center. “Admission to EMP|SFM is $15 for adults and $12 for seniors, youth and students and military personnel with ID. Children under 5 are free. EMP|SFM is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., seven days a week.”

Do Make Say Think ::: Photo courtesy of Keith Rutowski

Our contest winner Keith offered to ply his journalistic wares at the Do Make Say Think show he won tickets for. I must say he captured some great images. Thanks Keith!

Do Make Say Think ::: Photo courtesy of Keith Rutowski

Do Make Say Think ::: Photo courtesy of Keith Rutowski

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The Parson Red Heads ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

The California sound is renowned worldwide. Slap on a few bright riffs and sunny harmonies and you can practically feel the hot sand beneath your feet. Last night at the Comet Tavern L.A.’s Parson Red Heads opened the Seattle leg of their Northwest residency happening throughout the month of February. I say the Seattle “leg” because, the band also has residency’s lined up through the month in Eugene at Sam Bond’s Garage, and in Portland at the White Eagle, where they return each week with a different set of openers. An innovative approach that I think has a lot of potential to pay off for a 60’s styled pop-band who has potential to appeal to a lot of different audiences.

((Low Hums)) opened the night, and in the environment the Comet Tavern and it’s new sound system, lead-singer Jonas Haskins’ Neil-Young-on-mushrooms vibe felt eerie and just right. In contrast to the opening set I saw at the Crocodile back in December where the sound was mush and the haze indistinct. The Comet now sound’s a whole lot better than I ever expected it would. If only we could get a few decent lights in there…

Zach Tillman’s Pearly Gate Music was back into full band mode, and full-on rock band mode at that. He never seems to play his songs in exactly the same way and this night was no disappointment in that regard. Hacking away at his nylon string guitar he delivered songs he’s been playing as a restrained singer-songwriter for the majority of the last year in frenetic bursts full of emotion. “Daddy Wrote You Letters” had the mad edge you’d expect, instead of the almost ironic delivery showcased on his myspace page. “Gossamer Hair” becomes a more perfect song each time I hear it, and this was the one moment where Tillman seemed to slow down and realize there was a room full of people quietly there for him. Yes, for him. His Barsuk debut remains my “most anticipated release of 2010.”

The Parson Red Heads will continue their residency at the Comet Tavern on February 11th with The Final Spins, Marty Marquis (of Blitzen Trapper), and Yarn Owl. It’ll be $7 at the door.

Pearly Gate Music ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

I know almost nothing about The Lonely H.  My experiences with this group of long-haired youngsters is pretty much relegated to the undying love my good friends and editors Abbey Simmons and Josh Lovseth have lauded on them over the years.  And you know what?  That’s like a Willy Wonka-style Golden Ticket.  This is Grandpa Joe hopping out of bed in his pajamas to hobble on over to the factory and have wonders of delight sprayed about his wizened head.

What I’m getting at here is that though I don’t always agree with Josh and Abbey, there recommendation is an invitation I rarely turn down.

Thus, tomorrow night I’ll be front and center at Bottom of the Hill in Potrero to enjoy the 70s country rock ‘n’ roll of The Lonely H.  I will feel the urge to smoke cigarettes and pump my fist and swill cheap whiskey.

Opening are Leopold and His Fiction and The Blank Tapes.

Show starts at 10pm, Bottom of the Hill.

Navigator vs. Navigator in August 2009 ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

First can we have a moment of silence, please? Navigator vs. Navigator is longer performing feats of aeronautics. I was genuinely saddened when I heard the news a few weeks back, they were a great band. The only thing that comforted me when I heard of their demise was the fact that I was watching Ravenna Woods (featuring ex-Navigator frontman Chris Cunningham) through the window of the Comet. Being a voyeur is always a delight, is it not? These are good songs people. Don’t believe me? Check out the videos for “In the World” and “Ghosts.”

Ravenna Woods remind me of two things:

1) Troubadours of the Big Top. Songwriters for the Circus. I’m not sure if this is a new genre or not, but that’s what I think of when I hear Ravenna Woods. I was always a fan of the circus. Or maybe this opinion is heavily influenced by the “In the World” video? That piece of short cinema is highly appropriate.

2) The Big Bad Wolf Eating Little Red Riding Hood - I’m talking slowly with exaggerated satisfaction. Nobody gets out of here alive little lady.

Strong Killings will also be there with their lightning fast cymbal catches and obtuse rock n’ roll action. Don’t forget to bring your expensive sunglasses for MKspeeddial. They sound like the equivalent of one of those 1960’s spontaneous dance scenes gone horribly awry. Finger-snappers-get-their-fingers-broken. Be cool daddy-o, real easy.

Slack jawed and drooly.

That’s all you get.

Thank GVB for the premiere.  I genuflect, down on one knee.

San Francisco be excited, they’ll be hitting the Elbo Room on February 27th with Chain and The Gang, Nodzzz and some other notable rockers.

Seattle, you have to wait until March 4th, but you get to see the show at The Comet, which makes my hands and nether-regions tingle a bit.

Just a bit.