Hannah of Friday Mile ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

Since 2004 Noise for the Needy has been an annually anticipated event in the Seattle music scene and this year is no exception. Here’s how it works. You and your friends go see a concert and proceeds from that event go to a local charitable organization. Is there anything cooler than that?  Noise for the Needy takes place Wednesday through Sunday of this week, but I’m most excited for  Thursday night  in Ballard. A neighborhood I would describe as “the place from which happiness blooms.”  There are four great venues participating with four bands on each of the four bills. That’s a lot of “fours,” I hope you’re good at math. After messing around with my multiplication tables a bit, I calculated what show I will be attending:

Tractor Tavern $10 Advance|8pm|21+
Horse Feathers

Tiny Vipers

Friday Mile

Goldfinch

Bring your inside voices. I know this show is a part of the Noise for the Needy concert series, but there won’t be much of the “noise” variety. This is a night where delicate, well-crafted tunes tread. I have a feeling this is going to be one of those shows where I’m constantly smiling at the way whomever is performing on-stage has the audience in the palm of their hand.

You’ve heard the occasional gushing about Goldfinch from Sound on the Sound readers and writers alike. Don’t believe me? Type Goldfinch into the search box on the in the upper right hand corner of the website. I was going to link an example but there’s simply too many.  Goldfinch writes honest songs that can leave those with the hardest heart feeling suddenly vulnerable.

As good as Goldfinch is, they aren’t the band I’m excited to see. That honor belongs to Friday Mile. I had not listened to this band before last week, although I’d seen the name here and there a couple of times. Don’t walk, I want you to hypertext sprint to their myspace page and listen to the song “Curtain Call.” When Hannah Williams voice comes in…I don’t even know what to say. To call that moment “sexy” would be ignorant and missing the point. To say it initially shakes you to your core wouldn’t be truthful. I’ll describe it as this, hearing Hannah’s vocals come in on “Curtain Call” is kind of like waking up on a Saturday morning after spending a Friday night alone. You call all your friends to see if they want to go to brunch. Nobody answers your calls. You shoegaze your way to your favorite breakfast spot only to find that all your closest friends have decided to throw you a brunch party, just for being who you are. That’s what it’s like to hear Hannah Williams’ vocals.  Did I romanticize that at all? No of course not. Stop being such a cynic.

If you can’t decide if you want to be at the Tractor, the Sunset Tavern, Conor Byrne Pub and the Two Bit Saloon, you can buy a bracelet for $22 that gives you access to all four shows.  Consider it a delectable sonic smorgasbord for a affordable price that benefits those who are in need. Check out www.noisefortheneedy.org for more information. Listed below are the other three Noise for the Needy concerts that are taking place in Ballard.

Sunset Tavern
$8 | 9PM | 21+
Animals at Night
Daniel G. Harmann & the Trouble Starts
Erik Blood
Mal de Mer

Conor Byrne Pub
$7 | 8PM | 21+
Pillow Army
Shelby Earl
Jeremy Burk
Facts About Funerals

Two Bit Saloon
$7 | 8pm | 21+
Neon Nights
Grenades
The Shining Ones
The Keeper