Whalebones ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

Noise for the Needy Friday 6/11 at the Underground Events Center in Belltown

$10 | 7PM | 21+
The Maldives
Whalebones
Virgin Islands
Hypatia Lake
Hallways
The Magic Mirrors
Soul Senate
DJ El Toro

Take a long, hard look at that lineup. Take a deep breath if you have to. Even though this has the appearance of a grocery list there is still a lot going on. Where do I even begin? What band do I talk about first?

Do I start with the Maldives? A band that most of Seattle is familiar with? A band that is so tight live they can make an appearance at the Blue Moon sound like they are playing in-studio on the BBC? No, that’s way too obvious. How about the band whose name actually describes their sound? I am talking about Soul Senate, the incumbents of refinement. The makers of collective noises that make your soul feel good? Those unfamiliar with the tardiness of a Seattle summer might need some Soul Senate in order to make that wait until July 4th an easier one.

Hallways, Whalebones and Hypatia Lake are all birds of different feathers. Hallways are a band that uses a stripped down approach to songwriting but not instrumentation. Their apparitional vibe can be quite beautiful and haunting at times, particularly on the track “Manson Motel.” If you ever needed the perfect soundtrack to feel forsaken and lost in the desert, you might want to sync the aforementioned song to your i-pod just in case. If labeling bands and putting them into subgenres is your thing, and I know it is, you could find Hypatia Lake filed under “psychedelic storytelling.” Does anyone know how many songs have been written about Luke Skywalker when he was about knee high and doing chores? I don’t either but Hypatia Lake has one and it’s pretty awesome.  Whalebones kind of remind me of my freshmen year of college in the dorms. There was this kid who lived next door to me who didn’t like doing the normal kind of “recreational activities” that one might take part in during their first year of college. You know, drinking too much cheap beer, taking uppers in hopes of staying up all night studying for a test and antagonizing your R.A. No, this guy would drink a bunch of Robotussin and have techno dance parties alone in his room. If he were lucky, maybe a girl would somehow get lost and end up ensnared faux DXM Studio 54 get-down. Needless to say, I don’t think that happened more than one time. If my freshman year neighbor would’ve been more introspective and had a little more substance about him, he would’ve robotripped and listened to Whalebones. I know Whalebones didn’t exist back then but I wish they did. I think they could’ve helped my neighbor make sense of his life at a time when he certainly needed it.

Virgin Islands and Magic Mirrors are the two most “rocking” bands on the bill. The former being more brash and likely to antagonize while the latter wants to whisper something in your ear and buy you a drink. I’ve never seen Virgin Islands live but I’ve heard good things. Magic Mirrors put on good show. I look forward to seeing them later on tonight.

I think one of them more interesting aspects of this lineup is the venue where the event is taking place. The Underground Events Center doesn’t do shows often but I wish they did. It’s a very cool basement-like space. I’m curious to see how some of the more mellow acts fare when they are confined by walls that lust for noise.  The show starts at 7pm so getting ready to put your party hats on early. If you want more information, go to www.noisefortheneedy.org. Listed below are the other Noise for the Needy concerts that are taking place elsewhere. Do note the awesomeness of the Vera Project tonight!

The Vera Project
$10/ADV | 7:30PM | All Ages
The Portland Cello Project
Grand Hallway
Drew Grow & The Pastors’ Wives
Angelo Spencer et Les Hauts Sommets
Tomten

Neumos
$12/ADV | 21+ | 8PM
Delta Spirit
Ezra Furman and the Harpoons
The Romany Rye