Tuesday March 2nd gives Seattle an opportunity to get a good gander at two members of what I’ll term the cream-of-the-crop of the newest cohort of local bands. Locally in just the last year Noah Gundersen has dominated the Q Cafe, Neumos, the Triple Door stage, and most recently headlined the Crocodile. The other rising name on this bill is a name that you probably already know from our coverage of them over the years and their recent connection with Barsuk: the Globes. To our minds both names, by way of their music, are likely to be known far and wide by the time 2010 comes to a close.

Gundersen, who is a name that is still relatively new to us, seems to channel something other than typical singer-songwriter fare. Along with his sister Abby and his band The Courage, Gundersen has taken up where Pedro the Lion left off, writing thoughtful, philosophically complicated songs that come from a young and faithful point-of-view while still being strikingly accessible to those who might not count themselves so religious. “Jesus Jesus” from his most recent EP release Saints & Liars is the song that’s really caught a our ears here at Sound on the Sound (as well as the ears of a host of others who told us to look into him), and is just one of many reasons that we think Gundersen is going to be playing to larger and larger audiences:

Courtesy of Chop Suey we’ve got 2 spots on the list to give away to one lucky winner for Tuesday night’s all-ages show. Drop your name and email (which remains hidden to the public) in the comments and we’ll randomly choose a winner on Monday at noon to have their name “plus one” on the guest list for this sure to be popular affair.

Make sure you and your friends get in to this rare all ages night at Chop Suey by grabbing tickets ahead of time via TicketWeb for $8.

Surfer Blood at Chop Suey ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Want to get an early line on those sure to be in high-damand ticket’s for Monday’s free Crocodile show that aren’t even available yet? Here’s how:

Esurance is currently running a ticket giveaway via Facebook. All people have to do is tell us what their favorite song would be if they were Sasquatch, himself. Our favorite three answers will win a pair of tickets to the Launch Party on 2/15. Winners will be announced tomorrow morning at 9am. All the details can be found at www.facebook.com/esurance.

Do Make Say Think - “In Mind” Music Video from Parallel Minds on Vimeo.

This Friday, Toronto’s finest purveyors of expansive instrumental post-rock Do Make Say Think are visiting Chop Suey and we’ve got a pair of tickets to give to a lucky reader.

Late last year Do Make Say Think released the Other Truths LP, a four song effort where each of the songs clock in at an average of 10 minutes. Each song is an exploration that elevates the included elements of rock into a larger musical tapestry, and plenty of quiet moments of meditation to balance the inevitable minutes of sonic updraft. If the Dirty Three were actually an eight-piece rock orchestra instead of three-piece, this is what I would imagine it to sound like. Moody. Overwhelming. Symphonically Massive. Utterly unique.

We’re picking a winner for this contest at noon on Thursday February 4th. All you’ve got to do is drop a comment saying you want those tickets and we’ll choose a random winner to get a pair, courtesy of Chop Suey.

To ensure you’re let in at the door, tickets are $12 adv. via TicketWeb. It’ll be $14 at the door night-of. Also on Friday night’s bill are Years (an un-google-able band name if there ever was one), and The Happiness Project.

Black Whales at Bumbershoot 2009 ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

As you can tell we’ve been easing slowly into the new year with regard to blog content, but that should be resolved shortly. We’ve been putting the finishing touches on our last list of 2009, the top Northwest Releases of 2009. Though you’ll see the list soon enough, one band that we should mention that definitely did make our top 25 of the year was Black Whales (@blackwhales) and their Origins EP.

Here’s what I wrote to sum up the record in a paragraph:

19. Origins by Black Whales on Mt. Fuji Records
On the eve of the release of the Black Whales Origins EP I wrote, “The seven songs on the Origins EP keenly reflect [a] philosophy of trying to have fun and creating something new…” This long EP is a soundtrack for leaving the past behind, hitting the open road and making the most of life’s exploration. Creating sunny beach pop that isn’t content to be superficial or afraid to face the ugly facts, the gentlemen of the Black Whales look to the horizon toward which we all endlessly tread and see unbounded possibility. Provided you’re you’re not only willing, but expect to “Roll With the Punches” that is.

This Friday January 8th they’ll be at the Tractor Tavern in Ballard, along with Grand Hallway (@grandhallway), another band who was in contention for our top 25, and Amateur Radio Operator. Black Whales have the headliner spot, and courtesy of them, we’re giving away three pairs of tickets for the show. Drop your name and email (which remains hidden to the public) in the comments and we’ll choose three winners to have their name “plus one” on the guestlist. I’m declaring right now that the first commenter is an automatic winner by virtue of eagerness. Well pick two other winners randomly on Thursday, January 7th at noon PST.

To ensure your place, tickets are $8 at TicketWeb.

Pearl Jam | MySpace Music Videos

The Northwest locomotive that is Pearl Jam is chugging along again, and have just announced some new European tour dates for early summer of next year. Ten clubbers can already buy those tickets.

Earlier this year they went on Austin City Limits and you should watch song from that performance above, or see the whole performance at the ACL site.

PEARL JAM’S 2010 EUROPEAN TOUR DATES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
06/22 - Dublin, IE @ 02 Arena
06/23 - Belfast, IE @ Odyssey Arena
06/25 - London, UK @ Hard Rock Calling
06/27 - TBD
06/30 - Berlin, DE @ Wuhlheide
07/01 - TBD
07/03 - Arras, FR @ Main Square Festival
07/04 - Werchter, BE @ Rock Werchter
07/06 - TBD
07/09 - TBD
07/10 - Oeiras, Portugal @ Optimus Alive Festival

A special ticket pre-sale for the Dublin, Belfast, London and Berlin shows will take place for current members (as of Friday December 4, 2009) of Pearl Jam’s Ten Club. This pre-sale begins Wednesday December 9, 2009. Visit www.pearljam.com for full details.

We’ve got one vinyl copy of Backspacer to give away to one lucky reader. Drop your real email address (which remains hidden to the public) in the comments and we’ll randomly choose a winner Monday 12/14 at Noon!

Goldfinch specializes in the neglected art of the duet. Their sound straddles the sad sides of twang and folk, where the lyrics and the warm marriage of Grace Sullivan and Aaron Stevens’ vocals are laid bare by simple instrumentation. There is nothing flashy about Goldfinch’s style or sound, but it is deeply satisfying. After seeing Goldfinch for the first time this summer at the Doe Bay Music Festival, I repeatedly found myself humming their song “Go Easy On Me.”  These are songs that stick with you.

You can start humming it yourself, “Go Easy On Me” is our featured song of the week.

It’s a safe bet that there’s no better venue in town to see Goldfinch than the Tractor Tavern. The Tractor not only has one of the best sounding rooms in town, it’s also little bit country, much like the band. Courtesy of the band we’re giving away a pair of tickets to see Goldfinch on November 28th at the Tractor Tavern. Drop your name in the comments and we’ll choose a winner to have their name “plus one” on the guest list.   Winners will be randomly chosen Friday the 27th at 12pm and notified by email.

The Dutchess & The Duke ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

The night before Thanksgiving is a gift from the mid-week late-night-out-with-no-consequences Gods. Sure, it’s a Wednesday night, but you won’t need to get up in the morning, because it’s a national holiday devoted to stuffing yourself with comfort food. It is truly a blessing.

This year, the blessing is two fold, as local folk troubadors The Dutchess and The Duke are playing a hometown gig at The Tractor Tavern in the midst of a months long national tour. The dustiness of the Dutchess and The Duke’s delicate retro-folk songs should be a perfect match to the worn wood floors and warmth of the Tractor Tavern.

mp3: The Dutchess & The Duke - “Hands” from their album Sunrise/Sunset - Courtesy of Hardly Art Records

Courtesy of our friends at Hardly Art Records we’re giving away a pair of tickets to see The Dutchess and The Duke on November 25th at the Tractor Tavern. Drop your name in the comments and we’ll choose a winner to have their name “plus one” on the guest list. Winners will be randomly chosen Monday the 23rd at 12pm and notified by email.

The Whore Moans go Acoustic at Bumbershoot 2009 ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

Mt. Fuji Records is home to a number of our absolute favorite local bands so it’s with much excitement that I have a reason to reiterate that fact. Next Friday and Saturday Mt Fuji is packing their bands and a few friends into two Ballard venues to showcase what they’ve got.

The Maldives, who barely fit in the Tractor anymore, will be headlining night one (which is sure to be a sellout), along with Spiral Stairs, who’ve got a split single with the Long Winters slated to come out on Mt. Fuji by the end of the year. Night two features Mt. Fuji’s past, present and future all in a nice neat package. The “present” in long time Mt. Fuji mainstay’s the Whore Moans and the Black Whales, and the “past” and “future” in Mt. Fuji helmsman (and Cops member) Mike Jaworski’s new band Virgin Islands who are just getting out into the world and releasing their first EP that very same week.

Peep these lineups:

Mt Fuji Records Showcases

Friday November 20th @ The Tractor with:
The Maldives
Spiral Stairs (Scott Kannberg of Pavement)
Point Juncture, WA
Weinland
$10 at TicketWeb / 9pm

Saturday November 21st @ The Sunset with:
The Whore Moans
Black Whales
Virgin Islands (EP Release for “The Age of Anxiety”)
Mr. Gnome
$8 at BrownPaperTickets / 10pm

For people who want to hit up the Saturday night edition of the showcase, happening at the Sunset Tavern, we’ve got two pairs of tickets to give away. Drop your name in the comments and we’ll choose two winners to have their name “plus one” on the guestlist courtesy of Mt Fuji Records. Winners will be randomly chosen Monday the 16th at 5pm.

We’ll see you there?!

People Eating People ::: photo by Christian Coomer

Though we just discovered People Eating People a couple of weeks go when she opened for Nurses and Le Loup at Chop Suey, I can say without a doubt, she’s one of the most exciting musical discoveries of 2009.  Nouela Johnston, the bawdy, bold, and beautiful voice behind People Eating People sounds like she would be right at home singing at the swankiest smoke-filled speakeasy. And it’s not just Nouela’s voice that’s impressive–she’s an accomplished pianist and her heart-on-her sleeve lyrics are as evocative as they are catchy. These are tunes for foul moods and for singing along to mindlessly in your car at the top of your lungs.

Nouela reminds me of another clever piano ingenue I saw this week, Regina Spektor (with a pinch of Ben Folds). But Nouela is a Ballard version of Regina Spektor. Bawdier and bolder, without the coy intellectual quirkiness. She’s drinking Oly, not champagne. And Nouela’s ready to be heard. In the song “For Now” off of the self-titled debut record (released November 3rd) Nouela belts “one day you’re gonna love me,” and my best bet is that day is the first time you see or hear People Eating People.

MP3: People Eating People - All The Hospitals

For one lucky winner that day is next Thursday. We’re giving away a pair of tickets to this Thursday November 12th’s People Eating People CD release show at The Rendezvous. To be entered for consideration in drop a comment in this post with your real email address (which remains hidden), so I can get your information if you win. I’ll randomly choose a winner at 5pm PST on Monday.

 
John Darnielle is a writer and storyteller without compare. He’s prolific, having been making tapes since the early 90’s, and among his favorite topics are metal, dysfunctional families, and growing up. He performs his songs with such attention to mood and delivery that sometimes I wonder if he’s more of a poet than a musician. Poetry has never really been my thing, but I think the Mountain Goats and their latest album The Life of the World to Come may be starting to change my mind on that one.

To one lucky winner, courtesy of Wake Up Productions, we’re offering a pair of tickets to this Tuesday November 10th’s Mountain Goats show at the Showbox at the Market, where they’ll also be joined by Final Fantasy. The first one to drop a comment in this post with your real email address (which remains hidden), will win. That easy. If you’re a new commenter, it’ll be held for moderation, but the timestamp will mark you the winner if you are first. I’ll be declaring a winner as soon as I see that winning comment.

Should you want to assure your spot at the show otherwise, you can snag early tickets via the Showbox’s Ticketmaster page.