Sharpie Sketch of Possible First Logo ::: by Josh Lovseth

Four years ago to the day Sound on the Sound posted our very first blog, a rough sketch of a possible logo and the idea behind the blog. We thought our parents and friends would probably read it, but that was about it. We never imagined the wonderful adventure we were about to embark on or that we would have such great company. Thank you for reading Sound on the Sound and supporting us all these years. We look forward to celebrating many, many more blog-birthdays with you.

Doe Bay 2009 ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

This blog is going to be pretty quiet for the next few days. (There will still be a Daily Choice and a North of Northwest posted tomorrow, but that’ll be it.) Most of us will be up at Doe Bay until Monday, hopefully enjoying a festival that is even a fraction as amazing as last year’s was. When we return we’ll have lots of gorgeous photos, reviews and a little something special for you all.

See you guys back here on Monday afternoon or, hopefully, on the ferry to Doe Bay today!

P.S. If you are staying in Seattle: go see Salmon Thrasher’s last show, I still can’t believe I am missing that.

Columbia City Theater ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

Four years ago, when we started Sound on the Sound, Josh and I had no idea what a wonderful journey we were about to begin. I still vividly remember the astonishment and excitement of receiving the first record ever sent for us to review (Shim’s In the Veins) and the first email from someone who read the blog. And four years later, we still feel that same sense of excitement and wonder. Amazed folks keep sending us records, that more and more of you are reading Sound on the Sound and that this project, that started out as and that remains a passion, has turned into a profession of sorts for both Josh and I.

In that sense, I am starting a new professional chapter with my involvement in the local music community and I wanted to share the news with you. I want to do so not only because I’m thrilled about this new opportunity, but because I don’t want there to ever be a question of objectivity or professionalism leveled against me or Sound on the Sound. As of this week, I’ve been brought on by Columbia City Theater to help with the PR, mostly for the front of the house bar (The Bourbon), but also the venue itself. As someone who is trying to learn how to make a living in the industry and community I love, this is an incredible new opportunity. But more than that, it is exciting to have some sort of hand and ownership in a new music venue that I believe will greatly enrich the Seattle music scene.

That being said, I realize this could be seen as a conflict of interest with Sound on the Sound. In that regards, I wanted to be transparent with you because I believe trust is important even when it comes to the blogs you read. I also wanted to assure you that while Columbia City Theater won’t be receiving special treatment or more coverage on Sound on the Sound because of my involvement, we also won’t stop writing about the venue because of it. The venue is not above reproach because of this new role, nor will it go without praise when it deserves it.

Pardon me for a moment of shameless self and blog promotion.

This Saturday I’ll be joining Hannah Levin behind the mic as a guest DJ on KEXP’s Audioasis. I know I don’t have to tell most of you local music lovers to tune in to Audioasis, but please keep your dials (or computer) tuned to 90.3 at 8pm.  I’ll be talking about and sharing a few of my favorite local songs, including a track off The Head and the Heart’s debut record. Just like me, it will be their KEXP debut!

A huge thanks to Hannah for asking me to join her, I’m beyond excited to be a guest on my favorite show, on my favorite station. Hope you all tune in!

Brittney Bush Bollay ::: Self-Portrait

We’d like to take a moment to introduce you to Brittney Bollay, Sound on the Sound’s newest contributor. If you’re out at shows in Seattle or you follow local music photography, you probably already know Brittney. You’ll often find her holding down the front row or shooting in-studios for KEXP and the results are always impressive. Brittney has a knack of capturing both the larger feel and the smallest details of a show in her photos. What you may not know about Brittney is she’s a Canadaphile. That’s right, she loves all things about our neighbor’s to the North, most especially their music. So when she emailed Sound on the Sound to ask if there might be a place for her to share her love and knowledge of Canadian bands, there was no hesitation or ‘ehs just an enthusiastic “absolutely!”  We’ll let her explain her forthcoming contribution and Canada love below, but we just had to say how excited we are to have Brittney joining us and sharing what she loves most with you.   — Abbey

I am not a Canadian, though you could be forgiven for mistaking me for one. I love hockey, I belong to a curling team, and I have a strange and abiding obsession with moose. I also listen to Canadian music. A lot of it.

It’s hard to pinpoint when my listening tendencies took a distinct turn for the Canadian. The journey began with punk-influenced bands Hot Hot Heat and Constantines, branched out to both the harder sounds of Fucked Up and the Rural Alberta Advantage’s folk-pop tunes, and reached fever pitch when I became obsessed with garage-rock duo Japandroids. By this point, I had recognized the trend. Now I actively seek out Canadian music, eavesdropping constantly on the sounds across the border, ferreting out new loves from our neighbors to the north.

Let me tell you: they’re doing some great stuff up there. The best of the Canadian musicians, like those from our Seattle scene, are genuine, clever, simultaneously playful and intellectual. I don’t know if it’s something in the water or what - one band member at a recent show told me Canadians are such good musicians because they “don’t have anything else to do” - but I’m constantly finding “You’ve got to hear this!” bands.

Unfortunately, most Canadian artists receive little promotion in the U.S., and so I’ve come to realize that no one here /will/ hear some of these bands without some help. Standing at one of the most amazing shows I’ve seen in years - Jason Collett’s Bonfire Ball - with only twenty-nine other people around me, an idea was born.

North of Northwest will be a forum for me to share with you my ever-growing list of Canadian musical loves. Each column I’ll profile an artist, album, or event that I genuinely feel the world should know about. I’ll alert you to upcoming concerts, both in Seattle and in British Columbia. And hopefully, I’ll enrich a few lives with some of the great music that has enriched mine.

Photo Courtesy of Amelia Gyde

We’d like to take a moment to introduce you to Philip Bouie, Sound on the Sound’s new writer. Phil will be getting his start by offering his take on this year’s Bumbershoot, the first he’s ever attended. If you see him, be sure to say hi.

Having Phil join Sound on the Sound is the lone positive that comes out of the Ironclads hiatus. That’s how we met Phil. He was the drummer of the recently dearly departed band and the author of their hilarious band blog. After reading a single Ironclads blog, we’d already thought about asking Phil to contribute to Sound on the Sound. By the end of the second, we were ready to beg. As a musician, new(ish) Seattle arrival, and hardcore fan we think Phil will offer a great new perspective on Sound on the Sound and for our readers.  Phil’s full (and funny) bio is below.

Name: Philip Bouie
Hometown: Detroit, Michigan/ Reston, Virginia
Age: 26
Time spent in seattle: 2 years
Instruments: fictional drummer for the Ironclads, first and foremost a bedroom guitar player..let’s start a band.
College: VCU - Mass Communications/African-American Studies

Favorite Live Show Experience - Sleater-Kinney/The Gossip/The Butchies. May 25, 2000 at the 930 club in dc. The only show I’ve ever been at that I never wanted to end. It was something in the air that night, s-k brought down the house with a riot-starting cover of “Fortunate Son”. Out of all the trillions of shows I’ve been to over the years, this is the only show I still have my ticket stub from.

Worst Live Show Experience - I saw 10 minutes of a Smashing Pumpkins set during Virgin Festival in 2007. I’ve never really been a fan of the Pumpkins but that was the longest 10 minutes of my life. Without a doubt, Billy Corgan may be the biggest piece of shit to ever be involved in music. Why he and Axl Rose never teamed up I have no idea.

So yeah I like music, mostly of the heavier and faster variety. Seattle has softened my DC punk roots a bit due to the lack of chaotic basement shows I’ve experienced in the Northwest. I hope this changes soon.

In the end, I have nothing but Seattle and other northwest acts to thank for my love of music. Before going to Fort Reno every summer to see Fugazi. Before losing my shit at Wilson Center hardcore shows, before I bought my first Nas album, there was rock n’ roll from the northwest. I grew up playing air guitar in the shower to Mudhoney’s Superfuzz/Big Muff. I’m guessing I was probably the only 13-year-old black male ever to own a copy of Bikini Kill’s Pussy Whipped. I was going to Melvins shows before I could drive. Botch’s We Are the Romans was my favorite record in high school. Actually, it’s still one of my favorite records. I don’t even want to get into my pre-teen Nirvana bootleg obsession or how I use to be able to play Sunny Day Real Estate’s LP2 on guitar, bass and drums.

It’s an honor and privilege to be welcomed by Sound on the Sound. I only hope to add to their html glory with my amateurish, inane offerings.

Just one more note from us, beyond how absolutely thrilled we are to welcome Phil. We’ve intentionally remained small contributor-wise as we got our footing and established ourselves and our voice. But as the site has grown, so has our sense of responsibility and desire to cover more of  Seattle’s expansive music scene. Three people with day jobs, just can’t do it on their own. Phil will be the first of a couple new contributors who will be joining Sound on the Sound in the coming year, as we try to continue to improve our coverage and contribution to the city and music we love so much.

We can hardly believe it, but Sound on the Sound is turning 3-years-old this month! Blogs grow up so fast!!

To celebrate our bloggy-birthday we’re treating ourselves, and hopefully you, to a solid local line up at The Blue Moon next Friday August 21st with The Ironclads, Alligators, and Navigator vs.  Navigator.  It’s going to be a night of catchy, quirky tunes and epic scream alongs from three great up and coming local bands.

We’ll have more on the show next week, but wanted to invite you all cordially, with an impromptu photoshopped poster. It really wouldn’t be a celebration without you.

* And our apologies to this toddler, for many reasons, most of all for being the first image that comes up when  you Google “toddler drinking beer.”  *

This will be short and painless.

Update (7:44pm PST): Short and Painless that was.

And with Wordpress 2.7 we now get to have pretty urls with the dates and the title by default! This post’s url is a good example:

http://www.soundonthesound.com/2009/03/14/upgrading-wordpress-bear-with-us/

I’ve been waiting a while for that one.

So last week Abbey and I had a phone call with fellow local music blogger Travis of Ear Candy and Spin the Black Circle. Today that interview appeared in the paper (how much longer will I be able to say that about the P-I?) in Travis’ weekly ‘Ear Candy’ column. Or at least the gut’s of the interview. We talked for a solid hour and had a really nice conversation about the ins and outs of the scene right now and what the blog is all about.

Not all of the good stuff we talked about made it in there (ok most of it didn’t), but suffice to say we are stoked for 2009 and excited about ramping up our presence a bit more by promoting more shows and covering a wider array of bands.

Sure, the holiday’s have come and gone, but we would be remiss to not share our first Sound on the Sound photos with “Indie Rock Santa”…i.e. John Roderick of The Long Winters from the Three Imaginary Girls annual holiday bash.

Sound on the Sound w/ John Roderick ::: photo by Laura Musselman for TIG

Abbey with John Roderick/Indie Rock Santa ::: photo by Laura Musselman