Check out this just-released gorgeous stripped down acoustic performance by Ben Gibbard of the classic Death Cab for Cutie tune “405″ filmed at the Crocodile for One Shot Seattle:

Announced at last night’s Seattle City of Music Awards is an exciting new project, GIVE Seattle. GIVE has brought together 25 of Seattle’s best bands, local businesses, government, and non-profits to create a downloadable compilation CD in support of Art Corps and neighborhood Food Banks. The compilation will feature original tracks and 10 videos from 25  Seattle bands and will be available November 17th at area businesses with 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Art Corps and local food banks.

Beyond the good causes the 7$ you spend on the download will help, you my friend, are going to gets some absolutely great music. Featuring a mix of Seattle’s biggest bands and some up and coming Sound on the Sound favorites, I suspect it will be in heavy rotation as soon as it’s been purchased. While a full track list isn’t available yet, I got a little scoop on the compilation last week. The list of participating artists reads like a who’s who of local bands. You can expect exclusive tracks from Ben Gibbard, Dave Bazan,  the Dutchess and the Duke, The Whore Moans, Fresh Espresso, the Lonely Forest, Moondoggies, Maldives, and more.  I’m especially looking forward to Gibbard’s contribution, a cover of one of my favorite Neil Young songs, “Harvest Moon.”

There are plans for a concert to celebrate GIVE’s mission and to make more money for the great local non-profits, though a date and line-up has not been set. Hopefully we can also look forward to this giving becoming a regular thing, there are already hopes and plans for a second complilation next year.

1 Compilation. 7 Dollars. 25 Awesome Local Bands. A Great Cause. Sounds good to me.

Pick up GIVE at local businesses and stores starting November 17th.

Death Cab visits the incomparable Daytrotter. Two new songs, three Photo Album songs and Transatlanticism favorite “The New Year”. If Narrow Stairs is a return to the mood of Photo Album, I might have to like it. |daytrotter|

Also, because I’m a sucker for anything Ben and Jenny related…

Former Seattlite Taylor over at T-Sides has a cover of Ben Gibbard doing Rilo Kiley’s “Silver Lining.” |t-sides|

The Thermals visit the coast with La Blogoteque and do a take away show. Actually just Hutch and Kathy. This one is a new one called “That’s Inertia.” View another over at La Blogotheque. |la blogotheque|

Ben Gibbard brings us … Just Jazzin’.

For those feeling nostalgic over Ben Gibbard’s visits to the the Showbox in Seattle this year, head over to UberDrivel for a live recording of the show (day 1, day 2).

I’m feeling ready for another dose of Sea Wolf tommorow at The Crocodile, but if you can’t make it, grab their set from this year’s SXSW courtesy of Lullabyes.

Missed Bonnaroo and won’t be able to experience the Police ever again? Head over the largeheartedboy’s Bonnaroo Download page and get that injection of Sting and friends and it won’t cost you $75. Lot’s of other bands to choose from as well.

Ben Gibbard put on a great show for a hometown, sold-out crowd tonight at The Showbox. Gibbard played around 25 songs, visiting his Death Cab and Postal Services catalogues as well as pulling out a few stellar covers. Gibbard was a charming host, joking and interacting with the audience. My favorite interactions of the night were when a few audience members made the gaping arm gesture synonymous with The Decemberists “Mariner’s Revenge Song,” Gibbard told the audience “I’ve just been Decemberist whaled. But I’m sorry, I don’t have a single song that long…” He also joked mid-song during “Why You’d Want to Live Here” that the “waste of film and fifteen dollars” Star Maps sold in Los Angeles ”probably cost twenty now.

There were two looming questions of the night’s performance: Would he play “All Apologies”, a Nirvana cover song in Seattle? And would Jenny Lewis, his Postal Service cohort, join him on stage? I, myself was thrilled that the answers to both questions was yes. Prefacing the controversial cover, Gibbard said “There’s been a lot of talk wether I should play this song in Seattle or not… But haters be damned!” Like previous shows Gibbard’s “All Apologies” was played on the piano, with vocals that were ghostly and heartbreaking, largely because the story behind the song and it’s author. I thought Gibbard’s take on the iconic song was lovely and there were few times in the night when his voice sounded better. But Ben Gibbard saved the best for last, bringing Jenny Lewis out for the final two songs of the night “Nothing Better” and “Such Great Heights.” The audience went crazy for Jenny Lew, Josh and myself included and she certainly  brought it. Her voice was sounding more enchanting than ever and definitely got me excited for the forth-coming Rilo Kiley album and the potential of a new Postal Service album too.

Tonight’s Set-List:

Sing My Song (Donovan Cover)
Brand New Colony
Title and Registration
Crooked Teeth
You Remind Me of Home
Photobooth
Why You’d Want to Live Here
We Will Become Silhouttes
Soul Meets Body (on piano)
Passenger Seat (on piano)
Up The Junction (Squeez Cover, on piano)
Your Heart Is An Empty Room
405
Reason To Stay
Recycled Air
I Will Follow You Into the Dark

Encore:

Harvest Moon (Neil Young cover)
Blacking Out The Friction (on piano)
All Apologies (Nirvana cover, on piano)
Sound of Settling
Nothing Better (with Jenny Lewis)
Such Great Heights (with Jenny Lewis, David Bazan, and Johnathan Rice)

My highlights of the night were Gibbards covers of “Harvest Moon” and hearing him play “You Remind Me of Home” which is one of the loveliest dysfunctional love songs I know. Also David Bazan’s set was truly flawless, but more on that later.

Earlier this week, down at ULCA, for his finale of “Such Great Heights”, Ben Gibbard was joined on stage by Jenny Lewis, Jimmy Tamborello, David Bazan, and Jenny’s bf Jonathan Rice. I’m so jealous right now I can’t even explain. Speed of Dark has the recording of that night, in which the song is simply acoustic. I can only hope tommorow’s concert works out as nicely.

Update:

Uberdrivel also posted a live Postal Service Concert (w/ Spanish radio talk at moments) from Madrid. He also points us to Jimmy’s response regarding new Postal Service material:

[Ben Gibbard and I] are working on songs but it doesn’t feel any more like a band. It still feels like a side project. We don’t have a schedule, and I could just as easily see it never materializing again as having another album. We both want to make sure that we put it out because we have more ideas; not to sell more records. We’re still working on songs the same way: by mail. We started around the beginning of this year, and it’s hard to say what the sound is. I sent him a few beats, he added some stuff to it, that’s it. I do like the three unfinished songs we have so far, but it’s hard to say what’s going to happen.

more Ben Gibbard solo tickets have been released for the Sunday May 20th sold out show at the Showbox. And I can confirm that the little bird was telling the truth as I just purchased two for myself.

Go Get ‘em Tiger.

Ben Gibbard will be curating the Seattle edition of the DVD series Burn to Shine, a set of films documenting special live performances and each film focusing on a single city’s music scene. Also appearing on the Seattle edition of the film will be Eddie Vedder, David Bazan, and our personal favorites, The Long Winters. The previous installment of Burn to Shine focused on Portland and featured bands such as The Thermals, The Decemberists and The Shins. Here is the complete list of the Seattle edition courtesy of Pitchfork who has some nice pictures of a few of the artists as well:

Burn to Shine 5: Seattle:

01 Spook the Horse - “Another New Year”
02 Harvey Danger - “Little Round Mirrors”
03 Tiny Vipers - “On This Side”
04 Blue Scholars - “Morning of America”
05 David Bazan - “Cold Beer and Cigarettes”
06 Benjamin Gibbard - “Broken Yoke in Western Sky”
07 Eddie Vedder - “Can’t Keep”
08 Minus the Bear - “Arctic Knights”
09 The Cave Singers - “Called”
10 The Long Winters - “Departure”
11 Kinski - “Japan”
12 The Can’t See - “Bar Fight”
13 Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death - “Big Bed”
14 Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter - “The Air Is Thin” 

This looks like a pretty sweet lineup that includes alot of the local heavy’s who are finally starting to get some national recognition. An interesting pick with the Cave Singers, who don’t even have an album yet, but who when I saw them live last week were great. I haven’t seen the Portland version yet, only on the shelf at Sonic Boom. I need to pick that up. 

In May, Ben Gibbard will begin a clockwise solo tour around the country. For the final show he will be at the Showbox on May 20. Tickets go on sale the first week in March (unless you are in the DCFC fanclub).  The Dates are:

Thu 05/03 | Minneapolis MN @ First Avenue
Fri 05/04 | Chicago IL @ Metro
Sat 05/05 | Detroit MI @ Majestic Theatre
Mon 05/07 | Sommerville MA @ Somerville Theatre
Tue 05/08 | New York NY @ Town Hall
Wed 05/09 | Philadelphia PA @ Theatre Of Living Arts
Thu 05/10 | Washington DC @ 9:30 Club
Fri 05/11 | Carrboro NC @ Cat’s Cradle
Sat 05/12 | Atlanta GA @ Center Stage
Sun 05/13 | Nashville TN @ City Hall
Mon 05/14 | Dallas TX @ Granada Theater
Tue 05/15 | Austin TX @ Emo’s (Outside Stage)
Thu 05/17 | Los Angeles CA @ Royce Hall
Fri. 05/18 | San Francisco CA @ The Fillmore
Sat. 05/19 | Portland OR @ Roseland Theater
Sun 05/20 | Seattle WA @ Showbox

After working tirelessly in 2006, Death Cab is taking a break until at least the last few months of this year. Ben’s been doing these solo shows for a few years, but I’ve never been able to catch one. (HT: The Music Slut.)