Hide your children and grab your kleenex, Black Eyes & Neckties final shows are nigh.

Halloween makes a fitting finale for the theatrical Bellingham band. Beyond the macabre make-up and the tortured songs they sing, Black Eyes & Neckties got their start playing Halloween parties in Bellingham. So it is only suitable that the band will thrash and scream and amaze for their final shows in Bellingham on Halloween.

There will be two ‘funerals’ for the band and we recommend making the drive north for at least one of them. Black Eyes & Neckties have treated us to a few of our craziest and most memorable concert moments of all time, and I have no doubt what will go down these two nights will top most of those. Plus, this band was literally made for Halloween.

Tonight the band plays their final all ages show at the Old Foundry (WHAAM) in Bellingham with a Misfits and a David Bowie cover band.

On Halloween they’ll be playing the Nightlight Lounge for their final show. If you plan on going don’t try and saunter in at the crack of midnight, buy your ticket now. The band’s Halloween shows have sold out the Nightlight before and I suspect that their glorious gothic wake will as well. Sound on the Sound will be there, mourning and moshing.

One Final Song ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

In the past three years of running Sound on the Sound, we’ve loved and lost a lot of great local bands. It’s the heartbreak no one warned us about when we started. Over the course of these three years, we’ve caught more final shows and sets than we would’ve liked, of some truly great bands. These shows are always bittersweet, because faced with the prospect of never playing together again, most bands bring it like never before.

Of all the final sets we’ve caught, none have come close to the emotional outpouring we witnessed and participated in for The Ironclads at the High Dive Saturday night. Rife with technical issues, it wasn’t the band’s best set, but it was unforgettable. People watched the set with quivering chins and tears streaming down their faces (and by ‘people’ I mean the Whore Moans, What What Now, this here music blogger and many others) as they sang along to every last word. The band itself fought back tears on stage and lost that battle, as a crowd full of friends and fans shouted requests, jokes, and “please don’t go’s.”  All bands have a cadre of friends, family, and significant others who come to their shows, but no band I’ve ever witnessed has had a more impassioned (and growing) group of followers than the Ironclads. Unlike any other group of supporters, their crowd mirrors the spirited verve that endeared us so to the band in the first place.

As the Ironclads finished what was set to be their final song, the bright, careening near chaos and infinitely sing-alongable “Bullet Train” — the crowd erupted into cheers of “one more song.” The audience’s cries for more were louder than anything amplified from the High Dive speakers all night. In a decision he probably regrets, but we are forever grateful for, the sound guy at The High Dive granted the audience’s wishes, by allowing the Ironclads to play one final song.

With the first frantic strains of “Cape Canveral,” the song that acted as my gateway to the addicting exhilaration of the Ironclads, it was clear that the crowd would not be contained. After some momentary mosh pit style shoving, a few brave members of the crowd stormed the stage to sing along to the ill-fated astronaut tune one last time. And after one person got on stage, the rest of the excited crowd wasn’t about to be left behind. The line of glasses hugging the stage’s edge, forgotten in order to better pump both fists in the air, tumbled and shattered with the rush of the crowd. It was chaos, but beautifully so. (Probably not so much for the High Dive, of course.)

With most mics pushed to the side by the storming crowd, the enamored audience, not the Ironclads themselves, sang lead vocals for that final song. Arms wrapped tightly around each other and heads tossed back in mix of a collective anguish and celebration, they sang louder with each repeated chorus of “CAPE, CAPE, CAN-AV-RALL. CAPE, CAPE, CAN-AV-RALL.” In that final bridge, with the plaintive a capella refrain of “I’M FREE, I’M FREE,” everyone laid bare their own overflowing devotion. And for one last wonderful moment, we were all Ironclads.

Phil and Thom ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

Thom and Nora ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

A Tearful Jamie tells the Crowd There Will Be One More Song ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

Jamie Enjoys Vocal Backing By Fans and Friends ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

One Last Song with The Ironclads ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

Flickr: The Ironclads at the High Dive, August 29th, 2009

Black Eyes & Neckties ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

Alright favorite bands, this is getting a little ridiculous. Still nursing the wounds from the final Ironclads show, I’ve just gotten confirmation that our favorite epic horror punk band Black Eyes and Neckties will soon also be no more.

The Bellingham outfit’s final Seattle show will be September 19th with Israeli wild-men Monotonix at Neumos. While a bill with these two bands would already be unmissable in our minds, the fact that it’s the last time we’ll have a chance to see BENT smear black make-up on their eyes, drip fake blood on us, and destroy everything in their sight, will make what is sure to be an insane night bittersweet.

We imagine this show will sell out and is not to be missed for many reasons. So we recommend buying your tickets now, here.

The Hands at their Final Show ::: photo by Abbey

Unbeknownst to me when I was getting tickets to tonight’s Hands show at The Mars Bar, I was buying a ticket to their last. Before the band launched into a short set of their anthemic throwback tunes, those songs that sounded like classics on listen one,  lead guitarist Eli unceremoniously announced “Fitting we’re at The Mars Bar, where we played our first show, and now we’ll play our last.” 

While I’ll post more about the show in the coming days, suffice to say right now, we’re yet again mourning the passing of one of Seattle’s most promising rock bands.

The Hands bluesy tunes about mortality have never seemed more bittersweet or prophetic than when they were sung tonight. The band ended the night and their time together as a band with one last rocking performance of “So Sweet,” and it certainly was while it lasted.

You made me watch all my friends die, die, die…and it was so sweet.

See More: Photos from The Hands final show

It always sucks when a really great line up has a tinge of sadness to it, but that doesn’t make tomorrow night’s line up at The High Dive any less worthy of recommending or attending. On a night filled with a plethora of great options, I’d recommend you be nowhere but The High Dive for Ms. Led’s final performance.

Ms. Led has been a long time favorite of this here blog and we’re incredibly sad to see the band parting ways. In a scene as treacherous and ever-changing as the Seattle local music scene, Ms. Led has been making music together for nearly 10 years. Local band years are at least equal to dog years, so that puts Ms. Led at a whopping 70 years old. 70 years old and surrounded by hyped bands that aren’t even old enough to drink–it doesn’t sound like the easiest place to be. However, you’ve never heard a word of complaint for Ms. Led who has year-after-year put out some of the catchiest, upbeat, and intelligent punk-pop out there. We have never seen a bad or depressing Ms. Led show, and we have seen many.

Lesli Wood, lead singer and song-writer for Ms. Led is one of Seattle’s most extraordinary performers with more energy and talent in her petite 5′0 frame than most entire bands. But Ms. Led isn’t a one woman show, Lesli has been backed brilliantly by a trio of Seattle’s most talented performers: Peg Wood, Matt Menovcik, and Steph Hasselman. While we mourn the loss of Ms. Led we hope that out of its punk ashes sprout at least four great new Seattle bands.

To celebrate one last frenetic night of punk magic Ms. Led will be joined by two up and coming local bands, Wallpaper and The Camellias. So come on out tomorrow night and celebrate the passing of one of your favorite Seattle bands and perhaps you’ll discover a couple new favorites.

With nearly 200 shows under my belt in 2008, it’s hard to narrow down my favorites to just 15– but after much thought–here they are. I went for singular shows/sets, rather than including entire festivals such as Bumbershoot and Georgetown, which would have easily qualified for best of status. The photos are ordered, with my favorite show of the year on top and so forth. Hope you caught at least a couple of these shows in 2008 too!

Monotonix at The Sunset Tavern–and Ballard Avenue (9/28/08)

Dead Confederate at The Greenhouse (5/23/08)

Ice Age Cobra at The Key Bar in Austin (3/13/08)

The Shackeltons at Bumbershoot (8/31/08)

Slackfest 2008 with The Maldives, The Moondoggies, and lots more (8/24/08)

J. Tillman and David Bazan at Sunday Bloody Sunset (5/18/08)

Portugal The Man (with Wild Orchid Children) at the Do512 Party at SXSW (3/15/08)

Hopscotch Boy’s Final Show (6/8/08)

Sound on the Sound’s Blue Moon Birthday Bash w/Thee Emergency, Thunderbird Motel and Skeletons with Flesh on Them (1/12/08)

Black Eyes & Neckties at King Cobra (4/19/08)

The Trucks Final Seattle Show (10/12/08)

The Hands CD Release w/The Whore Moans at Neumo’s (3/1/08)

Ice Age Cobra’s Final Show (9/12/08)

Noah and The Whale at Chop Suey (9/29/08)

We Wrote The Book On Connectors CD Release Show (11/16/08)

Ms. Led ::: photo by Abbey

You’d think after writing eulogies for a number of our favorite local bands who’ve called it quits over the past few years, would make getting and giving the news easier…but it doesn’t. We’re super sad to share with you that Ms. Led has decided to “call it a night” as a band, and have scheduled their last show ever for January 23, 2009 at the High Dive.

From the Band’s Myspace:

After 9 fantastic years, we have decided to call it a night. We are absolutely best friends and family in this band and our decision was mutual and completely amicable. We have had some hilarious and wonderful adventures and we wouldn’t trade a single moment. THANK YOU to everyone who has supported us over these years. We have been so fortunate to have such an amazing fanbase of great people who have helped out this little DIY band. We hope to see you at the final show so we can celebrate together.

If you have any songs you would like to hear one last time at this show, please drop us an e-mail!

Lots of love,
Ms. Led

Bands break-up, I get it. But what makes this break-up especially heart-wrenching is the fact Ms. Led is one of the only bands in Seattle made of strong women who don’t find themselves solely playing bass guitar. An important voice and narrative in Seattle music is coming to an end on January 23rd when Ms. Led plays its last show, so we will be there in the front row basking in every moment. But please do excuse if we don’t seem as blissed out as we would at every-other Ms. Led show, it’s a sad night for lovers of music, gifted song-writers, political anthems, women rock’n'rollers, and Seattle music in general. But we guarantee, it is going to be one hell of a show.

I’m still not ready to write about Iceage Cobra’s final (until the reunion tour) show at The Blue Moon last week. My ears have only recently stopped ringing and I’m not ready to synthesize what the evening meant and felt like. I will say, that Iceage Cobra proved one last time to be Seattle’s hardest rocking band…for the nearly two hours the band was on stage, they didn’t take a single breather or slow down for a second. It was a show for the ages and without a doubt, an incredible high note for Cobra and the bands devoted fans to end on.

Jords of Iceage Cobra ::: photo by Abbey

Mitch ::: photo by Abbey

Ben and Jords ::: photo by Josh

Cobra Communion ::: photo by Abbey

Iceage Cobra Finale ::: photo by Abbey

If you missed getting tickets for NW favorite Pretty Girls Make Graves last ever show, fear not! Because of demand the band has added a second to last ever show. The show will be an early show at Neumo’s on June 4th. Doors are at 4pm, show is at 5pm and curfew is 8pm. Still gives you plenty of time to rock out with Pretty Girls Make Graves and then spend the rest of the evening drowning your sorrow in your poison of choice.

The show is all ages and if you want tickets I’d buy them fast.