No fair–they totally cancelled prom! And We didn’t do anything wrong, it’s totally the economies fault.

Next week’s WE Prom featuring M. Bison and Tennis Pro had to be cancelled because the venue (King Cobra) shut down abruptly. Sound on the Sound was planning on donning their very best formal wear, a rare site indeed, and these are three great local bands and it was certain to be a wonderful, weird night–so we’re pretty bummed. No one throws a party like WE, so we hope Prom is able to find another venue.

If so, economy be damned–we’re buying corsages!

Poster by James Key

I love a good festival.  I love a ton of bands all packed in to one place, and I absolutely love the thrill of discovery sure to blindside you at any festival worths it densely powdered elephant ears and cheap, overpriced beer.  Now, I’m not even in Seattle this weekend, but friend and Abandoned Love Records guru Jon Rooney has been plying me with the sweetness that is this weekend’s Cumulus Music Festival for weeks now.

Rooney, he of Virgin of the Birds fame (and a mammoth interview I’ve still yet to muster the cojones to tackle) sent over this description of the event:

“the Cumulus Music Festival is a gathering of largely instrumental noise, drone, and math rock outfits (one might say post-rock) from the greater Pacific Northwest area for three days of intimate performances creating a critical mass of thoughtful, exciting modern electric music”

Oh man, if that doesn’t sound like the perfect accompaniment to the doldrums of grey enveloping our sweet city these moody days of January … I don’t know what is.  You can see the full schedule HERE, but here’s just a taste of some of the drone-tastic bands playing this weekend:

HYPATIA LAKE

BRONZE FAWN

EARTH (!!!)

THE LUNA MOTH

There’s two night shows (at Chop Suey and King Cobra) and an all ages afternoon show at The Vera Project.  I highly recommend getting out to at least one evening.  You will not be disappointed.

King Cobra for the triumphant cd release of The Whore Moans. The Whore Moans should be plenty to get you through the door, but there’s more!! The band will be joined by two of Seattle’s most talented bands, The Hands and The Wild Orchid Children. Three great bands for the price of one…what more could you want?!?

How about some photographic evidence of the insanity and wonder that will await you tonight at King Cobra….

The Whore Moans:

photo by Abbey

photo by Josh

The Hands:

photo by Abbey

photo by Josh

Wild Orchid Children:

photo by Abbey

photo by Abbey

Also, when the Whore Moans and the Hands gets together there is always the possibility of the magic that is: The Whore Hands.

photo by Abbey

Like I said before, there really is nowhere else in Seattle you should rather be than this show.  

The Pharmacy::: photo by Abbey

I’m ashamed to admit that Friday was the first time I’ve seen The Pharmacy, but considering how intrigued I was by their performance it won’t be the last. The drummer ended up beating his drums so hard the cement block keeping his kit in place lurched forward during every song and he ended up piercing the skin of his tom drum by beating the ever loving hell out of it. Ever the pro, he kicked the drum over and kept the fullness and strength of the Pharmacy’s sound with one less drum than it called for, literally never skipping a beat. The keyboardist played with the same vigor and intensity–head banging and jumping around as he pounded the keys. The band seems to balance on great psychedelic influences combined with some sharp danceable punk riffs…creating an off-kilter momentum that stayed musicaly and visually interesting throughout. Based on the short set we caught, it’s easy to see why The Pharmacy is a buzzed about band–I look forward to checking out a full set by these guys soon.

The Pharmacy ::: photo by Abbey

The press release:

For release on or after July 11th, 2008:

King Cobra, Seattle’s new rock & roll nightclub and venue is for sale!

King Cobra is a rock & roll club in a great location, next to the Comet Tavern, and across the street from Neumo’s. It has a killer sound, a capacity of 475, and a growing reputation throughout Seattle as THE place to see a live show. We have a waiting list of bands who want to play. And our calendar is currently filling up with more quality shows every day.

King Cobra is currently a venue for live music 3 to 4 nights per week. The remaining 3 or 4 nights are used for more interactive events that encourage audience participation. These events include karaoke, rock band contests, game show night, punks pabst & porn, and ssp wrestling. We make good use of the 4 projectors and a flat panel tv.

King Cobra is also open for DANCE CLUB nights, and comes with a complete dance floor lighting system with light jockey computer control system, plus DJ equipment, including Technics Turntables, CDJs, Mixers, and monitors.

The current owners, and the city of Seattle, would like to sell King Cobra with it’s current format, including a great calendar of upcoming events, and an all-star cast of employees.

With the rapidly approaching finale of the Hopscotch Boys, I was feeling a bit despondent about ever seeing a live show as compelling and unpredictable as Hopscotch again.  Then I saw Black Eyes & Neck Ties this weekend for the first time–and I realized all my worries were completely unfounded. Black Eyes & Neck Ties have the insane, unpredictable, slightly scary concert thing down to a science. (And that science is most definitely chaos theory.) I think I knew I was going to love the performance even before the music started, when the security guy went on stage to say no drinks were allowed and Bradley Horror showed the burly man the bottle of mystery liquid was just good-old-home-made-fake-blood. From the first theatric pounding of keys by Brenda Grimm and Bradley Horror’s raspy shrieks, all backed by frantic bass, guitar and drumming by the blood covered remainder of the band, I was entranced. The songs off the bands recent release Apparition! sounded better than ever when performed live. The mood, the sound, the lyrics, everything about the album is infinitely improved and enhanced by watching the performers who created it. With six engaging, theatrical performers on stage - it was a difficult task to decide what strange circus to focus on.

The bands all or nothing performance was even more impressive, as they played a twenty minute set as the opening act to the Seattle Semi Professional Wrestling League’s first match at King Cobra. The crowd: seated in rows of fold-out chairs, surrounded by “ammunition” (PBR tall boys they were allowed to throw at the wrestlers when empty) - this was not Black Eyes & Neck Ties crowd. And while the on-stage antics of Black Eyes should be appreciated by wrestling fans - the band is very physical both on and off stage during a show - they didn’t seem to endear the audience. Josh Homicide, guitarist for BENT, who seems to go into some sort of violent trance while performing, knocked over at least 12 PBR tall boys which belonged to two particularly burly wrestling fans in the front row. And instead of seeming distraught over the spilling of all these macho guys beer, Josh Homicide bathed in it, never missing a lick on his guitar. I stood holding my breath (camera flashing, of course) waiting for someone to pounce on or punch Josh, but it thankfully never happened.

Thinking I’d seen the most insane move out of Josh Homicide for the night,  I got lost in the on-stage antics of the rest of Black Eyes & Neck Ties. Like most everyone else in the audience, I had a hard time keeping my eyes off of Brenda Grimm, keyboardist for the band. Grimm possesses the keyboard and the stage with a sexy-is-scary vibe, wrapping the mic chord around Bradley Horror’s neck at one point and reminding the entire audience the power of stilettos. While I was watching–possibly mouth agape–the rest of the beautiful chaos on stage, I was startled by something zipping by my head at full speed. For a split second I stood there befuddled asking myself, “how did the guitar’s chord go behind me if Josh, the guitarist, is still standing in front of me?” During this split second of thought, there was an audible gasp from the wrestling crowd. I turned around just in time to see a very perturbed wrestling fan bare-hand Josh’s guitar, likely inches before it caused him great bodily harm. I’ve been to a lot of shows, a lot of crazy shows and house parties, but I’ve never seen a guy throw a guitar like that into a crowd. It was a fucking fender bullet. I for one, am glad to have dodged it and to have witnessed it.

Flickr: You can see more at Black Eyes & Neck Ties at King Cobra

Since a few of you are begging and whimpering for photos of this weekends mind-blowing show at King Cobra… I must oblige with a photographic tease of the evening.

Yesterday evening’s flash mob pillow fight at Pike Place Market wasn’t the only pillow fight going down in Seattle on Saturday. King Cobra’s patrons were induced into the above pillow fight by none other than those famously dressed mischief makers Tennis Pro. By the end feathers blanketed the stage and surrounding area.

After last night, King Cobra may be my new favorite place to see music.

The following are all possibilities for tonight’s killer line up at King Cobra… The Whore Moans and Iceage Cobra on the same bill is just the kind of danger I’m looking for.  

Iceage Cobra’s return to the Seattle Stage!