Colin Meloy of the Decemberists ::: Photo by Alex Crick

When Marymoor says 6pm on the ticket, they really mean, 6pm. We rolled up last Friday after navigating rush hour traffic at a reasonable 6.30 and Blind Pilot was into their last song. Damn.

Truth to tell we were there as much for Andrew Bird as for anyone else since we’ve only had the pleasure of seeing him once. We came a little late to the party, a while after The Mysterious Production of Eggs, yet I would contend that Bird hasn’t faltered since and continues to spark the imagination anew with each reinvention. Traveling with three other band mates now that allow him to keep the pace moving, Bird still makes impressive use of his looping pedals, a flurry of motion at the beginning of each song as he swaps between violin, guitar, glockenspiel and countless other sounds. Aside from a lack of the much hoped for rendition “Heretics,” his set was compact and literally pitch perfect, drawing from new and old songs equally for his 45 minutes.

Not unlike Bird, Colin Meloy and his Decemberists have a habit of expanding the definitions of popular music, and their latest rock opus The Hazards of Love may have tilted into the slightly self indulgent side, if I do say so myself. I was hoping a bit more for a Tommy type stage show epic instead of nothing at all. That being said, it’s clear this material is where the band’s enthusiasm lies right now and after working it on the road now for a while, with guests Shara Worden and Becky Stark touring on the roles they assisted on in the recording, the hour plus straight of rock was a polished, powerful and decisive in it’s presentation. Shara Worden who was once a member of Sufjan’s band (and I suppose may still be), has defined herself as a star in her own right as My Brightest Diamond, and in this role she frankly steals the show.

After the conclusion of The Hazards of Love and a short break, the band came back to in Meloy’s words play a “bunch more songs” and “push it” with regard to the curfew. Falling back into the familiar interactive role that their fans love, the band played an assortment of appropriate summer favorites while telling jokes and keeping the mood light. At one point Meloy errantly ended on a jazz chord, and then tried to fix it so he didn’t sound wrong. Scrambling to recover his mistake into a joke, he gets the whole band to play random jazz chords together then howls “You just got jazz piped into your face. Change one vowel and you have a very unfortunate sentence.” Ever Colin Meloy’s foil, Chris Funk replies quickly “I’m having a ball, thanks for inviting us to Microsoft Jazz Fest.”

The funniest moment of the night for me though had to be when Meloy thanked Andrew Bird on stage as Andrew Rich, and then realized his mistake fumbling, revealing he might have been deep into one of boutique winemaker’s Pinot Noir’s prior to playing. Then making me glad I stayed the duration, Shara Worden and Becky Stark came back out and fronted a cover of Heart’s “Crazy on You,” with Worden clearly a natural heir to the Wilson sisters’ massive impression.

After the hitting the Newport Folk Festival, with the Fleet Foxes, Elvis Perkins in Dearland and many more, the Decemberists will be touring for two weeks in August.

Check below the fold for a video of that Heart cover they did.
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Iron & Wine ::: Photo by Brandrew Dice Clay

[ Editors Note: A local musician offered to write up his trip the No Depression festival on Saturday, and we accepted his offer. For now he and his photographer are using nom de plumes. -josh ]

By Sebastian Rootwell

It was a sunny and sticky Saturday afternoon at Marymoor Park for the brand-spanking debut of the No Depression Festival. Named after a current blog online music community and recently defunct magazine, the festival seems like a genius plan to spark some life into the now fourteen year old enterprise, what with the blossoming alt-country scene in Seattle. The crowd tends to be thirty-something and composed, a plastic cup of micro-brew affixed firmly in hand. We step over babies, blankets, and beers on our way to a spot front and center of the stage, where we would spend a majority of the next seven hours.

I arrive at 2PM with my partner in crime Brandrew Dice Clay. We missed out on Zee Avi’s set but arrive just in time for the No Depression All Star Revue, which is like a fantasy country rock team, put together by coach Don Slack. Mr. Slack is music director at KEXP, host of Swingin’ Doors, and an ubiquitous feature on the local music scene; a man whose tastes are bedded in a exhaustively deep knowledge of anything country and honky-tonk. Each song featured a different vocalist, ranging from the wounded, stark warble of Zoe Muth to the high-octane jug-thumping twang of the Maldives. The star of the set had to be Star Anna, pride of Ellensburg, Washington, and her rendition of “Joy” by Lucinda Williams. Note to whoever took the joy away from Star Anna: please, please give it back. She is quite incensed over the whole matter, and I fear for your life, and in fact, everyone’s life.

Jessica Lea Mayfield from Kent, Ohio was next to take the stage. I had heard her described as a hybrid between the alt-country and hipster scenes, and judging from their look and sound, I wouldn‘t disagree. She starts strong with the single “Kiss Me Again,” a song with lovely and detached ‘ahh ahh ahh ahhs’ in the chorus and outstanding guitar work by Jessica’s brother David, who gets both bass and guitars sounds as well as a formidable, mood-setting wash of reverb and feedback. But overall, her relentless apathy and clichéd lyrics suck the life from the stage. This is especially apparent when she plays a couple of songs alone, exposing some uncomplicated little ditties delivered with no particular charisma. We retreat to the shade.

Coming to the rescue was Nashville’s Justin Townes Earle, who’s got the kind of pedigree you can hardly shake a stick at. A no.2 pencil wrapped in a stone gray suit, a greaser’s hair and sunglasses, JTE’s swagger and style was pervasive from the moment he sauntered to the middle of the stage. Smiles abound as he absolutely rips through the set of honky-tonk tunes, keeping the energy piqued with his finger-picking, sing-along choruses and sly banter. Here is a born performer, an entertainer, a seducer, a story-teller. He is joined on stage by Cory Younts, mouth-harper extraordinaire, and their chemistry is unforced and fun, a beautiful thing to watch. A high point comes near the end of the set, when JTE remarks that his thumbnail is being held on by super glue. He recalls a phone-call with festival staff, where they asked whether he needed anything for the show. “Guitar strings, and, uh….super glue,” he says, grinning. And to us, winking, “That’s a good one, eh?”

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Star Anna at Slackfest ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

The new festival on the block this year the No Depression Festival, that as one might guess is curated by the locally based and now online-only music publication No Depression, which for years has focused on the American roots, alt-country and folk scene around the nation. Having forgone the paper magazine side to their business last year, this festival is a fierce statement that unlike other music publications falling by the wayside, they intend to remain a force on a scene they’ve documented for so long.

Happening Saturday July 11th at Redmond’s Marymoor Park stage, and starting at 1pm, the No Depression Festival is a day full of acts, local and otherwise, worth showing early for. Headlining is Sub Pop powerhouse Iron & Wine, who seems to like keeping his shows intimate, thus always a hot ticket. Local alt-country veterans Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter is the big local name on the bill, joining fellow evening acts Gillian Welch, Drive By Trucker Patterson Hood and his new band, and son of Steve, Justin Townes Earle.

We want to drop a special nod of attention for the artists in the small print, who are playing earlier at the festival as a part of what the festival is calling an “All Star Revue” at 2pm. Backed by a house band, local rising stars like Mark Pickerel, Star Anna, Sera Cahoone, members of the Maldives and more will in the festival’s words ” play songs oft-associated with the genres that No Depression has covered over the past 14 years.” The possibilities that this moment provides is definitely a reason to show up early, and this group of is sure to do the material proud.

Courtesy of STG Presents we have a pair of tickets to offer to the first person to comment on this post who want’s them. That simple. I’ll make sure you’re comment get’s moderated quickly if you’re a first time commenter. I’ll note a winner when there is one.

For those who need to get tickets still themselves, they are $45.00 each at Ticketmaster (not counting fees).

Blind Pilot at Sasquatch 2009 ::: Photo by Josh

Aside from the festivals, there aren’t too many big bills this summer that I would cast as memorable. On the other hand the Decemberists stop by Marymoor Park on July 17, with Andrew Bird and Blind Pilot in support is in our opinion not only memorable, but probably the single bill I’m most excited about this summer. All three of these bands are worthy of your time as headliners by themselves, but all together this group three bands can safely be termed a can’t miss bill.

Courtesy of STG Presents we’ve got a pair of tickets to this show to give away to one lucky reader. Drop your name and real email address in the comments by Wednesday June 17 at 5pm after which we’ll randomly pick a winner. It really is that simple. If you’re comment get’s held for moderation, don’t worry, we’ll make sure it get’s approved in a timely manner. First time commenters are especially encouraged to participate. I’ll note it here and contact the winner when they are chosen.

Should you not win, as of right now tickets for the show can still be had at Ticketmaster for $35, not counting fees.

Due to large demand for the single show they had planned for Marymoor on July 18, the band has added a second show to happen the next day, Sunday, July 19 at 6:00pm.

Tickets for both shows are available online.

HT: NWMB

Summertime is the time for outside concerts. Concerts where you can lay out the blanket, take off your shoes, and let the grass run through your toes. Despite being known as being a pretty rainy place the Puget Sound Area has it’s share of outdoor venues, some makeshift and some grand.

One of my favorite spots to take in a show is, surprisingly, the Woodland Park Zoo. Situated just a stones throw from my childhood home, the Zoo set’s up a stage on it’s northwest lawn and invites the young and old to take in an early evening show with some seriously powerhouse performers for its summer series called Zootunes. A couple years back we caught the Decemberists on their first show post recording the Crane Wife and it was a great time. This year’s schedule looks similarly of high quality, with Keb’ Mo’s return, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, and Andrew Bird. This year’s lineup, which goes on sale May 5 at the Zoo and Metropolitan Markets is as follows:

2008 ARTIST LINEUP:

* June 24 & 25 - Keb’ Mo’ / Taj Mahal $28
* June 29 - Indigo Girls with special guests $24
* July 16 - Marc Cohn / Aimee Mann $22
* July 23 - Andrew Bird $17
Josh Ritter
* July 24 - Emmylou Harris $29.50
Jimmy Gaudreau and Moondi Klein
* July 27 – Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings $19
Marc Broussard
* August 13 - Boz Scaggs $24
David Jacobs-Strain
* August 21 - Amos Lee with special guests $18
* August 27 – The Avett Brothers $18
Shawn Mullins

On the pricier side of things the Chateau Ste. Michelle Concert Series, held at the Winery’s grounds in Redmond, showcases some of the most talented musicians out there right now, with shows from CSNY, the Gypsy Kings, James Taylor, and Lyle Lovett just to name a few. Expect to dish out minimum $50 for each ticket in this series, but you’ve got a special ambiance there that exists no where else.

Also over in Redmond is the Concerts at Marymoor series, which host’s concerts on the Marymoor Park lawn throughout the summer. This year’s feature line-up appears to be still in the making but already confirmed is of course the Sub Pop SB20 20th Anniversary Festival happening on July 12 and 13th, along with Erykah Badu and the Roots and the End’s Summercamp that includes but is not limited to MGMT, Nada Surf, and an up-and-coming Denver hip-hop group Flobots. I wasn’t expecting to see them on the bill, but heard about from my aunt over last Thanksgiving, as apparently she knows one of them.

Of course our neck of the woods has a few larger amphitheaters, most notably the White River Amphitheater, this year host to Radiohead, Iron Maiden and Tim McGraw, as well as the Gorge Amphitheater, a two plus hour drive east across the Cascades. The Gorge series kicks off with the three day Sasquatch extravaganza in May and later in the summer welcomes Tom Petty, the Police and of course the Dave Matthews Band for a three night residency.

Right now my only lawn plans include Sasquatch, SP20 and Radiohead but a couple of those Zootunes shows look mighty tempting. Especially Andrew Bird. These things just cost too much to justify going to more than a couple.