Mad Rad ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

You wake up on an air mattress in the living room of a stranger’s house wearing nothing but an Incubus t-shirt. This can only mean one thing, you ended up partying with one of the many obnoxious Atmosphere fans last night after Block Party ended. You’re not sure which is worse, the fact that so many people have made it hard for you to listen to Atmosphere or that you are wearing an Incubus t-shirt. You find your clothes in the recycling bin (always thinking green, way to go) and make your way to the final day of Block Party…

You arrive just in time to see the Maldives take the Main Stage. This makes you happy because your adoration for the “Kings of Ballard” has grown more and more with every live performance you’ve witnessed. You liken them to Holy Fuck in the fact that they always sound so good. The Maldives could perform in an empty giant tuna can and they would still sound immaculate. As your busy basking in the glory of the Maldives, you notice that a handful of people have unexpectedly fainted. There is one commonality between the ill, they are all wearing flannel and trucker hats.  Being fashionable in the summer in the number one killer of Pacific Northwest inhabitants. “Sometimes it’s better to die in uniform,” you think to yourself as you leave the stage, but where are you going?

Don’t you want to stick around for Mad Rad at the Main Stage? I mean if anyone if going to throw down at Block Party, it’s going to be them. Watching Mad Rad at Block Party is like watching the Bronx Bombers win the World Series at the old Yankee Stadium, you’re going to want to witness history. Sure, you’ll miss MK Speed Dial at Cha Cha and that’s a total bummer. They have that song “Hey Keri” that you really like a lot, it’s one of the best pop songs you’ve heard all year. You’re single and somewhat neurotic, but if you’re ever lucky enough to make someone unhappy for the rest of his or her lives one day, you’ll be playing “Hey Keri” during the reception at your wedding…

You stick around the Main Stage for Mad Rad.  Watching them perform is like watching Godzilla vs. Mothra vs. King Kong in a Texas Tornado match. It’s beautiful chaos. Buildings are falling down, people’s clothes are flying off, and extra-terrestrials are landing flying saucers so they can party with human beings. It’s crazy. At one point you lick P Smoov’s face only to find that he tastes just like your grandmother’s homemade oatmeal cookies. This wouldn’t be so weird if your grandma weren’t deceased. While continuing nodding your head in rhythm to the beat, you wonder if P Smoov has dug up your grandma’s grave. You conclude that if he did commit such a heinous act, he probably did it in the name of hip-hop. You quickly forgive him…

You leave the chaos of Mad Rad a few songs early so you can go see Ravenna Woods at the Vera Stage. On the way to the stage you realize how far Ravenna Woods have come in a relatively short period of time. It will be quite surreal seeing them at a festival instead of a smaller venue like you’re accustomed to. You look forward to snotty underage hipster kids saying “Man, I’ve liked Ravenna Woods since 2008, when it was the Quiet Life…” Oh juvenile elitists, you remember when you were one of those?

Because you almost cried last night during Grand Hallway and a few weeks ago at Carissa’s Wierd, you decide to forgo S at the Vera Stage. Now is not the time for tears, it is a time of righteous metal and the enjoyment of whiplash. You decide that Book of Black Earth is just what the doctor ordered…

You enter Neumo’s but cannot see a thing; everyone is wearing all black and wristbands. Suddenly your Block Party experience has turned into some European metal festival and it feels good. While Book of Black Earth is playing “Occult Machinery,” you curse yourself for not having two hearts to mimic the double bass mayhem that you are hearing in your skull. You wish to be metal right down to the core of your being, literally…

You leave the temporary black hole that is Neumo’s and make your way to the Cha Cha to see Nazca Lines. It seems like it’s been forever since you’ve seen Nazca Lines at Neumo’s, but they left such a good first impression, you have to see if they are as good as you remember. They have that not-so-straight forward rock n’ roll thing down. It’ll be a refreshing change of pace after the blast beat fest of Book of Black Earth…

You leave Cha Cha in your wake; thankful that it is the last time you’ll be hanging out there all weekend. You’re tired of looking at ironic moustaches and hearing tourists ask emerald city dwellers where the “stage” might be. Nazca Lines were as good as you remember; it feels good to be right. You head to the Main Stage to see the Dead Weather because you’re willing to support any Jack White project that doesn’t involve Meg White…

As you’re enjoying the caffeinated bluesy riffs of the Dead Weather you can’t help but wonder two things:
1)    Does Jack White get paid royalties every single time a marching band covers “Seven Nation Army”?
2)    Where does Meg White’s sex tape rank in the pantheon of “Most Boring Celebrity Sex Tapes of All-Time?”

You wish you had the capability of asking the entire Block Party audience the aforementioned questions via mass text message. Just as you’re in the process of figuring out how to get these important questions answered by a shitload of people, you drop your phone on the unforgiving concrete. Your phone breaks along with your dreams of getting life’s most perplexing questions answered. Your impending Monday evening visit to the cell phone store leaves you contemplating what would be a very public suicide…

Feeling down and unable to produce an emoticon of any nature, you seek refuge at Neumo’s. You would consider going elsewhere but have nobody to call or text. Besides, Neumo’s is the only venue at Block Party that still has performances going on the rest of the evening. Phoneless and feeling alone in a room full of crowded people, you spend the rest of your night with Truckasaurus, Victor Shade and Fresh Espresso. The music manages to lift your spirits quite a bit, but in the back of your mind, all you can think about is that inevitable trip to the cell phone store…

How Did You Get Here?

Choose Your Own Adventure: Capitol Hill Block Party - Day One
Choose Your Own Adventure: Capitol Hill Block Party - Day Two

Jaguar Love ::: Photo By Josh

Sometimes a picture is better than any written description I could muster. For last night’s Jaguar Love show in a not full enough Neumos on the all-ages main floor, I just wasn’t feeling it. I wasn’t even the music (although a band could have pulled me out of my funk with a good set). I haven’t been hassled about bringing a camera to a show in a while, and while I did eventually get in with minimal trouble, for no good reason I just felt deflated and like my heart wasn’t in the night afterward. As a result my efforts at taking pictures and enjoying the night in general suffered.

This one turned out though. Sort of.

Jaguar Love will be at the Capitol Hill Block Party in Seattle at the end of July.

From the ashes of the Seattle group Blood Brothers rises Jaguar Love. They’ll be capping off a west coast tour at Neumos next Wednesday June 4 by headlining an all Seattle bill, with Nazca Lines and Das Llamas warming up the crowd.

In their short existence they’ve impressed enough to have already landed an opening spot for Queens of the Stone Age at the Paramount and are now headlining Neumos, all of which I’d say is pretty freakin’ rad for a band less than a year old. For the last half of June and the first half of July these gents will be hitting up the festival season in Europe, ending July with an appearance at Seattle’s own Capitol Hill Block Party. With an official EP to be released on June 3rd and a full length out August 19th, 2008 looks to be a busy year for this trio.

MP3: Jaguar Love - Bats over the Pacific Ocean from the self-titled EP due out June 3

The first person to drop an email to XX with “JAGUAR LOVE” in the subject line will win a pair of guest list spots, at Neumos, courtesy of Matador Records.

Wow that was quick! We have a winner and his name is Stephen. Thanks for playing!

If you aren’t lucky enough win a pair from us, you can buy tickets here.