Blog Archives

January 11, 2011

My 2010: In One Ear and Out The Other (the “Live” show)

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Baroness at Bumbershoot ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

Ladies and Gentlemen, hold on to your hats, this is for all the marbles….

“You’re Not From Around Here…Are You?” – Best Live Performance By A Touring Act

Winner(s): Goodie Mob. Coalesce. Baroness. Almost Winner(s): Jay Electronica.

Judging by the fact that I have multiple winners listed, this was a difficult decision to make. Goodie Mob gave me a reason to believe in the concept of “reunion tours” again. I graduated from the school of thought where if you break up once, you should probably stay separated. Unless you’re a fan of daytime television or have the desire to construct a Greek tragedy in which you are the star, it’s probably in the best interest of all parties involved. This Goodie Mob tour could’ve went a lot like a Naughty By Nature (who?) reunion tour. But it didn’t. Big Gipp rocking a bullet proof vest in tongue and cheek fashion. Cee-Lo playing the part of the big bad wolf by blowing the “house” down with his vocals. It was a thing of beauty. Coalesce took a decade of mockery by yours truly and shoved it down my throat and into the pit of my stomach. I’m still removing the crow from my teeth and the show happened back in May. Baroness may be the crown jewel of this trio. They braved the elements. an unfavorable set-time (competing with lots of other acts at Bumbershoot) and still came out as the undeniable kings of the mountain. They literally destroyed generations of people. Never have I seen someone who isn’t old enough to know the mathematical concept of “multiplication” rock out so hard. They performed with a precision and charisma that was unmatched in the calendar year of 2010. Kudos to them. On the other hand….

The Thermals at Bumbershoot ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

“Who Are You Boning For Your Success?” Worst Live Performance By A “Touring” Band

Winner: Free Energy. Almost Winner: The Thermals.

For as long as Free Energy are in existence, this is their award to lose. The kings of pomp. How many Mick Jagger “How To Be A Frontman” VHS tapes can we watch in one night? No. Let’s choreograph the moves we see in RockBand.  Maybe if we wear makeup, people like us more? Suddenly we’re opening for a souless, cowardly Weezer. Go figure. The Thermals are a band that I enjoy, at times. Here’s where I utter the predictable “I like the first album, but that’s it” go-to critic line. I saw them in the KEXP Bumbershoot Lounge or what have you. Easily one of the most boring, uninspired performances I’ve ever seen. Billy Corgan is looking in the mirror, shining his bald head and mocking toasting this display of live mediocrity. Well done. The well-trained people in the audience clapped after every song. Why? Was it because it was live radio and that was your job as a studio audience? Sheep. I wanted to “boo” and maybe “hiss.” Tomatoes would have been heaved in the Thermals general direction. There is the possibility that the Thermals were saving their passion for the Broad Street Stage later on that tonight. That’s not a legit excuse in my opinion.

Drew Grow and the Pastors’ Wives ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

“‘It’s Getting Better All The Time…’No Seriously Your Band Is Like That Beatles Song…” Live Show Award.

Winner: Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives. Almost Winner(s): What What Now.

I’m just stating the facts. Every time I see Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives, they are better than the time before…and they are always really good. After the first four or five times this happened, I was shocked. Now this is just something I expect. It’s too bad for them, they’re fucked by their own greatness.  Sooner or later I fully expect Drew Grow to utter this in the middle of a live performance: “While all of you had your eyes closed during It All Comes Right, Seth and Jeremiah have built a spaceship out of your adoration. Look around you. Ladies and Gentlemen, we are currently floating in space…I’m not kidding.” I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest. In fact, I demand that this happens the next time I see them. Don’t mind me. I’m a first child. We’re the spoiled ones.

See the rest of Phil’s live favorites (and least favorites) after the jump… (more…)

December 27, 2010

Our Year in Photos 2010: Hounds of the Wild Hunt [and win tickets to see them on NYE!]

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Hounds of the Wild Hunt ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

2010 has been a momentous year of change for The Hounds of the Wild Hunt. The band started and spent half of 2010 as the Whore Moans, playing a completely different and much beloved catalog of songs after having spent five years sweating and proving themselves as one of Seattle’s most promising punk bands.

Well, some things haven’t changed that much. The Hounds of the Wild Hunt are still on of Seattle’s most promising punk bands and they’re still sweating and proving themselves night-after-night on stages across Seattle. They’ll be capping off this momentous year with a New Years Eve performance at Columbia City Theater, where they played their final show as The Whore Moans and resurrected themselves as The Hounds, and we have two pairs of tickets to give away to some lucky readers.

Just leave a comment on this post and you’ll be entered to win two list spots for the Hounds of the Wild Hunt’s New Years Eve Celebration with Dyme Def and Night Train at Columbia City Theater. We’ll choose two winners at random at noon on Thursday.

And if you haven’t yet, read my interview with Hounds of the Wild Hunt all about the decision to change their name, its one of my favorite pieces I shared with you all this year.

Hounds of the Wild Hunt ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

September 9, 2010

Hobosexual Has Something Special Planned for Tomorrow Night …

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Hobosexual Sound on the Sound Presents
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Hobosexual and Night Train ::: photo courtesy of Amelia Gyde

Hobosexual has had something special up their flannel sleeves for tomorrow night’s “Bill from the Ashes” and it is not to be missed.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Hobosexual has joined forces with the vocal power of fellow locals NighTraiN for our Sept 10th Columbia City Theater show! The lovely Taryn, Selena and Rachael will be joining Jeff and Ben onstage for the most rip roaring party this side of the continent for ONE NIGHT ONLY! This is going to be AMAZING! If… you miss this one, you’d better be DEAD or IN JAIL…and if you’re in jail….BREAK OUT!

The partnership is two months of practice in the making and from all accounts it has created a metal-soul force to be reckoned with. Not to mention it will be sandwiched between the triumphant return of Hounds of the Wild Hunt and Baltic Cousin’s angry Americana. (Seriously, buy your tickets.)

If you want to know more about the mind behind Hobosexual and their massive riffs, we recommend you read this excellent (and amusing) interview The Stranger’s Trent Moorman conducted with Ben Harwood. We’ve long contended that Ben is one of Seattle’s finest guitar players and definitely one of the city’s most criminally underrated musicians, so it’s great to see someone else take notice.

I mean, just read Moorman’s description of Hobosexual and tell me (if you love the rock) you aren’t twitching with excitement for tomorrow’s sonic assault:

“Hobosexual are a band, a loud ideal, a state of mindfucking. Formed from the remnants of Iceage Cobra and Vindaloo, Hobosexual (Ben Harwood and running mate Jeff Silva) have released a self-titled album of mad, scattered, full-frontal rock attack. It’s a sound with scurvy, a creaming of fuzzed amplification that builds and fans out. Way out. Think Thin Lizzie and Black Sabbath burning on a pyre of Lincoln Logs. It’s a bloodletting of wattage with loping, chunked stacks of heaving guitars.”

See you tomorrow in the pit!