by Campfire OK Seattle's Campfire OK will be at the Crocodile on September 23rd opening for Fences CD Release Show
Shenandoah Davis
Photo by Abbey Simmons ::: Saturday September 4th at 4:30pm Shenandoah Davis plays the Bumbershoot edition of the Round with Goldfinch and Tomo Nakayma
Goldfinch at Noise for the Needy 2010 ::: photo by Abbey Simmons
We are avid hometown lovers here at Sound on the Sound. We are proud to have been born and raised in Seattle and we sing our city’s praises daily here. Sometimes though, even we are amazed by our hometown; by its beauty, talent and capacity to give. Learning that Seattle gave nearly $25,000 to Teen Feed during an epic week of great music during this year’s Noise for the Needy is certainly one of those times. The $24,781 raised this year is enough to increase Teen Feed’s services from 6 to 7 nights a week. It is an awesome achievement for an equally awesome event and a wonderful reminder of the power of local music lovers when brought together for a good cause.
Congrats to Noise for the Needy, Teen Feed and everyone who helped make this milestone possible with donations of their money or time.
Let me let you in on a dirty little secret. I live in a cave. Underneath stalactites and stalagmites, adjacent to the bones of pirates who failed to find buried treasure, in a place where light does not know; this is what I call home. My interior designer is a troglobiont.
I didn’t know that Thunderheist’s last show before going on hiatus was going to be at Chop Suey until the night before the event. My reasoning is the metaphor aforementioned. For a group that was around for a relatively brief amount of time, they burned quite brightly and did well for themselves. “Jerk It” got featured on the soundtrack to a Mickey Rourke movie. How many of you can say that? Well, unless Xzibit and Vincent Gallo are Sound on the Sound readers (and undoubtedly they are), I don’t see many of you raising your hands. I have had the utmost pleasure of seeing Thunderheist twice at Chop Suey during the past seven months. The first show was great, but this one was even better. This was a celebration, not a moratorium. Elbows were being thrown on the dance floor, flashbulbs felt up the room, copious amounts of red bull was drank, on-stage tequila shots inspired Isis to crowd surf, even Grahm Zilla got groped a bit as he made his way through the crowdon some songs. It was dope. I even found myself doing the hand gestures to “LBG” (Little Booty Girl) and I can’t even relate to that song in the biological sense.
Nobody gave a shit. Everyone was having fun. How often does that happen these days? I want to thank Noise for the Needy for the Needy for putting together so many great bills. I want to thank Thunderheist for all that they’ve done. Their export of freshly squeezed, just chilled, dance infected hip-hop with a double shot of swagger was delicious. They’ve made the world a better place and I hope to see them again soon.
In the meantime: Check out Isis Salam’s (frontwoman of Thunderheist) and Grahmzilla’s (the beats of Thunderheist) homepages for information on side projects.
Sallie Ford at Noise for the Needy ::: photo by Josh Lovseth
While we don’t have the total amount earned for Teen Feed just yet, last week’s Noise for the Needy was by all other measures, a huge success. Sound on the Sound was out for all five nights of the festival and every venue we dropped in at was buzzing with happy donors and volunteers and of course, with great bands on stage.
There will be more detailed reviews coming for a couple of the Noise for the Needy shows we attended, but we wanted to share a few of our favorite photos from the festivities now.
Lastly, if you haven’t seen Virgin Islands yet you should remedy that ASAP. The local punk outfit was my favorite discovery of the fest and I’m ashamed I haven’t been in the front row for every single one of their shows. I’ll be remedying that from here on out. There’s been a distinct lack of brazen rock’n'roll in my life lately and Virgin Islands delivered in furious fashion. You can catch the band at The Sunset next weekend on June 26th as part of the Sunset 10 Year Anniversary Celebration.
Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside at Noise for the Needy ::: photo by Abbey Simmons
Goldfinch at Noise for the Needy ::: photo by Abbey Simmons
Friday Mile at Noise for the Needy ::: photo by Abbey Simmons
Magic Mirrors at Noise for the Needy ::: photo by Abbey Simmons
Hallways at Noise for the Needy::: photo by Josh Lovseth
Virgin Islands at Noise for the Needy::: photo by Abbey Simmons
Karl Blau at Noise for the Needy::: photo by Josh Lovseth
Take a long, hard look at that lineup. Take a deep breath if you have to. Even though this has the appearance of a grocery list there is still a lot going on. Where do I even begin? What band do I talk about first?
Do I start with the Maldives? A band that most of Seattle is familiar with? A band that is so tight live they can make an appearance at the Blue Moon sound like they are playing in-studio on the BBC? No, that’s way too obvious. How about the band whose name actually describes their sound? I am talking about Soul Senate, the incumbents of refinement. The makers of collective noises that make your soul feel good? Those unfamiliar with the tardiness of a Seattle summer might need some Soul Senate in order to make that wait until July 4th an easier one.
Hallways, Whalebones and Hypatia Lake are all birds of different feathers. Hallways are a band that uses a stripped down approach to songwriting but not instrumentation. Their apparitional vibe can be quite beautiful and haunting at times, particularly on the track “Manson Motel.” If you ever needed the perfect soundtrack to feel forsaken and lost in the desert, you might want to sync the aforementioned song to your i-pod just in case. If labeling bands and putting them into subgenres is your thing, and I know it is, you could find Hypatia Lake filed under “psychedelic storytelling.” Does anyone know how many songs have been written about Luke Skywalker when he was about knee high and doing chores? I don’t either but Hypatia Lake has one and it’s pretty awesome. Whalebones kind of remind me of my freshmen year of college in the dorms. There was this kid who lived next door to me who didn’t like doing the normal kind of “recreational activities” that one might take part in during their first year of college. You know, drinking too much cheap beer, taking uppers in hopes of staying up all night studying for a test and antagonizing your R.A. No, this guy would drink a bunch of Robotussin and have techno dance parties alone in his room. If he were lucky, maybe a girl would somehow get lost and end up ensnared faux DXM Studio 54 get-down. Needless to say, I don’t think that happened more than one time. If my freshman year neighbor would’ve been more introspective and had a little more substance about him, he would’ve robotripped and listened to Whalebones. I know Whalebones didn’t exist back then but I wish they did. I think they could’ve helped my neighbor make sense of his life at a time when he certainly needed it.
Virgin Islands and Magic Mirrors are the two most “rocking” bands on the bill. The former being more brash and likely to antagonize while the latter wants to whisper something in your ear and buy you a drink. I’ve never seen Virgin Islands live but I’ve heard good things. Magic Mirrors put on good show. I look forward to seeing them later on tonight.
I think one of them more interesting aspects of this lineup is the venue where the event is taking place. The Underground Events Center doesn’t do shows often but I wish they did. It’s a very cool basement-like space. I’m curious to see how some of the more mellow acts fare when they are confined by walls that lust for noise. The show starts at 7pm so getting ready to put your party hats on early. If you want more information, go to www.noisefortheneedy.org. Listed below are the other Noise for the Needy concerts that are taking place elsewhere. Do note the awesomeness of the Vera Project tonight!
The Vera Project
$10/ADV | 7:30PM | All Ages
The Portland Cello Project
Grand Hallway
Drew Grow & The Pastors’ Wives
Angelo Spencer et Les Hauts Sommets
Tomten
Neumos
$12/ADV | 21+ | 8PM
Delta Spirit
Ezra Furman and the Harpoons
The Romany Rye
If you want to be transported for a good cause, promise us you’ll drop a few dollars in the donation jar and enter to win free tickets to see The Album Leaf, Kinski and Baths this Saturday as part of Noise for the Needy Festival. It’s going to be a night of surreal sonic landscapes and avant atmosphere. If you want to spend a night in your head, as well as a night out … this is the show for you.
Courtesy of Noise for the Needy we’ve got 5 pairs of tickets to give away to Saturday’s sweet show for a good cause. Drop your name in the comments (by 11am on Friday) and we’ll choose the first commenter and 4 winners at random to have their name on the list plus one.
Since 2004 Noise for the Needy has been an annually anticipated event in the Seattle music scene and this year is no exception. Here’s how it works. You and your friends go see a concert and proceeds from that event go to a local charitable organization. Is there anything cooler than that? Noise for the Needy takes place Wednesday through Sunday of this week, but I’m most excited for Thursday night in Ballard. A neighborhood I would describe as “the place from which happiness blooms.” There are four great venues participating with four bands on each of the four bills. That’s a lot of “fours,” I hope you’re good at math. After messing around with my multiplication tables a bit, I calculated what show I will be attending:
Bring your inside voices. I know this show is a part of the Noise for the Needy concert series, but there won’t be much of the “noise” variety. This is a night where delicate, well-crafted tunes tread. I have a feeling this is going to be one of those shows where I’m constantly smiling at the way whomever is performing on-stage has the audience in the palm of their hand.
You’ve heard the occasional gushing about Goldfinch from Sound on the Sound readers and writers alike. Don’t believe me? Type Goldfinch into the search box on the in the upper right hand corner of the website. I was going to link an example but there’s simply too many. Goldfinch writes honest songs that can leave those with the hardest heart feeling suddenly vulnerable.
As good as Goldfinch is, they aren’t the band I’m excited to see. That honor belongs to Friday Mile. I had not listened to this band before last week, although I’d seen the name here and there a couple of times. Don’t walk, I want you to hypertext sprint to their myspace page and listen to the song “Curtain Call.” When Hannah Williams voice comes in…I don’t even know what to say. To call that moment “sexy” would be ignorant and missing the point. To say it initially shakes you to your core wouldn’t be truthful. I’ll describe it as this, hearing Hannah’s vocals come in on “Curtain Call” is kind of like waking up on a Saturday morning after spending a Friday night alone. You call all your friends to see if they want to go to brunch. Nobody answers your calls. You shoegaze your way to your favorite breakfast spot only to find that all your closest friends have decided to throw you a brunch party, just for being who you are. That’s what it’s like to hear Hannah Williams’ vocals. Did I romanticize that at all? No of course not. Stop being such a cynic.
If you can’t decide if you want to be at the Tractor, the Sunset Tavern, Conor Byrne Pub and the Two Bit Saloon, you can buy a bracelet for $22 that gives you access to all four shows. Consider it a delectable sonic smorgasbord for a affordable price that benefits those who are in need. Check out www.noisefortheneedy.org for more information. Listed below are the other three Noise for the Needy concerts that are taking place in Ballard.
Sunset Tavern
$8 | 9PM | 21+
Animals at Night
Daniel G. Harmann & the Trouble Starts
Erik Blood
Mal de Mer
Conor Byrne Pub
$7 | 8PM | 21+
Pillow Army
Shelby Earl
Jeremy Burk
Facts About Funerals
Two Bit Saloon
$7 | 8pm | 21+
Neon Nights
Grenades
The Shining Ones
The Keeper
Only one thing could make a line-up composed almost solely of our favorite local bands even better … if they were in it for a good cause.
And Friday night’s epic local line-up at the Underground Events Center in Belltown for Noise for the Needy is just that. Sharing the stage to benefit Teen Feed will be: The Maldives, Whalebones, Virgin Islands, The Magic Mirrors, Hallways and more.
If you’re not familiar with these bands or Noise for the Needy, this is a perfect show to acquainted with all of them. There’s a reason that Noise for the Needy is one of our favorite events year-after-year: for four or five nights some of the best bands in the country and the city come together for once-in-a-year-bills for charity. This year the fest out did themselves with headliners and the real conundrum is which show you’ll be going out nearly every night this week to help out Teen Feed.
Courtesy of Noise for the Needy we’ve got 5 pairs of tickets to give away to Friday’s epic show for a good cause. Drop your name in the comments by Thursday at Noon and we’ll choose the first commenter and 4 winners at random to have their name on the list plus one. (Use your real email so we can notify winners … and of course, we’ll keep it hidden like a secret from everyone else.) But, since this is a show for charity, you have to promise us to drop a dollar or two in the donation bucket … or to make it out as a paying guest for another show.
We declared our love for Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside back in January and have been waiting impatiently ever since for the band to announce a Seattle date. Happily, the waiting paid off, because she’ll be up in Seattle in just over a week on June 9th when she’ll be kicking off the Noise for the Needy Festival at Chop Suey.
Ford’s big brassy vocals, rollicking backing band and retro sound were just crowned Portland’s best new band by the Wilamette Weekly via a panel of Portland music experts, an honor that’s been previously held by Explode into Colors, Shaky Hands, The Builders and The Butchers.
If one night’s not enough with Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside (I suspect it won’t be), make the trip south to Tacoma the following night (June 10th) where they’ll playing the New Frontier Lodge.
Black Eyes and Neckties at the Wildrose ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons
A few highlights from this year’s five day long edition of Noise for the Needy:
- Black Whales at Chop Suey - Finally I got to hear a full set by this band who’s will be releasing their debut LP on Mt. Fuji Records later this year. I thought indie pop with a jangle was out of style, but Black Whales have added a bit of electric guitar and pace (and a shake of country) to the recipe, and the result is polished. Definitely a band to keep our eyes on.
- Widower at the Sunset Tavern - Also falling into the rock-cum-country vein, if distinctly more country was Widower’s set at the Sunset. Having never seen or heard them I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover they are another Northwest band wildly waving the Americana flag. They evoked Sera Cahoone’s hushed country folk at moments, so that the guitarist of her band was an audience member only seemed natural.
- The Moondoggies backing Grant Olsen of Arthur & Yu - Grant Olsen’s hushed psychedelia is built on a delicate balance of reverb and backing vocals, and I think it is now safe to say his new backing band the Moondoggies is broken in and can ably support him in that effort. While certainly a departure from their roaring rock, their harmonies are a natural fit.
Skeletons with Flesh on Them at the Comet Tavern ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons
Safer at the Comet Tavern ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons
The Moondoggies backing Grant Olsen ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons
The Moondoggies backing Grant Olsen ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons
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