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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Cosmic Panther Land Band ::: Photo by Josh

Moments like this make me glad.

From a Facebook bulletin the night before the ”secret” show:

Let’s just say…. hypothetically… members of Maldives, Shim, Moondoggies and Widower wanted to contribute to Noise for the Needy this year.

But let’s say most of those bands were contractually obliged to not play shows within certain time frames of certain large summer festivals.

So then, maybe the Cosmic Panther Land Band would be created.
You got 3 Kevins, a Seth, a Jason, a Zootch, and a Michah.

More than a one time thing? Who knows… but we’ll keep our fingers crossed.

Cosmic Panther Land Band ::: Photo by Josh

Cosmic Panther Land Band ::: Photo by Josh

Cosmic Panther Land Band ::: Photo by Josh

Portrait By Abbey Simmons

[Ed. Note: Shane Tutmarc plays tonight at 8pm, the early slot for tonight's Sunset Tavern edition of Noise for the Needy. Also on the bill is Widower, Jack Wilson and his Wife Stealers and Adam Stephens (of Two Gallants) and his band the Finite Plan.]

Earlier this week we posted the first section of this interview, where we discussed the winding path Shane Tutmarc has taken to get to where he is today. In this second edition of the interview, we cover Shane’s new course adjustment, and it’s result, an LP titled Shouting at a Silent Sky, which was released today on iTunes.

In the last portion of the interview, Shane discussed the reason he let go of his longest running project, Dolour, saying that it no longer represented who he was as a person. With his latest release, Shane has synthesized his own experience, his family’s musical legacy, and the help of some experienced musicians, into a record that completely represents Shane Tutmarc, personally and musically.

He says, “I feel like the goal of songs should be to be able to connect with people and to relate with humanity. There is a place for every type of song, but I feel like, at least with me, a goal is to always be true to yourself. And if you’re true to yourself than people can relate.” And Shane has succeeded, because we most definitely relate.
—-

SOTS: Do you consider yourself a songwriter or a story-teller?

Shane: I think the song part of it is as important to me. Though, I’m totally in love getting around writing devices and structures. And I’ve definitely, through the Dolour era and the Mercies, tried a million different approaches. To me the joy really is finding a new way to get it out. And I know that if it was just strictly story telling, it wouldn’t be as important to me as the craft part of it.

I think phrasing is a big thing. Like Bob Dylan. Just the way he phrases things makes me aware that when you’re telling a story, there’s a million different ways you can tell it, and so much of it from Sinatra on down comes down to how they place those words. I think with Dolour it was a lot like “Here’s a melody written out that I am singing.” Whereas from the Mercies on it’s been “How do I want to say this” as opposed to “What are the notes that I’m singing?”

Which to a lot of my pop songwriter friends that I knew through the Dolour phase have no idea why I’m doing what I’m doing now and hate it, and think I’m doing the wrong thing.

SOTS: What do they think you should be doing?

Shane: I guess following their dream of what I should be doing or something.

SOTS: Is that part of what’s on this album? The sense that people think you should be doing something else? But you don’t.

Shane:

So definitely through the Mercies it was kinda of a battle. You want to make a record that your friends are going to like, but I don’t think I was pleasing too many of my friends.

It was interesting how it kind of, it polarized. I don’t think I took to many Dolour fans with me with the Mercies stuff.

SOTS: You’ve grown and you’ve aged.

Shane: I definitely feel like I don’t know that person that wrote the Dolour Albums. Thomas Mertin later said that about his first book (his autobiography).

SOTS: Are you embarrassed by some of it?

Shane: I did the best I could. But I feel like I would constantly get myself to the edge of the cliff. An escape. I would be in a dark mood, and maybe write a song to get me out of that dark mood. Running from reality in a lot of ways. Pop music to a certain extent says “Everything is all right.” Folk traditions, or blues, or even rock generally speaking says “Everything is not alright.” And I think it was that turn that I took with trying to stay in those moments that might be painful but might also bring some truth. That’s what kind of led to this collection of songs.

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Kerry Zettel of See Me River ::: Portrait by Josh Lovseth

[This Friday, June 12, See Me River plays the Crocodile as a part of Noise for the Needy, with Grand Archives and A Curious Mystery.]

Noon. By the roller coaster. As I sat in a sunny cluster of picnic tables amidst the Fun Forest at Seattle Center, Seagulls circled and screeched overhead while curious tourists gawked before entering our town’s shiny tome to American music (and science fiction) the Experience Music Project.

This was where I was to meet up with See Me River front-man Kerry Zettel to talk a little about where his hardworking band was at right now. I had a few questions swirling in my mind that had been unanswered surrounding the transition of his focus to See Me River and the resulting dissolution of Das Llamas, a provocative rock band that I thought just wasn’t getting enough deserved attention. But I also had questions about what seemed a change in his songwriting attitude for his new band as well.

As our half-an-hour in the sun came to a close, and my questions were drying up Zettel remarked, “I think to not put as much effort into the lyrics as you do the music is to insult the listener.” It was an encompassing and revealing comment about just how serious Zettel takes being a musician.

—

SOTS (Josh): I was starting off listening to your latest [The Great Unwashed EP], and the first thing that came across as interesting was “The Great Unwashed.” Was that directly inspired by the whole Obama experience that we’ve been having?

Kerry Zettel (KZ): Well… yeah?

SOTS: Was it written before or after he was elected?

KZ: It was written before. I guess what was going on around me, and my environment probably inadvertently affected the lyrics of that song. It’s just one of those things that you can get done if you put your head to it.

SOTS: It seemed very much a song of that moment. You’d said you recorded it in December… Maybe I was drawing too much of a direct line to it.

KZ: That’s the great thing, how everything is open for interpretation. Even stuff that is specifically about stuff people have misread, or whatever.

SOTS: I’m sort of interested to see your take on this, because it seemed like when you were doing that last Das Llamas record, it was a little more “disaffected with my fellow man.” This is a flip-flop of that.

KZ: Right. Absolutely. I definitely went from being massively frustrated with humanity in general, to just being stoked that people wised up. I would absolutely say that. That whole EP is about change, whether it be negative or positive, I just felt like it was a good time for that to come out mainly because there was a lot of change going on at that time.

SOTS: Especially since you played on that word ‘change’ in “The Great Unwashed” in that first section. I don’t know if you had like a real direct interaction with somebody who was homeless or something like that…

KZ: Every day. To go to work or just walk down the street, is always a weird interaction. I understand everyone faces their own personal battles, maybe you’re bipolar and unable to whatever… but there’s different things you can do to take control of your own life, whether it be through the resources provided to you, creating your own. So I just think human life is such a precious thing to waste it on not doing anything with your own.

SOTS: Does that feed into your own work ethic at all? See Me River is playing shows constantly…

KZ: Oh absolutely. Right. It’s just a matter of getting it done. I’m here, I may as well do something.

SOTS: One thing I also noticed as a difference between this new record and the older records, maybe because this is the first studio recording See Me River, was that… I think the old records it felt much more organic. And I was trying to figure out why that was. I think maybe you didn’t use a metronome much on the first couple records and this time you used a metronome.

KZ: Absolutely. Chris Common, the guy who recorded it is really anal about timing and pitch. Which is cool, that’s the reason why we went with him. Because we don’t have the best timing. Not to mention, for Time Machine, the drums were done as an afterthought, where as regular recording you do the drums first. Until Time Machine was recorded, we didn’t really have a lot of drums on stuff. And then Kellie got a lot more active as a drummer for the Great Unwashed.

We actually have an album that we’re working on right now, that we’re hoping to record in September. We’re doing pre-production on it in August in Montana. It’s written.

SOTS: Doing it with the same people?

KZ: Oh yeah. We’re going to go with Chris again. We already have some studio time booked to do some stuff. Cause the plan record eight to ten new songs, and then take maybe three songs off of the EP.
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Shane Tutmarc ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

We first heard Shane when we heard a demo from Dolour, his long running pop project that put it’s first album out in 2000. When we went to our local record store to pick up a copy of a Dolour record, Shane happened to be our cashier. It’s one of our favorite small Seattle moments, strangely embarrassing at the time I suspect for both of us, but a case of happenstance I won’t soon soon forget.

What I didn’t know though, was that by the time I was discovering Dolour, Shane was already in the process of moving on from that project and from the idealism of his youth and what Dolour represented. Not only that but he was about to have a life-shaking experience, that would launch him in a new direction that would end up leading back to where he started: gospel and blues and the music of the south, by way late-sixties Elvis and Hank Williams.

The result was Shane’s next project, Shane Tutmarc & the Traveling Mercies’, a return to the origins of rock that’s sound quickly cemented his boundless potential in our minds. For the Traveling Mercies, Shane created a family band, consisting of him, his brother (Brandon) and his cousin (Ryan), and together they made old gospel songs new again. Dolour had become a meticulously managed vanity project that no longer represented him as a person; the Traveling Mercies were a cathartic opportunity to pay homage to the musical tradition of his family and America.

This week, Shane has a new record coming out titled Shouting At A Silent Sky, we think his finest to date, and he’s been joined by a new band of ringers to back him up. But we’ll get to the new record in Thursday’s portion of this interview. First of all we thought it was important for him talk about how he got to where he is today and about the details of his life-long one-of-a-kind musical education.

—

SOTS: How did you discover you could sing?

Shane: Because every band that I had formed, from like 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, nobody ever wanted to sing. Like my first show that I ever did, my band teacher in 6th grade let my little band open up the school band show. And we played instrumental covers of Nirvana and Green Day and stuff and nobody sang. Finally after that I think I was like, okay I’ll sing, whatever. And just really enjoyed it and loved it.

SOTS: You must have learned a lot about music from your family background and the elders in your family.

Shane: I think one of the biggest shockers for me when my Grandpa passed away (in 2006) was kind of fully accepting for the first time that there was this huge family legacy. All growing up I kind of felt like an alien in my family, I was like, how did I end up in this family? There wasn’t a whole lot of that, at least in my face at least growing up. But through my Grandpa getting sick and then passing away, definitely delved into the family archives just like wow, I was put in the perfect family for what I do. But I hadn’t really thought of it that way until that point.

SOTS: So that was a huge event in your family?

Shane: Yeah for sure. I felt like for the first time like how he had such a big part of who I am, without even knowing it. My whole axis of the way my world turned completely… I was working on a Dolour record at the time that I completely scrapped as soon as he passed away. I got the family band together and I think even up to this new record, the… mortality… the thought process that started when my grandpa passed away still effects me everyday.

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Coulter, as one might expect, is the nom de rock of a band that takes it’s name from it’s lead member, in this case one Coulter Leslie. If his name sounds British, well so does his music; he’s even as reverent for the Moz and his spawn as you might stereotypically expect in relation to his name. That being said, these gents have polish and a sense of pride and these are the ingredients of success for rock n’ roll.

Based in Seattle, Coulter is entrusting their fate to the fans and the internet and offering their new LP sent to coventry as a free download on their website the coulterclub with a donate button of course. And but of course you should donate, because even musicians have to eat. Certain parties champion the “pay what you will” model as effective for more than just Radiohead.

This Wednesday June 10th, when Coulter headlines day one of Noise for the Needy with a set the Comet, on a bill that also includes This is a Process of a Still Life, Safer and Skeletons with Flesh on Them.

Noise for the Needy has just added more bands to this year’s already stellar line-up. A couple of the new names really stood out, seeing that they are Sound on the Sound favorites:  Black Eyes & Neckties, The Whore Moans,  New Faces, and See Me River. Also incredibly exciting is the tease for a one night only Super Group that will be performing  just for Noise for the Needy.  The Cosmic Panther Land Band will feature a “Secret All Star Line Up,” that I can guarantee you will not want to miss.

Check out the stellar full line-up below and start planning your Noise for the Needy nights…so many amazing choices, all rocking out for a great cause.

•    The Constantines
•    “Awesome”
•    1990s
•    Adam Stephens (of Two Gallants) and his band
•    An Invitation to Love
•    Anomie Belle
•    Art Brut
•    Black Eyes & Neckties
•    Black Whales,
•    Born Anchors
•    Brent Amaker & the Rodeo
•    Cataldo
•    Cosmic Panther Land Band (Secret all star lineup)
•    Coulter
•    Crystal Antlers
•    Furniture
•    Girls
•    Grand Archives
•    Grant Olsen (Arthur & Yu)
•    Gravelroad
•    Half Light
•    Hey Marseilles
•    Hotels
•    I Was a King (Norway)
•    Jack Wilson & the Wife Stealers
•    Loving Thunder
•    New Faces
•    Painted Hills
•    Purty Mouth
•    Red Sea Sharks
•    Reptet
•    Safer
•    Sam Marshall Trio
•    See Me River
•    Shane Tutmarc
•    Skeletons With Flesh On Them
•    Slender means
•    Speaker Speaker
•    Telepathic Liberation Army
•    The Beats, Man
•    The Beautiful Confusion
•    The Curious Mystery
•    The Greatest Hits
•    The Pica Beats
•    The Raggedy Anns
•    The Thoughts
•    The Valley
•    The Whore Moans
•    This is a Process of a Still Life
•    Throw Me The Statue
•    Trentalange
•    Velella Velella
•    Wallpaper
•    Widower

Prior to any official announcement of the complete lineup (at least on the festival website), Travis over at EarCandy has scraped together a list of some of the shows happening over June 10-14 around Seattle for Noise for the Needy benefit festival this year.

Update: Looks like this info came out of a press release that I missed. Here is the most up to date list, with a few more confirmations to happen in the coming weeks.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10th:

Neumos: 1990s (Scotland), New Faces, Special Guest. 9PM | 21+ | $10

The Comet: Coulter, This Is A Process of Still Life, Safer, Skeletons With Flesh On Them. 9PM | 21+ | $7

THURSDAY, JUNE 11th:

Tractor Tavern: Throw Me The Statue, Awesome!!!, Velella Velella. 9PM | 21+ | $10

Sunset Tavern: Special Guest TBA, Widower, Jack Wilson & the Wife Stealers, Painted Hills, Shane Tutmarc & the Traveling Mercies. 8PM | 21+ | $8

Conor Byrne: Lucy Bland, Half Light, Trentalange, Cataldo. 9PM | 21+ | $7

FRIDAY, JUNE 12th:

The Crocodile: Grand Archives, See Me River, The Curious Mystery. 9PM | 21+ | $12 ADV/$15 DOS

Underground Events Center @ Belltown: The Whoremoans, Speaker Speaker, Wallpaper, The Greatest Hits, The Raggedy Anns, Special Guests. 9PM | 21+ | $7

SATURDAY, JUNE 13th:

Neumos: Art Brut (UK), Special Guests. 9PM | ALL AGES Bar w/ID| $13

Wildrose: Black Eyes & Neckties, Transliberation Army, Loving Thunder, The Beats, Man. 9PM | 21+ | $7

High Dive: Furniture Girls, Hotels, Born Anchors, Anomie Belle. 9PM | 21+ | $8

The Comet: Brent Amaker & the Rodeo, The Valley, An Invitation to Love, The Beautiful Confusion, The Thoughts. 8PM | 21+ | $8

Chop Suey: Special Guest TBA, The Pica Beats, Black Whales, Grant Olsen (Arthur & Yu). 9PM | 21+ | $10

Lofi: Emerald City Soul Club 9 p.m. $10

SUNDAY, JUNE 14th:

Neumos: The Constantines (Toronto), Crystal Antlers, Hey Marseilles, I Was a King (Norway). 9PM | 21+ | $12

The Comet: Reptet, Gravelroad, TBA, Sam Marshall Trio. 5PM | 21+ | $6

The second week in June will see a bevy of local bands entertaining the masses all for a good cause, and this year it’s Seattle’s Urban Rest Stop. Aside from the already announced shows with the Black Angels and Two Gallants, Noise for the Needy has the rest of this years schedule finished. See it here or below the jump.

Buy tickets for any of the show here.

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