Macklemore ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

This party just get’s better every year. Two stages and a hip hop showcase? This is how Seattle’s party at SXSW should be going down. It’s happening Saturday, March 20th at the Beauty Bar, starting 12 noon. It’s no doubt free, but you’ll likely need an RSVP. We’ll keep you up to date on that info as it arrives. On to the good stuff. Peep this year’s lineup:

Main Stage
The Cave Singers
The Dutchess & the Duke
Fences
The Lonely Forest
The Moondoggies
Rocky Votolato

Second Stage
Grand Hallway
The Maldives
The Staxx Brothers

Hip Hop Showcase
Dark Time Sunshine
Dyme Def
Grynch
Macklemore
Mash Hall (formerly known as They Live!)
THEESatisfaction

Um… can this party happen in Seattle?

The second stage isn’t a side stage, it’s the stage where the big bands get more time to setup. And a hip hop showcase is long overdue. The organizers definitely made this a destination party that well represents the face of the emerging Seattle music scene at this very moment.

Follow the action on twitter with @sxswSeattleParT and be a part of the action by tagging your posts #TheSeattleParty and #sxsw.

Src: Austin Statesmen

The Hard Rock Seattle ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

It’s been a gross oversight up to this point that Seattle has lacked a Hard Rock Cafe. Though the area has been home to significant parts of American musical history going back almost a century, only just now has the mega-chain made it’s way into our fair city. We knew they would make the right decision, and we’re glad it was sooner rather than later. And though there are Hard Rock Cafe’s around the world, from the rock photographs tinted in the Seahawks colors lining the stairwells to the exposed cedar ceilings, this location certainly has it’s own share of Seattle charm to set it apart. The previous occupant was a pawn shop, and they’ve even gone so far as to refurbish the old shop sign and re-purpose it as a marquee.

Just around the corner from the Showbox at the Market and the Moore, right on Pike Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues, the three level complex is definitely in the thick of the action. The first floor is the restaurant, the second floor acts as a large bar and 400-person venue when tables are moved out, and the third level is a rooftop bar. Memorabilia from many of the area’s significant rock acts line the walls: A Lakers jersey Andrew Wood often wore while performing with Mother Love Bone, a wall of Jimi Hendrix artifacts, and above us as we rise the stairs to the second floor, original Nirvana drummer Chad Channing’s drum kit. Grunge fans will not be disappointed with the offerings from that era. Most drool-worthy guitar in the place had to be the Eric Clapton twelve-string acoustic he used to play on George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass. Most unexpected was the inclusion of Crystal Skulls Christian Wargo’s electric guitar. A phone-aided tour of the artifacts, much like in a museum, offers more insight into the history of the items than a small plaque can provide.

The Seattle location is the fourth “Hard Rock Interactive” Cafe, which means they’ve threaded technology into the experience via touch screens located throughout the room. Just as you enter a door-size touchscreen greets you, the Rock Wall Solo, and each booth is equipped with a smaller screen. On these screens you can vote for songs to be played on the jukebox, explore the full inventory of Hard Rock’s expansive memorabilia collection, and learn the stories behind some of rock’s most notable moments. (The Las Vegas version of the Rock Wall is 18 feet wide and 4 feet high.) Hard Rock has also installed the first live version I’ve ever seen of Microsoft’s Surface on one of the larger tables right inside the door, allowing for all sorts of other playful bar gaming with your friends. Should you be lucky enough to snag that table that is.

The second floor is a wide open bar space, with floor to ceiling windows on one wall that offered just the right amount of light on the sunny afternoon we walked through. With a stage on the opposite wall, the room easily converts to a live venue where 250 can sit, or 400 can stand (think Chop Suey-sized). Talent booker Amy Bauer has plans for making that stage an active one, outlining a recurring all-ages Sunday afternoon spot and a monthly residency set for Tuesday nights to start in April. Booking national touring acts is also of interest, much as they do at many of the other locations, so don’t be surprised to find a band you want to see playing our Hard Rock stage.

Starting today February 10th, the Hard Rock Cafe located at 116 Pike Street, will be open from 11am to 11pm daily. The menu Happy hour is 3-6pm and 8-10pm. In April the rooftop deck will be open, but no happy hour happens up there. As Bauer put it, “this place sells itself.” With a direct look at a ferry crossing Puget Sound behind the Pike Place Market sign, it’s hard to argue. On that roof, every hour probably feels a happy hour.

Hard Rock CIO Joe Tenczar demonstrating the the features of “Hard Rock Interactive” ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

The Roof Deck Bar ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

The loss of the Sonics (formerly Supersonics) is still a contentious issue in this town, so it’s nice to see Manther get a little nostalgic in their recent video and song “Missin’ the Supersonics” while bringing some humor to the table too.

So I think to my self,
we can start are own franchise,
just give us Durant and a couple other guys,
just keep Robert Swift and old Donyell…

HT: Seth at the Sunbreak!

First off, big thanks to the man, the plan Strath Shepard (he of the amazing blog Pacific Standard) for turning me on to this, something I believe I’d never be invested in ever again - a Northwest hip-hop group.  Not turning the hate hose on to the fertile hip-hop scene that grows and grows in Sea-town, no no, I’ve just had a little too close of experience with some of the nastier aspects of the scene, and thus, I called it a day on that scene.

Dark Time Sunshine does it for me.  I don’t know if it’s the slight bit of Company Flow I feel twirling in the waters beneath them, or if it’s the fact that this isn’t Kanye or Drake or any of the other shit populating popular modern radio these days.  No no, this is dissonant, hard, heavy-lidded hip-hop in a way I haven’t heard for years.

This is some jet black hip-hop, and for some reason it makes me smile.

Dark Time Sunshine - Wrong Kids

Part of what makes the Seattle music scene so exciting right now are the artists who aren’t on stage: the talented community of poster artists and photographers. They are as much a part of the riches of Seattle as the musicians who they chronicle and create for.  It’s been a big week for celebrating the rather obscene number of talented folks who call Seattle home with photo show openings for Chona Kasinger, Jenny Jimenez, and now the showcasing of these two talented artists: Jon Smith and Tyler Soverns at the Greenwood Collective tonight.

Jon Smith (and partner Owen) are the minds and artists behind the trippy posters of SmithBellcraft. Jon has created creepy wonderful posters for local bands like Iceage Cobra and Thee Emergency, to national acts like Ghostland Observatory, Ween and The Decemeberists, and for big name festivals like Sasquatch. A number of Jon’s posters hang proudly at Sound on the Sound HQ and we’re still excited that Jon designed a poster for Sound on the Sound’s first show a few years back.

Apparently just above (or below) Jon Smith’s show will be the opening of SNAPS featuring portraits of Seattle hip hop artists by Tyler Soverns, better known as Rabid Child Images. With his unmistakable fish-eye style Tyler has been chronicling the local hip hop scene for quite a while now and I’m certain his pictures have played a big part in building the amazing momentum bands like Mad Rad and Fresh Espresso have. I knew I had to see these bands thanks to Tyler’s photos long before I ever had a chance to hear their music. SNAPS will feature  his signature white background portraits that capture many of the biggest names in Seattle’s hip hop in intimate and funny moments where ego has been set down and a smile is given into.  

Before you head out to a show tonight, we highly recommend you heading up to The Greenwod Collective (8537 Greenwood Ave N.)  to celebrate Jon Smith and Rabid Child Images.  

The Dutchess and the Duke ::: Photo by Abbey

I’ve got a strange obsession with hair and rock n’ roll or maybe just more generally hair and popular music. I’m currently testing the theory that by growing longer hair I may in fact also be increasing my aptitude for rocking. Looking through history one finds the association of long hair and rocking hard is strong, though I’ve yet to come to a firm conclusion based on my own short experience.

Up here in the Northwest it seems we may have also taken that theory a whole ‘nother step by deciding to now bundle our mana in our beards, or at the very least our facial hair. (It’s just that much closer to our hearts I guess.) Among the latest crop of musicians who are easily identifiable with the new popular Seattle sound are beard supporters aplenty. Band of Horses and Grand Archives practically started this whole beard rock thing. Common Market. The Maldives. The Moondoggies. Fleet Foxes. The Dutchess and the Duke. The Cave Singers. Aqueduct. Throw Me the Statue. David Bazan. The list goes on. And the baby-facers? We’ll the ladies I suppose, but even the Sera Cahoone band has it’s own beardo and fair share of legit mustaches.

To drive my point home I thought I’d evaluate a few short match-ups of artists appearing at Sasquatch in this column to determine: Is Seattle the beardiest of them all? In my quest to weigh each band equally I’ll be asking myself primarily this question: which band most embodies the spirit of beardedness? Diversity, quantity (how many members), size and overall aesthetic are all factors that go into determining a winner.

To set the stage a little bit more, let’s delve a little deeper into just how serious we take our beards up here in the northwest. Before Sasquatch was to even happen, two local party loving hip hop groups Mad Rad and Champagne Champagne, who each sport a notably bearded member agreed to a one on one basketball challenge where the loser would have to lose the beard before their Sasquatch appearance. I checked in with Mad Rad’s Terry Radjaw today to learn the results, and they’ve decided to make more of an event out of it, moving the showdown to later in the summer, to happen at the Funhouse on July 24. To get warmed up, let’s start with their virtual beard-off…

Real Life Local Beard Off
Champagne Champagne (SEA) | myspace |
Noon Saturday May 23 at the Yeti Stage
vs.
Mad Rad (SEA) | myspace |
Noon Sunday May 24 at the Yeti Stage

Winner: Champagne Champagne.
While we won’t venture a guess as to the eventual winner of the basketball challenge, we’ve got to say as far as beardedness goes, Thomas of Champagne Champagne is the clear winner. Thickness, face coverage and the fact that his beard’s style is unified with his hair style make him a model member of the beard brigade. Terry Radjaw gets props for overall commitment, but let’s be real here: a beard without a properly developed upper lip is hardly a beard at all.

For the other festival match-ups I’ve tried to match similarly constructed bands into various logical categories:

Main Stage Veterans
Murder City Devils (SEA) | myspace |
5:20pm on Sunday May 24 at the Main Stage
vs.
TV On the Radio (NY) | myspace |
6:35pm on Sunday May 24 at the Main Stage

Winner: Murder City Devils.
These two heavyweights play the mainstage one right after another, so you’ll easily be able to judge for yourself who the winner is of this one. We will always give props where they are due: Kipp Malone’s beard is impressive. Very impressive. But the Murder City Devils aren’t exactly slouches either. You’ve got a Spencer Moody’s “backwoods crazy” beard counterpointed by bassist (and Cave Singer) Derek Fudesco’s typical well groomed Seattle style. It’s a one-two high-low punch combo that’s stood the test of time. What really put this band over the top though is their roadie Gabe. Have you seen his beard lately? He could practically win this competition single-handed. (Or maybe single-bearded?)

–

Fleet Foxes ::: Photo by Josh

Expansive Melodies and Harmonies
Fleet Foxes (SEA) | myspace |
4:45pm Monday May 25 at the Main Stage
vs.
Other Lives (TN) | myspace |
12:35pm Monday May 25 at the Wookie Stage

Winner: Fleet Foxes.
Other Lives singer Jesse Tabish leads an impressive enough band that they’ve been asked to open for the Decemberists for a few Oregon stops in the coming days, and his beard is no minor effort let me tell you. Yet Seattle’s Fleet Foxes sport two of Seattle’s most notable and bushy beards in Robin Pecknold and drummer Josh Tillman, while the whole band at times supports a total of four beards on stage at once. Even if Fleet Foxes wasn’t the biggest band in the world right now, in this competition what band could compete with that?

–

Northwest Head To Head
The Dutchess and the Duke (SEA) | myspace |
4:20pm Monday May 25 at the Yeti Stage
vs.
Horse Feathers (PDX) | myspace |
2:10pm Monday May 25 at the Yeti Stage

Winner: The Dutchess and the Duke.
I thought this match-up was a very good one and a hard one to tease out a winner. Neither band uses a drum, both are pretty acoustic, and both have a primary female member. Both also have front-men with beards. We had to include another beard from the Northwest to properly be able to judge if Seattle was really the place, or if it was just Northwest thing in general. You might call Horse Feathers’ Justin Ringle the model Portlandian Beardo: sensitive, acoustic, and thoughtful. D&D are those things too. What puts the The Dutchess and the Duke on top in this is the overall sense of unreserved fun. A happy beard always wins over a frowny beard in my book.

–

Conclusion
After laying it out like this, it seems pretty clear that Seattle is the beardedest of them all. Though I suppose luckily for our locals God wasn’t a player in any of these head-to-heads. If Matisyahu had been attending Sasquatch, things might look much different…

Elvis Perkins at the Tractor Tavern ::: Photo by Josh

For Elvis Perkins in Dearland’s new self-titled album out March 10 on XL Records, the music, if not entirely the words reflect the warm and whimsical repoire that the band has developed after touring for two years on the Perkins’ debut record Ash Wednesday. After laying low for a while, they’ve now emerged ready to support this new record on a tour that swings through SXSW, but starts here in Seattle on Monday. And since we’re the start, on the nigh of the new album’s release, the band has got a few extras for us in addition to their headlining set at the Tractor Tavern. Noontime the band will be in the KEXP studio for a live session, while for the all-ages crowd at 7:30pm they’ll be taking the stage at Easy Street Records. That’s certainly a busy first day for a tour.

“Shampoo” is a prime example of the wonderful contradiction that is Elvis Perkins in Dearland. The lyrics recount a damned and almost hopeless soul while the backing vocals, harmonica and goofy intro elevate the dirge to something entirely different. The only way I can describe it overall is to say that as I’ve seen the band progress, the instrumentation of the each song has grown to match the imaginative lyrics of Perkins himself. Dearland has become more than a band, it’s a temporary paradise where we can find it easy to “say our fond regards to lonelyville,” if only for a short time.

MP3: “Shampoo” by Elvis Perkins in Dearland courtesy of the Beggars Group

Here’s a recently posted Gold Room Session of “Shampoo”:

Get Tickets for the Elvis Perkins in Dearland show with the Tim Eriksen Shape-Note Extravaganza at the Tractor Tavern on Monday March 9 at TicketWeb.

You can get Elvis Perkins in Dearland from Amie Street a week early for only $8. I bet they’ll have it at the show and at Easy Street though.

The complete Elvis Perkins in Dearland Spring 2009 tour is below the fold.
Read the rest of this entry »

“and you know you find a new day dawning every single morning in america…”

Norman Cook (AKA Fatboy Slim) has a new project involving a number of other high profile guests and he’s calling it Brighton Port Authority. Here we have a song called “Seattle” with rising British star Emmy the Great on vocals. The sentiments of the song capture how many people must have been feeling Wednesday after the election.

Iceage Cobra, GMF 2007 ::: photo by Abbey

Based on Iceage Cobra’s myspace message — “Bands Breakup Every Day. Deal With It” — it would seem the band doesn’t want us to make a big deal or maybe even mention their final show at the Blue Moon tonight. But whatever the members of Cobra think, it is a big deal to us. Bands do break up everyday–but favorite bands calling it quits isn’t a daily occurance.

Iceage Cobra has been a big part of our Sound on the Sound experience and family. We fell in love, hard, after seeing the band for the first time on New Years Eve 2006/7 in the basement at Chuck Norris. We commented then that Cobra had the sound and skill for headlining sold out arena shows, sadly that doesn’t seem to be in the bands future. After that first show we’ve tried to make it to every local Cobra show and have largely been successful. We were there for the epic Cobra set the evening Jords’ became a father, Brad’s last show with the band and Ben’s first Seattle show. We watched like proud parents as Iceage Cobra attracted passers-by on the street with a gravity defying peformance during this years SXSW. We’ve screamed along joyfully to every rendition of Acid Pony and blasted on repeat Brilliant Ideas from Amazing People, which we still contend is a Seattle classic.

So forgive us for feeling a little sad about tonight and the demise of another great Seattle band. We’ll be there in the front row, soaking in every scream and high kick. You should be too.

Brad ::: photo by Josh

Mitch ::: photo by Abbey

Jords and Butterfly Knife ::: photo by Abbey

Ben Harwood ::: photo by Abbey

Cobra Kick ::: photo by Abbey

Oh I hope this is true and is good news, and not the orignial WTF — the Croc is going to be a pizza joint response I originally had. Sounds like our beloved Crocodile is going to reopen in January/February 2009 – with pizza in the back bar area and a concert venue in the front room. Until then construction — which means hopefully there will be some view improvement in the main room, but no messing with the great sound!

HOORAY!! It is good news! The beloved Hannah Levin has more details on the Croc’s re-opening, including the confirmation of my favorite rumor. They are moving the AWFUL pillar in the middle of the concert room, which was the only downfall of the Croc’s concert space.