The Maldives and Moondoggies Sing-Along ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

2009 was an inspiring year for live music locally. My favorite shows ranged from intimate living room gatherings to huge festivals. They spanned genres from horror punk to hip hop to Ballard Avenue twang. They were almost all exclusively local, though I’ve seen a number of great touring bands in 2009. My hometown is where my heart is musically. Lucky for me (us all really) it was a banner year for local music, with a new found energy in the air and coming off the stages of Seattle. 

Seeing that we have a couple weeeks left in 2009, I’m hopeful there’s still another show in my near future that will be worthy of being dubbed a favorite. Considering how great 2009 has been, it would surprise me more if that didn’t happen. While this list isn’t ennumerated, it is in a hierachal order of most cherished towards the top.

David Bazan in an Edmonds, WA Living Room

Bon Iver at Sasquatch

Black Eyes & Neckties Final Show - Halloween in Bellingham

Doe Bay Music Festival

Nurses in a South Seattle Living Room

The Moondoggies at The Blue Moon

 The Maldives Three Night Stand at The Tractor

The Lonely Forest, Telekinesis, and The Globes at the Showbox

 Blue Moon’s 75th Anniversary Shows

The Rural Alberta Advantage at The Sunset

 The Ironclads Final Show Before Hiatus

Widower with Pearly Gate Music at the Sunset

 Fresh Espresso at Seattle Weekly’s Reverb Festival

Hey Marseilles and all of the Bean Room Shows at Cafe Vita During Capitol Hill Block Party

J. Tillman and Pearly Gate Music at The Sunset

A Gun That Shoots Knives and Doctor Doctor at Neumos

Mad Rad at Sasquatch

The Ironclads CD Release Show with The Whore Hands and What What Now at Holy Mountain

D. Black CD Release Show at The Crocodile

The Lonely Forest at Bumbershoot

Though I don’t have a photo to include with the list Regina Spektor’s sold out show at the Paramount is also one of my very favorite concerts  of 2009.

The Moondoggies at The Blue Moon ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

If you’re a regular reader of Sound on the Sound, hell even if you’ve only read us once, you probably know that there are few things we love more than The Moondoggies and The Blue Moon. The laid back blues of the Moondoggies and Seattle’s venerable dive bar are inextricably linked, like peanut butter and jelly. We first fell for The Moondoggies via their late night sets at the Blue Moon, long before Hardly Art came knocking and the band could pull a near-capacity crowd at The Showbox. We knew then, in those sometimes sparsely populated shows, that we were seeing something special. Success coudn’t have found four nicer or more deserving fellows.  

One of our favorite shows of 2009 found The Moondoggies back on the Blue Moon stage as secret headliners. These days, even a whisper of The Moondoggies at the Moon means a line sneaking down the Blue Moon alley. Lucky for you, you can avoid the lines and sussing out secrets by bidding on sharing a beer with The Moondoggies at the Blue Moon for this years’ Strangercrombie auction. We’re tempted to bid ourselves, but since it’s the holidays, this is a charity auction, and we’ve had the pleasure of spending time with The Moondoggies at The Blue Moon before, we’re leaving the bidding up to you. ‘Tis the spirit of the season.

The Moondoggies at The Blue Moon ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

The Moondoggies at The Blue Moon ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

An epic collision of rock is eminent. The concussion from which will leave few standing by the end of the night. This is going to be a night for drinking and fist pumping. Oh yes it is. The holiday music already has me avoiding recreational TV watching. I need this. You need this. We all need this.

Sound on the Sound Presents:

December 4th at the Blue Moon Tavern
45th St. NE & I-5 in Seattle

Blessed Deep Band
(feat. members of: Chuck Yay-Grr!, 1,2-1,2, Lake of Falcons),
The Spinning Whips
(feat. members of: Ice Age Cobra, Magic Mirrors),
What What Now,
(feat. members of: Thunderbird Motel, Salmon Thrasher)

and a special secret headliner who shall be called:
“Sneaking Out & Getting Off”

$5, 21+, 9pm

This is where the rock is. Period.

Poster for Sound on the Sound by Stubby Abbot

As far as we’re concerned, Friday December 4th at the Blue Moon is a monster lineup.

Little did we know that when we agreed to sponsor the first show of Jordan West’s new band the Spinning Whips, we’d end up with a whole lot more. Formerly of Ice Age Cobra, West (who’s been taking singing lessons) invited us out his practice space to get a taste of what his new six piece has to offer and we were hella impressed. Also playing their first show is the Blessed Deep, a band that includes your friendly Sunset bartender Holly (formerly of Chuck Yay-Grr).

The most recent exciting development is that a fourth band has been attached to the bill as a secret headliner. They go by the name “Staying Out & Getting Off.” We couldn’t be happier they wanted to play.

Below are the full details:

Sound on the Sound Presents:

December 4th at the Blue Moon Tavern
45th St. NE & I-5 in Seattle

Blessed Deep Band
(feat. members of: Chuck Yay-Grr!, 1,2-1,2, and Lake of Falcons),
The Spinning Whips
(feat. members of: Ice Age Cobra, Magic Mirrors),
What What Now,
and a special secret headliner who shall be called:
“Sneaking Out & Getting Off”

$5, 21+, 9pm

Check out the first video from one of my favorite local bands of 2009, The Curious Mystery. The video for “Black Sand” is much like the band and it’s sound:  feverishly hallucinogenic and strangely compelling.

The band is in the midst of a national tour, but will be back home in Seattle on November 14th when they’ll be headlining my favorite dive, The Blue Moon.

Seattle Loves the Ironclads ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

Today marks three years that this blog has been covering the Seattle music scene. In celebration we booked last Friday night at the Blue Moon with some of our favorite up and coming local bands.

Navigator vs. Navigator once again made for a hard act to follow and at their screamiest moments reminded of a young Isaac Brock. What I consider to be their best songs though are kin to the floor-tom heavy rhythms, deep tones, and angular rock of Wolf Parade. “Screams from the City,” “Ol’ Time Radio” and “Raw Paw” are all insidiously hard to remain still to. How these guys continue to fly under the radar just baffles me.

Alligators came to the stage supremely polished in their own right. They’re band that maintains an amazing balance of energy within their set, elegant local pop a la Crystal Skulls matched with the elaborate and sometimes over the top stylings of British mega-stars Muse. I normally wouldn’t just throw that Muse comparison out there, but for those really high pitched lead moments, guitarist Joshua Trembley makes it sound strong. These gents are another band that seem ripe for the next level.

By the time midnight came around, it was Ironclads time and a crowd eagerly coalesced at the foot of the stage. Co-lead singer Jamie was nursing a lost voice so the night was admittedly not the best night for an introduction, but for those who were already acquainted, the situation was just the invitation they needed to sing louder and fill in the gaps. Not that they really needed any invitation. Few bands seem to illicit the kind of crowd love that these guys seem to have at every show. Needless to say we, and Seattle, are really gonna miss this band.

Thanks for everyone who made it out to the show, especially the three great bands who played. And even if you didn’t make it out (there were so many great shows that night) thanks for taking the time to read the blog and support local music.  We’re looking forward to the next three years and beyond of Sound on the Sound, and hope you are too!

Navigator vs. Navigator ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

Navigator vs. Navigator ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

Alligators ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Alligators ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

The Ironclads ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

Johnny and Brian singing along ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

Good Times with Jamie ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

Flickr: Sound on the Sound’s 3rd Birthday Show with The Ironclads, Alligators, and Navigator vs. Navigator

Navigator vs. Navigator have been tearing it up on the local DIY and tavern scene for a while now with their own brand of rough and tumble foot stompers. They make forward thinking percussive rock in the mold of Cold War Kids and Wolf Parade that it’s damn hard to prevent your whole body from reacting to. Their last appearance at the Blue Moon had them playing to a active and appreciative crowd who danced with abandon, making for a hard act to follow. Check their video for “‘Ol Time Radio” below and see if you don’t agree showing up early (read: 10pm) for this band this on Friday at the Blue Moon for our 3rd Birthday show might be a wise decision.

“‘Ol Time Radio” by Navigator vs. Navigator

This poster comes to us courtesy of the Ironclads.

We can hardly believe it, but Sound on the Sound is turning 3-years-old this month! Blogs grow up so fast!!

To celebrate our bloggy-birthday we’re treating ourselves, and hopefully you, to a solid local line up at The Blue Moon next Friday August 21st with The Ironclads, Alligators, and Navigator vs.  Navigator.  It’s going to be a night of catchy, quirky tunes and epic scream alongs from three great up and coming local bands.

We’ll have more on the show next week, but wanted to invite you all cordially, with an impromptu photoshopped poster. It really wouldn’t be a celebration without you.

* And our apologies to this toddler, for many reasons, most of all for being the first image that comes up when  you Google “toddler drinking beer.”  *

The Whore Moans - Wall of a Song

So good to have video proof that our Blue Moon 75th Anniversary show was as crazy as we remember it being.

As we noted in our review of the show, a gaggle of A/V Kids and art students were there to record and capture the insanity of a Whore Moans set. And boy did they ever. This video is pure punk chaos.

A big thanks to Alex Hagenah who braved the pit to record this video and for sending it our way….it’s fucking awesome.