Colin Meloy of the Decemberists ::: Photo by Alex Crick

When Marymoor says 6pm on the ticket, they really mean, 6pm. We rolled up last Friday after navigating rush hour traffic at a reasonable 6.30 and Blind Pilot was into their last song. Damn.

Truth to tell we were there as much for Andrew Bird as for anyone else since we’ve only had the pleasure of seeing him once. We came a little late to the party, a while after The Mysterious Production of Eggs, yet I would contend that Bird hasn’t faltered since and continues to spark the imagination anew with each reinvention. Traveling with three other band mates now that allow him to keep the pace moving, Bird still makes impressive use of his looping pedals, a flurry of motion at the beginning of each song as he swaps between violin, guitar, glockenspiel and countless other sounds. Aside from a lack of the much hoped for rendition “Heretics,” his set was compact and literally pitch perfect, drawing from new and old songs equally for his 45 minutes.

Not unlike Bird, Colin Meloy and his Decemberists have a habit of expanding the definitions of popular music, and their latest rock opus The Hazards of Love may have tilted into the slightly self indulgent side, if I do say so myself. I was hoping a bit more for a Tommy type stage show epic instead of nothing at all. That being said, it’s clear this material is where the band’s enthusiasm lies right now and after working it on the road now for a while, with guests Shara Worden and Becky Stark touring on the roles they assisted on in the recording, the hour plus straight of rock was a polished, powerful and decisive in it’s presentation. Shara Worden who was once a member of Sufjan’s band (and I suppose may still be), has defined herself as a star in her own right as My Brightest Diamond, and in this role she frankly steals the show.

After the conclusion of The Hazards of Love and a short break, the band came back to in Meloy’s words play a “bunch more songs” and “push it” with regard to the curfew. Falling back into the familiar interactive role that their fans love, the band played an assortment of appropriate summer favorites while telling jokes and keeping the mood light. At one point Meloy errantly ended on a jazz chord, and then tried to fix it so he didn’t sound wrong. Scrambling to recover his mistake into a joke, he gets the whole band to play random jazz chords together then howls “You just got jazz piped into your face. Change one vowel and you have a very unfortunate sentence.” Ever Colin Meloy’s foil, Chris Funk replies quickly “I’m having a ball, thanks for inviting us to Microsoft Jazz Fest.”

The funniest moment of the night for me though had to be when Meloy thanked Andrew Bird on stage as Andrew Rich, and then realized his mistake fumbling, revealing he might have been deep into one of boutique winemaker’s Pinot Noir’s prior to playing. Then making me glad I stayed the duration, Shara Worden and Becky Stark came back out and fronted a cover of Heart’s “Crazy on You,” with Worden clearly a natural heir to the Wilson sisters’ massive impression.

After the hitting the Newport Folk Festival, with the Fleet Foxes, Elvis Perkins in Dearland and many more, the Decemberists will be touring for two weeks in August.

Check below the fold for a video of that Heart cover they did.
Read the rest of this entry »

Black Eyes & Neckties Play The Comet July 19th ::: Photo by Abbey

Remember when I said not every week would have seven nights of recommended shows…? This is one of those weeks.

However, for most of the night’s that have recommendations, there are numerous pleasing possibilities. Looks like another week for some heated internal debates on which shows to attend.

Who - So Many Dynamos, Police Teeth, Cast Spells
Where - VERA Project
How (Much) - 8$/7$ with Club Card
Why- So Many Dynamos mathematic, energetic, angular, and infinitely danceable approach to indie rock is a perfect way to start the week with momentum.

Who - The Girls Guide To Rocking
Where - VERA Project, 7:30pm
How (Much) - Free
Why - Because in 2009, rock’n'roll is still a boys club. Books like The Girls Guide to Rocking and places like the VERA Project help encourage and teach girls to find their rightful place in rock.

Equally Awesome Alternatives:
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone at HTFC
Team Gina at Chop Suey

Who - Jack Wilson and the Wife Stealers 
Where - The Comet, 6pm  
How (Much) - ?
Why - If you like what bands like The Maldives and Widower are doing, it’s time for you to check out Jack Wilson and the Wife Stealers. Wilson is a pleasant addition to the burgeoning bearded Seattle-Twang song-writer sound.

Equally Awesome Alternatives:
GMK at Nectar Lounge
Tea Cozies, Devices at Tractor Tavern

Who - WE Prom Featuring: We Wrote The Book On Connectors, M. Bison, Tennis Pro
Where - The Crocodile
How (Much) - 10$
Why - Because this is what Sweet Dreams are made of. Or at least, that’s the theme of this prom, which is guaranteed to suck 100x less than your actual Prom. There will be photos, formal wear, a balloon arch, and  few great local bands playing from their own catchy catalogs, as well as the promise of some classic Prom songs. Slow dance, anyone?

Equally Awesome Alternatives:
The Metal Shakespeare Company at The Blue Moon
The Sea Navy at The Comet Tavern
The Decemberists, Andrew Bird, Blind Pilot at Marymoor Park

Who - Laura Veirs, Cataldo
Where - The Crocodile
How (Much) -  15$
Why - To spend a night with one of the Pacific Northwest’s most gifted lyricists and song-writers, Laura Veirs.  2007’s Saltbreakers is a quintessential Pacific Northwest album, so evocative of the surroundings that inspired the album, you can almost smell the damp salty cedar air.

Equally Awesome Alternatives:
What What Now at Cafe Racer
Death Cab for Cutie, the New Pornographers, Ra Ra Riot at Marymoor Park

Who - Helms Alee, Black Eyes & Neckties, Red Fang
Where - The Comet Tavern, 9pm
How (Much) - 8$
Why - You’d be hard pressed to find a stronger all-local hard rock bill. In spite of being on a Sunday, the sheer weight of rock and spectacle of this line up may actually leave The Comet in ruins.

Equally Awesome Alternative:
Death Cab for Cutie, the New Pornographers, Ra Ra Riot at Marymoor Park

Blind Pilot at Sasquatch 2009 ::: Photo by Josh

Aside from the festivals, there aren’t too many big bills this summer that I would cast as memorable. On the other hand the Decemberists stop by Marymoor Park on July 17, with Andrew Bird and Blind Pilot in support is in our opinion not only memorable, but probably the single bill I’m most excited about this summer. All three of these bands are worthy of your time as headliners by themselves, but all together this group three bands can safely be termed a can’t miss bill.

Courtesy of STG Presents we’ve got a pair of tickets to this show to give away to one lucky reader. Drop your name and real email address in the comments by Wednesday June 17 at 5pm after which we’ll randomly pick a winner. It really is that simple. If you’re comment get’s held for moderation, don’t worry, we’ll make sure it get’s approved in a timely manner. First time commenters are especially encouraged to participate. I’ll note it here and contact the winner when they are chosen.

Should you not win, as of right now tickets for the show can still be had at Ticketmaster for $35, not counting fees.

The Builders and the Butchers ::: Photo by Josh

Last year Sasquatch showed Seattle’s up and comer’s a whole lot of love, and this year Portland is the local city with the honor of the most performers. In fact it’s a veritable who’s who of notables coming out of PDX: Hockey, Blind Pilot, Loch Lomond, M Ward, The Decemberists, Viva Voce, Pt. Juncture, WA, The Builders and the Butchers, Blitzen Trapper, Horse Feathers. We can honestly say there’s not a bad one in the bunch and something for everyone, with a small gripe that maybe a little more female representation from the Rose city might’ve been nice (Laura Viers, Mirah, Explode into Colors… the list is lengthy).

To help you decide about which of these distinguished Oregonian bands you should see, I’ve assembled a nice list of free tracks from each of these bands (except one band who keeps a tight grip on their tracks online) for you to evaluate on the long drive to the Gorge. Enjoy and make sure to pick up these band’s albums should you like what you hear. A number of these bands including the Decemberists and Blind Pilot will be signing their albums at the Easy Street Booth throughout the festival, so take a look at that schedule too.

MP3: “Go On Say It” by Blind Pilot courtesy of SXSW 2009

MP3: “Blue Lead Fences” by Loch Lomond courtesy of SXSW 2009

MP3: “Never Had No One Like You” by M Ward courtesy of Merge Records

MP3: “Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect” by The Decemberists courtesy of Kill Rock Stars

MP3: “Devotion” by Viva Voce courtesy of Barsuk Records

MP3: “Sick on Sugar” by Pt. Juncture, WA
courtesy of Pt. Juncture, WA

MP3: “Devil Town” by The Builders and the Butchers

MP3: “Gold For Bread” by Blitzen Trapper courtesy of Sub Pop Records

MP3: “Curs in the Weeds” by Horse Feathers courtesy of Kill Rock Stars

Video: “Too Fake” by Hockey

July 17, the day before Death Cab.

Also Duran Duran will be playing Marymoor July 5.

A presale for both shows begins on Thursday at 10am at Ticketmaster.

Blind Pilot at the Triple Door ::: Photo by Josh

Blind Pilot is already having a banner 2009 and things are just getting started. Last week while they were in SXSW they had a set broadcast on NPR. A few months ago they were asked to play Carson Daly. Now as just as they roll into east coast, they’ve got the wind at their backs on news that they’ll be supporting the Decemberists for the first leg of the The Hazards of Love tour (including an already announced date at Sasquatch). We put their album from last year 3 Rounds and A Sound at #11 on our top Northwest Albums of 2008, so you can probably guess that we thought this course of events was destiny being fulfilled.

Youtube: “Go On, Say It” by Blind Pilot from 3 Rounds, And A Sound

All the new tour dates with the Decemberists are listed below the fold. For their currently in progress tour, they are playing the Mercury Lounge in New York, Tuesday March 31, before heading back to the west coast for a few dates in April.

Read the rest of this entry »

Did you miss the live broadcast of the Decemberists performing The Hazards of Love last night on KEXP? Whether you did or you just want to listen to it again, you can stream it at NPR.org and I highly suggest you do. It’s clearly a hot stream today considering I wasn’t even able to pull up NPR’s page earlier today. Featuring the full cast of characters in Lavender Diamond’ Becky Stark and My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden, I think it manages to be as epic as the band had hoped. Also take a moment to swoon over the openers Avett Brothers set.

The Hazards of Love will be released in stores, next Tuesday March 24, but you can find it on the iTunes Store as I write.

The Decemberists, who’ve got a new album called The Hazards of Love coming out in March 24 are finally letting the cat out of the bag with regard to their Spring tour. The tour dates announced are as follows, and as noted by Eric at the Stranger, a curious gap of time in the northwest happens at right about Sasquatch time with nary a Seattle date in sight:

May 19 Hollywood Palladium Los Angeles, CA
May 20 Fox Theatre Oakland, CA
May 21 McDonald Theater Eugene, OR
May 24 Wilma Theatre Missoula, MT
May 26 Fillmore Auditorium Denver, CO
May 27 Uptown Theater Kansas City, MO
May 29 Riverside Theater Milwaukee, WI
May 31 The Pageant St. Louis, MO
June 1 Lifestyle Communities Pavilion Columbus, OH
June 3 Tabernacle Atlanta, GA
June 4 Memorial Auditorium Raleigh, NC
June 5 The National Richmond, VA
June 6 Tower Theatre Upper Darby, PA
June 9 Bank of America Pavillion Boston, MA
June 10 Radio City Music Hall New York, NY
June 11-14 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival Manchester, TN

For an interview with Meloy from last month where he talks about the upcoming record as a “folk opera” head on over to NPR’s World Cafe.

In other Sasquatch pseudo-confirmation news we can now add new Grammy winners Kings of Leon to the lineup as well as Monotonix and Grizzly Bear. Things are starting to shape up for the northwest’s flagship spring festival.

Today brings us the first taste of the Decemberists next LP, The Hazards of Love, in the form of a free song from the album titled “The Rake’s Song.” In case you might begin to think Meloy has gone off the deep end singing about garden tools, remember of course this is Colin Meloy so he’s actually using the more literary sense of the word, a man habituated to immoral conduct. Now that sounds more like it.

The Hazards of Love arrives March 24, 2009. The Decemberists will be announcing spring tour dates shortly.

The Long Winters at the Showbox, April 2007 ::: Photo by Abbey

The Long Winters “Live at the Showbox” DVD ready for order. Taken from a set of performances in the spring of 2007, Barsuk Records is releasing the limited-edition DVD and offering three free mp3’s from the performance. We were at that Showbox stand can attest to it’s worthiness. |barsuk|

The Decemberists announce next LP release date . The Hazards of Love comes out March 24, and the band has embraced the spirit of collaboration in crafting a rock opera. We eagerly await the results. |pitchfork|

Pearl Jam to re-release Ten, in four different editions. Options includes a remastered records, remastered art, additional never before released live performances from MTV unplugged and live in Madison Park (!?!) with the super deluxe option including a replica of the band’s original three song cassette demo. I can see the ten clubbers wetting their pants as I write. Bassists Ament said he wanted to “assemble the ultimate fan piece” and I’d have to say he’s pretty much succeeded. |ten club|

Carles asks: Should I move 2 Portland? He presents two videos of Starfucker as evidence for the case. Oh geez. Here we go… |hipsterrunoff|

Monotonix added to the Paramount’s New Years Eve Bill! This blog considers Monotonix a top contender for international band of the year and this addition is making me seriously consider heading out to this massive local bill, headlined by the Presidents and supported by Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground, The Saturday Knights, and Vince Mira & The Roy Kay Trio, with a little comedy on the side. It’s great bill to represent the best of Seattle’s music scene in 2008. |paramount|