The Ironclads CD Release Show ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

As a person who goes to grippa shows, it’s a hopeless task to put properly put into any meaningful order the favorite shows they’ve been two beyond saying a few were the very best or stand out as special moments and deserve recognition as such for the annals. So I’ve chosen a list of twenty shows and sets from this year that I’ll never forget, presented in chronological order.

Blind Pilot @ The Triple Door (January 2009) - read the full review

The Murder City Devils first show back at the Showbox at the Market (February 2009) - read the full review

Dan Auerbach at the Showbox at the Market (March 2009) - read the full review

The Ironclads CD Release w/ Hands, Whore Moans, What What Now (April 2009) - read the full review

Blue Moon 75th Anniversary Show w/ High Class Wreckage, Thee Emergency, Hopscotch Boys, and The Whore Moans (April 2009) - read the full review

The Lonely Forest CD Release at the Vera Project (April 2009) - read the full review

Bon Iver at Sasquatch (May 2009) - read the full review

Nurses at the South Pole (DIY venue) (June 2009) - read the full review

David Bazan in a Living Room in Edmonds (June 2009) - read the full review

Robin and Josh ::: Photo on Film by Josh Lovseth

Robin Pecknold at Neumos (July 2009) - read the full review

Rural Alberta Advantage at the Sunset Tavern (July 2009) - read the full review

Widower, Pearly Gate Music, Final Spins at Sunset Tavern (July 2009) - read the full review

Doe Bay Fest (August 2009) - read the full review

The Maldives CD Release at the Tractor Tavern w/ The Moondoggies and Zoe Muth & The Lost High Rollers (August 2009) - read the full review

Macklemore at Bumbershoot (September 2009) - read the full review

Dirty Three at the Crocodile (September 2009) - read the full review

Fanfarlo at Chop Suey (September 2009) - read the full review

Grizzly Bear at the Moore (October 2009) - read the full review

Black Eyes & Neckties Last Show (October 31, 2009) - eulogy never written

Regina Spektor at the Paramount (November 2009) - read the full review

Taking in the Bay at Doe Bay Music Fest ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

The Hands at their Final Show ::: photo by Abbey

Unbeknownst to me when I was getting tickets to tonight’s Hands show at The Mars Bar, I was buying a ticket to their last. Before the band launched into a short set of their anthemic throwback tunes, those songs that sounded like classics on listen one,  lead guitarist Eli unceremoniously announced “Fitting we’re at The Mars Bar, where we played our first show, and now we’ll play our last.” 

While I’ll post more about the show in the coming days, suffice to say right now, we’re yet again mourning the passing of one of Seattle’s most promising rock bands.

The Hands bluesy tunes about mortality have never seemed more bittersweet or prophetic than when they were sung tonight. The band ended the night and their time together as a band with one last rocking performance of “So Sweet,” and it certainly was while it lasted.

You made me watch all my friends die, die, die…and it was so sweet.

See More: Photos from The Hands final show

The Ironclads ::: Photo by Josh

When you’ve got a lot of friends that come out to your shows, you know you’ve got a good thing going. When you’re friends with every other band on the bill and when you go on, they are singing right along in the front row, you know you’ve got something really special. Such was the case for the Ironclads who were having a CD release party on Friday for their new album The Space Between the Maps, after playing a live KEXP session earlier in the afternoon.

Partners in crime and soon-to-be Ironclads tour-mates What What Now started the night off in an already nearly full room. Lead singer Brittain has a gravel to his voice that never seems to disappear when he’s singing, adding to the tinge of desperation that runs through the lyrics, and occasionally sounding like a weathered punk singer is fronting a 60’s pop band. Displaying a back-to-basics approach What What Now delivered an upbeat and groovy set that was a stellar start to the party. The Quiet Ones, who were up second, turned the lights down low and once again left me thinking about the Cars after their last two songs.

The protagonist’s of the night, the Ironclads, went on third to a packed room abuzz with the collective love that was on display in every corner. The band’s closest friends, a contingent that included members of each of the other bands who were on the bill, held down the front row; locking shoulders, singing along, and freaking out at all the right moments. Favorites of the night were, of course, “Alamogordo” and the fist pumping sing-along “Cape Canaveral”–a song which we’ve featured on the top of the front page for streaming this week in addition to this in this post.

Stream: “Cape Canaveral” by The Ironclads from their new album The Space Between the Maps out now!

We snagged their album at the show and it’s catchy as all-get-out. In addition to the aforementioned songs, “Step to the Sea” has a shiny quality that is undeniable and in “Manclub” the band matches recent heart-throbs MSHVB in transforming adventurous changes into an interesting rock song. The effusive energy of the band and the live show were ably captured in recording by Eli of the Hands and Jason of the Whore Moans, who, sure enough, were two of those front-row friends.

The Whore Hands, AKA the concatenation of the Whore Moans and the Hands into a single super-group of nine, capped off the night with a mini-hits set. When The Whore Hands started with one of my favorite songs ever “X-Ray Eyes,” the crowd was sent into a flurry of movement. In the center of the floor the overzealous drunks decided it was time to mosh, causing a bit of consternation after a turned over keyboard, that eventually led to a citizen ejection. A couple of lucky souls even managed to surf the crowd in the lulls between the bouts of activity in the pit. While likening the grouping to Temple of the Dog even in jest may be too much, the Whore Hands were certainly a fun way to garnish this night of celebration.

The Ironclads will be on a west coast tour with What What Now April 10th through the 19th. Check the myspace page for details. It looks like they’re still trying to find places to play in a few towns, so maybe one of our readers can help them out with that.

The Ironclads ::: Photo by Josh

The Whore Hands ::: Photo by Josh

The Whore Hands ::: Photo by Josh

Crowdsurfing ::: Photo by Josh

Flickr: The Ironclads CD Release Party, April 3, 2009

Normally you’d be finding me on a night like this down at the Croc, taking in the J Tillman band AKA my favorite band. Should you be making that choice, I support you wholeheartedly, if with a little jealousy that I won’t be there and you will. On the other hand, just a little ways across town I’ll will be witnessing something special happening that features bands we consider friends.

Tonight at DIY haven Holy Mountain the Ironclads will be releasing their new album into the wild. Among a few local music heads and friends who’ve heard the album the word is the band has done good. A short glance at the newer songs on the profile supports that notion wholeheartedly. Also special to this night is an appearance by the elusive supergroup the Whore Hands, for what is likely to be a freewheelin’ set of the Hands and the Whore Moans playing on each others songs and maybe dropping a hard rock cover or two.

Filling out the evening’s bill are What What Now who are readying themselves for a bunch of west coast dates with the Ironclads in the coming weeks and the Quiet Ones who’ve just been announced as a band playing KEXP’s Hood to Hood winning neighborhood later this month, Capitol Hill.

You can get a taste of the Ironclads today as they are playing an in-studio at 3pm on KEXP. Listen live at KEXP.org.

The Beats, Man ::: Photos by Abbey

Last Saturday’s Audioasis benefit was a good time, in large part due to the efforts of opening band The Beats, Man, the newly-active laptop-based project of former Pleasureboaters Erik Baldwin and Tim Cady. Energetic, goofy, and engaging are all words I’d use to reference the performance of their funky blend of electronics, hip-hop punk and the occasional slow jam. I can’t find an mp3 of them hanging around anywhere, so you’ll just have to head on over to myspace to listen to “Freedomtown” and “Beats Mand of Horses,” and then choose from the bevy of dates they have listed that are happening in Seattle over the next month. Unless you’ve got something against loosening up and having a little fun that is.

The Beats, Man

The Hands

Sleepy Eyes of Death

Flickr: Sleepy Eyes of Death, The Hands, The Beats, Man at the Sunset Tavern, March 7, 2009

With nearly 200 shows under my belt in 2008, it’s hard to narrow down my favorites to just 15– but after much thought–here they are. I went for singular shows/sets, rather than including entire festivals such as Bumbershoot and Georgetown, which would have easily qualified for best of status. The photos are ordered, with my favorite show of the year on top and so forth. Hope you caught at least a couple of these shows in 2008 too!

Monotonix at The Sunset Tavern–and Ballard Avenue (9/28/08)

Dead Confederate at The Greenhouse (5/23/08)

Ice Age Cobra at The Key Bar in Austin (3/13/08)

The Shackeltons at Bumbershoot (8/31/08)

Slackfest 2008 with The Maldives, The Moondoggies, and lots more (8/24/08)

J. Tillman and David Bazan at Sunday Bloody Sunset (5/18/08)

Portugal The Man (with Wild Orchid Children) at the Do512 Party at SXSW (3/15/08)

Hopscotch Boy’s Final Show (6/8/08)

Sound on the Sound’s Blue Moon Birthday Bash w/Thee Emergency, Thunderbird Motel and Skeletons with Flesh on Them (1/12/08)

Black Eyes & Neckties at King Cobra (4/19/08)

The Trucks Final Seattle Show (10/12/08)

The Hands CD Release w/The Whore Moans at Neumo’s (3/1/08)

Ice Age Cobra’s Final Show (9/12/08)

Noah and The Whale at Chop Suey (9/29/08)

We Wrote The Book On Connectors CD Release Show (11/16/08)

 
Here it is folks, the end all and be all…our Top 25 Northwest Albums of 2008. While numbers 6 through 25 were highly contentious, there was unanimity as to the Top 5 Northwest Albums of 2008 and their order. There’s no doubt in our minds, that no band deserves the accolades more than The Moondoggies. Their album Don’t Be A Stranger is an instant classic in the vein of Music from Big Pink. We expect 2009 to be even bigger than 2008 for The Moondoggies, and we can’t wait to see what comes next from them, as well as the other great bands that made this years list.

1. The Moondoggies - Don’t Be A Stranger |myspace|
2. J. Tillman - Vacilando Territory Blues |myspace|
3. Wild Orchid Children - S/T EP |myspace|
4. The Dutchess and The Duke - She’s The Dutchess, He’s The Duke |myspace|
5. Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground - S/T LP  |myspace|
6. Fleet Foxes - S/T LP |myspace|
7. See Me River - Time Machine |myspace|
8. Whore Moans - Hello From the Radio Wasteland |myspace|
9. Starfucker - S/T LP |myspace|
10. Jake One - White Van Music |myspace|
11. Blind Pilot  - 3 Rounds and a Sound |myspace|
12. Thee Emergency - SOLID |myspace|
12. Sera Cahoone - Only As The Day Is Long |myspace| 
13. Horse Feathers - House with No Home |myspace|
14. The Pica Beats  - Bring Back the Claws |myspace|
15. Throw Me the Statue - Moonbeams |myspace|
16. Das Llamas - Class Wars: K-12 |myspace|
17. The Builders and The Butchers - S/T LP (re-released nationally 7/08) |myspace|
18. Saturday Knights - Mingle |myspace|
19. The New Faces - S/T LP |myspace|
20. Damien Jurado - Caught In Trees |myspace|
21. Bark Hide and Horn - National Road |myspace|
22. Grand Archives - S/T LP |myspace|
23. Hey Marseilles - To Travels & Trunks |myspace|
24. The Hands - S/T LP  |myspace|
25. A Gun That Shoots Knives - Future of Love  |myspace|

Since there were so many incredible local releases this year, it would’ve been negligent to not have a solely local Best Songs of 2008 list. I expanded the idea of ‘local’ to go beyond Seattle and include our musical neighbors to the south, Portland. Hope you enjoy my first Best of list of 2008, more lists coming soon!

1. The Moondoggies - Changin’

2. Wild Orchid Children - Birth of a Cabin

3. The Dutchess and The Duke - Resevoir Park

4. Kay Kay and His Weathered Undergound - Night of The Star Child’s Funk

5. The Whore Moans - Nerve Tonic!

6. J. Tillman - Steel on Steel

7. The Fleet Foxes- Mykonos

8. Sera Cahoone - Only As The Day Is Long

9. See Me River - Don’t Pray For Blood

10. The Hands - Praying Hands Make Fist (Or Be Chopped Off)

11. Blue Scholars - Butter & Guns

12. Bark Hide and Horn - Trumpeter Swan

13. Thee Emergency - Hopped Up For The Git Down 

14. The Builders & The Butchers - Bringin’ Home The Rain

15. A Gun That Shoots Knives - Stay in School

16. Shy In Sunshine - Recognition

17. We Wrote The Book on Connectors - Mimosas

18. Starfucker - Pop Song

19. The New Faces - Impulse

20. Hey Marseilles - Rio

(p.s.) According to my Itunes, my most listened to local track of 2008 is Kay Kay’s: Night of The Star Child’s Funk.

The Whore Moans ::: photo by Abbey

The Whore Moans are pretty much the happiest most-smilingest punk band you’ll ever come across. That goes for their always enthusiastic fans as well. And at King Cobra a couple weeks back Hello from the Radio Wasteland I arrived to one of the most enthusiastic crowds I’ve seen all year.

But as the new record demonstrates, thinking about the Whore Moans as simply a “punk band” would woefully sell them short. While it’s certain their songs are borne of that aesthetic, Hello from the Radio Wasteland is an impressive sophomore album that builds upon the gritty rock perspective of the first. Brimming with the same boundless energy as their live show, the recording brings a sense of polish and dynamic to the guitar and bass sound, something that’s just barely detectable in a chaotic club date that favors visuals and interaction over a sound check.

On this night, the band powered through the album in it’s entirety, and even though sweat-soaked eventually they came back on stage for an encore that included my personal favorite song of last year “X-Ray Eyes.” At one point I looked over to see Don Slack (in a super thug Lil Wayne black t-shirt) happily bearing the brunt of the punishment at the edges of an active bit of real estate right in front of the stage. With three other exceedingly good local openers I genuinely thought to myself, “This is how Saturday’s in Seattle should be.”

Last year I not arbitrarily named the Whore Moans the “Seattle’s Best Rock Band” of 2007, and I’ve got to say, they probably deserve the same honor again this year. I admit, looking back, it was a somewhat ham-handed list overall and one that I probably wouldn’t make again, but I fully stand by my top two. There just aren’t that many bands who can deliver a complete spectacle. And yet the Whore Moans seem to every time.

Wild Orchid Children ::: photo by Josh

The Hands ::: photo by Abbey

Gladiators Eat Fire ::: photo by Josh

Flickr: Whore Moans CD Release at King Cobra November 22, 2008 with Wild Orchid Children, the Hands and Gladiators Eat Fire

King Cobra for the triumphant cd release of The Whore Moans. The Whore Moans should be plenty to get you through the door, but there’s more!! The band will be joined by two of Seattle’s most talented bands, The Hands and The Wild Orchid Children. Three great bands for the price of one…what more could you want?!?

How about some photographic evidence of the insanity and wonder that will await you tonight at King Cobra….

The Whore Moans:

photo by Abbey

photo by Josh

The Hands:

photo by Abbey

photo by Josh

Wild Orchid Children:

photo by Abbey

photo by Abbey

Also, when the Whore Moans and the Hands gets together there is always the possibility of the magic that is: The Whore Hands.

photo by Abbey

Like I said before, there really is nowhere else in Seattle you should rather be than this show.