Kevin Murphy ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

When it comes to local records I am most excited be released in 2010, there’s no competition: The Moondoggies’ Tidelands, due out October 23 on Hardly Art.

Last Saturday, we got a sneak peek of some of the songs when Moondoggies front-man Kevin Murphy played a solo set at The Blue Moon. It was a quiet night at The Moon, reminiscent of the first Moondoggies shows we saw there years ago, when the band was testing out the songs that would become Don’t Be a Stranger and before the delights of their drawl were widely discovered and lauded. Kevin’s set included old Moondoggies favorites like “Undertaker,” a solid rambling cover of Tom Waits’ “Pancho’s Lament” and a number of new songs from the forthcoming Tidelands and the just released You’ll Find No Answers Here EP.

My favorite song of the night was “A Lot of People on My Mind,” the final track on Tidelands and the last song Kevin played. Its a mournful love song, that shows Murphy maturing as a song writer and singer. I can’t wait to hear what the song sounds like with Caleb Quick on Rhodes and a full Moondoggies backing, but even in its skeletal solo form it is achingly beautiful and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the band’s best. Take a listen and a look for yourself:

See All of The Moondoggies Postcards from the Road:

Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4

After an incident-less tour, tragedy strikes in Kansas.

In our last dispatch from The Moondoggies cross-country tour, they were about to hit Bonnaroo. Today’s postcard finds Bonnaroo a fresh, awesome memory and the band bound for our nation’s capitol. But we’ll let them tell you about it.

Last time we heard from The Moondoggies, they were headed for Fargo. Today’s tacky pink Elvis postcard finds The Moondoggies Bonnaroo bound.

Click postcards to enlarge.

Greetings, just passed Nashville en route to Atlanta then it’s Bonnaroo. It’s HUMID.
Playing Phil Henri flashbacks in the van.
A lot of good people. Don’t miss Seattle yet. Beautiful drive.
Love, The Moonfroggies

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

In between playing shows with Blitzen Trapper and sending us postcards from the road, The Moondoggies sat down with internet radio site Pandora at the Bonnaroo music festival and ended up talking mostly about the Blue Moon of all things. We love hearing our favorite dive get name checked to start off an interview almost as much as we love the fact that Kevin is still wearing his flannel despite what is sure to be sweltering Southern heat and humidity. See for yourself:

Before Twitter, blogs and email, there were postcards. Short and sweet notes sent to friends and family to regale them with stories and adventures from the road. Leave it to us to combine the modern and nostalgic for “Postcards from the Road.” When our favorite local bands hit the highway, we give them a book of stamps and a few bucks for postcards and ask them to send us notes from the road.

When we heard that The Moondoggies were driving cross country to support Blitzen Trapper on tour, with a stop off at Bonnaroo, we crossed our fingers that our favorite flannel-wearers would be our newest pen-pals. The first postcard just arrived and it finds The Moondoggies using the postcard for a canvas more then a card. Our mailbox is eagerly awaiting the next.

Click on postcards to enlarge

Check Out Other “Postcards from the Road”:

The Maldives
Kasey Anderson |part one| |part two|

Bumbershoot ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

We’ve just returned from the first big Northwest summer music festival to arrive home to the line-up of Bumbershoot, the fest that marks the end of summer and the festival season. It’s Bumbershoot’s 40th Anniversary and they’re pulling out all the stops, booking big name headliners like Bob Dylan, Mary J. Blige, Neko Case and the return of Hole.

As exciting as Bob Dylan is, his shows are hit and miss. (I saw him about 10 years ago and couldn’t decipher “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue” until the third chorus) But the best thing about Bumbershoot is you could avoid the Mainstage all weekend and still see tons of great bands. I know, because that’s what I’ve done the past few festivals. Off the big stage there’s still plenty of talent to get excited about including: Justin Townes Earle, Dave Bazan, The Thermals, Japandroids, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Atlas Sound and many more.

As usual, the festival has done a great job booking local bands as well. You can see a few Sound on the Sound favorites at the fest including: The Moondoggies, The Maldives, Hey Marseilles, People Eating People,  Zoe Muth and Her Lost High Rollers and Fresh Espresso.

Here’s the full line-up so far:

Headlining: Bob Dylan / Mary J. Blige / Weezer / Hole / Rise Against / Neko Case / The Decemberists / J. Cole

Also Playing (we’ve bolded the bands we’re most excited for):

LMFAO / Billy Bragg / Ozomatli / Angelique Kidjo / Solomon Burke / The Dandy Warhols / Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros / Jenny and Johnny (featuring Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice) / Jamie Lidell / The Raveonettes / Balkan Beat Box / Motion City Soundtrack / The Thermals / Ra Ra Riot / The English Beat / Justin Townes Earle / Booker T. / Surfer Blood / The Bouncing Souls / Japandroids / Bob Schneider / Anvil / Bomba Estereo / Jay Electronica / Aterciopelados / Baroness / James Cotton “Superharp” Blues Band / David Bazan / Meat Puppets / Crash Kings / This Providence / Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express / The Moondoggies / The Whigs / Greg Laswell / Civil Twilight / Trampled By Turtles / The Clientele / Atlas Sound / Laura Veirs & The Hall of Flames / The Budos Band / Bobby Bare Jr. / Horse Feathers / Vienna Teng Trio / HEALTH / Plants and Animals / Georgia Anne Muldrow & Declaime / Wheedle’s Groove / Hey Marseilles / Kings Go Forth / Sweet Water / Delorean / JEFF the Brotherhood / Chris Pureka / Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra / Garotas Suecas / The Maldives / The Constellations / Coryell, Auger, Sample Trio / Grynch / Visqueen / Victor Shade / Star Anna & The Laughing Dogs / Fresh Espresso / Pete Molinari / Sista Monica’s “Singin in the Spirit” / Lay Low / Unnatural Helpers / Idiot Pilot / The Round / Wild Orchid Children / The Cute Lepers / Feral Children / Fences / Caspar Babypants / The Tripwires / Fatal Lucciauno / Loch Lomond / The Physics / THEESatisfaction / School of Rock All Stars / See Me River / Zoe Muth and The Lost High Rollers / People Eating People / Eldridge Gravy & The Court Supreme / Brent Amaker & The Rodeo / Born Anchors / Slender Means / BOAT / McTuff Trio / Parlour Steps / The Redwood Plan / Helladope / Lisa Dank / Greta Matassa Quartet / The Lonely H / Matt Jorgensen Quintet / Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin’ Daddies! / Great Waves / Brian Vogan / Johnny Bregar with more to come, including comedy, performing arts, film, literary and visual arts!

You can check out the line-up by day HERE.

Kevin Barrans & Family perform “Sessions”

In a night full of once in a lifetime performances, few were more memorable or heartfelt than Kevin Barrans (of The Maldives) and Caleb Quick (of The Moondoggies) singing with their families.

Kevin, joined by his wife and family members performed two Sacred Harp songs from the 1700 and 1800s.  We never knew that as Kevin sat picking deftly at the banjo with The Maldives, we were missing out on a booming and beautiful voice.  We’ll never forget now.  In a night of songs that were adapted to a cappela for one performance only, hearing a song like “Sessions,” which had been performed that way for hundreds of years in churches just like the Fremont Abbey, was profound.

Caleb was joined by his sister and father for three songs and from note one it was obvious that musicality runs in the Quick family. The performance was so intimate that it felt as if the entire audience had suddenly been transported into the Quick family living room. And as far away as family-sung hymnals sound from the Moondoggies’ dive bar beginnings, it was easy to hear the influence that they have had on the warm harmonies that characterize the band’s sound.  Hear for yourself:

Caleb Quick & Family perform “Farther Along”

Kevin Barrans at BARE ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Friday’s all a cappella event at the Fremont Abbey, aptly titled BARE, was a night to remember. Organized by the Maldives’ multi-instrumentalist Kevin Barrans, BARE invited some of Seattle’s best bands to shed their instruments and just use their voices. The rules were simple: you could play any song of your choosing so long as your only instrument was the sounds you could make with your body.

Each performer brought a new spin to the concept, and Shenendoah Davis of Grand Hallway started off the evening with a Greek folk song that put her opera training to wonderful use. The Maldives debuted two new songs, Tomo Nakayama belted out Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come,” and the evening’s organizer performed a song in Gaelic as well as two Sacred Harp songs from the 1700 and 1800s’. It  truly was a night of seeing your favorite local bands in a way you’d never seen them before. And not just because of the a cappella, but for the rampant nervousness that they all seemed to be suffering from. Without their instruments and backing bands, many of Seattle’s most seasoned performers were so nervous they forgot to tell the crowd who their names. Happily, those nerves were unfounded, because not only did we get to see some of our favorite performers in a new light and new way, it was genuinely one of the most beautiful nights of pure music we’ve ever experienced.

Among the night’s many treats there were a few performances that really stood out, and we’ll be featuring videos of them nearly every day this week. First off, we wanted to share Goldfinch’s goosebump-raising rendition of “Your Long Journey” which includes an all-church sing along, and sweet harmonizing from The Moondoggies on “Your Old Hound.”

“Your Long Journey” - Goldfinch (+ Crowd)

“Your Old Hound” - The Moondoggies