Tonight’s Monday night bill at Tractor is unmissable for local alt-country fans, and maybe country fans too. Justin Townes Earle (yes, son of Steve) is just leaning into the beginning of a nationwide tour in support of his new record Midnight at the Movies, and with emerging Chicagoan Joe Pug in support, tonight should be glorious for fans of classic country. That being said, nothing about these two gentlemen’s music sounds aged.

Though his father’s musical legacy is inescapable, Justin Townes Earle is most certainly making his own name on the strength of his modern cowboy outlook and his uncanny synthesis of modern and traditional country music. I’m not ashamed to admit that I have an unconditional love for Bob Wills and his kin, and Midnight at the Movies has me thinking back to that music, music I haven’t turned on in probably a decade, and yet still immensely appreciate. Along side that are cuts like “Halfway to Jackson” and title cut “Midnight at the Movies”, showing his mastery of both traditional blues and modern country pop at the same time.

MP3: “What I Mean to You” by Justin Townes Earle from Midnight at the Movies courtesy of Bloodshot Records

Almost in contradiction of his representation of the freedom of being unencumbered cowboy, Justin Townes Earle was recently named one of GQ’s most fashionable men of 2010, among names like Jay-Z, Robert Pattinson, David Beckham, and Seattle Mariner Ichiro Suzuki. Even a free-wheeling guy who can’t be caged has gotta look good right?

Joe PUG (@joepug) is also supporting a new record, titled Messengerwhich comes out tomorrow. He’s more of a singer-songwriter with folk leanings, but an accomplished songwriter, and one who doesn’t need to rely on anything but his own ability. His songs aren’t diddies, they’re developed idea’s, and his writing and singing style frequently reminds me of veteran songwriter John Hiatt.

In anticipation of his new record, Joe Pug is offering a free track for download called “The Sharpest Crown” from Messenger and also streaming two other tracks, which you can listen to below.

If you like what you hear, you can also download Joe Pug’s free In the Meantime EP, and then stop by one of the rest of the Justin Townes Earle U.S. tour dates, which you can find below the fold.
Read the rest of this entry »

Whalebones circa 2007 ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

Back from the brink of what seemed like certain extinction is one of Sound on the Sound’s first favorite local discoveries: Whalebones. The band, who we attributed way back in 2007 with writing “the most perfect CSNY song not penned by Neil Young”  has reemerged with three new songs, a new line-up, and their first tour date since Sasquatch 2008.

Check the bands’ Myspace for three new tunes.

And mark your calendar for January 31st — where the band is playing a Haiti benefit show at the Tractor Tavern.

I’ll be there in the front row doing nothing to hide my overwhelming glee for the return of Whalebones.

Since I’ve received a number of notices of the local music community coming together to have benefit shows where the proceeds are going to the humanitarian effort in Haiti, I thought I’d put together a super post of posters and dates of the various events going on. I love that the local music community isn’t shy about holding benefits for it’s members and causes of substance, and considering the number of shows coming together for the cause of Haiti, this disaster seems to have really brought out Seattle’s inner compassion like I haven’t yet seen. One show is happening at Neumos tonight. The Tractor Tavern show happening the 31st features the elusive Whalebones on the bill. All the shows are bills worthy of your time.

January 28th at the Moore Theater
Seattle Helping Haiti Benefit Concert & Auction with
Sweet Water, Vince Mira, Mike Herrera of MxPx and Tumbledown, The Maldives, The Classic Crime and The Memphis Radio Kings.
See more information and get tickets for $15 via STG Presents.
“All proceeds will go to the American Red Cross’ relief efforts in Haiti. “

Wednesday, January 20, 2010
NEUMOS PRESENTS:

Kore Ionz
Bakra Bata’
Big World Breaks featuring Gabriel Teodros, Yirim Seck (of Black Aries) and B-Flat (of GodSpeed and Hi-Life Sound System)
Tudo Beleza
DJ Tomas

$12 ADV : Doors at 8PM : 21+
ALL TICKET PROCEEDS DONATED TO HEARTS WITH HAITI AND ART MATENWA

January 21st
Navigator vs. Navigator - laters
Panther Attack /\
Eighteen Individual Eyes \/
Wah Wah Exit Wound - earliers

Starts promptly at show o’clock……..Comet Tavern - 922 E. Pike St.
“100% of merch and our door earnings from this show go to UNICEF (http://www.unicefusa.org/) to help the children of Haiti.”

1/28 - Hattie’s Hoot for Haiti
Performances by Kevin Murphy (The Moondoggies), Zoe Muth, and More
Cover: $10 - %100 of proceeds go to the American red Cross

1/31 - Luvin’ Haiti @ the Tractor Tavern
THE TRIPWIRES
THE CUTE LEPERS
WHALEBONES
EUGENE WENDELL & THE DEMON RIND
Cover: $10 suggested donation ~ 100% of proceeds go to Haiti Relief and Development
Time: 8pm

Feb. 4 at Neumos
Common Market, The Physics, Sol, and Dyno Jamz, and hosted by Khingz.
$10 Adv.
ALL MONEY FROM THE DOOR IS GOING DIRECTLY TO DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS.

Black Whales at Bumbershoot 2009 ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

As you can tell we’ve been easing slowly into the new year with regard to blog content, but that should be resolved shortly. We’ve been putting the finishing touches on our last list of 2009, the top Northwest Releases of 2009. Though you’ll see the list soon enough, one band that we should mention that definitely did make our top 25 of the year was Black Whales (@blackwhales) and their Origins EP.

Here’s what I wrote to sum up the record in a paragraph:

19. Origins by Black Whales on Mt. Fuji Records
On the eve of the release of the Black Whales Origins EP I wrote, “The seven songs on the Origins EP keenly reflect [a] philosophy of trying to have fun and creating something new…” This long EP is a soundtrack for leaving the past behind, hitting the open road and making the most of life’s exploration. Creating sunny beach pop that isn’t content to be superficial or afraid to face the ugly facts, the gentlemen of the Black Whales look to the horizon toward which we all endlessly tread and see unbounded possibility. Provided you’re you’re not only willing, but expect to “Roll With the Punches” that is.

This Friday January 8th they’ll be at the Tractor Tavern in Ballard, along with Grand Hallway (@grandhallway), another band who was in contention for our top 25, and Amateur Radio Operator. Black Whales have the headliner spot, and courtesy of them, we’re giving away three pairs of tickets for the show. Drop your name and email (which remains hidden to the public) in the comments and we’ll choose three winners to have their name “plus one” on the guestlist. I’m declaring right now that the first commenter is an automatic winner by virtue of eagerness. Well pick two other winners randomly on Thursday, January 7th at noon PST.

To ensure your place, tickets are $8 at TicketWeb.

Goldfinch specializes in the neglected art of the duet. Their sound straddles the sad sides of twang and folk, where the lyrics and the warm marriage of Grace Sullivan and Aaron Stevens’ vocals are laid bare by simple instrumentation. There is nothing flashy about Goldfinch’s style or sound, but it is deeply satisfying. After seeing Goldfinch for the first time this summer at the Doe Bay Music Festival, I repeatedly found myself humming their song “Go Easy On Me.”  These are songs that stick with you.

You can start humming it yourself, “Go Easy On Me” is our featured song of the week.

It’s a safe bet that there’s no better venue in town to see Goldfinch than the Tractor Tavern. The Tractor not only has one of the best sounding rooms in town, it’s also little bit country, much like the band. Courtesy of the band we’re giving away a pair of tickets to see Goldfinch on November 28th at the Tractor Tavern. Drop your name in the comments and we’ll choose a winner to have their name “plus one” on the guest list.   Winners will be randomly chosen Friday the 27th at 12pm and notified by email.

The Dutchess & The Duke ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

The night before Thanksgiving is a gift from the mid-week late-night-out-with-no-consequences Gods. Sure, it’s a Wednesday night, but you won’t need to get up in the morning, because it’s a national holiday devoted to stuffing yourself with comfort food. It is truly a blessing.

This year, the blessing is two fold, as local folk troubadors The Dutchess and The Duke are playing a hometown gig at The Tractor Tavern in the midst of a months long national tour. The dustiness of the Dutchess and The Duke’s delicate retro-folk songs should be a perfect match to the worn wood floors and warmth of the Tractor Tavern.

mp3: The Dutchess & The Duke - “Hands” from their album Sunrise/Sunset - Courtesy of Hardly Art Records

Courtesy of our friends at Hardly Art Records we’re giving away a pair of tickets to see The Dutchess and The Duke on November 25th at the Tractor Tavern. Drop your name in the comments and we’ll choose a winner to have their name “plus one” on the guest list. Winners will be randomly chosen Monday the 23rd at 12pm and notified by email.

Whigs ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Being a legit indie rocker involves carefully managing one’s fragility factor. You’ve got to be a real person and you’ve also got to be sensitive. But you’ve got to be above it all enough to write accessible songs about your experience and then sing them night in and night out (in front of you hope thousands of people). Though I’ve seen both bands carelessly lumped in that meaningless catch-all category that is “indie”, beyond the occasional lyric, nothing about the performance of Saturday night’s bill was fragile. In my book was all rock.

As I arrived it was hard to tell whether opener the Features were the larger draw. They’ve been at it for a few years and from the get go put the nose to the grindstone and never let up, and the crowd rewarded them with dance and appreciation. “Wooden Heart,” “Temporary Blues,” and “Lions,” all from their latest album Some Kind of Salvation, are all classic fist pumping sing-along anthems best participated in after a knuckle of the house’s best bourbon for which those in the front happily obliged. Many of other songs possess a speed and attitude more indicative of modern English rock edge, albiet theirs is peppered with a Mid-South drawl. I’ve only been ephemerally interested in them up until this point, but this strong performance won them at least one new fan outright: me.

Though I’ve seen the Whigs a number of times in the past two years, this Athens’ three piece impressed me yet again with an adrenaline driven set piped through the largest cabs their touring van will likely accommodate. It’s hard to ignore that just about everything about this band’s sound seems bigger than average, a characteristic that has likely served them well over the past year in their frequent festival slots and arena warm-up positions for the likes of the Kings of Leon. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the walls of the modest club literally throbbed with concussion from each impact of drummer Julian Dorio’s hits.

Though confined mostly to the front corner of the Tractor stage, guitarist and singer Parker Gispert made full use of the lane he did have, adding his body into the equation to emphasize his musical points. Spreading his legs wide as he plants himself and then lunges, he wields his guitar as if it were bayonet equipped and he were in the midst of the most heated rock duel Ballard may have ever seen. His nemesis, mass indifference and calling it an early night, never had a chance, and bowed out of the fight early on, leaving Gispert a fair amount of time to revel and bask in the glow of that victory.

No doubt about it, both these bands deliver rock performances of the flashiest and most enthralling kind. Just rock.

The Features ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

The Features ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Whigs ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Whigs ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Whigs ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Whigs ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Flickr: The Whigs, The Features at the Tractor Tavern, November 14, 2009

Had to share this killer poster courtesy of The Tractor Tavern for their three night extravaganza with The Maldives. The shows start tonight, and I recommend if you want to catch Ballard’s favorite beards in their natural habitat and with a few of Seattle’s best bands, that you buy your ticket now.

If you wanted tickets to tomorrow night’s show with The Moondoggies and Zoe Muth, you’re out of luck unfortunately. Friday night’s show  has already sold out and tickets are going fast for tonight’s show. All three nights will sell out, so purchase your tickets now, because this is an event you’re not going to want to miss.

Hope to have a whiskey or two with a few of you at The Tractor this weekend!

The Maldives at Cafe Vita ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Nestled in the bottom of the Tractor Tavern’s latest calendar update is the news we’ve been waiting for: the complete lineup announcement for their 15th Anniversary shows at the end of August. As we already knew anchoring all three night’s are recent Mt. Fuji Records’ signing the Maldives, who are releasing a teaser EP in July titled Tequlia/Someday, prior to the release of the first full length Listen to the Thunder, out September 15th. As expected the rest of the lineup filled out nicely:

The Tractor Tavern 15th Anniversary Shows, also celebrating the release of Mt. Fuji Recording Artists The Maldives LP Listen to Thunder

Thursday August 27th [tickets]
The Maldives
North Twin
17th Chapter

Friday August 28th [tickets]
The Maldives
The Moondoggies
Zoe Muth & The Lost High Rollers

Saturday August 29th [tickets]
The Maldives
SHIM
Thee Emergency
Pickwick

All shows are 21+, $10, and start at 9pm.

The Tequlia/Someday EP arrives July 14th in your local record store, and features a perfect single for summer days like we’re having right now, “Tequila Sunday.”

I had the distinct pleasure of attending my first full Elvis Perkins in Dearland concert and taking one of my favorite photos of all time. (thanks josh for making me take it!) I’ve seen Elvis four times since, but none came close to the cathartic experience of my first show. Did I cry right there in the middle of his performance at the Tractor? You better believe it. Something so soft spoken has never been so powerful. Nor have I ever seen a performer lay himself so bare or present themselves so genuinely.

That evening I was introduced to one of my favorite Elvis songs, Shampoo, which he’s yet to release. I like that Elvis seems to specialize in non-romantic love songs, and I consider Shampoo a wonderful example of one. Take a listen for yourself:

Elvis Perkins in Dearland - “Shampoo” Shampoo - Elvis Perkins in Dearland