The Lonely H at Reverb Fest 2009 ::: Photo by Abbey Simmons

October seems light-years away even in the waning Seattle “summer” of 2010, but it really is just right around the corner. Ushering in October will be Seattle Weekly’s always excellent Reverb Fest held October 9th all over Ballard. Yet again, Reverb has brought together one of the most solid and diverse local line-ups of any festival. Name your genre and there’s something at Reverb for you, especially if you like up-and-coming local rock. Reverb reads like a who’s-who of some of our favorite new heavy bands of 2010: Hobosexual, Dog Shredder, My Goodness, The Absolute Monarchs, Wild Orchid Children, Vultures 2012 and What What Now, to name a few. For that, I’m sure we can thank Rocket Queen, Hannah Levin. Even if you don’t like your tunes turned up all the way to 11, Reverb Fest is a celebration of all that is local that you don’t want to miss.

The full line-up as it stands today is below, we’ve bolded the bands we’ll make sure we don’t miss.

Nettle Honey / Thee Sgt. Major III / Imperial Legions Of Rome / Combo Craig / M Bison / The Moonspinners / Massey Ferguson / DJ Dev From Above / Idle Times / Watch It Sparkle / The Chevy Chasers / Dawn Clement / Wild Orchid Children / Gregory Paul / Virgin / Lindsay Fuller & The Cheap Dates / Bernie Jacobs Quartet / Throne Of Bone / Roy Kay Combo / The Drunken Masters / Whalebones / Carrie Clark & The Lonesome Lovers / Kinski / Caspar Babypants / Yuni In Taxco / Post Harbor / Ivan & Alyosha / Vultures 2012 / Feral Children / Eighty 4 Fly / Helladope / Hi-Life Sound System / The Not-Its / Lincoln Barr / Ravenna Woods / Shelby Earl / Lisa Dank / Sol / The Absolute Monarchs / Kristen Ward / Goat / Amateur Radio Operator / My Goodness / Low Land High / Thousands / Sparrow-Bot / What What Now / The Young Evils / He Whose Ox Is Gored / The Fucking Eagles / Kimo Muraki / The Jason Parker Quartet / Erin Jorgensen / Low Hums / Smooth Sailing / Hobosexual / Dog Shredder / Victor Shade / Cady Wire / JFK aka Ninjaface / The Sea Navy / EXOHXO

Sallie Ford at Noise for the Needy ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

While we don’t have the total amount earned for Teen Feed just yet, last week’s Noise for the Needy was by all other measures, a huge success. Sound on the Sound was out for all five nights of the festival and every venue we dropped in at was buzzing with happy donors and volunteers and of course, with great bands on stage.

There will be more detailed reviews coming for a couple of the Noise for the Needy shows we attended, but we wanted to share a few of our favorite photos from the festivities now.

Lastly, if you haven’t seen Virgin Islands yet you should remedy that ASAP. The local punk outfit was my favorite discovery of the fest and I’m ashamed I haven’t been in the front row for every single one of their shows. I’ll be remedying that from here on out. There’s been a distinct lack of brazen rock’n'roll in my life lately and Virgin Islands delivered in furious fashion. You can catch the band at The Sunset next weekend on June 26th as part of the Sunset 10 Year Anniversary Celebration.

Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside at Noise for the Needy ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

Goldfinch at Noise for the Needy ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

Friday Mile at Noise for the Needy ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

Magic Mirrors at Noise for the Needy ::: photo by Abbey Simmons

Hallways at Noise for the Needy::: photo by Josh Lovseth

Virgin Islands at Noise for the Needy::: photo by Abbey Simmons

Karl Blau at Noise for the Needy::: photo by Josh Lovseth

Flickr: Check out all our photos from Noise for the Needy

Whalebones ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

Noise for the Needy Friday 6/11 at the Underground Events Center in Belltown

$10 | 7PM | 21+
The Maldives
Whalebones
Virgin Islands
Hypatia Lake
Hallways
The Magic Mirrors
Soul Senate
DJ El Toro

Take a long, hard look at that lineup. Take a deep breath if you have to. Even though this has the appearance of a grocery list there is still a lot going on. Where do I even begin? What band do I talk about first?

Do I start with the Maldives? A band that most of Seattle is familiar with? A band that is so tight live they can make an appearance at the Blue Moon sound like they are playing in-studio on the BBC? No, that’s way too obvious. How about the band whose name actually describes their sound? I am talking about Soul Senate, the incumbents of refinement. The makers of collective noises that make your soul feel good? Those unfamiliar with the tardiness of a Seattle summer might need some Soul Senate in order to make that wait until July 4th an easier one.

Hallways, Whalebones and Hypatia Lake are all birds of different feathers. Hallways are a band that uses a stripped down approach to songwriting but not instrumentation. Their apparitional vibe can be quite beautiful and haunting at times, particularly on the track “Manson Motel.” If you ever needed the perfect soundtrack to feel forsaken and lost in the desert, you might want to sync the aforementioned song to your i-pod just in case. If labeling bands and putting them into subgenres is your thing, and I know it is, you could find Hypatia Lake filed under “psychedelic storytelling.” Does anyone know how many songs have been written about Luke Skywalker when he was about knee high and doing chores? I don’t either but Hypatia Lake has one and it’s pretty awesome.  Whalebones kind of remind me of my freshmen year of college in the dorms. There was this kid who lived next door to me who didn’t like doing the normal kind of “recreational activities” that one might take part in during their first year of college. You know, drinking too much cheap beer, taking uppers in hopes of staying up all night studying for a test and antagonizing your R.A. No, this guy would drink a bunch of Robotussin and have techno dance parties alone in his room. If he were lucky, maybe a girl would somehow get lost and end up ensnared faux DXM Studio 54 get-down. Needless to say, I don’t think that happened more than one time. If my freshman year neighbor would’ve been more introspective and had a little more substance about him, he would’ve robotripped and listened to Whalebones. I know Whalebones didn’t exist back then but I wish they did. I think they could’ve helped my neighbor make sense of his life at a time when he certainly needed it.

Virgin Islands and Magic Mirrors are the two most “rocking” bands on the bill. The former being more brash and likely to antagonize while the latter wants to whisper something in your ear and buy you a drink. I’ve never seen Virgin Islands live but I’ve heard good things. Magic Mirrors put on good show. I look forward to seeing them later on tonight.

I think one of them more interesting aspects of this lineup is the venue where the event is taking place. The Underground Events Center doesn’t do shows often but I wish they did. It’s a very cool basement-like space. I’m curious to see how some of the more mellow acts fare when they are confined by walls that lust for noise.  The show starts at 7pm so getting ready to put your party hats on early. If you want more information, go to www.noisefortheneedy.org. Listed below are the other Noise for the Needy concerts that are taking place elsewhere. Do note the awesomeness of the Vera Project tonight!

The Vera Project
$10/ADV | 7:30PM | All Ages
The Portland Cello Project
Grand Hallway
Drew Grow & The Pastors’ Wives
Angelo Spencer et Les Hauts Sommets
Tomten

Neumos
$12/ADV | 21+ | 8PM
Delta Spirit
Ezra Furman and the Harpoons
The Romany Rye

Only one thing could make a line-up composed almost solely of our favorite local bands even better … if they were in it for a good cause.

And Friday night’s epic local line-up at the Underground Events Center in Belltown for Noise for the Needy is just that. Sharing the stage to benefit Teen Feed will be: The Maldives, Whalebones, Virgin Islands, The Magic Mirrors, Hallways  and more.

If you’re not familiar with these bands or Noise for the Needy, this is a perfect show to acquainted with all of them. There’s a reason that Noise for the Needy is one of our favorite events year-after-year: for four or five nights some of the best bands in the country and the city come together for once-in-a-year-bills for charity. This year the fest out did themselves with headliners and the real conundrum is which show you’ll be going out nearly every night this week to help out Teen Feed.

Courtesy of Noise for the Needy we’ve got 5 pairs of tickets to give away to Friday’s epic show for a good cause. Drop your name in the comments by Thursday at Noon and we’ll choose the first commenter and 4 winners at random to have their name on the list plus one. (Use your real email so we can notify winners … and of course, we’ll keep it hidden like a secret from everyone else.) But, since this is a show for charity, you have to promise us to drop a dollar or two in the donation bucket … or to make it out as a paying guest for another show.

Whalebones ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

It’s probably an understatement to say I’m “happy” Whalebones is back in action. Their potential appeared hobbled following a disastrous Sasquatch appearance and an unfortunate tendency for it’s members to move away from Seattle. After seemingly going dark in 2008, some new tracks appeared on myspace in 2009, but no live shows ever cropped up. I held out hope though. New tracks meant activity was still happening. Then, in the last few weeks a few new dates appeared on the docket.

The first one was this last Wednesday at the Comet Tavern, in which we were introduced to Justin Deary’s new drummer (Faustine Hudson of The Curious Mystery) and new bassist. Deary has himself adopted a more mysterious bearded and long-haired visage, one hundred and eighty degrees from his previous top-hatted clean-shaven look. With just three members now and no keyboards the band has morphed into a straight roadhouse blues rock band, leaving the psych elements behind for a more “cookin’” version of themselves. I cant’ recall ever seeing the Comet dance like they were toward that end of the Whalebones set. The Comet! And on a Wednesday night! Needless to say, I wasn’t the only one happy to see Deary back in the saddle.

The next Whalebones date is June 11th at the Underground Events Center for Noise for the Needy. Also on that night’s bill are The Maldives, Virgin Islands, Hypatia Lake, Hallways, The Magic Mirrors, Soul Senate, and DJ El Toro. This is going to be a evening.

Whalebones ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

The Low Hums ::: Photo by Josh Lovseth

Magic Mountains ::: photo by Josh Lovseth

Sometimes, it feels like a week of local line-ups were made just for me, but  few have ever felt more so than this coming week of wall-to-wall wonderful local line-ups.  There are always great shows happening in Seattle, but this week is extraordinary.

Here’s what I recommend you check out and the shows you’ll most certainly be seeing us in the front row for.

Wednesday May 19th

Whalebones, (( Low Hums )) , Hard Drugs - The Comet
Blunt Mechanic, SHiPs, Nature’s Bandit (who you know by another name) - The Crocodile

Thursday May 20th

The Moondoggies, Grand Hallway, Magic Mountains - Neumo’s
Grand Archives, See Me River, S  - The Tractor
What What Now, The Magic Mirrors - Blue Moon
Green Apple Quick Step - The Crocodile

Friday May 21st

BARE: An A capallea Evening with The Moondoggies, Maldives, Grand Hallway Goldfinch & More - Fremont Abbey
KEXP’s Hood-to-Hood with Damien Jurado, The Lights, Erik Blood - All Over West Seattle, All-day
Hey Marseilles, Ravenna Woods - Vera Project
Drew Grow & the Pastors’ Wives - The Loft at Urban Grace (Tacoma)
Head Like a Kite, Thee Emergency - Neumo’s

Saturday May 22nd

Hey Marseilles, The Head and The Heart - The Tractor
Curtains For You, The Hoarde and The Harem - The Crocodile
School of Rock Presents: Pink Floyd/Syd Barrett - Vera Project

A great line-up for a great cause. In our opinion, you couldn’t ask for more.

Each year you can count on Noise for the Needy delivering on both counts, in a festival that never lacks in talent or spirit. This year, with national acts like The Album Leaf, John Vanderslice and Horse Feathers as well as a bevy full of great local bands (seriously, if you like them, they are probably playing this festival)  it is shaping up to be the biggest and best Noise for the Needy festival yet. Just look at this schedule:

THURSDAY JUNE 10

Tractor Tavern
$10/ADV | 8PM | 21+
Horse Feathers
Tiny Vipers
Friday Mile
Goldfinch

Sunset Tavern
$8 | 9PM | 21+
Animals at Night
Daniel G. Harmann & the Trouble Starts
Erik Blood
Mal de Mer

Conor Byrne Pub
$7 | 8PM | 21+
Pillow Army
Shelby Earl
Jeremy Burk
Facts About Funerals

Two Bit Saloon
$7 | 8pm | 21+
Neon Nights
Grenades
The Shining Ones
The Keeper

FRIDAY JUNE 11

Underground Events Center - Belltown
$10 | 7PM | 21+
The Maldives
Whalebones
Virgin Islands
Hypatia Lake
Hallways
The Magic Mirrors
Soul Senate
DJ El Toro

The Vera Project
$10/ADV | 7:30PM | All Ages
The Portland Cello Project
Grand Hallway
Drew Grow & The Pastors’ Wives
Angelo Spencer et Les Hauts Sommets
Tomten

Neumos
$12/ADV | 21+ | 8PM
Delta Spirit
Ezra Furman and the Harpoons
The Romany Rye

Check the next two days of Noise for the Needy schedule, after the jump.
Read the rest of this entry »

Dave Bazan performs “Bad Diary Days” - 1/08/10 in a Seattle Living Room

These are the songs, bands, and sounds that I’ve started off my 2010 with. Lots of new bands I’d never listened to before 2010, many who I think we’ll be sharing much of the year with. Take a listen and maybe, just maybe, you’ll  find your first favorite new band, album or song of the new year! Thanks for starting 2010 with Sound on the Sound, we’re looking forward to sharing another great year of local music with you.

Sharon Van Etten - Because I Was In Love and “Love More“
Drew Grow & the Pastors’ Wives - “Colder by the Minute” and “Friendly Fires”
Kelli Schaefer - “Gone In Love”
The Ironclads - “Emily” (download here)
Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers - s/t debut
Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside - Myspace Demos and any YouTube I can find
Moon Duo - “Stumbling 22nd St.” (from Noah’s Daily Choice)
Whalebones - every new song on myspace and their Morning Man EP from 2007
Vic Chesnutt - “I Flirted With You All My Life”
Ravenna Woods - Demons and Lakes
Salmon Thrasher - Myspace Demos
Emperor X - The Blythe Archives
Pedro The Lion - “Bad Diary Days” (see a Sound on the Sound video above from 1/08/10)
Goldfinch - s/t
Phantogram - Eyelid Movies (out on Barsuk February 9th)
Fences - “Sadie-” from GIVE Seattle
The Moondoggies - “Side of the Road” from GIVE Seattle
Beach House - Teen Dream
The Maldives - “Go Back to Virginia” (new Maldives tune)

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.