Directly across the street from The Empyrean’s new location stands a major franchised coffee shop that can very well remain nameless (although, not Starbucks). But, there doesn’t seem to be a gathering of Spokane’s youth decked out in their finest Value Village attire outside of their shop on this fine July night. Is the coffee better here? Or is that strange, mildly majestic indie rock that pours from their doors? I’m really guessing it’s the latter. Although the coffee is quite good as well.

My first Calvin Johnson live experience was in Moscow, Idaho at a little cafe. He stood on this little rickety wooden chair that looked as though it was about to collapse. The room was dark and he towered over everyone. He hit The Business on Saturday at What The Heck Fest and, like that first experience, this one was packed. I could hear him in the background, but the sheer quantity of people packing the small Anacortes record store kept the visuals at a minimum. …

The Gift Machine is Dave Matthies, who has been writing, recording and performing under the moniker, to my knowledge, since at least 1999 when a track or so of his appeared on a now out of print EP adequately titled Stuff Vol. 1. As many projects with roots in Anacortes and Olympia go, this one hasn’t always been just about Matthies. It has featured the honorable Phil Elverum (Microphones, Mount Eerie) and Karl Blau, among numerous others. Matthies is also one of the founders of What The …

Some people grew up with The Beatles or The Beach Boys. Others with Neil Young or the Stones. Some even grew up with AC/DC. In my household it was always James Taylor. My dad was obsessed with the man; no other artist yielded more playing time on the record player (and then later the CD player) than James Taylor. Being a typical kid, I didn’t like it. I had my own style of music. Time passed and early teen became late teen, then …

All photos copyright Sara Montour. Words by Fense.
There’s a personality to The Album Leaf that is unquestionable. Their melodies are sweet, adorned with pleasing and hypnotic, dreamy rhythms. Split between swirling dulcet instrumentals and love-at-first-sight vocal tracks, they truly are a band of which to take note. And they have been for some time.
Most of us are pretty familiar with their more recent work, the albums post signing to Sub Pop: In A Safe Place and Into The Blue Again. Well they’re …

All photos copyright Sara Montour. Words by Fense.
Gosh, was it really as far back as 2007 that Get To The River Before It Runs Too Low was released? That time seems so long ago, and a lifetime of experiences have occurred since then. I recall being taken aback upon first hearing “You’re A Wolf”. It had that special power — those hook filled vocals and powerful guitar riffs were gripping then, and their strength surely hasn’t lessened a drop.
Now, to be honest, I haven’t …

You’re nuts if you pass up a chance to see Microphones perform live. After all, they’re typically billed as Mount Eerie these days. Essentially, they’re the same band and the music they make is, for lack of a better term, eerily similar. For the final performance Department of Safety would ever have, Microphones were the obvious choice of performer to conclude it all.

P:ano‘s Nick Krgovich (No Kids) has been a busy man of late, what with his recent project Gigi with producer Colin Stewart (Black Mountain, Destroyer). Yet he managed to swing by Department of Safety for a brief performance as his older, much earlier moniker P:ano. Solo, Krgovich stood with a white Casio keyboard and mumbled melodically into microphone. It was minimal, quiet, yet beautiful all at once.

You may know Arrington de Dionyso from his other alter ego as the front-man of Old Time Relijun. When I saw the band open for HEALTH at SXSW back in 2007, it was one of those special moments – the kind you never forget. Shows like this, ones with wild stage antics, are the best to photograph and the best to watch. Grabbing a bass clarinet, an instrument whose presence is odd in virtually all forms of music with exception to classical, de Dionyso crafts breathtaking chaos.

Toward the end of his set, Karl Blau announced that there was a questionable stench stemming from his attire, which had been stashed in his shed for an unknown quantity of years. A local Anacortes favorite, Blau’s bizarre folk absolutely warrants the preceding freak – a term that common folk might attach to a musician performing while dressed as a fireman. Though, with LAKE as his backup, it sounded (and looked) almost too natural.