Live reviews and recaps from around the globe, but typically focused around artists visiting the Pacific Northwest. These posts occasionally include original concert photography.
The smell of wet wool was pervasive as drenched Seattleites escaped the rain Friday night to attend the Grizzly Bear show at the Moore Theatre. The weathered venue, coupled with a spectacular light display of Mason jars hanging from telephone pole-like structures provided an intimate listening environment. Read More »Grizzly Bear: Live at the Moore Theatre [2009.10.16]
First things first: HEALTH is fucking crazy!!! This band can blow your mind, you load and whatever the fuck else it wants to because they are just that insane. These guys contorted their bodies in never before seen positions while thumping microphones into amps for loud bursts, while moaning ecstatically into other microphones, and while keeping both eyes on the drummer to ensure they didn’t miss a cue. Read More »HEALTH: Live At SXSW [Flamingo Cantina, 2008]
Cassie was insistent I catch Velella Velella. Seriously, she said. I think you’ll really dig them. We were hanging out front of King Cobra, a key Capitol Hill Block Party stage a few doors from Comet Tavern. I’m sold, I thought. Sounds good to me. Read More »Velella Velella: Live at Capitol Hill Block Party [2008.07.26]
It’s hard to believe that my first live show of 2009 didn’t happen until mid-April. Then again, with the extent of travel over the past six or so months, maybe it isn’t. Add to that the fact that I’m getting older, and that it’s getting harder and harder for me to stay up late. Still, it was fitting that the first show took place at The Crocodile, recently remodeled and reopened with new decor and fancy marble-sinked bathrooms. Read More »Richard Swift: Live At The Crocodile [2009.04.18]
In seeing The Shackeltons (MySpace) perform live, you are GUARANTEED one thing. (In that statement, GUARANTEED must be italicized and in all caps. That’s how sure one can be in making such a statement.) In seeing The Shackeltons perform, you will, no matter what the circumstance, be treated to one of the all-time greatest performances you will ever see. Period. Read More »The Shackeltons: Bumbershoot [Live, 08.31.2008]
As Thao Nguyen (MySpace) took the Rockstar Stage at Bumbershoot, I had déjà vu. You see, one year ago, I attended Bumbershoot and witnessed St. Vincent play solo in this very spot. As I lined her up in my camera sights, I flashed back to the present. Thao’s music is quite different from that of St. Vincent, yet both dabble lightly in folk-pop. Read More »Thao Nguyen: Bumbershoot [Live, 08.30.2008]
As a Seattle venue, I respect Chop Suey. Their shows begin at decent hours—something aging individuals like myself appreciate. The bill for this rainy August evening included three artists, opening with Stencil, a band I was unfamiliar with. (The other two artists included my good Austin friends The Lovely Sparrows—stay tuned for an interview next week and a review of their debut album the week following—and local trio Toy Gun.) Read More »Stencil: Chop Suey, Seattle [Live, 08.26.2008]
Each Ball Of Wax compilation has a theme behind it and this one is the thirteenth quarterly comp that Seattle artist Levi Fuller has done. What Fuller does is concoct a theme (at least on some… several have no theme other than being “music to enjoy”) then gather a mass of (usually) local Pacific Northwest artists, who all write and record an exclusive song for the release. This was my first time seeing several of the performers on the list, from St Rainbow (the folks behind Hollow Earth Radio) and their eerie sampled goodness to Olie Eshleman’s instrumental loops. Virgin Of The Birds (MySpace), however, was a familiar name. Read More »Virgin Of The Birds: Sunset Tavern, Seattle [Live, 08.21.2008]
August 21, the night of the fourteenth Ball Of Wax CD release party. I dropped by Sunset Tavern here in Ballard at about 8:30, just in time to see Levi Fuller, the mastermind behind this quarterly compilation series, play his song from the album. But a highlight of the evening would come when I discovered that Smile Brigade (MySpace) would be laying down a set toward the end of the evening. Read More »Smile Brigade: Sunset Tavern, Seattle [Live, 08.21.2008]
