If you get caught between the moon and New York City (I know it’s crazy, but it’s true), the best that you can do is play a show—in Seattle. Or at least that’s how it went last weekend, when N.Y.C. imports Interpol, Girls Against Boys, and Princess Superstar packed the floors of Graceland, the Crocodile, and Chop Suey (respectively) till they just about cried uncle. Friday night was split between the first two, with GVSB proving there is life after major labeldom (they’re fresh off Geffen to Jade Tree), rocking all sexylike and sounding, as our friend- of-the-vivid-metaphor Chris put it, “tighter than a bear’s ass in winter.” Openers Radio 4 (also—surprise!–from New York Seedy) owned a big chunk of the crowd, pulling them in with a sound that reminded a lot of folks of that other Four—Gang of. Meanwhile, down Eastlake Way, Interpol did their shtick right—channeling Joy Division from beyond the grave—and even though we are seemingly the only people on the planet right now who feel like this particular emperor has no pants (or at least none they didn’t steal from Ian Curtis‘ funeral closet), we were still grudgingly impressed by the show, which focused on the better tracks from their two releases. Note to Interpol’s booking agent: Since the room was feeling about as spacious and breathable as a New Delhi cattle car, may we suggest a bigger venue next time? Oh, Picky McPickerson we are; but not for Princess Superstar’s Saturday-night show—our only complaint is that it ever had to end. Sigh. If she is not the hottest, freakiest, most ass-moving DJ in all the land, well, we need glasses, a hearing aid, and maybe some electroshock treatment. The tiny, tummy-revealing Princess busted something old (A Tribe Called Quest, Black Sheep), something new (Peaches), something borrowed (Black Sabbath/Jay Z mash-ups), and something blue (her own dirty, dirty
rhymes) for an amped-up crowd that hardly seemed ready to let her go at quarter to two. . . .There was a lot less action at Chop Suey only a few days before, when the doors were shuttered for, the rumors were flying, a private Pearl Jam show. Instead, as some media have already reported, they were in fact just working on a new video promotional series. Booker Kerri Harrop managed to keep it all pretty DL that the band was there to tape a whole mess of songs, including first single “I Am Mine,” and director James Frost (Coldplay’s “Yellow”) was the man with the master camera plan. . . . On a whole different tip, Easy Street Records kicks off a series of shows with a hometowny bill this Thursday, Sept. 19. The West Seattle store will feature Steve Turner (Mudhoney), Sarah Shannon (ex Velocity Girl), Robb Benson (Dear John Letters), Scott McCaughey (R.E.M., Young Fresh Fellows, Minus 5, forever and ever, amen), and more. It starts at 9, cost $5, and, yes indeed, there will be beer and wine—but sorry drinky bear, no hard stuff. . . . Oops. This just in: Interpol had all their gear stolen from Graceland the night following their show, and though the Seattle Police Department had some leads, nothing had been recovered at press time. Think what you want about the band, that sucks big fat patootie for just about anyone. . . . When the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players left town this past July for New York, Jason Trachtenburg made sure to burn a few bridges on his way out, calling out KEXP, Sub Pop, and other boogeymen in town he deemed responsible for his (admittedly adorable) band hitting a low success ceiling in Seattle. His ungraceful exit left some people wishing he and his big mouth would fail miserably in the Big Apple, but it looks like the opposite is true: The family-that-plays- together-stays-together trio has already snagged two club residencies,
plus a spot in last week’s New Yorker featuring a profile of the Littlest Drummer That Could, 8-year-old Rachel Trachtenburg, in its legendary Talk of the Town section. The Sept. 5 Time Out New York also ran a pretty flattering full-page interview. Guess the big, bad career killers didn’t follow them there. . . . Kind of like Elliott Smith at the Oscars, but on a smaller scale: Sonic Youth will be playing NBC’s Last Call With Carson Daly on Thursday, Sept. 26, where we are sure the MTV VJ and close personal friend of Kid Rock will ask all kinds of amazingly insightful questions. To get specific, we’ve already started an office poll, so join us, won’t you? . . . Finally, our congratulations to Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, who got married in London last weekend after being engaged for about 40 years, and to longtime Sub Pop publicity head Chris Jacobs, who, with his lovely wife Stephanie, just birthed the cutest goddamn baby in the history of cute goddamn babies; welcome to the world, Owen Blackjack Jacobs.
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