D. Black
Grynch
Details
Sunset Tavern 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W., 784-4880, www.sunsettavern.com.
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Listen to a sample of Das Vibenbass' "Shinjuku kucoop."
Listen to a sample of Carrie Biell's "Autumn On You."
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11 p.m.
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Macklemore
10 p.m.
Like Grynch, Macklemore doesn't lie. He's a local boy, raised in middle-class comfort, who can rap his white ass off. "I grew up on Capitol Hill with two parents and two cars/They had a beautiful marriage/We even had a swing set in our yard," he boldly states on his Language of My World album. His style is confessional, which is evident in his decision to kick off Language with a song called "White Privilege." And though this honesty comes with its share of anxieties, it doesn't stop him from decrying the gentrification of South Seattle on "Claiming the City." BRIAN J. BARR
Locke
9 p.m.
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8 p.m.
Whether you're a jazz nut or not, it would be worth your time to check out the Spider Trio (at Miro Tea, 7 p.m.), then hop over to the Sunset in time for Das Vibenbass. Whereas the Spider Trio are whacked-out and ferocious, Das Vibenbass are precise and—dare I say—sexy. The sax-and-vibes-driven quartet creates warm, hazy grooves. Vibraphonist Justin Sorensen lays down light-as-air rhythms that resonate like jewels, while drummer JC Bockman pulls off drum beats that sound like muffled, crashing waves. Then, in swoops Josh Clifford with his tenor sax, adding meaty, Coltrane-influenced leads. Through it all, a pop mentality keeps the songs rolling. BRIAN J. BARR
7 p.m.
See feature
6 p.m.
Whether it was the environmental factors of being raised by deaf parents (her mother also eventually went blind) or simply a natural gift for illustrating deep-seated emotions with subtle, nuanced sounds, Carrie Biell's strength lies in her relaxed, intimate delivery. With a sweetly bewitching voice reminiscent of local peer Jesse Sykes or a less-troubled Chan Marshall, she delivers her eerie and elegant lyrics about lost dreams and rediscovered lovers with notable help from an excellent backing band that includes pedal steel, banjo, and cello. Biell remains one of the city's best-kept secrets in the singer-songwriter genre; she's also one of the most exceptionally talented when it comes to placing a noisy room under her hushed spell. HANNAH LEVIN
Grynch
12 a.m.
Man, this guy Grynch is giving away our best-kept secret. Check out the lyrics from his song "Summertime": "When I woke up this morning, the sun was shining bright/ No rain, no clouds, it ain't dark till 10 at night, y'all." Yeah, he's rapping about that sliver of gorgeous weather, the Seattle summer. But don't blame Grynch. He only raps about what he knows. A Ballard boy, Grynch is aware that most people don't think of the North End when they think of Seattle hip-hop. But it hasn't stopped him from establishing himself in the scene. Barely out of high school, Grynch has released two albums, which were mainly produced by C-Nik (whom he met in beat-making class at Ballard High), and has collaborated with the likes of Macklemore, Fatal Lucciano, and Geologic of Blue Scholars, to name but a few. BRIAN J. BARR
