Seattle Soundbite

Thursday, March 19

In celebration of the restaurant industry’s long tradition of being the bread and butter for struggling artists of all types–particularly musicians–Seattle Soundbite brings the musicians and the fancy food together in the second incarnation of what will hopefully become a longstanding Seattle tradition. Basically, some of Seattle’s best restaurants will be hanging out at the SODO, serving high-class street-vendor style foods while musicians with food service backgrounds entertain the gorging crowd. Sub Pop band The Helio Sequence, a Portland duo that consists of Benjamin Weikel (no doubt one of the happiest-looking drummers in the history if indie rock) and axe-wielding frontman Brandon Summers headline the affair. Though the band’s indie pop constructions are perfectly pleasant in recorded form (their latest release is called Keep Your Eyes Ahead), on stage the two men manage to conjure more energy than most bands three times their size. Another notable act is the instrumental concept band Bird Show Of North America, who play dynamic songs named after birds while the band’s full-time artist, Curtis Poortinga, paints pictures the audience can admire– and purchase for around $20-$40– after the show.

Thu., March 19, 6 p.m., 2009