An ideal 4th of July video

Maybe it's because in my heart of hearts, I'm essentially a perpetually stoned, 17-year old boy from the suburbs, or perhaps I'm just an easily manipulated fan of literalism, but I fucking love the video for "Idle Hands" by the Gutter Twins:

Topics: Music Video

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While We're At Re: Girl Trouble...

So, that Girl Trouble deal is pretty funny, eh? It wouldn't be a Sub Pop event without a little salt thrown in the wound for good meaure! Personally, I'm pleased as shit with the lineup they put together (Beachwood F'n Sparks!) It's actually better than I expected, probably cuz I wasn't placing all my bets on a Soundgarden or TAD reunion, or anything like that.
BUT...that doesn't mean there aren't bands I wouldn't mind seeing. So, if any of the following bands feel like joining Girl Trouble in playing uninvited somewheres in Marymoor Park, I'd enjoy it very much...

Big Chief
Saint Etienne
Scud Mountain Boys
Nebula
Zen Guerilla
Six Finger Satellite
Plexi (just because...)
Dwarves
Codeine
Zumpano

Any takers?

Topics: Rant

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Last Night: George Michael at Key Arena

Watch the slideshow. Photos by Marcella D. Volpintesta.

George Michael knows how to put on one hell of a show. And he knows how to remind people that he’s not just anybody. He’s George fucking Michael. “Show starts promptly at 8 p.m.,” the security guards shouted above the crowd. Promptly meaning I had time to purchase several $9 keg cups of beer and vomit in the restroom after I chugged one a little too fast. Following my recover, we found our seats at 8:35 p.m.. The lights dimmed at 8:50 p.m.

Pandemonium. The men behind me took off their shirts. A woman nearly throttled me with her breast implants as she jumped up and down screaming. “I’M SO HAPPY!” she wailed, tears streaming down her cheeks. Then God appeared. Or, at least, the gay, English pop star version of God.

Highlight: Michael appeared onstage in a shiny police uniform, causing men and women surrounding me to nearly go into cardiac arrest. Rainbow lights shot into the sky. I’m not fucking kidding you. But you've gotta appreciate that the guy can really sing. "Careless Whisper" and my personal favorite, "Father Figure" were delivered sitting down and of course, in an impeccable silk shirt. It was gay. It was grandiose. It was totally Michael.

And he got the demographics down, too. “Who’s a fan of the eighties?!” Michael called out to an eruption of cheers. “Who was born in the eighties?!” About a dozen people (the Key Arena seats about 17,000) cheered. “That’s frightening,” he remarked. And sure, his prime was in the ‘80s. But Michael still gets a crowd riled up. After two encores (seriously), Michael ended the night with “Freedom” to which we all wailed like banshees and waved our arms.

“I’m so glad I called in sick!” someone happily sighed to his friend. “That was amazing.” Indeed.

Topics: Reviews

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Tilly and the Wall Tap Into a New Beat

All photos by Michael Alan Goldberg

One Wednesday night this past March, the basement of the First Unitarian Church — Philadelphia's decidedly no-frills "venue" — was packed to the hilt with a couple hundred fans of Omaha quintet Tilly and the Wall. Gear had been set up, mikes checked, set lists taped to the floor, towels and bottled water placed next to each microphone, and dozens of balloons sent into the chattering crowd. The band was about to arrive. And there, quite conspicuous toward the back of the stage, sat a drum kit. Next to me, two sweaty punk-rock girls dressed like Minnie Pearl discussed this oddity. "Tilly doesn't have a drummer," one said, batting a balloon.

Continue reading "Tilly and the Wall Tap Into a New Beat"

Topics: Happenings and Shutter to Click

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Good luck in jail, indeed...

Of the three open slots in the SubPop20 line up, most rabid indie scholars know that the Constantines will fill one, and that the Obits will fill another.

Sources close to Sub Pop tell me they are inches away from inking a deal with the Obits, the latest project from Rick Froberg, one of the forces behind Drive Like Jehu and Hot Snakes.

Not a bad idea, SP...but let's let the hardcore fans judge for themselves:

The Obits are very logically billed with the Lights and Android Hero at the Funhouse next Friday, July 11:

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Last Night: Mark Knopfler at Chateau Ste. Michelle

Watch the slideshow. Photos by 'Lil Scoop.

Mark Knopfler, live at Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery in Woodinville, July 2.

There I sat, getting dumped on sans ballcap near the stage at the winery in Woodinville, having just weathered word of the Sonics' imminent departure and Chateau Ste. Michelle's inane will call system, where a runner must fetch every ticket from some secret vault a football field away from the entrance. I needed consolation. I needed wisdom. I needed my Dad.

Instead, I got Mark Knopfler, which turned out to be what I needed and more.

Let me start with my lone regret about the former Dire Straits' frontman's exceptional set list: he didn't play "Tunnel of Love," which, as I've said before, usually brings me to tears, or close to it. But the fact that he played "Telegraph Road" and "Brothers In Arms" almost made up for that oversight, and "So Far Away" during the long encore got me over the hump ("Romeo & Juliet" and "Sultans of Swing' were other highlights, but of course they were; of his solo material, "Saling to Philadelphia" and "Shangri-La" really shone).

Knopfler is prone to long, slow-burn finger-picking jams, and he'll drop them into songs of any tempo. When they occur during ballads — Knopfler's ballads are more lullabies than showy weepers — these improvised solos have a hypnotic effect. When they occur during more upbeat ditties, they're similarly hypnotic — the only real difference between the two is whether or not the crowd is standing upright. Herein, Knopfler puts his fans on the string of a very plesant emotional yo-yo.

But last night, Knopfler's most important attribute may have been the patriarchal trust he exudes. Dressed schlubbily in a flannel shirt and jeans with those hound dog eyes and slack jaw, he made me want to curl up in his lap after the show and have him read me long children's stories about castles and frogs. Last night, Seattle needed coddling — Seattle needed Dad — and the winery in Woodinville was one big, cozy den. Thanks, Pop.

Topics: Reviews

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"Punk's not dead, it's just old."

I just can't put it into any better words than that good-natured quip from Kerri Harrop that just landed in my in-box.

Ms. Harrop alerted me to this message that Girl Trouble posted on their MySpace page. It seems they were somewhat irked that Sub Pop left them out of their celebration, but they're taking those lemons and painting the shit gold. Straight from the band themselves:

"As you may know, the first Girl Trouble album, Hit It or Quit It, was released on K/SubPop in 1988. In fact, this was the first full-length record SubPop ever released. The record matrix number was K/SP-20.

This month SubPop is hosting a huge, two-day concert of SubPop bands in Marymoor Park on July 12/13 to celebrate their 20 year anniversary. It’s billed as the SP-20 event, one letter off from the old Hit It or Quit It matrix number. Coincidence? You be the judge. Of course, Girl Trouble awaited the invitation to join their old friends and label-mates on stage for this most festive occasion.

Unfortunately. the band now suspects that a mistake has been made. They have yet to be contacted by their old label! With only weeks to spare it was obvious there was some sort of unintentional oversight by SubPop.

Girl Trouble has never been a band to let a small detail like not being invited deter them from joining in on any celebration. That’s why they have decided to bring some instruments and play the show anyway, somewhere in Marymoor Park, as close to the venue as they can legally get. This will be the first all-acoustic Girl Trouble show, playing selections from their SubPop album, Hit It or Quit It, in order.

Feel free to look for Girl Trouble somewhere in the park (possibly by some picnic tables or a tree) starting at noon, where they promise to entertain anybody who happens by. Unlike the $30 ticket price for the bands inside the Marymoor Park venue - there will be no charge for this one-day-only performance. Please join us on Saturday, July 12 for this special event. Don’t forget your picnic lunch, blanket and sun screen. Complementary bag of chips to the first 40 K/SP-20 attendees."

Awesome. Go GT! Maybe I will go to Marymoor now!

Topics: Concert News, Grapevine, Love, and Rant

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WHAM! George Michael hits Seattle!

Am I dreaming?! I cannot believe that Billy Idol AND George Michael are in Seattle the same week. The '80s really are back! Tonight Michael will be at Key Arena (talk about ambitious) on his "TwentyFive" tour.

Yup, that's 25 years in the music biz. Pot busts, bathroom misadventures, napping in cars while stoned, weight gain, questionable fashion sense—is any offense bad enough to send Michael into obscurity? Not if the middle-aged English pop star has it his way. In addition to recently releasing his second greatest-hits album, Michael has managed to infiltrate our television screens with an appearance on American Idol and even a recurring role as a guardian angel on ABC’s Eli Stone. (Who casts this show?) With six No. 1 singles to his credit in the U.S. and millions of albums sold (before iTunes), the 45-year-old deserves serious kudos for his dogged determination to stay relevant in pop culture. And you can bet there will be plenty of couples at the Key tonight who danced to “Careless Whisper” at their weddings.

Personally, I'm most looking forward to hearing "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go."

Key Arena, Seattle Center, 628-0888, www.ticketmaster.com. $49.50–$250. 8 p.m.

Topics: Nostalgia

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Home of Ernestine Anderson Saved

The home of Seattle jazz artist Ernestine Anderson, which last week was in danger of foreclosure, has been saved, thanks in part to one Mr. Quincy Jones. The Puget Sound Business Journal has the full story here.

ht to the Mayor's Office of Film and Music

Topics: News

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Last Night: Billy Idol at The Paramount

Billy Idol was slated to appear onstage 7:30 p.m. And he actually did. Men in their sixties pumped their fists. Heavily made-up women screamed. (Okay, fine, maybe I did too.) Idol launched into “Cradle of Love” and “Dancing With Myself.” Damn! Talk about not wasting anytime. Idol and his band looked like they time traveled from the ‘80s. The guitarists looked like Robert Smith and a skinny version of Meatloaf, and Billy Idol… well, he looked like Billy Idol.

I don’t know if The Paramount has AC or not, but it was fucking hot in there. Frenzied fans dancing up a storm in a crowded room turns from exciting to disgusting really quick. About 20 minutes into the show, I smelled like an armpit, albeit, a very happy armpit.

He may be pushing 50, but Idol can put on a show. “I’m Billy fucking Idol!” he cockily shouted numerous times, to which the crowd cheered. Talk about being a rock star. If I announced that I was Erika fucking Hobart, the answer would probably be closer to crickets chirping and then a drunkard shouting “Who gives a shit?”

It became clear as the end of the concert drew near that I was meant to bare Idol’s illegitimate children. I pushed past security guards four times my size and approached the stage on which the only straight man who can pull off wearing a mesh shirt stood not-so-tall. (How tall is Idol?! He’s built, but he’s tiny!) We made intimate contact. E.g.: I touched his arm.

It was too much to handle. I sprinted back to my seat laughing like a maniac. My companion, clearly embarrassed by my behavior, yanked on my arm to prevent future occurrences. “You’re being such an idiot," he hissed. I stared back, wild-eyed. “I just touched Billy Idol!” I yelped.

Idol ended the night with “Mony Mony” and afterwards, a majority of his fans headed to… the Cheesecake Factory? (Hey, it's nearby.) The staff looked baffled/ frightened by the number of people coming in wearing Idol shirts and singing “White Wedding” but nevertheless served us. “How was the concert?” our waitress asked. I sighed. “He looked directly at me and grabbed my hand,” I said.

And that’s how rumors get started.

Topics: Reviews

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Gits drummer's house catches fire

I just received word that the house of former Gits drummer Steve Moriarty and his wife Emily Marsh (also a drummer and former Seattlite) caught fire last week. The house was saved, but there is extensive fire and water damage, and the couple lost nearly all their clothing, furniture, and some musical instruments (though not their drums, thankfully).

As you know if you read my cover story on the Gits last week, Moriarty has endured more than his share of heartache over the years and Emily Marsh is about as sweet and giving as they come (both Marsh and Moriarty are clinical social workers). The Red Cross is helping them out with a hotel and clothes for now, but a PayPal account has been set up for donations to help them get back on their feet via this website.

ht to Brian Foss

Topics: Love and News

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Murder City Devils to play MusicFest NW

MCD in Austin last year

Alright, that's it. Unless the heavens part and Prince is announced as a headliner at Memorial Stadium, Portland's Musicfest NW has officially kicked Bumbershoot's ass with their line-up this year.

I'm definitely heading south on the weekend of September 3-6. Along with the Steel Pole Bathtub reunion show, they have Mogwai, Centro-Matic, Deerhunter, Fuck Buttons, Monotonix (who incidentally are also playing Bumbershoot), Pierced Arrows, the Cool Kids and just announced the addition of the TV On the Radio and the Murder City Devils. Complete info is over here on their website.

Topics: Concert News and Road Trip

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West Seattle Summerfest = SP20 Alternative

It's true. On July 11-13, fans of local-centric live music will be torn. Across the pond, in Redmond, a bunch of old farts called Sub Pop will be celebrating multiple decades of going out of business.
Then, over the river and through the woods, West Seattle will be celebrating its all-around awesomeness with the West Seattle Summerfest. As you may remember from the last couple years, West Seattle Summerfest ain't just a kiddie parade and sidewalk sales. They had Kristen Hersh and John Doe play there! Outdoors! And free! This year, the lineup looks even stronger, with an emphasis on local goodness, including The Saturday Knights, The Maldives, Kristen Ward, Mark Pickerel, The Lonely Forest, and SHIM, among others. Also, Swallow and Coffin Break (former Sub Poppers) will be participating, which is sort of funny. Unfortunately, everyone's favorite West Seattleite Mark Arm will be busy pulling double-duty at SP20 by further shredding his vocal chords with Mudhoney and Green River.
Two great fests on the same day...both a good driving distance from each other. Damn you planners for making us pick and choose!

Topics: News

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Last Night: Animal Farm, Tulsi, Illmaculate and Orbitron

If you missed last night's shindig, you best get your priorities straight, take a few shots of espresso and rally next time, because Animal Farm, a project born in the humble burg of Eugene, Oregon, is slated to be a serious heavyweight in Northwest hip hop. Just as long as they get out of the Eug often enough to play shows in big cities that is, so that they can start packing joints here like they already do in Eugene.

The players:

Orbitron, a b-boy who rhymes as well as he can spin on his head.

Illmaculate, a three-time world battle rap champion from PDX and member of the Sandpeople crew in Portland, a ten-piece act that opened for Wu Tang last year

Tulsi, an alliteration master who's about to drop a new record

Animal Farm, a group of high-energy party rockers who just released an album featuring cameos from none other than the Teacha himself (better known as KRS-One) and Kareem of the Boom Bap Project, who happens to be Animal Farm emcee and vocalist Hanif Wondir's older brother. Rounding all this out was DJ Wicked on the turntables.

You're not totally shit outta luck for missing the show, though, because Animal Farm's playing another show up here at the Comet Tavern July 17th. Which is unorthodox for the Comet. But it can only be good that a rock venue wants to branch out, and I think it's a positive thing.

Unfortunately, that show will only feature three of Animal Farm's four emcees (Kenny Wilson, James, F12), as Hanif will be in San Francisco, where he now lives. He's still in the group, though, so everybody keep your panties unbunched because the soulful vocals are not going anywhere. Plus, Hanif's working on a solo record; when it's done, you'll hear about it here, and I have the highest confidence that it will also be solid.

In the interrim, do check out Animal Farm's new record, The Unknown, an oeuvre of highly-danceable party jams, and even people who have lukewarm feelings about hip hop in general should love "Ragtime Gal." Also, Tulsi has a new album completed, which will be available at the next show, and please believe me when I say that it is very, very good. A more detailed review to come later, probably closer to that show date and when I'm not neck deep in features.

Highlights, news, and miscellany:

— seeing Illmaculate solo, who will hopefully not take last night personally and will bring himself and the rest of the Sandpeople back up here soon

— Orbitron and B-Boy Free b-boying to DJ Tecumseh; Rob Nice joined them on stage later, along with Yze, who particularly impressed me because 1) she's a good emcee and 2) she's that rarest of specimens in hip hop: a lady. She cameoed on the song "Remedy," and is part of the BeaconSkillz crew, who'll have a record out later this year. Hip hop desperately needs more women owning the mic, and it's encouraging when you see one who does.

— the tall dude who tried to pass his joint to the Animal Farm right as they were singing, "It really ain't that cool," the last line of the chorus to a song called "Last Call." That was a serious joint, and I think that guy might have gotten booted out of Nectar (hey, who needs po-po trouble when your club is thriving?), with some skeezy guy in a leather jacket who didn't understand personal boundaries, either with me or with that guy's weed.

— Hanif, in response to whether or not I could use flash photography (not that it mattered, since my camera battery died...photos to come, courtesy of Hanif's camera): "You would have to be riding a shaved camel in a Superman outfit to distract me when I'm onstage." Is that a challenge?

Topics: The Morning After

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Seems Like Old Times

photo by Brian O'Shea

Since I've had the baby, making it out for a night on the town is a matter of timing, luck and a little magical star alignment. With the grandparents here in Seattle, my permanent plus-one and I have had the opportunity to a least make it out a couple nights a week. Not that we're able to really cut loose. Grandma reasonably asks we be home by midnight and knowing sometime between 6 and 8 am we'll be awakened by a munchkin demanding “mama mama, dada dada, up, up, up!!!” accompanied by high pitched "Eeeee-ooooooo-ahhhhhhhhhs" till we haul our butts out of bed, makes the decision of whether or not to partake of that third cocktail a no-brainer.

But when I heard my very favorite freak-show-in-heels, Ms. Jackie Hell would be doing a new night at King Cobra, the girl boner inducing Whore Moans would be playing it, and my old friends the Turn-Ons would be right next door at the Comet, I ever so nicely asked my honey for 15 hours of baby reprieve, so I could fix up, go out, and party like it was back in the day all over again.

Being Pride weekend the hill was buzzing and good vibes abounded. It was warm but not sticky and the perfect night for this gauzy white summer dress I'd had in storage impatiently waiting for the Pacific Northwest to heat up past 70. Now I have never in my life been able to keep anything white for more than an hour or two of wearing, but made it my goal “to keep it white all night” and actually succeeded by eating a condiment free sandwich for my pre-drinking dinner and sticking with my drink of choice, champagne for the duration of the evening.

Continue reading "Seems Like Old Times"

Topics: Happenings

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