Ryan Adams and Some Other Stuff To Do On Friday

- Ryan Adams gets his groove on at the Moore.

- The Esurance Capitol Hill Block Party with Silversun Pickups, Blue Scholars, Blood Brothers, Matt & Kim, the Saturday Knights, Girl Talk, Cancer Rising, Viva Voce, the Trucks, the Shackeltons, Siberian, Mass Sugar, Kane Hodder, and more kicks off Friday afternoon at Neumo's.

- Seattle Weekly Outsiders Showcase with Arthur & Yu takes place at Easy Street Records.

- Loveless Records Showcase with the Blakes, the Shackeltons, Carrie Akre goes down at the High Dive. Since you'll have a couple chances to see the Blakes and the Shackeltons, I thought I'd give you a recent video of Carrie Akre. You know, to spread the wealth.

Topics: Happenings

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Heavy Metal Only 35 Percent Satanic

Russian psychiatry professor Fyodor Kondratyev has stated that 35 percent of all heavy metal music contains satanic references.

"Having researched 700 most popular heavy metal songs revealed that half of them is about murder, 7 percent is positive about suicide, and 35 percent preaches a variety of Satanist ideologies," the professor told a Russian newspaper.

35 percent? Is that all? That doesn't seem too bad, does it? It's less than half. That 350 songs are about murder is a bit more disturbing, but let's look at that for a second. One of the ultimate heavy metal songs is Slayer's "Raining Blood." Here's a few lines:

Raining blood
From a lacerated sky
Bleeding its horror
Creating my structure
Now I shall reign in blood! 

Just because there's blood doesn't mean murder. And other than a previous reference to "the abyss" this song doesn't have any particularly satanic content. Ok, I'm not saying Slayer doesn't sing about murder and Satan, but I would like a list of the songs Kondratyev listened to.

You know, just to see which ones I already own. 

If this put you in the mood for some head banging, evil, kick-ass music, here is a Slayer tune that really is satanic, "Hell Awaits."

Topics: News

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Tonight: Daft Punk’s Electroma at Capitol Hill Arts Center

Did I miss Greg Nickels’ announcement that this week is officially Daft Punk Week in Seattle, or something? Before the French electro-house robot-duo invade Seattle at their sold out WaMu Theater show three days from now, Daft Punk fans can get a taste of what’s to come: pure visual and aural delight, in the form of a 70-minute feature film. Tonight at 8pm, the Daft Punk-created visual masterpiece, Electroma, will be showing at the Capitol Hill Arts Center. It’s the story of two robots, on a quest through the Mojave Desert, to humanize themselves (the license plate on their car reads “H U M A N”). While there is no Daft Punk featured on the film (Curtis Mayfield and others set the musical mood), the vivid, slow-moving shots are telling, and you begin to relate to these two robot-outsiders, whose place in the world is insignificant to the greater scope of things. This is something that you should not miss, Daft Punk fan, or not!

Check out the trailer here.

Topics: Happenings

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Foreign moments in music video history

"El Kilo" by Orishas. 

The Plot: N/A. It's proof that if you have a beautiful song, all you need is a picturesque scene for the background (and, perhaps, great hats) in order to pull off an amazing video.

The Moment of Brilliance (offscreen, tie): Whoever told that one guy to take his shirt off. And whoever told that old guy to dance.

Why You Didn't See it on VH1: VH1 (and, by proxy, the American media in general) is run by ethnocentric bastards.

Side Note Worth Noting: In preparation for a trip I'm taking to Buenos Aires, I just looked up the top-selling albums in Argentina to see what those crazy kids were listening to. #8—behind Smashing Pumpkins and Velvet Revolver—was the new album by Cuban hip-hop sensations Orishas. And as I'd already had that on deck, I was all, this is fate! Because surely it is. Also: seeing as this video has already been viewed 234,000 times, it's proof that a) Germans love David Hasselhoff, b) a lot of people in the world don't speak English, and c) their taste in music is pretty awesome.

Topics: Music Video

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Urban Hymns: Ten Years Later

Speaking of anniversaries, it's hard to believe that it has been ten years since The Verve's final studio album, Urban Hymns, came out. At the time of its release, I was sixteen year old punk rock, hip-hop-loving skateboarder - everything I listened to was hard or fast. But when I finally heard the sweeping symphonic soundscapes on the legally-fated single "Bittersweet Symphony" one afternoon on MTV, I was instantly hooked. With my recently acquired drivers license, I was able to make a beeline to the music store to buy the Urban Hymns cassette. (The truck I drove only had a tape deck, and I only had ten bucks.) I drove around listening to it until I had to return home for dinner. It didn't leave my stereo for months, and opened the gates to all the British shoegaze that came before it, when I was busy paying attention to Descendents, Subhumans, and Wu-Tang.

Today, nearly ten years later, I find myself sucked in by its swan song elegance. And I sincerely believe "Lucky Man" is one of the most beautiful songs EVER.

Topics: Aesthetic

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Photos: The Word Animal

A Wednesday night in Seattle. The band's first show ever. These types of scenarios usually spell trouble, but Seattle indie-rock foursome the Word Animal slayed a surprisingly large crowd at the Crocodile Cafe last night during their debut gig, slamming melody against menace in a way that fans of local faves These Arms Are Snakes would certainly appreciate. Here's a few photos I shot:

Continue reading "Photos: The Word Animal"

Topics: Shutter to Click

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L.A. Guns

Can you believe it's been TWENTY YEARS since this came out:

Feeling old? How about nostalgic? If so, you might wanna head to Los Angeles this Saturday night — that's when, according to former G'n'R drummer Steve Adler, at least four-fifths of the original band is getting together at the Key Club to celebrate Appetite's 20th anniversary. Unknown if a jam is in the works. The kicker is that (as usual) Axl Rose isn't expected to show up, but you never know, I guess. Adler tells England's NME that he expects a proper Guns reunion to happen eventually. "Axl and I spoke to each other in Las Vegas recently, and I know there's a chance," the drummer says. "It's just too big. Whatever the Stones make when they play, we'd triple it. It'd be ridiculous not to do it. He can't be that goofy."

Wanna bet?! 

Topics: Grapevine

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Ravi Coltrane, Powerman 5000 Both on Thursday

- Powerman 5000, Betty X, Sanction VIII, Sights Overseen plan to blow out the amps at Studio Seven. 

- Damage Inc. (tribute to early Metallica), Izzy Osbourne (Ozzy tribute), A Lesson in Chaos, S2C, Future Disorder are ready to rock out at El Corazon. 

- Bonnie Birch, an open mic night with live accordian and polka, takes place at Martin's Off Madison Piano Bistro.

- The Ravi Coltrane Quartet gets things swinging at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley. While he isn't that Coltrane, he is the son of that Coltrane. And if you have any doubts as to the younger jazzman's talents, check out the following video. It's short, but worth it.

Topics: Happenings

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The Great KISS Off, Part Three

Soldiers in the KISS Army around the world are clamoring for this cassette. It's a recording of KISS's December 2, 1976, concert in Memphis, Tenn. What is so special about this cassette, you ask? According to the descrition on eBay, "This extremely rare tape is unique in several aspects, but certainly the highlight is the inclusion of the only known live recording of KISS performing “Hard Luck Woman” which was dropped shortly thereafter and was never again performed by the original band [the version on KISS Alive II was faked for the record]."

That's right. This baby is up for sale on eBay and can be yours for...$223.73 (the top bid as of 1:45 p.m. PDT). 

So, if you love KISS enough to pay for a 30-year-old cassette that will break the first time you play it, head on over to eBay now.

But, if you want to spend a bit less, I'll come over to your house and sing "Hard Luck Woman" if you cook me dinner. Hell, I'll even sing "Beth." 

Topics: News

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Hold Local

Yesterday I called the city to find out how my apartment building could recycle our food scraps (I know, but I can't bear to throw another egg shell or banana peel in the trash when I know they could be decomposing happily somewhere with other food scraps and greasy pizza boxes). While I'm sure most of the information can be found on their website, sometimes you just want to be able to ask a knowledgable city employee stupid questions. Conversation's don't come for free though. There's a price to pay. I spent 15 minutes of precious time on hold. But, to my pleasant surprise, I was subjected not to generic, headache inducing muzak, but to song after song by all local musicians!

The mayor's recorded voice piped in every now and then to let me know about their special "On Hold" programming and directed me to this website, where I could peruse the whole playlist (which changes quarterly). This quarter features everything from the Purrs to the Medieval Women's Choir. Don't like the list? Do your civic duty and email arts.culture@seattle.gov to let them know who you'd like to hear while you're on hold waiting to be chastized for not just finding the answer to your stupid question on their website.

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Last Night: Erasure at The Moore

Erasure

July 24, 2007

The Moore

Better Than: Valentine’s Day, Gay Pride Weekend, and real diamonds.

Gay Pride weekend in Seattle concluded exactly a month ago to the day, but the air in The Moore last night still reeked of its fabulousness and extravagance. Everyone was definitely fabulous, not to mention good-looking, as Dan Keyes, the lead singer of opening act Young Love, observed, causing a scattered few to cheer wildly. Of course, those who slowly filtered into the room during Young Love’s set were there for the night’s main attraction: Erasure, the beloved and legendary synth-pop duo, whose flamboyant vocalist Andy Bell was one of pop music’s first openly gay performers. Even today, more than twenty years after Erasure penned their first of many commercial hits, homosexuals are still facing an uphill battle for equality, and the gushingly sweet Erasure songs provide a spiritual ray of light and hope. Their shows are a celebration of redemption and love - something everyone can emotionally relate to and want to experience.

Continue reading "Last Night: Erasure at The Moore"

Topics: The Morning After

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Feelin' Free!

Did you go to the record store yesterday? No? Well, if not, go today. Why? It's pictured above. Keep Reachin' Up by Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators is the latest release from our budding local powerhouse Light In the Attic and it is one the best modern soul records ever made. For anyone who came into soul via Amy Winehouse, this is the record you'll want to purchase next. Willis doesn't have the typically powerful voice it seems most associate with soul music, but she triumphs because every time she opens her mouth, soul just pours out. It's in her blood. Smooth, romantic, and wild! Plus her backing band is more versatile than most, covering several eras of R n' B with equal success. Incidentally, I'll be on KUOW sometime next week to discuss this record, and our own Karla Starr will have more to say on Willis in an upcoming issue. But for now...go buy this record.

Topics: Wax Watch

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Linkin Park Wants to Revolutionize Your Wednesday

Photo by James Minchin from linkinpark.com.

- Projekt Revolution with Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday, HIM, Placebo, Julien K, and more rule the day at White River Amphitheater. 

- Sugarcane Mutiny, Starshifter, the Quit play the Comet Tavern.

- Purty Mouth take the stage at the Highway 99 Blues Club.

- The Word Animal, Hardison, Benjamin Bear perform at the Crocodile Cafe.

Can we talk about Projekt Revolution for a moment? I don't have a problem with Linkin Park, but I don't go out of my way for them, either. If any band on the bill is going to surprise people, it will likely be Placebo. If there is any band I'd pay not to have to see, it's My Chemical Romance. I think if you look through the last few weeks, you'll see I've mentioned that I hate emo more than once. But I do know that a lot of people do like MCR. For them, here's a video of their song "Famous Last Words." For the rest of us, we can only hope that the video proves prophetic.

Topics: Happenings

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Most Disturbing Promo Item Ever

This was the first thing I saw on my desk after returning from a weekend reunion with my mostly Mormon family. This robe-clad lamb came courtesy of the new Gospel Music Channel. According to the ear tag, it's "The only 24-hour, all gospel music television network. Soul, Country, Rock, Pop, Traditional— It's all gospel."

What? No hip-hop?

The best thing about the lamb, other than it's cold, brainwashed stare, is that it sings and dances. I didn't get to witness the singing and dancing because by the time it ended up on my desk the batteries were dead.

Thank God! 

Topics: Christian Rock

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The Family That Plays Together...

Click the photo for a slideshow from the concert. 

Texas indie-pop (they're on a major label, but you know what I mean) quintet Eisley — comprised of four siblings from the family DuPree, plus their cousin — kicked off a national acoustic tour last night at the Crocodile Cafe for a partially seated, fully appreciative sold-out crowd. The appearance came in advance of the soon-to-be-released Combinations, the band's second full-length for Warner Brothers (and seventh release overall, if you count all of their EPs), from which the band drew for half of its 17-song, 75-minute set.

Continue reading "The Family That Plays Together..."

Topics: The Morning After

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Foreign moments in music video history

 Mud Mud Ke Na Dekh

The Plot: In the movie Shree 420, song "Mud Mud Ke Na Dekh," which stars the interminable Raj Kapoor and Nargis, circa 1955.
According to IMDB: "Wearing torn Japanese shoes, English trousers, a red Russian cap, and a Hindustani heart, orphaned Ranbir Raj comes to Bombay to make his fortune. He pawns his gold medal, gambles with the money, loses everything, & the balance is pick-pocketed. He ends up on the beach, meets with Vidya Shastri, a teacher who runs a private school, and both fall in love. Ranbir gets a job in a laundry. When he goes to deliver some clothes to Maya, she notices that he has a way with cards, gets him to accompany her to a casino of sorts, where he wins Rs.20000/-, which unfortunately is pocketed by Maya. Then a rich industrialist, Sonanand Dharmachand, approaches Ranbir, hires him to work for him, and soon Ranbir is on his way to a wealthy life. Vidya gets a first hand look at this wealthy life, and decides to break up with him. Sonachand teaches Ranbir that in order to make money one must never discriminate between the rich and poor. So they set out to offer homes to the homeless for Rs.100/-. Watch what happens when Ranbir finds out that Sonachand has been setting him up to be the fall guy." (Thanks, rAjOo)

But seriously, the plot: Apparently, there's something with a woman and a man not cut out to be in the same room as she is, but they're falling for each other and singing about it amidst much fanfare.

The Moment of Brilliance: [Tie] 1) After the bridge, when he starts singing the same shit she was, but acts like the words are all his, e.g.: "Our destination is clearly before us. The clouds are like waves, rolling past us. The caravan of life never stops." Or: "The world is his who adapts to the times. The world is his who fits the mould. The world is his who forges on." Who the hell needs Dr. Phil when you have Bollywood? 2) The 2:48 breakdown, when some trumpets and a little added percussion breathe yet even more life and a new, samba-esque spin into the song.

The YouTube Review: (by liviareyes86) "love the movie and the soundtrack is awsome, pure classic! I'm a big fan!." [sic ]

Why you didn't see it on VH1: VH1 (and, by proxy, the American media in general) is run by ethnocentric bastards. When was the last time you remember seeing anything international on VH1— aside from visions of the Hoff so beloved by the Germans? Anyone?
Anyone? I thought so.

Maxïmo parks its rock at Chop Suey

Maxïmo Park
July 22, 2007
Chop Suey
Better Than: Dancing with yourself.

Last night, Northern England’s Maxïmo Park rocked a crowded, but not sold out, Chop Suey. The doors opened at 7 p.m., and I showed up at 7:35 to make sure I didn’t miss a note of the first act, The Oolahs, whose name sounded quite interesting.

After the first song by The Oolahs, I realized that their name was the only interesting thing about the band. Fronted by a ditzy (or perhaps drunk) female lead, along with 3 backing males playing guitar, bass and drums, they made a lot of dull alternative rock noise. I drank a pint of Mac and Jack’s and quietly contemplated how much better they could be if they weren’t so bland and unenergetic on stage.

The second opener, Monsters are Waiting, turned out to be another Los Angeles quartet led by a female with 3 male backers. They were much better than the first act and reminded me of Vedera (a band I quite like), only with more sonic noise and louder guitars. However, lead singer Annalee Fery’s quiet voice sometimes got lost in the noise, and I couldn’t make out her words.

After Monsters are Waiting, I stood in the middle of the all ages crowd (which was about 50% over 21) listening to the pending excitement of the crowd. Many of these members had seen Maxïmo before at The Showbox and several purchased band T-shirts before they played a single note.

When Maxïmo Park popped up on stage, the crowd went wild. And there was good reason for them too. Throughout the hour and ten minute set, hyperactive lead vocalist Paul Smith sang passionately while jumping (perhaps dancing?) around the stage and throwing his hands wildly in the air to the beat. Smith’s energy and proficient singing alone propelled the act to greater heights than the prior two.

What was also refreshing about Maxïmo was listening to songs off their two good albums, A Certain Trigger and Our Earthly Pleasures, and realizing how much better the tracks were live. Both albums are soaked in studio polish, which made me wonder just how good the band would play. But when Maxïmo added a few guitar parts and synth lines to the tracks, which made them sound a little less pretty and little more punchy, I fell for their act and starting bobbing my head and tapping my feet furiously along with the crowd.

Reporter's Notebook
Personal Bias: I have a thing for similar UK-based acts like Franz Ferdinand, Futureheads and Bloc Party. And I visited the UK last October and loved it.
Random Detail: I couldn’t help but notice that lead singer Smith looked an awful lot like an older version to Matthew Lewis, the actor who plays Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films. Maybe they’re related? Or maybe they’re just English?



Smith, left, looks a lot like an older Lewis. Or am I just Potter crazy?

Topics: Reviews

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Hot Child in the Citay

Photo by Alissa Anderson

It was one grey, hot sticky weekend in the city. The weather didn't stop folks from piling in to the Sunset for Citay, Whalebones and Bison on Friday night- nor did it stop throngs of Harry Potter fans from lining up outside bookstores, clutching umbrellas and dressed in wizardy garb.

Whalebones slayed on the Sunset's small stage- sounding as tight as possible without losing any of that raw, '70s rock and roll jam-out vibe and ended their set around 11:45. Just enough time to head up to Market St. for the big countdown to HP 7!! We yelled down from ten along with the kids, jumped for joy and only received a few wary glances from concerned parents.

We got back just in time for Citay who, with so many members (8), were almost falling off the stage. They displayed extraordinary musicianship on the whole, with beautiful arrangements woven with complex guitar parts, the soft ethereal sound of the flute, and tambourine slaps and shimmers all throughout. Songs that started small, built up to pulsing anthems with shades of Grizzly Bear's catchier harmonies shining through at times and enthusiastic nods to Zeppelin. Based on what I'd heard of the band prior, I was expecting an instrumental heavy set, but almost everything they played was replete with vocals, which were quite engaging save for the overwhelming female backup who could have taken it down a few notches.

When we finally tumbled out into the humid streets, there was still a line down the block for Potter 's last dance so I didn't end up snagging a copy of the book that night, but the Sunset, Citay and Whalebones made it magic enough.

Topics: Weekend Review

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Mandy Moore + Paula Cole = Worst Tour Ever

Paula Cole, Mandy Moore
Aug. 20, 7:30 p.m.
The Showbox
$25

Topics: News

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Last Night: Silverchair at the Showbox

Click the photo for a slideshow of the concert.

Silverchair
July 20, 2007
The Showbox
Better Than: "Post-grunge."

For me, seeing Silverchair rock the Showbox was a little like running into that scrappy kid from high school — the one you were kinda friends with, but lost touch with years ago — at a reunion or something, and seeing how far they've come and how successful their life is. I suspect I wasn't alone in feeling that way: Although they've been arguably the biggest band in their native Australia for the past decade-plus, most American music fans think of the trio of Daniel Johns (vocals/guitar), Ben Gillies (drums), and Chris Joannou (bass) as the energetic 15-year-olds who led the post-grunge charge back in 1995 with their debut, Frogstomp, and its massive hit, "Tomorrow." 

Continue reading "Last Night: Silverchair at the Showbox"

Topics: The Morning After

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Foreign moments in music video history

Issawa Style, by H Kayne

The Plot: N/A. It's sort of just your average thug-hip-hop life music video. Lots of baggy clothes, guys' time: it's early '90s, done right by a Middle Eastern twang and some serious 'tude, all the way.

The Moment of Brilliance: The scratching and headspins at 3:30 are gloriously old-school. And the breakdown at 3:57, that shaky camera work postscript, is something the Beasties wish they could do.

The YouTube Review: (by mounaimm): DIMA DIMA MEKNES
(by RAFAAJ2000): Cool and very creative . I love the beat. Keep up the good work !

Why you didn't see it on VH1: VH1 (and, by proxy, the American media in general) is run by ethnocentric bastards.

Side note worth noting: While previewing this video late at night in my room, my roommate asked me to turn it down (surprise, surprise; do I ever ask her to be quiet when I'm trying to get shit done? no, I just get on with it), citing the song's heavy bass. This proves my theory that a) Germans love David Hasselhoff, and b) most hip-hop recipes require little more than a group of baggy clothes-clad gents and an extra serving of bass to feed a family of six and piss off your roommates—to say nothing of a nation of 33 million.

Topics: Music television

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Drift-ing Away

So as you probably know, Slint is Spiderlanding Saturday night at the Showbox. Make sure to get there early, though, to catch the Drift. At a late-April show at Neumo's opening for Japanese noise-gazers Mono, the San Francisco quartet played a mellow but engrossing set of ambient, jazzy, dubby shoegaze that lived up to the band's name. Woozy guitar shapes intersected with keyboard drones, trumpet, upright bass, and laid-back drumming (at one point the drummer used a bow on his crash cymbals to spooky cool effect). These guys are definitely fans of Miles Davis's fusion period, that's for sure. After the jump, a few more photos I shot that night.

Continue reading "Drift-ing Away"

Topics: Happenings

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Rawk Music At Neumo's

Shit man...I love me some Tall Birds. When it comes to reverb-y, fuzzed-out, psych-nuggs, they have no local equal. Unbelievable band, and a nice bunch of dudes to boot. Our own Aja Pecknold wrote about them before she even worked here! Tell me though...why is it that none of our local labels have signed them? Anyway, go see them tonight at Neumo's with the Unnatural Helpers and the Trashies. It'll be a sweaty night of garage-punk nuttiness. If you haven't heard the Tall Birds, you can check their tunes out here!

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Band of Horses Vs. Bootleggers

Click here for a slideshow of Band of Horses' recent stop at The Showbox. Photos by Renee McMahon.

I was a bit surprised to hear that my request to record a portion of Band of Horses' set at The Showbox was rejected. We've had pretty good luck with bands (Beastie Boys, Kings of Leon) allowing us to give readers who weren't at the show a listen after the fact.

Horses' Ben Bridwell opened up to Pitchfork about why he gave our request—and more recently a fan—the finger.

"Do you have to tape every second, or even just your favorite song? I understand it, but it's becoming annoying."

Topics: Blog Watch

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This Week in the Short List Podcast

After last week's bombshell that Brian was entertaining offers from an associate in Finland, Aja decided to throw her own diva-rific rant into the Short List machine. Turns out after years as a regular on the green-shirt-and-pants circuit, the voice of reason is becoming unreasonable in her pursuit of a new style.

Meanwhile, Meatface got the gristle kicked off of him by the Vengeful Vegans and is considering a move to Georgetown. What will the Georgetown Liquor Company think of his application? Will Brian finally make his move? And what's Aja going to think of the new ... dress code!?

Find out, and get the goods on all the week's live music offerings worth checking out, on the Short List Podcast.

Topics: iPod

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Bye Bye Bananas! Tonight at Havana.

The first time I saw DJ Cherry Canoe behind the tables was at the now defunct (much to the delight of many nasal cavities) after-hours speakeasy, the Egg Room, taking turns with Mr. Dann Galucci. It was my first taste of the underground, and I was alone and scared. They did me right though, and I felt right at home with their mix of soul, reggae and all around sweet sounds from many a-decade. Many years later, it was the same two who started Bananas, the wonderfully low-key Wednesday night at Havana. They've had a solid run and tonight marks the end of the Bananas era. As Cherry mentions in her Myspace post about the night, "BANANAS was a fun-filled indulgence, an exercise in obsessive adoration for certain genres of music and the culture surrounding them."

She's still got Sunday's Slow Ride at the War Room and chances are her tireless fingers will be itching to put another night in the works soon. Until then!

 Final Bananas with DJ Cherry Canoe, Merchbot 2000 and Gabe "Fist in Your Face" Kerbrat @ Havana tonight, 9:30 p.m.

Topics: Happenings

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Andy Fitz Makes a Mean Kim Jong Il BBQ Salad

And one of his three projects, Airport Cathedral (he also puts in time in With Friends Like These and Aquaduct) is playing tonight at the Sunset! Stop in and see if his playing lives up to his cooking. Check out his recipe in this week's Sound Bite here.

He'd also like you to know about another taste treat: Spam Musubi. "It's a hawaiina sushi-ish treat. you can get it at North Shore Hawaiian BBQ on 105th."

I've had it, and it is in fact delicious. Though, like anything involving Spam, a bit scary at first.

Topics: Happenings

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Last Night: Voltaire at El Corazon

Voltaire
El Corazon
July 17
Better than: other funny guys that play guitar, but the music is the feature, not the jokes.

If Glenn Danzig is "Evil Elvis," does that make Voltaire "Evil Ricky Nelson"? Or maybe "Evil Weird Al"? Whatever you want to call him, Voltaire is a multi-talented singer-songwriter who follows that tradition more closely than you might think. Like Dylan and Van Zandt, Voltaire is a critic of the culture he's a part of. His chosen culture just happens to be the near-humorless goth scene, making his work stand out even more. Plus, there aren't too many people left who can command a room as a total solo act, just him and his black acoustic guitar (just another reason to call him "Evil RN").

Voltaire played songs about zombie prostitutes, the Tatooine cantina in Star Wars, desecrating the bodies of an ex-lover's lovers, and death-death-death-devil-devil-evil-evil,the last being a song written for his grandmother who passed away last year.

With the guitar strapped to him, Voltaire strutted around the stage, playing more like the dark shadow of Eddie Cochran than Rick Nelson. He wore a jacket "stolen from Gerard Way," and just kept singing his hilarious songs about all things dark and twisted.

For anyone who may not have heard of him, he played two songs from the Cartoon Network show The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, including the theme song for the recent Billy and Mandy movie. 

If nothing else, Voltaire is a man of the people. he spent the entire length of the opening set signing and selling CDs at his merch table and was right back there when his set ended. He even let people take pictures with him.

The dork on the left is yours truly.

The Nasty Habits opened the show, and let me tell you, the next time I throw a huge party, they are playing it. I can't think of anything better to start party than a transvestite band that plays '80s cover songs. Billy Idol, R.E.M., the Cure, and more all were given the Nasty treatment.

Personal Bias: I've been a Voltaire fan for a long time, once even winning a contest through his e-mail newsletter. That was about seven years ago. So imagine my surprise when he, Voltaire, tells me that he didn't want me at the show originally because he thought I was someone else. That someone being a "psycho, crazy guy" who was at his last show in Seattle. Lucky for me , he realized that I wasn't that guy and in I went.
Random detail: Before the show started, the bar side was playing Joy Division and the club side was playing Ted Nugent. I hung out in the bar, until the club side switched to Slayer.

Topics: The Morning After

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Dylan & the Dead

The Traveling Wilburys' song "Handle With Care" easily ranks among my Top 25 singles of all time. It's pure pop perfection bolstered by George Harrison's supergroup shackup involving Dylan, Petty, and Orbison (and producer/bandmember Jeff Lynne). This one-off band was a great idea, as evidenced by the super cool DVD documentary included in the Wilburys' new deluxe triple disc, The Traveling Wilburys Collection.

But other than the aforementioned track and the rollicking "End of the Line," the two discs devoted exclusively to music reveal the Wilburys to be better in concept than execution. It's fun to see these rock legends having so much fun together while holed up at a friend's house in the Hills for a marathon sleepover recording session. But the end product, unfortunately, mirrors the going-through-the-motions look in Dylan's eyes throughout the documentary. The Wilburys Collection is mostly uninspired, middlebrow pap, as is George Harrison's feathered mullet.

Topics: CD review

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R.I.P. HST

Can you believe Hunter S. Thompson would've been 70 years old today? Jesus. So, if you can, drink some whiskey, fire off a few rounds, snort a couple lines, and above all: "Don't take any guff from these swine."

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Last Night: Luke Temple, Laura Gibson, and the Island of Misfit Toys

The Island of Misfit Toys are at the Whiskey Bar every Tuesday night.

Luke Temple, with Laura Gibson
The Crocodile
Tuesday, July 17
Better Than: An Evening With Gwar
Listen to: A sample of Gibson's set.
Listen to: A sample of Temple's set.

Laura Gibson took the stage with one man on bells and the other on the saw.

Luke Temple crept through a set picking at his nylon-string guitar; sometimes a banjo.

Beautiful? Yes. But it was the quietest show I've ever been to. The shutter on my camera could be heard throughout the entire cavernous Croc. Perfect for a Tuesday night, perhaps, but pairing two delicate singers that make the rustle of a Jolly Rancher wrapper sound as abrasive as a cutting sandpaper was a bit of overkill.

I'm not taking anything away from the songwriting prowess of the two obviously talented individuals, but after the Gibson's set, I'd had my fill of tickled guitar and a room that was quieter than a library.

After the show, I couldn't help but be pulled into the Whiskey Bar, where I heard music that was more than a whisper. Once inside, I saw a band far too big for the crammed corner stage. Full horn section, guitars, mandolin. They call themselves the Island of Misfit Toys, and they hold down a regular Tuesday night gig at the bar. No cover. Their sound was something of a stage band that didn't relegate its horn section to nuance and atmosphere, leaning closer to dance music of the rockabilly variety.

They finished their set with "Sixteen Tons," a song I will always associate with one of my favorite movies, the classic Hanks/Ryan flick Joe Versus the Volcano. Unfortunately, just as I took out my digital recorder, the band took a set break and I was on my way. Next week, I guess.

Playing sax and clarinet, and working a pair of sunglasses and cowboy hat better than I've seen in years was Seattle Jazz Hall of Famer Ronnie Pierce. He also plays Wednesday nights with his own band.

Random Incident: A friend who was at the Luke Temple show sent me an e-mail this morning: "... really enjoyed it, can't say I've been to anything quite like it ... I felt awkward standing there during the LG show, didn't know what to do w/ my hands. In pockets? Crossed? By sides?"

Topics: The Morning After

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Foreign moments in music video history

"Mittran De Ki Beetdi" by Malkit Singh

The Plot: Man meets woman, woman meets man. Both dream about each other fruitlessly. Peppers are eaten.

The Moment of Brilliance: The weird, white tourists in that bus. The people walking and riding their bicycles in breezy pants and flip-flops below.

The YouTube Review: (by sunny g44) i love this song long life to malkit singh tenu ki alrey samjaye mitra tey ki beet de peace

Why you didn't see it on VH1: VH1 (and, by proxy, the American media in general) is run by ethnocentric bastards.

Side notes worth noting: Last December, my trip back from India was delayed for a few days, so Air India put me up in this posh hotel in Mumbai that had cable and A/C. It felt extremely decadent. I fell asleep watching one of India's 10 music video channels (at least—they have a million of everything over there) and woke up in the middle of the night to this very video. I'm almost certain it was filmed entirely in Delhi, where I'd begun my trip; at the end, those small towers looming behind him are the Gates of India. Also: You can't kiss on TV in India (though they have explicit directions on how to hump in tons of their temples), so the sexual tension and contact is relayed through feeding each other fruit. This proves my theory that a) Germans love David Hasselhoff, and b) I should probably just move to India.

Topics: Music Video

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The Great KISS Off, Part Two

The above photo, from www.kissonline.com, is a screen capture is from a recently shot Dunkin Donuts commercial featuring Ace Frehley and Naomi Campbell.

Good to see Ace shredding away for corporate America. You'd think they'd be able to do something to help him not look so damn old. Blame the director, I guess. And before you start off on "How can he be mean to some faceless commercial director that only does it to feed his kids" rant, I'll let you in on a not-so-secret.

The director of these Dunkin' Donuts spots is none other than Zach Braff. So these should be some great moments in TV history.

I just want to hear Ace say, "Time to make the donuts." 

Update: Here's the whole commercial:

Topics: News

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The Nightwatchman Watches Out For Your Wednesday

- Tegan & Sara start a two-night run at the Triple Door. 

- Tech N9ne, Kottonmouth Kings light it up at the Moore.

- Airport Cathedral, Conrad Ford, Half Light play the Sunset Tavern.

- The Nightwatchman (Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave), Ike Reilly bring the music and the message to the Crocodile Cafe. See that stuff in the parenthetical? Of course you do, because you read it and said, "Hey, I know all that. Does this guy think I'm stupid?" No, I don't, but some people haven't heard about Morello's solo project and we are here to inform. For everyone's benefit, here's a video of The Nightwatchman's song "Road I Must Travel."

Topics: Happenings

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Got High Today

 
Oh fuck yeah — I'm listening to an advance of High on Fire's upcoming Death is This Communion (out September 18th) and it completely destroys. It's even better than 2005's Blessed Black Wings, and I didn't think that was possible. The Bay Area metal trio of singer-guitarist Matt Pike, drummer Des Kensel, and bassist Jeff Matz (ex-Zeke) recorded the disc here in Seat