-Frames at Pho Bang—they had a fog machine. And they were all dressed in white shirts, and they looked really good.”—Starla, Sick Bees
“Playing with Fatboy Slim and Scanty Sandwich at the Showbox recently was a great experience. The place was totally packed. We just did whatever we wanted, and people dug it. And [the rave] Laygoland was so great I threw one of my favorite records out into the crowd never to be seen again!”—DJ Eva
“It could have been sad. NRBQ, America’s greatest musical resource, performed in February to no fanfare at Charlie Mac’s Casino in SeaTac. In front of 30 or so hard-core fans, a bar-hugging Randy Hanson, and a smattering of confused gamblers, the Q, against all odds, played one of their careening genius-laced “anything goes” sets. And during the a cappella medley of songs by the Mamas & the Papas, some sort of bemused nirvana was achieved.” —Scott McCaughey
“Guided by Voices at the Showbox—drunken indie rock, just how I like it. Robert Pollard is like 50, and he rocks harder than anybody.”—Darrin Wiener a.k.a. Plastiq Phantom
“Seeing Patti Smith on the side stage at the EMP opening. Watching her lead a frenzied crowd of people who looked like Bellevueites in Eddie Bauer chanting ‘Jesus Christ was a nigger’ reaffirmed my faith in the subversive power of rock ‘n’ roll on the masses.”—Ma’chell Duma, Sit & Spin
“Roy Loney at the OK Hotel and the Breakroom were my favorite gigs of the year, hands down. At the OK Hotel, the band was fantastic. Roy’s hair was incredible, and ‘Slow Death’ blew my mind. So I went to the Breakroom a few nights later, which was even better, including a historically short guest appearance by Scott McCaughey. I used to see Loney walking down 24th Street in San Francisco all the time—little did I know that the odd guy with the plastic bag scurrying down the street was rock ‘n’ roll incarnate.”—John Wesley Harding
“My favorite live music moment had to be Terrastock 4 at the Showbox. Rarely have I felt a greater sense of community in the audience, seen a better light projection show, or seen fantastic acts like the Bevis Frond, Moe Tucker, and Damon and Naomi (among many others) all in the same room. It was beautiful!” —Chris Porter, One Reel
“So many good moments: the Gossip, the Briefs, White Stripes, the Go-Betweens. Oh, and Mooney Suzuki in New York.”—Julie Butterfield
“There were almost too many to name but the No Depression anniversary shows at the tractor with Ryan Adams and the Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers were an awfully good time.”—Sean Haskins, the Showbox
“In August, I went with two of the [Murder City] Devils and one of the Briefs to the Up in Smoke show at the Tacoma Dome. We blew out a tire on I-5, got stuck in traffic for an hour, had to park way the hell far away, lost our great seats to the crowd, and couldn’t even buy a beer in the Dome. But none of it mattered once Dre and Snoop came rollin’ onstage. They are the masters of hip-hop and still rule the game. Plus, they came driving out onstage in an actual low rider for the finale. You don’t see that happen every day, that’s for damn sure.”—Kerri Harrop
“My most memorable music experience this year was seeing the joy on my 6-year-old son Barrett’s face while watching the Supersuckers (one of his favorite bands) play a house-rocking all-ages show at Sit & Spin. Too bad Mayor Schell doesn’t understand the beauty in that, the bastard.”—Kyla Fairchild, No Depression
“The EMP Wednesday Night Music and Film Series—Tom Verlaine (singer/guitarist of my all-time favorite band, Television) and Lenny Kaye scored and performed music for six silent films. Funny, beautiful, genius—not quite the Backstreet Boys MTV Diary, but you gotta take it where you can find it.”—Arlie Carstens, Juno
“DJ Mugfrosty with Top Dollar Sam, Mark Love and Mark Love at the Baltic Room. The Vogue (loud and cramped) in a small Berkeley, Calif., house. Sea and Cake at Graceland.”—Josh Warren, FCS North
“My fave of the year is the Murder City Devils opening for Motorhead at the Stadium during Bumbershoot. The death-mask paint, smoke machines, the smashing of all their guitars, and the giant swords finishing off the mics and guitars made for an awesome rock moment. The fact that it was daylight makes it totally hilarious.”—Chad Queirolo, manager, Showbox booking agent
“I think the most memorable moment was actually two at the same show: getting name-checked by Calvin Johnson as he berated Paul Schell and his evil police force during Dub Narcotic’s set; the other was Built to Spill and Calvin joining on stage as the Halo Benders. That’s when I realized I’m one lucky son of bitch.”—Frank Nieto, the Crocodile