Young Sportsmen & Megasapien photos

(sorry if you looked previously and got dead images -- I had a file storage problem that I just had pointed out to me and fixed!)

I headed over to West Seattle to the Skylark Cafe, which is a cool little spot that I wish was closer to my house, to catch Dept. of Energy, Megasapien and Young Sportsmen.

Apparantly I had the start time wrong in my head (even though I clarified it in the previous post about the show!), because I arrived promptly at 9:30 to what I assumed was Dept. of Energy setting up their equipment. It turns out they were breaking down their equipment, as they had just finished their set. That sucked! But, I did catch Megasapien and Young Sportsmen. Below are some photos with a few comments.

First up for me was Megasapien. This group features Lian Light of Magneto on guitar and vocals (see next photo). They were densely textured with her voice serving as a nice balance to the pounding.



For some reason, Megasapien reminded me of Pond a couple of times. Not sure why, except for perhaps the hyper drumming and thick texture of the bass. They didn't really sound like Pond otherwise. Here's a photo of the rhythm section. This is my favorite shot of these two, primarily because he's playing with a broken drum stick. :)



Up next was Young Sportsmen. I like these guys a lot, but I always draw blanks when it comes time to talk about them. So, I spent the entire set (in addition to just enjoying the music, of course) trying to figure out good comparisons for them. I'm still pretty well stumped. Perhaps some Superdrag mixed with pieces of The Figgs in their more rock moments.

On the way home after the show, I was listening to Little Steven's Underground Garage (which is on 103.7 "the mountain" on Saturday nights, apparantly!) and they played a Sex Pistols track. That's when it hit me that a lot of the guitar work in Young Sportsmen reminds me of several 1977 UK punk bands with that sort of driving, power chord, Gibson guitar thing.... in a good way.

Random thought: Young Sportsmen did a great cover of Guided By Voices' "motor away."

And, here are some random photos of the rock show.

KEXP/MUSICARES Benefit (9/2)

As if there were not enough choices for Saturday entertainment. This just in from The Turn-ons.

Get your asses down to High Dive in Fremont this Saturday night!

The Turn-ons
Panda & Angel
Boat

Doors @ 9pm - $6

This show is a KEXP benefit for MUSICARES, who continue to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Don't be a dick! Come to the show.

Free Don't Tell Sophie gig on Friday

It looks like it's a free show kind of weekend. Earlier I mentioned the free Dept. of Energy/Young Sportsmen show on Saturday. And now I've learned that Don't Tell Sophie are playing a free show in Tacoma at urbanexchange at 7pm.

Stranger article on Portland/Seattle

There is an interesting article over at The Stranger about Portland being "Seattle's Hottest 'Hood." It presents the opinion that Seattle's rising rents and cost of living have pushed a lot of musicians, who need to rely on part-time income, to move to Portland.

Anyone have thoughts on this?

Thee Emergency video & show

Thee Emergency are playing Bumbershoot this weekend at Skychurch. Here's their "Can You Dig It" video to give you a feel for their sweaty, pulsating live show. We can only hope there will be as many endearingly-can't-dance indierockers in the crowd live as there are in the video. :)

The Lashes "viral video"

This is a couple of months old. But, I stumbled across it again today and thought I'd share. It's a couple of young ladies named Jessica performing/lip synching to The Lashes "A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody."

Live Long Winters mp3

The folks at Paste Magazine have posted an mp3 of John Roderick from The Long Winters performing "Shapes" in a live acoustic setting.

Monday Morning mp3

I had a good response from posting the IPO mp3s over the past few weeks. So, I'm going to change the series formerly called "song of the weekend" to "Monday Morning mp3."
Of course, this brilliant idea came after it was already Tuesday this week. But, really, what's a single day among friends. The alliteration was too good to pass up. :)

This week it's the Department of Energy with I Remember What the Light Felt Like. And, as I just posted, these guys are playing a free show this weekend.

Free rock show Saturday 9/2

Perhaps the best deal in rock-n-roll this weekend will be at the Skylark Cafe over in West Seattle. Because for zero dollars, that's right free, you can see:

Megasapien / Dept of Energy / Young Sportsmen
Skylark Cafe
3803 Delridge Way SW
West Seattle, WA

So you can see two of my favorite local groups (dept of energy & young sportsmen) and one that I don't know a thing about (megasapien) for free.

And now I'm absolutely torn, because at the same time over at The Croc The Riffbrokers and Lions in the Street are playing! I hope someone invents a cloning machine this week, because I need to be at both of these shows!

The Divorce live at Lake Fest

A number of bands played Lake Fest this past weekend. Here's some footage of The Divorce's performance.

Shows for week of 8/28

Here are some cool shows for this week.

Tuesday, August 29
Tim Rogers of You Am I and Tex Perkins of The Cruel Sea at The Crocodile

Wednesday, August 30
Llama, The Fallouts, and The Rheas at The Crocodile

Thursday, August 30
If anyone goes to the Def Leopard/Journey extravaganza at White River, I expect a full report on my desk by 10am on Friday.

Saturday, September 2
Liars Club, Lions in the Street, The Riffbrokers at The Crocodile.

Plus, Bumbershoot is Friday through Sunday. I don't have a clue of everyone who is performing. But, I know the New Pornographers are somewhere in there, as are Mates of State, English Beat, Badly Drawn Boy, and Tribe Called Quest.

IPO Blow By Blow: Fourth Night

My brain is officially toast. Having seen 28 bands over four nights, I can't remember much of anything at all at this point. So, here are my late night musings on tonight's show.

The Phamous Phaces were running late, but landed at the club just in time to treat us to their sound, which I think was like a mix of The Smithereens and Scruffy The Cat. This is their guitarist:


Phamous Phaces

The Glasses' brand of indiepop is endearing and mixed with some space/echo sounds. Their drummer rocks harder than most indiepop drummers. At times they reminded me of Small Factory, and that's a good thing. Here's a photo:


The Glasses

I really enjoyed Easterly's set, and they get the award for "most people on stage during the IPO" (beating even Tiny Volcano featuring Vanilla, and that's two bands playing at once!). Here's a photo of some of them:


Easterly

sea.mine was cool in that they've got some odd things combined into their sound. At times it was like a powerpop bounce mixed with DC bands like Jawbox. Here's a shot:


sea.mine

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to get up for work in a few hours.... ugh.

Self serving blog post

So, in general I avoid using my blog as a means to promote my own band. But, I'm going to temporarily break that rule by letting you know that The Scheme is having our Seattle debut tonight at the International Pop Overthrow. We're on at 9:30pm sharp.

But, we're not the only reason to come out. The Glasses, Terrene, sea.mine, Phamous Phaces and more are on the bill.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled non-conflict-of-interest blogging. :)

Department of Energy tonight (8/27)

Heads up! The good ol' Dept. of Energy are performing tonight at Chop Suey.

IPO Blow By Blow: Third Night

Well, I hit my saturation point on Saturday, because I'm having a hard time remembering each band and what they sounded like. So, instead of commenting on every group, I'm just going to talk about the highlights.

Bands that I enjoyed, but can't quite remember enough to comment fully:
- Girls Say Yes
- The Quags

Bands that felt like a living reinactment of VH1's "Bands Reunited":
- The Windbreakers
- True West

With the latter, I felt bad that more folks were not in the room to witness it. For anyone who was in college in the 1980s, these band names have meaning. I'm sure if there was some way to tap into that group of people via advertising (I'm assuming *most* people in their late 30s and early 40s are exactly spending their days on myspace), the room would've been packed. But, it wasn't, sadly. But, both bands really did a great job and I was happy to have seen it.... even though I was mentally fatigued from seeing 25 bands in three days.

Another unfortunate thing about last night's IPO was I didn't change the batteries in my camera. So, no photos today.

Racetrack, Jon Auer and others today (8/26)

I just got this message from the folks in Racetrack:

We are playing a show later today! We're playing at Lake Fest in Seattle on Lake Union. It is all ages, and all they are asking for is a $5.00 donation.

Also playing are The Divorce, Jon Auer, The Diamond Hand (feat. Shawn Smith), Patrol, and plenty of others. We are playing at 5:30 pm, exact.

Check out their website if you have any more questions: www.lake-fest.com

The bands seem to be running from 12:30pm until 8:30pm, with Racetrack specifically going on at 5:30, followed by Jon Auer at 6:30.

IPO Blow By Blow: Second Night (part 2)

So, continuing on into the second day of the Internationl Pop Overthrow, following Jon Auer was a unique experiment called My Brave Face. For those not familiar with those words, they are a song title of a tune co-written by Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello, and performing co-written songs by this duo is all that My Brave Face does. Interesting concept and well delivered. Here's a shot of them:


"Paul" and "Elvis" in My Brave Face

Gary Reynolds and The Brides of Obscurity then took the stage, and while I enjoyed them while they were playing, I'm sorry to report I can't recall that much in the way of specifics about them. I do know that Gary got some great sounds from a Nord keyboard and that I was tapping my foot a lot during their set. But, the details escape me. I can say they sold the second most merch of any of the bands (behind Jon Auer).

I would like to temporarily rename this page the Kurt Bloch Appreciation Blog, because last night during the Sgt. Major set, he experienced just about every equipment malfunction one could have (guitar strap kept falling off, cables coming unplugged, mic stand dropping in mid song), but the man just radiates joy and is fully commmitted to THE ROCK! The band rocked it out, Mike Musberger is a monster on the drums, and Carmella demands your attention at center stage with her vocals and Katrina and The Waves style dance moves. Here's a shot of them:



Sgt. Major

Closing out the evening was The Tripwires. I'm a fan. They do this cool powerpop with roots and twang, veering into a country feel with loud guitars thing that I love. Especially songs like "I Hear This Music" and "Arm Twister." Great stuff. At the end of their set we were treated to a Tripwires/Sgt. Major conglomeration that was silly and carefree and rocked out. I tried to capture this moment on my digital camera's "movie" setting. But, apparantly the rock overpowered it's ability to capture sound.

Tune in tomorrow, as there are 8 more great bands tonight.

IPO Blow By Blow: Second Night (part 1)

I'm going to have to really comb my memory banks to write this one up. Between seeing 8 great bands and working the merch table all night (which thankfully gave me a decent line of sight for photos!), it's a bit of a blur. So, this write up might seem less coherent and involve more gut response.

Up first was The Capillaries. Gut response: They got ripped off by being so early in the evening, as they were really on and did a great set for those who arrived early. Here's a shot of two of them:


The Capillaries

Next came The Craze, who confused the hell out of me a good way. At various times during their set I thought of Billy Idol, Duran Durhan, Duane Eddy and circa-1980s Rolling Stones. It was unique and interesting and had a good number of folks in the small crowd dancing.

Third on the bill was Tiny Volcano featuring Vanilla. Really two bands smooshed into one, I was a bit disapointed. I just found Tiny Volcano a few months back (actually right when I started the blog), and I loved their piano driven, Jellyfish-esque bounce. I didn't get that from this set. It was solid, but different than my expectation.

Jon Auer took the stage in a solo setting and performed some tunes from his new solo record. The songs were compelling and hushed. Jon's a pro and his voice rang through the room and captivated everyone, who stood pretty much in silence listening. Toward the end of his set, he lightened the mood by playing Big Star's "thirteen." This woke the crowd up (to which Jon replied, "you guys are like shooting fish in a barrel," which was true in this moment). He also did Joe Jackson's "Is She Really Going Out With Him" and a humorous, crack-spoon referencing take on an Eddie Money tune. Here's a picture of Jon in the early goings of the performance.


Jon Auer

On that note, I'm going to split this blog post into two postings, because it's so darn long.

IPO Blow By Blow: First night

I was able to take in 5 of the 9 bands that performed at the first night of the International Pop Overthrow that's going on down at the Croc this weekend. I would've loved to have been able to stay for the remaining four bands.... stupid work. :) But, I digress. Here's my take on the first night.

Opening the night was a last-minute addition to the bill in the form of teenage rockers Blackout. I'm pretty sure the oldest member of the band is 12. According to their myspace page, the main kid started the band about a year ago after seeing School of Rock. If he only started playing guitar a year ago, he's got rediculous talent, because he is really good.

Next up was The Small Change, who I love, and they didn't disappoint. After sitting through about 5 minutes of "Doug is setting up his drums" (while David Bash stood kind of awkwardly on the stage waiting to introduce them), the rocking commenced and it didn't stop for 20 minutes until they ended their set. Even with a stand-in bassist (Heather from the most excellent The Riffbrokers) they didn't skip a beat. Great energy, great songs.

The Cheats were up third, and I wasn't moved greatly by their set. More punk than powerpop, I was hoping it would be a cool shift of energy. Instead I'm sorry to say I found them a bit monotonous. They were rocking and tight. It just didn't move me on this evening. Perhaps I was in the mood for more melody.

And that melody hypothesis was confirmed by Doll Test, who moved me a lot more than I was expecting them to. I had never seen them live, although I was familiar with their recordings. Before they began I said to my friends that I thought I was either going to love them or be completely underwhelmed. It turns out that I loved them. Well done, guys.

After a super-quick stage change, The Young Sportsmen took the stage. Damn, those boys were loud! I'd seen them previously and felt I knew what to expect. And, as expected, they were solid, together and rocking. In truth, I could've used some more dynamics. Their set was quite a bit like someone punched me in the face, but instead of pulling back and letting me see the damage they had inflicted, they left their knuckles pressed up against my nose for 20 minutes.

And, unfortunately, I had to head home before The Sterling Loons, Twink The Wonder Kid, the Lund Bros, and The Snakebites took the stage. Like I said before... stupid work. But, I'll be around for the remaining 24 groups of the weekend. Expect more reports (hopefully with photos) over the weekend.

Also, I'll be working the merch table tonight and tomorrow. So, if you read the blog, please come say hi to me. I'd love to meet you.

Death Cab documentary

There's a Death Cab documentary? Who knew? But, as it turns out, there is, and it's called Drive Well, Sleep Carefully: On the Road with Death Cab for Cutie. It appears to be a performanced based document, "spanning the band's career as well as bonus features including an acoustic performance, interviews, alternate versions, and behind the scenes footage. It is a compelling and candid snap shot of the guys."

I can't for the life of me figure out how to see said documentary, although that information is supposedly contained in this Starz page.

My picks for the IPO

There are 32 (scratch that... I just checked the schedule and they've added an early band tonight. So, it's 33!) great bands playing the four-day International Pop Overthrow, which begins tonight at the Crocodile Cafe at 7:30pm. The whole darn thing is going to rock. But, here are my picks for the weekend.

Thursday, August 24
7:30pm - The Small Change
9:00pm - The Young Sportsmen

Friday, August 25
7:30pm - The Capillaries
8:30pm - Tiny Volcano
11:00pm - The Tripwires

Saturday, August 26
10:00pm - The Windbreakers
11:00pm - True West

Sunday, August 27
8:00pm - Phamous Phaces
8:30pm - The Glasses
11:00pm - Terrene

Day 16: Two mp3s per day for 16 days

Well, we've reached the final day of the Two mp3s Per Day For 16 Days series. Hopefully you've been introduced to some new great bands and are excited to see them live at the International Pop Overthrow, Seattle edition. Closing out the Sunday schedule at the festival are out last two bands:

sea.mine's "Deny"

Terrene's "Fifty One"

Day 15: Two mp3s per day for 16 days

Well, we're coming close to the end of the Two mp3s Per Day For 16 Days series. By now, you all no doubt know that the International Pop Overthrow is starting on Thursday with all these great bands. Today is "full disclosure" day, though, because I will be posting an mp3 of my own band, The Scheme.

The Scheme's "Sidewalk Soundtrack"

Jim Basnight Band with a song with a title I don't know.

Shows for week of 8/21

Here are some shows of intrest for the week of 8/21. The biggie, of course, being the International Pop Overthrow Thursday through Sunday.

Monday, 8/21
The Mountain Goats are doing an Easy Street instore

Tuesday, 8/22
It's a David Lowery kind of night at The Croc with both Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven performing.

Wednesday, 8/23
The Decemberists are at the Woodland Park Zoo

Thursday, 8/24
The International Pop Overthrow begins at The Croc

The Clevers are at the Nectar Lounge

Friday, 8/25
The International Pop Overthrow continues at The Croc

Saturday, 8/26
The International Pop Overthrow continues at The Croc

Sunday, 8/27
The International Pop Overthrow continues at The Croc

Boat performance video

Here's a live performance by Seattle's favorite goofy popsters, Boat. For some reason, Boat's main guy reminds me of Alexi Sayles. They really don't look alike at all. So, it's something about his movements. I keep waiting for him to sing "Doctor Martin's Boots." :)

Song of the weekend (8/19)

This week's song of the weekend comes from some new friends north of the border in Vancouver called Lions In The Street and their song "already gone." They found the blog over the weekend, and I'm glad they did. This track is a rollicking blues rock number in the vein of the Stones. Good stuff.

You can catch them live on Sept. 2 at the Croc.

Day 14: Two mp3s per day for 16 days

Day 14 of the Two mp3s Per Day For 16 Days series takes us to the 8pm hour on Sunday at the International Pop Overthrow (this weekend at the Croc!). Two great bands, who are perhaps a little more in the indiepop vein, in this hour.

The Glasses' "Unglued"

Easterly's "Lover Is Fine"

Note: In some cases in this series, such as with The Glasses above, I must download an mp3 and place it somewhere that is linkable. If bands don't want this to happen, feel free to tell me and I will redirect to a link of your choice or remove completely.

Day 13: Two mp3s Per Day for 16 Days

We've reached the first bands on the Sunday schedule for the Seattle edition of International Pop Overthrow! That means we're in the final stretch -- the festival begins this Thursday (8/24).

Jim McIver's "Sweet Petunia Modern and the Holograms of Düm"

Phamous Phaces' "She Won't Have It"

Ghosts & Liars

I recently posted a few blogs about Some By Sea splitting up. Well, what seems like only moments later there is already some good new "post-Some-By-Sea" music from Chris Du Bray, under the name Ghosts and Liars. Head over to the myspace page and check it out.

Young Fresh Fellows tonight (8/19)

If you're at home reading this, looking for something to do tonight, I recommend heading down to the Croc for a set by the Young Fresh Fellows. Also on the bill are the Paul Lynde Fanclub and The Need Machine (and I will show my ignorance by saying I have no idea who the other two bands are). It's $8 at the door.

Day 12: Two mp3s Per Day for 16 Days

Good day and welcome to Day 12 (anyone get that joke?) of the Two mp3s Per Day for 16 Days series. We've reached the end of the Saturday August 26th schedule for the International Pop Overthrow.

Don Dixon's "Roommate"

True West's "Steps to the Door"

Note: This is True West's first show together in approximately 20 years! Along with The Windbreakers and Don Dixon's set, this night of the IPO represents a real opportunity to dig into some "past generation" powerpop (and I mean that in a respectful manner).

Also note: In some cases in this series, such as with True West above, I must download an mp3 and place is somewhere that is linkable. If bands don't want this to happen, feel free to tell me and I will redirect to a link of your choice or remove completely.

Day 11: Two mp3s per day for 16 days

Random milestone -- this is the 80th post on the Seattle Powerpop Blog.

And it's day 11 of the Two mp3s Per Day for 16 Days series.

Enjoy!

Tim Lee's "Speak Up Girl"

The Windbreakers' "Time Machine"

(the latter will be especially interesting for me, since I grew up in the south in the 1980s and never got to see them back in the day, even though I was a big fan of DB Records releases back then -- Uncle Green, Right As Rain, Guadalcanal Diary, Pylon, etc.)

Day 10: Two mp3s per day for 16 days

We've reached double digits in the Two mp3s Per Day For 16 Days series, and these additions take us about mid-way through the Saturday schedule for the International Pop Overthrow, Seattle edition.

Girls Say Yes' "Don't Call Me"

The Quags' "Cobblestone Groove"

Q&A with David Bash of the IPO

Although I dont mean to turn the Seattle Powerpop Blog into a non-stop promotional machine for the International Pop Overthrow, I thought it would be interesting to throw some questions about the IPO Seattle to main guy David Bash. Here's our email conversation in its entirety.

Seattle Powerpop Blog (SPB): IPO has been happening for almost a decade. What's different now from when you started? Anything better or worse, in your eyes? What's changed?

David Bash (DB): I guess the main thing that's different is that IPO has expanded to several cities since we first started. From 1998-2001 we did the festival exclusively in my home base of Los Angeles, but at a panel conference in 2001 several bands who had been travelling a long way to come to LA for IPO asked that I take the festival on the road. I had thought about doing it for awhile, but wasn't sure we were ready. The bands' enthusiam and reassurance convinced me to take a chance. I'm glad I did!

SPB: What's the experience like moving the event to different cities? How many cities has it been in total?

DB: As of now we're doing IPO in nine citiesl: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Boston, Nashville, Seattle, Vancouver, and Liverpool, UK. The experience has been very positive, and each city has its own scene and vibe, which adds to the variety.

SPB: What do you consider when picking a town to host an IPO?

DB: First and formost, the city has to have a strong local pop scene. I wouldn't have a problem with doing the festival in a city that didn't necessarily have a strong scene, but, like it or not, the reality is the shows must be able to draw a crowd sufficient to ensure that the venues will have us back next year. The only way this would be possible is if there are enough local bands on a bill.

SPB: This is the first year it's been held in Seattle. How did you go about finding the bands for the four nights? How many of them have you seen in person versus hearing recordings?

DB: Many of the bands at IPO Seattle were found on myspace, which has been a godsend! Others were bands with which I had been familiar through hearing their CDs. I haven't seen too many of the bands play, but we've had a few of them at previous IPOs.

SPB: Anything unique about hosting IPO in Seattle?

DB: I'm sure there will be something very unique, but I won't really know until the festival is over. However, it is certainly interesting for me to hold the festival in the city that has been traditionally known as the Mecca of
Grunge. I still get people asking me if there are any good pop bands in Seattle, as they assume that grunge is still happening there! I get similar queries about Nashville, with "country" being substituted in that sentence for "grunge". Stereotypes always die hard, but hopefully IPOs presence in Seattle will help to eradicate this.

SPB: What's your perspective on the state of powerpop in general and in the Northwest specifically?

DB: With the proliferation of home recording devices and various avenues for exposure on the internet, there are more powerpop bands now than there ever have been. Of course, there is good and bad in that: good in that there are more capable bands than at any time in music history, and bad in that there are more incapable bands than at any time in music history! The northwest has a healthy powerpop scene, but nothing will beat the scene in the Chicago area, which has traditionally been home to the best and most prolific power pop.

Day 9: Two mp3s per day for 16 days

Today in the Two mp3s Per Day For 16 Days series we reach the Saturday schedule for the International Pop Overthrow (Aug 24-27 at the Croc). The first two bands that night are:

Crack City Rockers with "I do alright"

Jet City with "Bully"

Day 8: Two mp3s per day for 16 days

We're officially half way through the Two mp3s Per Day For 16 Days series. I hope folks are enjoying it.

Sgt. Major's "Underneath It"

The Tripwires' "I Hear This Music"


The Tripwires

Shows for week of 8/14

Wednesday, 8/16
Daylight Basement at Tower Records (7pm)

Friday, 8/18
Thee Emergency and The Boss Martians at High Dive -- update: Boss Martians are no longer on this bill!

Saturday, 8/19
The Young Fresh Fellows (see photo) at the Crocodile
Harvey Danger and Slender Means at Redhook Brewery (Woodinville)

If I missed something cool, please feel free to add via "comments" below.


- Young Fresh Fellows

Day 7: Two mp3s per day for 16 days

It's monday, which means that it's day number 7 of Two mp3s Per Day For 16 Days -- the series that features the bands from the upcoming Seattle edition of the International Pop Overthrow.

My Brave Face's take on "Playboy To a Man"

Gary Reynolds and the Brides of Obscurity's "Instant Happiness"

NOTE: In some instances, like the one above with My Brave Face, I may have to pull songs off of myspace and put them into a linkable source (in this instance, it's putfile.com). If any of the bands don't want this to happen, let me know and I can redirect to another mp3 of your selection, or remove completely.

Song of the weekend (8/12)

Song of the weekend honors this time around goes to Central Services and their song "Tear Me Down." According to a recent blog post, the song will be track number four on their upcoming album, to be released on Sept. 5.

The record cover that you'll be looking for when you rush out to buy it apparantly looks like this:

Day 6: Two mp3s per day for 16 days

Good day and welcome to Day 6 of Two mp3s Per Day for 16 Days. Today I bring you:

Tiny Volcano's "Loaded Gun"

Jon Auer's "The Perfect Size"

"Blog of the day" props

A totally random surprise came yesterday in the form of the Seattle Powerpop Blog being named "Music Blog of the Day" at blogoftheday.org. Thanks for noticing SPB!

New West Motels live snapshot

I caught the New West Motels set at the Crocodile last night (It was a great set by the fellas, even with a new drummer and a substitute lead guitarist!) and snapped a few photos. I can't say that I've got my new digital camera dialed in yet, because most of the shots sucked. But, I did like this ghostly image of main guy Rob.

Daylight Basement tonight (8/12)

I just realized that Daylight Basement is playing tonight at the High Dive. Go if you have the chance!! It sounds like perhaps one of just a few chances to see them for the remainder of this year.

And if I'm interpreting their blog correctly, perhaps it's one of a few chances left to see "this incarnation" of the band. Not sure exactly what the full implication is there, but sounds perhaps like new members are on the horizon. Anyone got the scoop?

Day 5: Two mp3s per day for 16 days

With today's mp3s, we begin day two of the International Pop Ovethrow. If you show up early on Friday the 25th, you'll get to see two great bands.

The Capillaries' "Moving To Waterloo"

The Craze's "Turn On My Radio"

NOTE: In some instances, like the one above with The Capillaries, I may have to pull songs off of myspace and put them into a linkable source (in this instance, it's putfile.com). If any of the bands don't want this to happen, let me know and I can redirect to another mp3 of your selection, or remove completely.

Some By Sea video

In honor of their last show tonight down in Tacoma (see previous blog post), here is a video of Some By Sea performing at Sonic Boom.

Speaker Speaker/Some By Sea in Tacoma

Tonight is Some By Sea's last gig ever (they played their last Seattle gig a few weeks back). They're at Hell's Kitchen in Tacoma with Speaker Speaker (shown below). Go show 'em some love.

Day 4: Two mp3s per day for 16 days

Today's mp3s bring us to the end of the Friday line up for the International Pop Overthrow (aug 24-27 at the Croc). So, without further ado, let's continue with Two mp3s per day for 16 days.

Lund Bros. "Hide Away Today"

The Snakebites don't have an online mp3 for me to link to (nor are their myspace songs set to allow downloads for me to put it somewhere for a link). So, instead you'll have to visit their myspace page directly.

Day 3: Two mp3s per day for 16 days

Here we are at day three of the mp3s series titled Two mp3s per day for 16 days. Our next two bands are:

The Sterling Loons with "All Aboard"

Twink the Wonder Kid with "Peach Blossom Gal"

Sirens Sister video taping

Screamed, apparantly, from their myspace page:

HELLO LOVELIES. WE ARE SHOOTING A VIDEO FOR OUR SONG "HOLD ON" SUNDAY AUGUST 13TH AT THE CHOP SUEY IN SEATTLE AT 12PM. IT WILL BE A VERY SURREAL AND FUN PERFORMANCE VIDEO. WE WANT EVERYONE TO BRING BUBBLES SO YOU CAN BLOW BUBBLES WHILE YOU ROCK OUT LIKE CRAZY. ALSO ITS IMPORTANT THAT EVERYONE IS GOING TO BE DRESSED TOTALLY OUTRAGEOUSLY.BRING YOUR COSTUMES OR WIERD OUTFITS AND FREAK OUT. WE WOULD LOVE IT IF YOU COULD ALL MAKE IT OUT. ITS ALL AGES SO BRING YOUR FRIENDS AND SPREAD THE WORD. LOVE LOVE LOVE

Day 2: Two mp3s per day for 16 days

It's day two of the cumbersomely titled Two mp3s per day for 16 days series! In this series, you'll get two mp3s per day in the same order in which the bands are performing at the International Pop Overthrow later this month at the Crocodile Cafe.

The Young Sportsmen's Under The Rocks and Stars"

Doll Test's "Gasoline and Banks"

NOTE: In some instances, like the one above with Doll Test, I may have to pull songs off of myspace and put them into a linkable source (in this instance, it's putfile.com). If any of the bands don't want this to happen, let me know and I can redirect to another mp3 of your selection, or remove completely.

Two mp3s per day for 16 days

Maybe this is a random thing to do. But, I realized that we're 16 days from the International Pop Overthrow and there are 32 bands playing the festival. So, without further ado, I present to you the first installment of:

Two mp3s per day for 16 days!

I'm going to do this in the running order of the festival schedule. Thus, we begin with...

1. The Small Change's "Too Busy Lovin' You"

2. The Cheats' "Getting Older"

NOTE: in some instances, like the one above with The Cheats, I may have to pull songs off of myspace and put them into a linkable source (in this instance, it's putfile.com). If any of the bands don't want this to happen, let me know and I can redirect to another mp3 of your selection, or remove completely.

Updated Schedule: International Pop Overthrow

We're only a few weeks away from the first ever Seattle branch of the International Pop Overthrow, and it's shaping up to be a doozy. I reported the schedule a while back, but there have been a few changes. So, here's the latest edition:

Thursday, August 24
7:30 The Small Change
8:00 The Cheats
8:30 Doll Test
9:00 Young Sportsmen
9:30 The Sterling Loons
10:00 Twink The Wonder Kid
10:30 Lund Bros.
11:00 The Snakebites

Friday, August 25
7:30 The Capillaries
8:00 The Craze
8:30 Tiny Volcano featuring Vanilla
9:00 Jon Auer
9:30 My Brave Face
10:00 Gary Reynolds and The Brides Of Obscurity
10:30 Sgt. Major
11:00 The Tripwires

Saturday, August 26
7.30 Crack City Rockers
8:00 Jet City
8:30 Girls Say Yes
9:00 The Quags
9:30 Tim Lee
10:00 The Windbreakers
10:30 Don Dixon
11:00 True West

Sunday, August 27
7:30 Jimm McIver
8:00 Phamous Phaces
8:30 The Glasses
9:00 Easterly
9:30 The Scheme
10:00 Jim Basnight Band
10:30 sea.mine
11:00 Terrene

Shows for week of 8/7

A few interesting shows to recommend this week. What else is going on that I'm missing?

Tuesday the 8th: The Cloves at the Kirkland Marina Park, 7pm

Thursday the 10th: American Treatment, The Boss Martians and The Hot Rollers at the Sunset Tavern.

Saturday the 12th: South Lake Union Block Party has a great line up featuring Ghost Stories, Heather Duby, Mon Frere, Siberian, Fruit Bats.

Saturday the 12th: The Lund Bros and Static Radio at the Central.

Saturday the 12th: New West Motels and the Memphis Radio Kings at the Croc.

Song of the weekend (8/5)

I really liked The Jeunes. So, when they broke up, I was disappointed. But, since former members are now playing with Daylight Basement and Shake Some Action, both of whom also really like, then I suppose in the end the break up wasn't a bad thing (at least for me!).

Shake Some Action is the name under which James Hall (former main guy of The Jeunes) is operating. If you've been keeping up with the Shake Some Action recordings on myspace, then you know it's really good Hoodoo Gurus-influenced stuff. And James is from Australia, so he comes by the influence honestly.

The myspace page was just updated to include a few new tracks, and "Sound of Your Mind" is a strong, poppy track that will no doubt jump out of the pack when the record is released later this year.

The Riffbrokers at The Funhouse

Word just trickled my way that The Riffbrokers are playing an early show at The Funhouse with several other bands. The show begins at 4pm (early show for a school night!) and is $5.

The Riffbrokers's rootsy brand of powerpop would have a tendency to rock my world. Check out the sounds on their myspace page.

The Capillaries @ The High Dive

FYI to all: Last week's profile band here on the Seattle Powerwpop Blog, The Capillaries are playing at the High Dive this Thursday (8/3) with The Plains, Tilted Blue and Analiese.

Video from the Vault - Harvey Danger

Here's Harvey Danger's "Sad Sweetheart of the Rodeo" from 2000. Their new record is being released this week, with the CD release party taking place at Neumo's on Friday, 8/4. Have a quick look back before moving into the future.

Shows for week of 7/31

Monday, 7/29
Kelley Stoltz (fresh off their opening slot with The Raconteurs last week) at the Sunset Tavern

Tuesday, 8/1
Spook the Horse at the Crocodile

Wednesday, 8/2
Mon Frere at El Corazon

Thursday, 8/3
The Glasses at Sunset Tavern

Saturday, 8/5
Three Imaginary Girls presents Tullycraft, Boat, Voxy and The Salteens at Sunset Tavern.

Song of the weekend (7/29)

While I personally spent the majority of my weekend ripping up carpet and prepping our downstairs for new laminate flooring (ask me about my flood!), I did spend a little while online, and during that short stay on the web I refreshed my love for "Dumbed Down" by the New West Motels.

It's a lush, aching song about being so love that you let the other person treat you like dirt and then they dump you anyway. And I'm sure we've all been there at one time or another.

You can catch them live at the Croc on August 12.



On an related note: Why do so many bands set up their myspace pages to not allow you to add their songs to your profile? I had planned on always making the "song of the weekend" be the song that loads on the SPB myspage page. But, the last three have their songs set up to refuse adds. Curious...

KEXP situation is messy

While it ain't powerpop related, specifically. The whole KEXP-fired-DJ situation is just plain messy and worth mentioning.

PDX Pop Now -- getting my head out of the sand

There's such a solid scene in Seattle that it happens sometimes (okay often) that I have little feel for what's happening in other NW cities. But, this weekend marks the third year in a row that the folks down in Portland have had themselves a pop festival, called PDX Pop Now.

The bands are varied and include Stars of Track and Field, Viva Voce, The Upsidedown, The Conductor, Parenthetical Girls, and lot more.

The Raconteurs @ the Moore

I got a call from my friend David yesterday, informing me that he had an extra ticket to see the Raconteurs (see the recent piece in The Stranger) last night at The Moore. So, I took him up on the offer and went down to the big rock show.

We arrived a little more than two-thirds of the way through the opening act's set. Kelley Stolz is the name, and I've got to admit I know zero about them/him (I don't even know if it's a band or a solo person and hired guns). But, he/they have five releases under his/their belt, according to the website. My experience seeing the group perform was much like the first time I saw Jonathan Richman -- like everyone else was in on a private joke. Perhaps it was simply because I arrived late, but the main guy ("Kelley" perhaps) kept doing this thing in between their songs where he would sing in a loungey voice about various things happening in the room. People were laughing like it was a comedy routine. But, I didn't get the joke.

When they played songs, I really enjoyed their sound. The tunes were super short, but creatively arranged and catchy.

Then after a brief pause for set change-over, The Raconteurs took the stage. Now, I have heard their single "Steady As She Goes" a million times over, and I've been exposed to the rest of the record to varying degrees. But, I wasn't prepared for the full-on 1970s arena rock onslaught of their set. I don't want to make a direct comparison here, because that'd be ludicrous, but the bombast of the first few songs make me think of KISS concerts from the 1970s. Sure, there wasn't the circus of blood, 10 inch tongues and firebombs. But, the sound was pure arena rock.

And I don't mean that in a bad way. It's been a long time since my senses were truly "rocked" in that way -- and heck, only five rows of seats were between me and the back wall of the second balcony (where you are essentially looking down onto the top of the band's head). So, good on them for rocking out!

That said, I'm really more of a song guy, and they lost me a few times with the extended guitar jams. I turned to my friend David at one point and said in my best stoner voice, "I think they're going to do Dark Star tonight."

But, they never did (thankfully). They stuck to the rock, and you can tell it's a band that is comfortable with one another on stage. [Sidenote: When did Jack White become a big ol' rock star? I've apparantly been spending too much time in smaller clubs, because it was a little weird to see how the audience responded to him.] Brendan Benson is the perfect pop foil for Jack White's guitar histrionics, and their voices blend well when they're both singing.

After the rote encore of "Steady As She Goes" we hit the door and I was at home, in bed by 11:30pm. And, in the end, that's exactly how I'd want to see The Raconteurs... get in, get out, get home and get to bed early. Maximimized experienced acheived.

IPO gets some press

This just came down the wire (and by "down the wire" I mean my friend Chris emailed me about it...).

A Reuters news piece on the International Pop Overthrow. It's an overview article, but it does mention that the IPO is in Seattle and Vancouver for the first time this year.

I'll be doing a variety of pieces that are IPO related in the near future, since we're only about a month out from the Seattle dates (Aug. 24-27).

Harvey Danger/Long Winters at TIG

There is a fun segment over on Three Imaginary Girls in which John from The Long Winters and Sean from Harvey Danger interview one another.

Both bands have releases out this week.

Some By Sea call it quits

Tacoma indiepoppers Some By Sea are packing it in. Their final Seattle show will be tonight (7/26) at The Paradox (with Say Hi To Your Mom and Dirty on Purpose).

It's a shame they're splitting up, since their recently release on SideCho records is a solid, catchy gathering of tunes. You can get a taste of them on their myspace page.

Early Seattle Powerpop - X-15

Formed in Bellingham in 1979, X-15 would've fit right into the 1970s New York punk rock scene where you could be a Television or a Blondie or a Talking Heads and still fit in. But, they were out here in the Pacific Northwest, where they became one of the areas biggest draws in the early 1980s and were a common opening act for national acts -- Missing Persons, Iggy Pop, and The Clash included.

Songs like "no regard" reflect their energy and warbled vocals while still providing a catchy hook. You can still purchase their music through cdbaby, and although I haven't seen it with my own eyes, there is supposedly an X-15 section at EMP.

Visqueen video - Crush on Radio

Seattle shows for week of 7/24

Holy crap, there are lots of shows in Seattle worth mentioning this week!

Monday, 7/24
The Rentals at Neumos

Tuesday, 7/25
Grant Lee Phillips at the Crocodile
The Low Haunts at the High Dive

Thursday, 7/27
The Raconteurs at the Moore Theater
Tara Jane O'Neil at the Sunset Tavern

Friday, 7/28
Capitol Hill Block Party

Saturday, 7/29
Capitol Hill Block Party
The Buzzcocks at El Corazon

Song of the weekend (7/22)

This past weekend found me repeatedly rockin' out to Once For Kicks and their song "oh hurry." With traces of Ric Ocasek-era Guided By Voices, the tune churns along and drives itself into your memory banks.

I'm not sure why these guys don't rule the city, frankly.

Long Winters releases CD in hell....

... okay so it wasn't in hell. But, it sure was uncomfortably hot!

I started to write a blog post about how the whole night was uncomfortable for me -- the heat, the couple in their 40s making out in front of me for like an hour as if they were 14, the girl who was dancing a little too close to my bar stool without realizing she was giving me a lap dance -- but then I figured I'd be wasting your time.

So, instead, let's talk about the music. The Lake Society opened the show. I've got to admit they confused me a little. I could tell that somewhere in there, there was a straight ahead rock band lurking. But, that straight ahead rock band seemed to be hidden beneath a bevy of odd time signatures and quirky choruses. At one point I thought to myself, this is what it would sound like if the Minutemen were jamming with the J. Geils Band. It was a solid set. But, I'm not sure the two sides fully gelled, and I kept expecting one or the other to take over.

Up next was Tim Seely, which is a band that also happens to be the name of the main guy in the band. And what a delightfully odd mix of instruments and genres at play here! The group is made up of guitar, drums, a multi-instrumentalist on pedal steel, mandolin, and guitar, and a keyboardist who provided most of the bass frequencies on a microkorg -- and I'm pretty sure there were some backing tracks with drum loops, violins and vocals flying around, too. It was like indie rock and alt-country smashed together, and something (although i can't pinpoint exactly what) makes me think they could be big with the "jam band" crowd. But, it was a wholly enjoyable set.

By the time the Long Winters got on stage, fatigue had set in, which is a shame, because I like these guys a lot. Unfortunately, I only made it about 5 songs into their performance before having to flee for cooler climates and fresher oxygen. But, the 5 songs that I was able to experience did not disappoint. It was obviously their night and the had-to-be-capacity crowd roared in approval when they took the stage and, especially, when they played "pushover."

Since this was the Long Winters CD release, they pulled heavily from that track listing (see my previous post for the online sampling of the new record). Run out a buy a copy on Tuesday!

NW powerpop at garageband.com

Portland's Throwback Suburbia just reached number four on the current powerpop chart over at garageband.com. Also cracking the top 20 is Seattle's Regan Lane.

Perhaps most impressive of all, Tacoma's 99 Men is number four on the all time powerpop chart with their song "Big Party." Finally, Portland's Hemmit is also on the all time chart, coming in at number 15 with "what you see is what you get."

Well done and congrats all around, folks.

Smoosh on The Early Show

Let me admit my bias that I am 100% in favor of teenagers starting bands and writing catchy pop tunes. So, that fact that these two early-teens not only do just that but have released recordings and played shows with major bands tickles me to no end.

I'm sure that at least some of the attention Smoosh gets can be attributed to the novelty factor. But, you can't argue with the unadulterated joy they radiate.

CBS's "early show" did a piece on them about a week ago.

Death Cab meets Elvis Costello

I don't know that I've ever uttered the following phrase, but it's true today:

"Damn, I wish I had VH1 Classic."

Why? Well, this evening they're running an Elvis Costello tribute as part of the Decades Rock Live series.

And what's the local connection? Well, Death Cab for Cutie is all over the place! A brief sample clip of their take on "kinder murder" is available online. There is also a clip of them backing Declan himself on "accidents will happen." A few of the Death Cab guys also are in the mix along with Billie Joe of Green Day and Fiona Apple for "what's so funny about peace, love and understanding" and others.

I'll make you a dinner of corn dogs and tater tots if you can get me a copy of this complete event. Anyone got tivo and dv-r?

Mon Frere performance video

In honor of Mon Frere performing last night in my previous hometown of Marietta, Georgia, here's a clip of them rockin' out recently at Chop Suey.

How those guys ended up with a tour stop in Marietta, I'll never know. But, it looks like their next stop is tonight in Mobile, Alabama, then onto Mississippi. Rough tour! Drive safely, avoid dirt roads, and if any toothless locals try to take you into the woods to show you their moonshine stills, don't trust 'em!

I grew up in Tennessee, so it's okay if I mock the South. :)

Early Seattle Powerpop - The Heats

I have recently found myself scouring the web for information on 1970s and 1980s Seattle powerpop. I'd love to hear from anyone out there who has good information on bands of the time.

As a teaser, here is a sample of "I don't like your face" by The Heats (aka "The Heaters") who were a regional powerpop juggernaut during those years. Here's more from them on allmusic.

Also,take a gander at these pictures --
The Heats then... and more recently:
.....

Lillydale at 826 Variety Show (7/22)

Do you ever find yourself saying, "you know I love pop music, but I sure would like to see a pop band play and get to see people juggling or dropped into a dunk tank"? If not, you're still welcome to attend this show. But, if so, the dream you dared to dream is coming true!

Indiepopsters Lillydale will be performing (along with other music acts) at the 826 Variety Show fundraiser. The event is taking place from noon until 5pm on 7/22 at the Phinney Ridge Neighborhood Center, which is located at 65th and Phinney.

Your $6 goes to a good cause. If you haven't heard of 826 Seattle, peruse their website. They do good work.

Half Acre Day write up

Half Acre Day got a nice write up over on the Breakthru Radio site. The article is very complimentary, even saying their song "Sayonara" has the potential to be an international hit. You can hear it on their myspace page.

An interesting assertion in the article is that "there a million bands here [Seattle], 250,000 of which are quite good, and 250,000 others who are masterful self promoters..." What's your take on this?

The Rentals - Neumo's on 7/24

I have to admit I have not paid much attention to The Rentals. I bought their first record back in the 1990s and I thought it was a moderately catchy, if uneven, set of numbers that didn't really stick to my ribs. Of course, there are folks out there who absolutely love them (I'm looking in your direction, Ms. Hydra). So, there must be something going on that I was missing!

Well, if the song "We Have a Technical" on their myspace page is any indication, I need to go give another listen. I think it may be that my ears have changed rather than their sound having changed, since it still sounds like a moderately catchy, analog synth heavy pop tune. But, it seems more enjoyable to me now than it did a decade ago.

See them at Neumos on 7/24 with Ozma, who also have a healthy addiction to analog synths (and were perhaps influenced by Rentals main guy Matt Sharp's old band Weezer). All in all, it promises to be a good night of music.

The Capillaries - unstable, but solid as a rock

Matt Southworth, main man in Seattle powerpoppers The Capillaries, never intended to be a full time musician. Indeed, he was on the path to independent filmmaking in 2000, living in LA and “having a nervous breakdown” when the music bug bit him. But, it was that breakdown that led to him hunkering down in his basement and writing and recording his songs.

And he kept writing, and writing, and writing. After going through an LA version of The Capillaries, Matt moved to Seattle and kept writing. One hundred songs later, The Capillaries are on the verge of releasing “Love Conquers Some,” their second release.

And Seattle has been good to them. Matt notes that, “Seattle has a really strong connection to art in general. Something about being in the corner of the country makes the people more social here, more interested in art. There seems to be a solid audience here for power pop just like there is for hip-hop and roots country and metal.”

And when I say Seattle has been good to “them,” I do mean THEM. Matt points out that there have been 16 members of The Capillaries, if you go back to include the LA lineups. Perhaps that’s not surprising for a band Matt calls literate, with “an unstable side.” Especially live, where they “have a tendency to go off the rails. I think that combination of emotional instability and verbal acuity is interesting,” says Matt.

The Capillaries will be showing up on a number of live dates soon, especially after the record is released. So, head on out to see them. Matt says to tell him that Seattle Powerpop sent you. But, I’m not sure how he plans on using that information. Should I be nervous? I mean, he did declare himself emotionally unstable! :)

Their upcoming calendar, as well as our full email interview with Matt, is up over at The Capillaries myspace page. While you’re there, take a listen to their songs. They're really solid, catchy, rocking, and energetic. The very definition of powerpop!

Cristina Bautista, Patience Please and Fishboy tonight at SS Marie Antoinette

Seattle is just a cool place to be. Where else can a former boat factory host pop bands? Only at the SS Marie Antoinette.

If you head there tonight, you can catch:

Cristina Bautista
Patience Please
Fishboy

The former two are local and Fishboy is from Texas. How appropriate is it for a band called Fishboy to be performing in a boat factory?

Patience Please just released a joyfully shambly indiepop record called "Parallel Plots" and are headed across the country on a tour. So, catch them here while you can.

I don't know much about Cristina Bautista. But, the tunes on her myspace page make me think she could be famous in a year or two. You've got to like a 19-year-old who sites Material Issue, Joe Jackson AND "Boys II Men, ABC, BBD" as influences. :)

Video from the vault... The Posies

This is a live acoustic performance by The Posies of "solar sister" on Mtv's 120 Minutes.

TIG - indieRSS and podcasts

Our friends over at Three Imaginary Girls have been kind enough to include the Seattle Powerpop Blog in their cool new indieRSS. They have this to say about the RSS and their podcasts.

indieRSS
Here's how it works: indieRSS is a webpage that feeds in the latest headlines from the best indie websites and blogs. It's a one-stop shop for the latest news headlines, reviews, gossip, music, and more.

TIG debut podcast!
The debut Three Imaginary Girls podcast is ready for your downloading pleasure! The podcast features ten of the finest tunes the Pacific Northwest has to offer, including tracks from You Say Party! We Say Die!, Kristin Allen-Zito, The Superficials, Thee Emergency, Daylight Basement, Patience Please, Boat, Tullycraft, The Salteens, and Miraflores.

The Long Winters' new disc

Thanks to the folks at Mammoth Press, the new record (titled, "putting the days to bed") by The Long Winters can be heard online. So, tonight as I found myself looking for something to listen to while playing online poker, I fired it up and listened top to bottom.

Gut response: it's a really good record, well produced and inventive.

There is an undercurrent of "rootsy-ness" to the record. But, at the same time, it throws a heapin' helpin' of curved and angled melodies and dropped beats at the listener -- without ever losing the hooks.

"The Sky Is Open" was a stand-out track upon first listen. I'm looking forward to their CD release show Saturday 7/22 at Neumo's, and I'm also looking forward to picking up the disc and giving more rotation time.

Song of the weekend 7/15

I spent some time perusing bands outside of the Seattle area this weekend, and I came across a band from East Vancouver (Canada, that is) called China Syndrome, and they provided me with my "song of the weekend" in a little ditty called "Here Comes That Monday Feeling".

With vocals vaguely reminiscent of Andy Partridge and a classic powerpop guitar bounce, this is the perfect Monday song to kickoff your work week.

Shows for week of 7/16

I'd love to see more Northwest bands adding their shows to the list. Remember you can just hit the "comments" button below to add yours. But, I'd like to point out a few for the week myself.

Tuesday 7/18
Central Services is at Sunset Tavern with Kiss Kiss and Caleb Engstrom.

Wednesday 7/19
Billie Burke Estate is at the Tractor.

Saturday 7/22
The Long Winters have their CD release party at Neumo's with Tim Seely and the Lake Society.


Seeing the Billie Burke Estate won't make you crinkle your face.

A fresh look

If you're a regular reader of the Seattle Powerpop Blog, you probably did a double take as it loaded on your screen. After a few weeks I decided it was time for a new look. This was primarily motivated by finding another powerpop blog that was using the old template. But, I think I like this one more anyway. If y'all think it sucks, feel free to post comments. :)

Capitol Hill Block Party tickets

Just a heads up: Word has it that tickets for the Capitol Hill Block Party are going fast. The schedule includes bands of interest to Seattle Powerpop Blog readers, including Slender Means, The Village Green, The Pale Pacific, Smoosh, Visqueen and The Cops (among many others, of course).

Another video - Daylight Basement

"Godspeed Girl" by Daylight Basement

Video from the vault... pusa

I just stumbled across this video of the TV debut, on Letterman specifically, of the President's of the United States of America. Enjoy!



My favorite random part is toward the end when they flash to Paul Shafer, rocking out on the organ. Ah, such a lovable dork. :)

Shows for week of 7/10

I think I'm going to take a new approach to show promotion here on the blog. I'll still point out a few that are of particular interest. But, I'd post a message each week and allow bands and readers to add shows to the post via comments.

I ask only that you imbed a link to a myspace page or website with sound samples. As always with the blog, I'll be pretty flexible in the definition of "powerpop". But, links to shows from bands that are outside the realm of this blog will be removed.

I'll mention that Ray Davies is performing tonight (7/10) at the Moore Theater. I have to admit I don't know what he's up to these days. But, the songs on his myspace page are mellow but pretty enjoyable.

I'll also note that The Tripwires, who provided my "Song Of The Weekend" (see below) are performing at the Tractor Tavern on 7/14.

Add your own by clicking "comments" below.

Song of the weekend (7/8)

This weekend it was The Tripwires who caught my ear. Their tune "Arm Twister" is equal parts 70s boogie, 60 bounce, and Big Star-esque guitar riffin' to keep me smiling for its duration.

The Riffbrokers on a Buffalo Springfield compilation

Not Lame is releasing "Five Way Street," a compliation tribute to Buffalo Springfield. Seattle's The Riffbrokers are on the comp, and you can hear a sample of their contribution to the record here:

Sit Down, I Think I Love You

Henry Boy video

For your viewing pleasure, here's some Henry Boy footage.

Tullycraft, Racetrack & Parenthetical Girls (7/8)

If you find yourself looking for some pop tomorrow (July 8), head down to the Sunset Tavern to take in:

Tullycraft
Racetrack
Parenthetical Girls


The many faces of Racetrack.

Video from the vault... the Fastbacks

Enjoy a video flashback with The Fastbacks and their tune "waste of time."

Ghost Stories, Human Television and The Lilys

There's a good line up of bands at the Crocodile tonight (7/5). Head that way to check out:

The Lilys
Human Television
Ghost Stories

The Lilys and Human Television are on tour together, and locals Ghost Stories are opening up. All three promise a poppy night of good music.

An unexpected success? The Young Sportsmen profile

The Young Sportsmen get good reviews. Don't believe me? Let's check the stats:

"...truly exceptional..." -- Three Imaginary Girls
"...going to be a highlight of the Seattle music scene in 2006." -- The Stranger
"...a rollicking, energetic pop-rock fiesta..." -- Randomville Magazie

But, such a solid set of reviews was unexpected, at least according to guitarist Ryan Maxwell. "Some music writers can be nasty, especially to pop bands, so I guess the positive reviews were, in themselves, somewhat unexpected."

I think he's just being modest, because if you've had an opportunity to see or hear the Young Sportsmen, you can understand exactly why they're getting such praise. If you haven't had such an opportunity, then stop reading this blog right now and go to their myspace page.

You can hear strains of Cheap Trick, Superdrag, and The Knack -- but all still with a unique voice as a band. The word that comes to mind for me is "classic." In my own mythical world where dudes with guitars writing catchy songs regularly have hit records, these guys would have solid careers. Back in the real world, I like to think that The Young Sportsmen are going to lead a new wave of powerpop out of the Northwest.

Whether or not that happens, Ryan likes what's currently coming from the scene, citing bands like, Ghost Stories, The Riffbrokers and Dept. of Energy as among his favorites. But, he also likes the diversity in Seattle.

"Bands like Siren's Sister, who have a real dramatic, almost theatrical sound can co-exist with Math and Physics Club, who are quiet and soft and subtle. These bands playing very different styles of pop can both do well for themselves. I didn't get that at first, but I think it's a really cool thing and says a lot about the sophistication of Seattle's music scene - both the musicans and their fans."

The fellas are currently recording their full length record at Fastback Studios and are pushing for a spring 2007 release. Until then, catch them around town, including a July 28 date at Sunset Tavern and again in late August at the International Pop Overthrow.

Reality show??

If you're thinking to yourself, "I sure wish there was a way for me to see some bands AND have the possibility to be on television," then you're in luck. Seattle's Mon Frere can provide just such an opportunity. Here's the word from their own mouths:

"of course you want to be on T.V. which is why you should come down to the chop suey wednesday, july 5th. (21+) we will be part of a indie music showcase reality t.v thing. or something like that. its all a bit shady. all i know for sure is that it's a 6 dollar show with us and three other rad seattle bands. worth it? fuck yeah brothers.

also, you're probably more likely to get on t.v if you're doing one of the following.

1) flashing
2) drunken, disorderly dancing
3) fighting
4) flashing
5) violently singing along to every song off a particular album you undoubtedly have and love. yeah. Ours.

yes. we're encouraging it.
rock on our adorable friends.
love, nouela"

According to the Chop Suey calendar, the line up is:

THE INDIE SHOW featuring Raz Rez, Mon Frere, Euphoriette, Magneto

Song of the weekend (July 1)

I wasn't on myspace quite as much during weekend of July 1 due to some long-overdue spring cleaning... Good times.

But, for the few hours I was online on Sunday, I'm going to give "song of the weekend" honors to The Small Change and their track "Too Busy Lovin' You." The tune's got a garage rock stomp driving it's powerpop heart. I've never caught these guys live. But, what comes to mind when listening to this track is rock-n-roll circa 1960s British Invasion. It's a little ragged (in a good way), but tight and focused.

These guys have an August 3 date lined up at the Croc and are in the bill for the International Pop Overthrow later that same month. I won't be deprived any longer.

From one blog to another

If you've not yet had the chance, then head over to read the CMJ blog posted by John Roderick of The Long Winters. It's an interesting read on his time at the Bonnaroo Festival.

While you're cruising around the web, visit their myspace page and listen to the song Pushover. This is from their upcoming release on Barsuk. It's a great song, and I can't wait for the full release (slated for later in July, I think).