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.
Monday, July 31, 2006
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.
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...
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.
Friday, July 28, 2006
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 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.
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.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
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).
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).
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
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.
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.
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.
Monday, July 24, 2006
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.
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.
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
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.
I'm not sure why these guys don't rule the city, frankly.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
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!
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!
Saturday, July 22, 2006
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.
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.
Friday, July 21, 2006
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.
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?
"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. :)
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. :)
Thursday, July 20, 2006
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:
..... 
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)