The Stranger

The 35 Best Music Shows in Seattle This Week: July 29-Aug 4, 2019

Elaina Friedman — Mon, 29 Jul 2019 09:55:00 -0700

The Stranger's music critics' picks for the week. by Elaina Friedman

This week, our music critics have picked everything from Broken Social Scene to the Marías to Apple Jam: Off The White Album. Follow the links below for ticket links and music clips for all of their picks, and find even more shows on our complete music calendar. Plus, check out our arts & culture critics' picks for the 48 best things to do this week.

Found something you like and don't want to forget about it later? Click "Save Event" on any of the linked events below to add it to your own private list.

Backstreet Boys, Baylee Littrell
Now that their Vegas residency is over, the well-coiffed, nostalgia-pop-belting blood brothers of the Backstreet Boys will stop in Seattle on their DNA World Tour.

MONDAY-TUESDAY ROCK/POP

Broken Social Scene
Posted up at Neptune for two nights, Toronto’s Broken Social Scene are bringing their orchestral, many-fingered folky indie pop to Seattle. There’s, like, at least a hundred members—not to their detriment. Their soaring, grandiose harmonies benefit from all those warm bodies, who also play in other groups and solo projects including, but not limited to, Metric, Feist, and Stars. It makes for an interesting, healthy, and surprising smoothie of music. Also, for those of you who have never listened to BSS, don’t be thrown by their name—I avoided listening to them for many years because they were a scene band! Really makes you think. Though I can’t vouch for it personally, I’ve heard BSS give an incredible live performance that’s not to be missed, especially if baroque indie pop is your thing. JASMYNE KEIMIG

MONDAY & WEDNESDAY BLUES/COUNTRY/FOLK

Dave Alvin, Christy McWilson, Chris Miller
The title track of folk balladeer Dave Alvin's new album King of California—his first fully acoustic album—tells the story of an aspiring suitor who travels west to seek his fortune in the still-wild Golden State. The former member of roots-rock band the Blasters will come to Seattle with support from Christy McWilson and Chris Miller.

TUESDAY BLUES/COUNTRY/FOLK

Mountain Man
If you close your eyes during a particularly harmonious Mountain Man song, you will almost certainly be transported to the riverbank of your dreams. The Appalachian-tinged folk-pop trio is comprised of Molly Erin Sarle, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, and Sylvan Esso's Amelia Meath.

HIP-HOP/RAP

Devin the Dude, G.A.S.
I once read a piece about Devin the Dude, aka Devin Copeland, called “Your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper,” and it opens, “Devin the Dude is probably the greatest hip-hop artist you’ve never heard.” It was written in 2000, and in some ways, it still rings true. In this case, you probably don’t think you know him, but you’ve damn sure heard him. See: Dr. Dre’s “Fuck You,” De La Soul’s “Baby Phat,” Devin the Dude’s own “What a Job,” which feels like an Outkast knockoff and actually features Andre 3000 along with Snoop Dogg. Devin has a healthy funkadelic swag to his productions, lyrics that often dwell on his favorite pastime (smoking weed), and a spacey soulful flow. He hits Seattle behind 10th LP Still Rollin' Up: Somethin’ to Ride With. Opening is G.A.S., the project of Grynch, Jesús Spades, and Stefo. LEILANI POLK

ROCK/POP

The Psychedelic Furs, James, Dear Boy
New-wave act the Psychedelic Furs exist in the same hazed, romantic dreamworld as 1980s contemporaries the Church or Echo & the Bunnymen. Also like those acts, the Furs have toured the past few years to the delight of fans not fortunate (or old) enough to have experienced their heyday. Best known for hits like “Pretty in Pink,” “Heartbreak Beat,” and “Love My Way,” the UK band is armed with exquisitely surreal lyrics, swirling, jangly guitars, soaring sax flourishes, and riffs that situate themselves firmly in your memory. Eccentric gem Robyn Hitchcock made his name with the Soft Boys’ delightfully off-kilter neo-psych in the 1970s and ’80s, helping to pave the way for the Paisley Underground movement and psych influence of early-’80s college rock. His extensive solo material and work with his band the Egyptians should also spark the interest of those intrigued by lyrics crafted with poetic whimsy paired with smart pop melodies. BRITTNIE FULLER

TUESDAY & FRIDAY-SATURDAY METAL/PUNK

Pain in the Grass 2019
KISW's Pain in the Grass will take over Auburn for three days of rock and punk warfare thanks to massive headliners like Slipknot, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, and Disturbed.

WEDNESDAY ROCK/POP

Mayday Parade, State Champs, Mom Jeans., Just Friends
Florida quintet and standard-bearers for the pop-rock genre Mayday Parade are back in Seattle and riding the wave of their fifth studio release Black Lines. They'll be joined by State Champs, Mom Jeans., and Just Friends.

Stef Chura, French Vanilla, Zach Burba
Detroit alt rocker Stef Chura has been earning high praise since dropping her 2017 debut, Messes—from Rolling Stone (“15 Great Albums You Probably Didn’t Hear in 2017”) to Pitchfork (“Messes showcases her way with setting a twilit mood and her magnetic, mutable voice”). Her just-released sophomore follow-up (and debut outing on Saddle Creek Records), Midnight, seems to have critics on board, too. And it’s no wonder: Chura has one of those rasp-timbred voices that is at once fierce and compelling, and capable of issuing a full-throated scream without piercing the ears. Her music is pretty tight, too—rock that has a vague DIY indie quality. LEILANI POLK

THURSDAY BLUES/COUNTRY/FOLK

Keller Williams
There is a powerful moment in the movie To Sleep with Anger. It happens when Danny Glover, who is the bad guy, says something like: "I like my blues simple—just a man and his guitar." This is the kind of thing (or simplicity, or honesty) that Virginian Keller Williams strives for: a man and his guitar. Though he has made music with groups (like the Keels and the String Cheese Incident), a good part of his reputation rests on his solo performances of funk, bluegrass, and rock. CHARLES MUDEDE

FUNK/REGGAE

Toots and the Maytals, The Gladiators with Droop Lion
Toots and the Maytals have been around for a long time. Formed in the early 1960s, the Maytals were one of the most renown ska and rocksteady vocal groups to come out of Jamaica, dropping such biggie reggae hits as the storm-is-coming-for-you “Pressure Drop” (you might’ve heard the Clash version), tender wedding ode “Sweet and Dandy,” and “54-46 (That's My Number)," about the stint frontman Toots Hibbert spent in prison (the Clash’s “Jail Guitar Doors” has a shout out about it—they were big Maytals fans). Hibbert continues to produce new recordings minus his two old Maytals vocal-mates (Henry "Raleigh" Gordon and Nathaniel "Jerry" Matthias), although much of what comes lately is new renditions of old material or covers amid the few new tracks. Still, he’s pure musical joy materialized in short beaming Jamaican man form, his vocals are soulful and lightly raspy and warm like your favorite snuggly sweater, and his legacy speaks for itself. Plus, he turns 77 this year, so who knows how much longer he’ll be touring? In sum, get the hell out to this show. LEILANI POLK

ROCK/POP

The Beths, Girl Friday, Ariel View
New Zealand band the Beths manage to capture all the great things about pop punk and none of the bad. The yearning! The angst! (“I will go out tonight / I’m gonna drink the whole town dry / Put poison in my wine / And hope that you’re the one who dies.”) The power chords! The frenetic drumming! The fuzziness and how every song just sounds hot to the touch! Their 2018 record Future Me Hates Me was a riot, and I expect nothing less than the band burning the whole venue down (metaphorically!). JASMYNE KEIMIG

JJUUJJUU, WEEED
These bands are brash enough to brand themselves in all caps, which can backfire, as it raises expectations. But they mostly acquit themselves well within the parameters of modern psych-rock. Los Angeles’ JJUUJJUU are the more song-oriented group of the two on this bill, but they can get as hazy and trippy as a smog-clogged L.A. sunset when they want to. Check out 2018’s Zionic Mud for proof. WEEED—who apparently have moved from Bainbridge Island to Portland—have a name that’s murder to google, but their music makes you think more about the search for ultimate enlightenment than search engines. Their ability to jam at marathon lengths and keep you engrossed attests to their labyrinthine creativity. DAVE SEGAL

The Marías, Moon King
Imagine the feeling of slipping naked into silk sheets after a warm shower. Or being the perfect amount of stoned in a room bathed in red light. Or leaning against a cool marble wall. This is more or less what L.A.-based band the Marías sound like. Their music is equal parts lounge, soul, and smooth jazz, with a dash of psychedelia and huge helping of sex appeal. If that sounds corny, it really isn’t! “Cariño” serves up bilingual declarations of love over horns and their cover of “…Baby One More Time” is a fresh velvety take on a classic pop song. Composed of María on vocals and Josh Conway on drums, the duo conjures up a mood that’ll leave you feeling titillated. They’ll be joined by upbeat, fun, disco synth-pop act Moon King. JASMYNE KEIMIG

Summer Sounds: Hoop, Drench Fries
When I first saw Hoop, all that kept running through my head was a constant stream of "Wow, I love this band." Caitlin Roberts, Leena Joshi, and Pamela Santiago trade off singing on the dreamiest friendship-bracelet pop songs, full of tender harmonies and magical guitar lines and introspective lyrics that tug gently on my most sensitive heartstrings. ROBIN EDWARDS

THURSDAY-SATURDAY

Summer Meltdown 2019
Nestled in the mountains of central Washington, Summer Meltdown aims to provide a weekend of high-energy live music performances in a lush woodland setting. Headliners will include Tipper, Umphrey's McGee, Gramatik, and Nahko and Medicine for the People, and there will also be "adventures" like rafting, helicopter rides, and kayaking.

FRIDAY BLUES/COUNTRY/FOLK

Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Lucius
I was surprised as anyone else to hear Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats’ “S.O.B.” on mainstream radio. Well, anyone else who listens to mainstream radio and is also familiar with the generally boring, hackneyed, predictable, and/or vanilla shit you find on there. Rateliff hums, sings, and bellows in a beardy, booming tenor, like he could be taking it to church, minus all the religion but plus all the powerful gospel feels. It’s not gospel, though there are shades of it amid the full-bodied mix of vintage and neo soul, rock, Americana, and blues. Rateliff and co. are in town behind their sophomore studio LP, Tearing at the Seams. LEILANI POLK

FUNK/REGGAE

Ibibio Sound Machine
Nigerian singer Eno Williams fronts Ibibio Sound Machine, a London band that blends West African funk and disco with post-punk and electronica. The Guardian praises Williams for maintaining her own vocal character while "shape-[shifting] between conventional power-diva, sultry R&B singer, the feral frontwoman of a post-punk girl band and pidgin English-speaking yarn-spinner" on the band's latest album, Doko Mien.

JAZZ

50th! Great Records of 1969 - Miles Davis’ 'In A Silent Way'
One of the best things about the Royal Room is its dedication to spotlighting music of world-historical import. This tribute to Miles Davis’s fusion classic, In a Silent Way, is deep in RR owner and supremely versatile keyboardist Wayne Horvitz’s wheelhouse. While Miles’s sly trumpet motifs are obviously integral to the sublimely chill jazz moves here, In a Silent Way is a keyboardist’s paradise, with Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, and Chick Corea flaunting crystalline ambience, rococo ostinatos, aquatic swells, and the suave main theme from “It’s About That Time” on electric piano. There’s much room to improvise here, and Horvitz and his excellent cohorts will surely do this masterpiece justice. DAVE SEGAL

ROCK/POP

CATM 1: Wolf Parade, DUMB, Jock Tears
KEXP's Concerts at the Mural will kick off with a night of indie-rock from Montreal art-rock powerhouse Wolf Parade and Vancouver punk-rockers DUMB and jock tears.

General Mojo's, Glasys, Kate Olson
If you like your psych-pop equipped with fuzzy guitar, drippy (and trippy) synths, and vocal harmonies, local five-piece General Mojo's won't disappoint. They'll be welcomed with opening sets by Portland electronic artist Glasys and local saxophonist Kate Olson.

Mdou Moctar
Coming from a small village in a remote region of the Azawagh desert in Niger, Mdou Moctar and his band have become a huge hit across the globe. Playing left-hand electric guitar and combining the traditional polyrhythms of takamba and modern adaptations of Tuareg guitar music with lyrics sung in the style of old nomadic poems, Mdou Moctar sounds original and fresh. He at once captures the sound of wide-open sand-blown spaces and also makes me want to thrash around in my Vans. JASMYNE KEIMIG

FRIDAY-SUNDAY BLUES/COUNTRY/FOLK

Watershed Festival 2019
Watershed Country Music Festival will return to the Gorge for a wild weekend of twangin' goodness. Put on your "Shedder gear" (trucker hats?) and get ready for three whole days of down-home studs. This year's headliners include Jason Aldean, Maren Morris, Zac Brown Band, Miranda Lambert, the Pistol Annies, Kane Brown, Midland, Brothers Osborne, and many more.

VARIOUS

Pickathon 2019
Popular bluegrass-and-more festival Pickathon will return to Pendarvis Farm for some rootin'-tootin' and new-boot-scootin' and whatever else qualifies as country fun. Despite staying true to its bleedin' bluegrass heart for over 20 years, Pickathon has expanded its reach in recent iterations to include popular artists of all genres. This year's lineup is no exception, with key headliners like Phil Lesh, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Khruangbin, Mandolin Orange, Tyler Childers, Lucius, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Fruit Bats, and Mountain Man, and performers like Karma Rivera, Viagra Boys, Ora Cogan, and Reptaliens, among many others, to round out the bill.

SATURDAY DJ

Lusio Dance Garden
Spend the evening dancing in a plant- and light installation-filled beer garden in conjunction with Lusio: A Night to Awaken.

ELECTRONIC

XYLØ, Jane Holiday, ZOLITA
Chase and Paige Duddy, the brother and sister duo behind XYLØ, have been making music together on and off almost their whole lives. It wasn’t until 2014, when Chase was working on a song for a video advertisement, that the XYLØ project started. Chase needed a singer, and with the help of his younger sister Paige, finished the song and released the video, which resulted in utter pandemonium. To please their newfound fans, they released “America,” their eerie alt-pop, Lana Del Rey–esque debut single that critiques the state of the country. XYLØ have stayed political since, releasing “Fool’s Paradise” in response to Trump’s election and a slew of singles this year, all in their distinct corner of dark electronic pop. ANNA KAPLAN

HIP-HOP/RAP

Ayo Dot & The Uppercuts, INVICTVS
High-energy hip-hop fusion group Ayo Dot & the Uppercuts take the vocal power of Ayo and weave it into riff-shredding and bass-heavy throw-downs among the Uppercuts. They'll be joined by Seattle-based rock-hop group INVICTVS.

METAL/PUNK

Streetlight Manifesto
There’s nothing wrong with liking ska. Or is that just what I tell myself to make my enjoyment of third-wave ska less shameful, as I throw on a pair of checkered pants? Skanking out of New Jersey for the past 15 years, Streetlight Manifesto are one of the genre’s heavy hitters, giving life to a scene that’s often considered a passé novelty of the 1990s. Streetlight Manifesto’s last album, 2013’s The Hands That Thieve, broke into the Billboard Top 100, but they have yet to release anything in the last few years, partially due to public conflicts with their record label, Victory Records. KEVIN DIERS

ROCK/POP

Apple Jam: Off The White Album
Apple Jam are possibly the most arcane Beatles tribute band in the world. While most of these Moptop manqués are content to replicate the best-known songs from the Fab Four’s rich catalog (not that there’s anything wrong with that), Apple Jam dig way deeper. For example, their latest album, Off the White Album, finds Apple Jam tackling 11 songs that the Beatles cut when in sessions for 1968’s The Beatles, a fertile time of exploration. Some of the tracks were recorded by other artists (“Goodbye” by Mary Hopkin, “Step Inside Love” by Cilla Black, “Sour Milk Sea” by Jackie Lomax), while some outtakes simply eluded all but the most ardent Beatles fans. Thankfully for them, Apple Jam have the skills to recreate the Beatles’ melodic magic and vocal sonority in order to spotlight the obscure corners of their evergreen output. DAVE SEGAL

Summer Stag Party IV
Power-pop rippers Stag will throw their fourth annual summer party to celebrate the reunion of bluesy noise-makers Claw Hammer in their first show in Seattle since 1997. Plus, enjoy live sets by STAG (natch), Danny Newcomb and the Sugarmakers, Uncle Joe's Big Ol' Driver, Bearaxe, and Intercom, and DJ Kingblind.

SUNDAY BLUES/COUNTRY/FOLK

John Prine, Amanda Shires
Herman Melville once wrote “there is no quality in this world that is not what it is merely by contrast.” You cannot savor warmth without knowing the cold. And you can’t really fathom happiness unless you’ve known the full depth of sadness. Folk legend John Prine appears to understand this principle. His charmingly sweet songs like “In Spite of Ourselves” set you up for heart-rending ballads like “Sam Stone” and “Hello in There.” It can be such a roller coaster that even the lyrically light “Long Monday” seems like a heavy-duty painkiller. You can keep your young sad-sucker minstrels with their endless string of minor chords. I’ll take the old guy whose upbeat demeanor belies a lifetime of genuine heartache. BRIAN COOK

Puget Soundtrack: Postcard from the Badlands presents Naer Vaer
Atmospheric music ensemble Postcard from the Badlands will perform music composed for archival footage curated by the Moving Image Preservation of Puget Sound (MIPoPS) and editing by visual projectionist Torin Kovach and MIPoPS archivist Libby Hopfauf that explores themes of "creation, community, conquest, migration, labor, and play."

ELECTRONIC

Dillon Francis Loves Seattle Especially 'Cause His Brother Lives Here Presents: Hello Seattle, I Love You!
Billboard Dance Club-topping DJ and moombahton (house music and reggae) artist Dillon Francis will put on a dance party on his Hello Seattle, I Love You! Tour. What So Nots, Party Favor, Wax Motif, Nitti Gritti, and Kendoll will provide additional sets.

ROCK/POP

Yacht Rock Revue
For "a trip down memory lane that skips all the bad neighborhoods," the Yacht Rock Revue will play soft-rock hits from the late '70s and early '80s ranging from Hall & Oates to Kenny Loggins—polyester shirts and bellbottom jeans included.

Young the Giant, Fitz & the Tantrums, Alice Merton
Los Angeles-based posi vibe alt rockers Young the Giant will be joined by Fitz & the Tantrums and pop newcomer Alive Merton on this summer tour.

The 36 Best Music Shows in Seattle This Week: June 10-16, 2019

Kim Selling — Sun, 09 Jun 2019 16:00:00 -0700

The Stranger's music critics' picks for the week. by Kim Selling

This week, our music critics have picked everything from Father John Misty to Patty Griffin to Hoop. Follow the links below for ticket links and music clips for all of their picks, and find even more shows on our complete music calendar. Plus, check out our arts' critics' picks for the 50 best things to do this week.

Found something you like and don't want to forget about it later? Click "Save Event" on any of the linked events below to add it to your own private list.

In the Spotlight: Hannah Kendall
Seattle Symphony presents the US premiere of The Spark Catchers, a luminescent number from British (and millennial!!) composer Hannah Kendall. The composition conveys such a strong sense of narrative and action-adventure drama that it could be the soundtrack to a lost scene from Star Wars. The piece, commissioned by the BBC, has been getting good reviews. “Confident,” says Classical Source. "Rhythmically incisive," says the Guardian. Stick around after the show to check out the symphony's new innovative space, and also to talk shop about chamber music with Kendall. RICH SMITH

ROCK/POP

Cowboy Junkies
The first time I ever heard Cowboy Junkies was on a dirty, beer-stained couch at the radio station I used to help run in college. My friend and I were supposed to be studying, but we ended up just lying around listening to music. She put on their cover of Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane,” which seemed to fit every mood I could ever have at 21—melancholy, meditative, cautious, ready to yield to the good things in life. Like the rest of the band’s work. Cowboy Junkies are now celebrating 30 years together as a band. Cheers to that.JASMYNE KEIMIG

The Cult
Punters love the Cult, and they rightly should expect this night to be filled with the Brit band’s rock swaggery. That said, their popularity always surprises me. Back in the 1980s, even with lots of radio play, they were almost immediately dumped into the also-rans file as their pop ascension was stymied by a first single riff in “Love Removal Machine” seemingly copped from the Stones’ “Start Me Up,” and then by the arrival of GnR. That was then, though, ’cause now it’s easy to hear how they evolved from new romantics into heshers who, on balance, are way better than most other ’80s hair bands. MIKE NIPPER

TUESDAY CLASSICAL

In the Spotlight: Bolcom, Jolley, Poteat & Hausmann
Seattle supports a pretty robust scene of local symphonic composers. Seattle Symphony has plucked out a few of the major players—William Bolcom, Jérémy Jolley, Ben Hausmann, and Angelique Poteat—and given them the room for the night. Bolcom's piece is a fun ragtime jam, Poteat's Ripples of Possibilities features meditative and warbly clarinets that break into madness, Hausmann's Sonnet for Eternal Loveliness is just sort of pleasant and at its best occasionally sounds like Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas, and Jolley's (contro-)clessidra I & IV combines electronic instruments with regular ones and basically sounds like it looks. RICH SMITH

ROCK/POP

Connan Mockasin, Molly Lewis
Lovable, experimental, "fake jazz" genius Connan Mockasin writes funny, sweet, psychedelic pop and lounge songs about romantic yearning ("Forever Dolphin Love"), magic ("Faking Jazz Together"), and the real-life encumbrances of modern sexuality ("Charlotte’s Thong"). Both his production style—he recorded his second album Carmel in a Tokyo hotel room—and his subject material speak to a deep internal world, spritzed with humor. Mockasin’s Jassbusters was one of my favorite records of last year, and the Genius page which sought to log the lyrics of "Charlotte’s Thong" is a piece of art. Who among us can say what happened to Charlotte’s thong? SUZETTE SMITH

Father John Misty, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Jade Bird
Father John Misty is a perfectly perfunctory performer. When I saw him at Sub Pop’s 30th Anniversary Party last summer, he hit every note, every dance move, every guitar strum exactly as he should. But it was still hard to connect with him behind those shades. It was like he was performing in his sleep. Well, what do performers owe their audiences, anyway? FJM released the pretty good God’s Favorite Customer last June, which was a decidedly less preachy effort than his third album, 2017’s Pure Comedy. God’s Favorite Customer found FJM just as down, just as out, just as witty, just as self-centered as he’s ever been—like we like him. JASMYNE KEIMIG

NPR Music's Tiny Desk Contest on the Road
Join KEXP and NPR Music staff for live performances by 2019 Tiny Desk Contest winner and Alaskan singer-songwriter Quinn Christopherson (who, endearingly, didn't own his own guitar until after he received the indie honor) and additional guests.

TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY BLUES/COUNTRY/FOLK

Rickie Lee Jones
Rickie Lee Jones sang “Sympathy for the Devil” (prerecorded) as I read how Trump’s (first) travel ban got definitively thumped by the courts: That night, her manifestation of pure evil/ego—toting its crimes in a failing rasp, a boast its only potency—left me reduced to a toothless pile of wrinkles camped out by the shitter in Joe’s Bar & Grill. Madeleine Peyroux gives us a healthy, sensible Billie Holiday—bit of a creak, but sweetness at the bottom in each note. Her “Desperados Under the Eaves” turns melancholy with elegance, a move that angers “alcoholic purists” out there on YouTube—but I say some people fade (alcoholically) with melancholy elegance. Wrong. Horrible. But sometimes people disappear (slowly) into air-conditioner hum. ANDREW HAMLIN

WEDNESDAY BLUES/COUNTRY/FOLK

SOAK., Fenne Lily
Northern Ireland's Bridie Monds-Watson, who plays indie-folk as SOAK., will come through town on the heels of her introspective 14-track sophomore album, Grim Town. She'll be joined by Fenne Lily.

CLASSICAL

Rain City Symphony Spring Concert
In their annual springtime concert, Rain City Symphony will perform orchestral works by Paul Dukas, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Jules Massenet.

EXPERIMENTAL/NOISE

The Art Gray Noizz Quintet, the Tom Price Desert Classic
Any band boasting former members of Lubricated Goat and Live Skull will get my attention. So it’s pleasing to report that the Art Gray Noizz Quintet live up to expectations. The Brooklyn brutes’ recent “A Call to You”/“Won't Say It to My Face” single pummels, whooshes, and oscillates like Hawkwind on a tequila bender. It’s pugilistic rock with gravel-voiced singing that aspires to space, but it’s too busy kicking your ass to achieve stellar liftoff. (Key detail: The drummer's name is Bloody Rich.) And that resultant friction is what makes the music so compelling. DAVE SEGAL

JAZZ

Moveable Mirror: Rudresh Mahanthappa, Eric Revis, Dave King
Rudresh Mahanthappa is an American saxophonist who combines the Carnatic music of his Southern Indian heritage with jazz, funk, hip-hop, and other Western genres. He brings a hybridized vigor to these styles, blowing magniloquent gusts of high-energy virtuosity, his mad fluency reminiscent of Sonny Rollins. So it's not surprising that Mahanthappa and his Moveable Mirror trio with drummer Dave King (the Bad Plus) and bassist Eric Revis will interpret Rollins’s 1958 Blue Note LP, A Night at the Village Vanguard, as well as his own galvanizing and spiritual compositions. Mahanthappa has played with Jack DeJohnette, Vijay Iyer, and Steve Lehman, among others, so you know he's the real deal. This is destined to be one of the best Jazz Alley bookings of 2019. DAVE SEGAL

ROCK/POP

Nick Murphy
Now performing under his given name after years as Chet Faker, Nick Murphy has a new album out. And boy is he ready to tour supporting it. Run Fast Sleep Naked wasn’t as warmly received as the stuff under his now-retired moniker. Chet Faker was a bit more bedroomy. Chet Faker was an Australian dude trying his hand at both soul and electronica. Chet Faker covered “No Diggity.” This new non-Chet era of Murphy’s career often finds him singing over an orchestra with a strange, faux Americana earnestness about him. In any case, go forth and cross your fingers he’ll hit you with some “Birthday Card” at his live performance. JASMYNE KEIMIG

THURSDAY ROCK/POP

Rob Thomas, Abby Anderson
Relive the most earnest moments and deeply alt sounds of the '90s and '00s with slick Matchbox 20 frontman Rob Thomas and opener Abby Anderson on their Chip Tooth tour.

THURSDAY-SUNDAY BLUES/COUNTRY/FOLK

John Mayall Band with Carolyn Wonderland, Greg Rzab and Jay Davenport
I know lots of folks like to deride any and all strictly blues aspects of ROCK. Y'all, I understand, it didn't take long after blues relocated to the city then went hippie for things to turn a little stock-sounding and "bar" band-ish, but John Mayall was an early groundbreaker (pun intended). He is a piece in the puzzle of our rock 'n' roll history. In fact, HUNDREDS (okay, not hundreds, but a handful) of them who’d become rock GODS passed through his group, the Bluesbreakers: Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Mark Almond, and Harvey Mandel! And all the while, Mayall held true to his singular, narrow vision: Play them blues and play 'em RIGHT! Now, he's 84 years old and still going strong! MIKE NIPPER

FRIDAY FUNK/REGGAE

Eldridge Gravy & the Court Supreme, Black Cherry Crush, High Pulp
High Pulp have been building a low-key buzz for a minute—but for no good reason, I hadn't listened to them until this month. My bad. The Seattle 10-piece generate complicated, feel-great instrumentals that should please fans of early Santana, folks into expansive funk and fusion, and jam-band aficionados. High Pulp’s party music inspires communal, celebratory sensations without the sweaty-handed corniness that often accompanies this approach. A couple of listens to their 2018 album Bad Juice will convince you they’re one of the most interesting acts in town. It makes perfect sense that High Pulp are opening for fellow big-band party-starters Eldridge Gravy. DAVE SEGAL

The Heavy
You know the Heavy from their 2006 single “How You Like Me Now?” Even though it only peaked at No. 122 on the Billboard 200, that track was tapped everywhere—commercials (Kia Sorento SUV), films and trailers and closing credits (The Transporter Refueled, Horrible Bosses, The Fighter), video games (Borderlands 2, Forza Horizon 2), TV shows (Community, Suits), TV theme songs (Intentional Talk on MLB Network), and sporting events (it’s Radim Vrbata’s personalized goal song, and it plays whenever he scores during Vancouver Canucks home games). The UK group hasn’t strayed far from making hard-ass-shaking rock heavily dosed with crunchy funk and neo-soul, and they land in town behind their fifth and latest album full of it, Sons. LEILANI POLK

ROCK/POP

Gretchen Grimm, Solitaire, Abbey Blackwell, The Zig Zag Lady
Four women from local bands will go solo: The Zig Zag Lady Sound Experience (Erica Miller of Casual Hex and Big Bite) Gretchen Grimm (of Chastity Belt and Woo Girls), Abbey Blackwell, and Solitaire (Candace Harter of Darto).

Mudhoney, The Fucking Eagles, The Drove
When I think about Mudhoney, I always think about Citizen Dick. Matt Dillon’s fictional band in the 1992 grunge rom-com Singles parodies the Mudhoney hit “Touch Me I’m Sick” with a song called “Touch Me I’m Dick.” There’s a reason Cameron Crowe chose that song to poke fun at: Mudhoney are Sub Pop’s flagship band, and that 1988 single remains a fiery, headbanging classic. And so does the band. While so many groups associated with that six-letter G word have gone the way of Dillon’s long locks, Mudhoney have continued to shred with sinister distortion, Mark Arm’s piercing vocal howl, and plenty of feedback that never diminishes with each new album. Unlike Crowe’s film, Mudhoney aren’t a charmingly dorky time capsule—they’re a band that’s remained effortlessly cool and still totally rocks. ROBIN EDWARDS

Summer Cannibals, Blushh, Dreamdecay
Here's Sean Nelson with an endorsement: "There's no delicate way to say it: Summer Cannibals fucking rule. They play with the punishing urgency of young Superchunk, songs full of power and abandon but also set alight by excellent pop instincts and shrewd songwriting. Their third album, Full of It, has been a mainstay since its 2016 release, and their live shows are exciting in a way rock bands often don't even bother aspiring to anymore. Too bad for those losers." See them after opening sets from Shab Ferdowsi's fuzzy pop project Blushh and local punks Dreamdecay.

W Music Spotlight: La Fonda
Join local indie dream-pop sextet La Fonda for some dreamy jams full of '60s "surf-esque" guitars and swoony synths.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY ELECTRONIC

Paradiso Festival
Paradiso is the PNW's premier festival of WUB-WUB-WUB, colloquially known as brostep, also called EDM, which is short for "electronic dance music" (you're welcome, grandpa). Headliners include Benny Benassi, Alison Wonderland, Kaskade, Elephante, and Skrillex. Trust that glow sticks will be wielded, hearts broken, and vape pens smoked.

SATURDAY BLUES/COUNTRY/FOLK

Patty Griffin
Chances are you've already heard the music of Patty Griffin. Her songs have been recorded by Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Dixie Chicks, even Bette Midler. But you haven't really, truly experienced Griffin until you hear her perform her own stellar originals. And her fifth album, Children Running Through, is a perfect place to start, showcasing a voice as strong and versatile as her compositional chops. Griffin waxes jazzy on the opening "You'll Remember," lets loose with a fiery blues/gospel number on "Up the Mountain (MLK Song)"—which no less a personage, the King of Rock 'n' Soul Solomon Burke, recently cut, too—and whips through the kiss-off ditty "Getting Ready" with hell-raising fervor. She's every bit as gifted as any of her A-list patrons, and deserves just as much public recognition. KURT B. REIGHLEY

Massive Monkees Day
Massive Monkees Day is a true Seattle institution that is both entertaining and drenched in positivity. The focal point of this breakdancing holiday arranged by Seattle’s legendary B-boy/B-girl crew Massive Monkees is the Pro Breaking Tour–sanctioned battle royale, which this year has moved to the Showbox. The world-class dancers (who will be traveling from all over North America, Asia, and Europe to compete) and the DJs who accompany them create an impressive musical/athletic spectacle, and the familial vibe that has helped to keep the breaking community intact runs strong throughout. TODD HAMM

JAZZ

Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra—Ray Charles: I Can't Stop Lovin' You
Witness the massive legacy of Ray Charles with this performance by the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra of Charles classics and rare big band scores played on the road by the Ray Charles Orchestra.

METAL/PUNK

Yungblud, Saint PHNX
If I were walking down the street in 2007 and someone was blasting Yungblud’s “Loner” out of their car, I wouldn’t have batted an eye. The artist otherwise known as Dominic Harrison sounds so ska-meets-suburban-brat-from-the-UK that he almost transcends time. And before you ask, yes, Yungblud does love Arctic Monkeys. Despite the rather exhausting image he puts out, Yungblud fancies himself a socially conscious singer. A cut off his latest studio album, 21st Century, called “Machine Gun (F**k the NRA)” is a comment on his feelings about gun culture in the US. He swings mainstream pop as well, appearing on “11 Minutes” alongside trashy pop mainstay Halsey and Travis Barker (?). Yungblud is supported by Glaswegian fraternal pop duo Saint PHNX. JASMYNE KEIMIG

ROCK/POP

The Middle Ages, Seablite, Neutrals
While my “editorial focus” IS on tonight’s kick-ass bill, I gotta holler: If you ain’t been down to Southgate Roller Rink yet, turn up early and get an hour of skating in. Cool? Okay, I can't simplify headliner Seablite's SOUND by calling them anything obvious, ’cause they play a kind of melodic, thickly atmospheric sweetness framed by delicate paisley-pop nods and sideswiped by a slight shoegaze fixation. Um, they’re just cool—so, kids, dose accordingly. Also kicking up dust tonight will be local punks Middle Ages and, from Oakland, Neutrals, a smart UK-style punk group. MIKE NIPPER

SUNDAY BLUES/COUNTRY/FOLK

Indigo Girls, Sera Cahoone
Amy Ray and Emily Saliers are still Indigo Girls (the band's approaching 34!) and still folk-rockin'. They'll perform on the bucolic north meadow of the Woodland Park Zoo as a part of the annual summer concert series, ZooTunes.

CLASSICAL

Kishi Bashi, Takenobu
The fourth and latest album from Kaoru Ishibashi (professionally known as Kishi Bashi) is bright, poignant, heartfelt, and infused with a sense of hope, even during its more melancholy moments. From the breezy, acoustic-guitar-picked opening of "Penny Rabbit and Summer Bear" with its Harry Nilsson "Everybody's Talkin'" feel, to the sweeping symphonics and forlorn beauty of "Summer of '42," to the twangy fiddle-rousing banjo-plucked closer "Annie, Heart Thief of the Sea," Omoiyari is a stunner that remains uplifting despite its bleak inspiration: the WWII internment of Japanese Americans. Omoiyari is a bit of a departure from Kishi Bashi's previous efforts, folkier while conversely more finely composed and orchestrated. Instead of mostly producing the entire album himself, the Berklee-trained musician (who sings and plays violin primarily, but also guitar and keys) brought on a band (including frequent collaborator Tall Tall Trees on bass and banjo) and some chamber players to back him up. It's also more political, though the parallels between what happened then versus what's happening now are examined more deeply and thoroughly in accompanying documentary Omoiyari: A Songfilm by Kishi Bashi, due out sometime next year. LEILANI POLK

Steve Hackman's Harder, Better, Faster, Stravinsky
Composer and producer Steve Hackman will lay out the full spectrum of Stravinsky to Kanye in this pop-classical mash-up concert that matches composers with chart-toppers.

Mama's Thirsty: A Queer Lady Hangout Pride Edition!
For this installment of a series highlighting womxn- and queer-fronted music acts in Seattle, hosted by Caela Bailey as always, enjoy a live set by Guayaba with burlesque by "2018 Queen of Oregon" Nox Falls, lap dances by "the gorgeous Kiki and friends," and DJ sets by PepTalk.

JAZZ

ROCK/POP

Duff McKagan, Shooter Jennings
Ex-Guns N' Roses bassist and beloved PNW resident Duff McKagan will hit the stage with his backing band alongside a support set by Shooter Jennings.

Hoop, Fell Runner, Baby Jessica
Former Stranger contributor Robin Edwards wrote: "When I first saw Hoop, all that kept running through my head was a constant stream of 'Wow, I love this band.' Caitlin Roberts, Leena Joshi, and Pamela Santiago trade off singing on the dreamiest friendship-bracelet pop songs, full of tender harmonies and magical guitar lines and introspective lyrics that tug gently on my most sensitive heartstrings." Tonight, they'll perform with LA-based experimental rockers Fell Runner and local rock trio Baby Jessica.

SOUL/R&B

Stephanie Anne Johnson & The Highdogs, The Junebugs
Tacoma-bred R&B/soul artist Stephanie Anne Johnson (who was featured on the 2013 season of The Voice) will be backed by her band and welcomed with an opening set from down-tempo indie rockers Junebugs.

I Thought We Had Plans

Robin Edwards — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 04:00:00 -0700

I Thought We Had Plans—Why Is There So Much Emotional Graffiti in Seattle Right Now? by Robin Edwards

Before I moved to Seattle, graffiti rarely shocked me. I've seen enough music-venue greenrooms plastered with drawings of dicks that they may as well be doodles of daisies or hearts. The phalluses barely even register anymore. A tag like "Shitbarf" has the same effect as seeing a rat on the sidewalk. Yeah, it's pretty gross, but it doesn't surprise me.

What startles me now is not vulgarity, but emotional vulnerability. And since I moved here from Denver, Colorado, last summer, I've been disarmed by the trend of sensitive graffiti in the way I'm shocked when a sad song comes on in the grocery store and unexpectedly makes me feel real feelings in a public space. Seeing "I'm fine, it's fine" scrawled in neat cursive in the Linda's bathroom evokes a tragic feeling that's completely familiar—all the times I've said I was fine when I wasn't, all the times someone has said those words and I chose to take them at face value even though I knew they weren't true. The best emotional graffiti tags feel like something I've felt, a universal secret truth that anyone could have written. In the absence of a known author, the voice becomes my own, or my friends'. It's nice to know you're not the only one bummed out in a bar bathroom stall.

These evocative graffiti tags seem to be everywhere now, and their frankness comes as a relief amid the illegible and mundane process of Seattle's constant growth. I like a tag that inspires self-awareness or aggressively confronts something uncomfortable, like the sex-positive "COOL SLUT" tag that sometimes comes written with quotes like "I fucked yr ex-boyfriend but I feel bad & want to talk about it," or the angry-faced "BAD DAD" with a word bubble demanding, "Which one of you little assholes ate all my goddamn mac n' cheese?" or the cartoon skull and crossbones that reads "R.I.P. YOU, EVENTUALLY :("

When I see the "Call Your Mom" tag in the Redwood (next to an equally nagging "Check Your Voice Mail"), I feel guilty. When did I last call my mom? Oh no, I think I forgot to respond to the last text she sent me. It's probably too late to call now? I make a note to call tomorrow. And who wrote it? Is the tagger some empty-nest mother frequenting Capitol Hill bars and reminding children to phone their parents?

But the tag that consistently cuts straight to my heart is "I Thought We Had Plans," which is accompanied by a simple smiley face crying a single tear. There's a whole story contained in that phrase—it makes me empathetic for the tagger and conjures up all the times I could've written those words, trying to stay upbeat but feeling upset about a bailed-on hangout. Since when do I feel so much empathy looking at graffiti?

Maybe it's gloomy weather, or increasing economic disparity, or a growing desperation among vulnerable people to leave some public record of their vulnerability, but whatever's creating this legion of Sharpie Sylvia Plaths, I find I'm grateful for the unexpected catharsis and forced introspection. And the reminder to call my mom.

Colleen Green on Love, Addiction, and iPhones

Robin Edwards — Wed, 18 Feb 2015 04:00:00 -0800

I Guess This Is Growing Up—Why Colleen Green Doesn't Need a Drummer, or an iPhone, to Be Better Than Sum 41 by Robin Edwards

From the Ramones to the Descendents, punk has a history of glorifying the Peter Pan syndrome. Colleen Green's second Hardly Art full-length runs counter to that time-honored sentiment, proclaiming proudly: I Want to Grow Up. "Being grown up to me means having wisdom and having lived more, and just getting new perspectives and allowing your mind to grow and stop being so self-obsessed," says the songwriter over the phone from her LA home. "I don't think I am grown up yet. Not quite." But she's working on it. While her records in the past have been lo-fi recordings using a drum machine and Green herself playing all the instruments, this record enlists the help of JEFF the Brotherhood's Jake Orrall and Diarrhea Planet's Casey Weissbuch to create a collection of 10 perfectly polished gems that rival the best Damone and Veruca Salt tunes in catchiness. The album is brave in its deeply personal vulnerability, delving into feelings of social anxiety, struggles with addiction, and musings about the impossibility of love—all delivered in Green's dreamy, honeyed vocals and the candor of a late-night heart-to-heart. It's a coming-of-age record that makes you feel like all the best coming-of-age art: Shit is tough, but ultimately you're not alone and everything is going to be okay.

You wrote on Twitter that there aren't any love songs on this album. Was that a conscious decision?

No, actually, that's just kind of what came out. The lyrics that were coming to my mind just never happened to be about love—at least not the hope of love or the want of love. When I wrote the last record, I was in a relationship, and this time I'm not. I was sort of hopeful about love at that point, but still cynical and kind of depressed about it. And now I am still depressed about love, but I also know that it doesn't matter, and that I shouldn't put too much importance on meeting someone because I am confident in what I'm doing, and that should be my thing. But I'm kind of a hopeless romantic. It would be really nice to meet someone and be totally in love and that would be it. But I just don't know if that can happen nowadays with the internet.

In "Deeper Than Love," you ask, "Is love being ruined by technology?" What do you think technology changes about love?

It makes everyone accessible. In the old days, people kind of stayed where they lived, and they met people through work or school or whatever and they were like, "Wow, this person is the best person in the world. She's the most beautiful, or he's the most handsome, and we're in love." It was more romantic. But now you have Tinder, you have Facebook, you have all this shit that's designed to be secretive and designed to make everyone in the world feel accessible to you. So you can just be checking out people all day long. And of course someone you don't know is going to seem more interesting than someone that you do know. It's kind of sad, but that's just the way the world is. I've been wondering if I will ever meet anyone who's not like that. Actually, this guy that I've been kind of seeing, one of the main reasons I liked him—I mean, he's cool and everything, but one of the things I liked about him was that he didn't have an iPhone. Because I don't have an iPhone and everyone has an iPhone, which they're always looking at and doing nothing on. So I was like, nice, we're in this together. And then he fucking got an iPhone!

Did it change your relationship?

Deal breaker! No. But I feel weird about it.

Do you feel anxious about the vulnerability in your lyrics?

Yeah, it's kind of scary. I mostly am scared about my parents listening to it, but they've heard my music in the past and they still love me. Any time I get worried about my lyrics being too weird or too open or too fucked up, I just think about that Sum 41 song that's like, "Motivation, such an aggravation," or that MxPx song that's like, "Responsibility, what's that?/Responsibility, not quite yet." Those are basically the same song to me, so I'll just think, well, at least my lyrics aren't that. And it makes me feel better.

Weed imagery has always been a big part of your aesthetic, and in the song "Things That Are Bad for Me," you sing about struggling to leave behind all kinds of negative habits. Is weed one of the things that is bad for you?

[Laughs] Yeah, that's definitely one of the things that's bad for me. But how I think about my relationship with weed is slightly different now, and it's definitely evolving. Number one, I just think that weed-leaf imagery is really great. Wear it on your shirt. Who gives a fuck? But I definitely feel like I need to stop smoking weed at some point. But it's hard because everybody here smokes, and it's not that bad. It's not good, though, either. I know your body can't get addicted to weed, but I feel like your mind can definitely get addicted to having that routine. But I have a job now and a bit more of a schedule—I think keeping yourself busy is a key to dealing with your addictions. It's an uphill battle. I'm not super prolific, so I'm not the type of person who can just make tons of art or write tons of songs. I have my moments, and that's it. I think that as a creative person, I'll never stop creating, but that doesn't mean that I can't stop creating. You have to get inspired, and I'm just not inspired every day.

The album ends on a really hopeful, empowering note with "Whatever I Want." What inspired that song?

Part of it was inspired by people telling me that I should get a band. I was just on tour with Cassie Ramone, and she plays alone, but she plays with an acoustic guitar, and I'm sure that no one has ever said to her, "You need a drummer." But because I use something to help me keep time and keep a beat, people are like, "Oh my god, she must need a drummer. What is this poor girl doing? Do you want me to drum for you? Do you need a bass player?" And I'm like, dude, if I wanted those things, I would have those things. Why are you trying to tell me that I should change my art?

It was inspired by that kind of thing. A lot of people think that getting married and having babies is just what they're supposed to do. But I don't have to do that. I can do whatever I want. And I've learned that over the past five years because I'm in a totally different place now than I was when I was living in Oakland and getting drunk every night, working a retail job, playing in a band, and not doing much. Now I'm doing a lot of cool stuff that's what I really want to be doing. It's a hopeful song, and it's also a fuck you—I'm not going to take your advice, because I'm smart and I know it. And I'm good and I know it. And I don't care what you say—I'm going to do whatever I want.

The Magical Teen-Bedroom World of the Courtneys

Robin Edwards — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 04:00:00 -0800

The Magical Teen-Bedroom World of the Courtneys by Robin Edwards

The Courtneys create dreamy slumber-party-soundtrack songs, perfect for taking fashion mag personality quizzes, prank-calling the babely delivery boy, or scrapbooking photos of Point Break–era Keanu (to whom they've devoted a song). Though I imagine the Vancouver trio would do all of these things half-jokingly, perhaps as a pre-party to the kind of DIY punk basement show that was the band's norm before landing an opening slot touring with Tegan and Sara. Using Clean-influenced jangle-pop guitar riffs, catchy post-punk bass lines, and giddy gang vocals, the Courtneys manage to sneak sophistication into their magical teen-bedroom world. At times, they delight in the fun of crushed-out pop culture (singing odes to Kiefer Sutherland in The Lost Boys, for example); other times, they get bittersweet and poetic about minimum-wage jobs and social anxiety—all with an effortless, grungey cool that causes their songs to linger in my head for days. I interviewed guitarist Courtney Loove, the only member of the band who is actually named Courtney (Jen Twynn Payne sings and plays drums; Sydney Koke plays bass). She was drawing ducks at her animation-studio day job when I called.

What are some of your favorite cartoons? I really like more adult shows like Adventure Time and Gravity Falls. I watch a lot of classic cartoons. I watch a lot of Daria. It's totally the best.

Which character do you relate to most on Daria? Oh, definitely Jane. I actually went as Jane for Halloween a couple of years ago, and Sydney went as Daria. We were joking about how we kind of identify with those characters, respectively, and then Jen would totally be the little sister—she doesn't watch the show, so she wasn't insulted [laughs]. The personalities totally line up.

You write a lot of songs about pop culture—where does that come from? That just comes from Jen. She is addicted to TV and the internet, so at any given time she's immersed in some TV show, and the songs kind of end up being about that. Sometimes they're about real-life stuff, too.

You're from Canada, so does that mean you're best friends with Nardwuar? We've actually never done an interview with Nardwuar, but we all grew up watching him. Sometimes I see him walking down the street and I wave. Nardwuar's such a legend. Maybe he'll interview us sometime, but I think he just interviews touring bands. Although somebody told me that when Courtney Love was here, he tried to interview her, and he was gonna give her a Courtneys record. But I don't think he managed to get the interview.

There's a really old one where he's interviewing Nirvana, and Courtney is hanging out eating pizza. I've seen that one! It's crazy. He's so young, and they're just so rock-star with their attitude.

Your real name can't possibly be Courtney Loove, right? Where did that come from? Courtney Loove was a Facebook name that I had, and it's kind of funny how your fake Facebook name just becomes your real name. The first few things that were written about us, people took a lot of info from our Facebook pages. I think it's kind of cool, actually. I like having a music pseudonym. It's not actually my real name, I just go by it now. It's funny because my dad's a lawyer, and he keeps telling me that I should change it because I'm gonna get sued. Courtney Love is kind of scary. I love her, obviously, and I was hugely into Live Through This when I was a kid, but I wouldn't want to get in trouble with her [laughs]. But I'm not going to change my name.

What other famous Courtneys are your favorites? I feel like there are not very many. When I was a kid, it was definitely Courtney Love and then Courteney Cox from Friends. And then I went through a bit of a Dandy Warhols phase when I was a teenager, so there's Courtney Taylor-Taylor. We're pretty into Courtney Barnett, that's a contemporary Courtney. We think it would be pretty funny to go on tour with her; we want to send her a shirt. We sell our Courtneys shirts online and we get a lot of shirt orders—I can see the names of the people who order them. A lot of them are just people named Courtney.

Conor Oberst Played a Thoroughly Entertaining Set Last Night (Despite the Catcalls)

Robin Edwards — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 15:12:51 -0700

by Robin Edwards

Josh Bis
Conor Oberst: You no longer need to wear black Converse to see him.

The first time I saw Conor Oberst was in 2005. I was 16. He was playing with his so-many-feelings band Bright Eyes and fellow Saddle Creek Records labelmates the Faint, and I remember getting there hours early, waiting outside the venue, and counting the number of black Converse shoes in the line to get into the show. Black Converse was no longer the agreed-upon uniform for the packed crowd last night at the Showbox, but Oberst delivered a set that was just as impassioned as ever—this time to a crowd of twentysomethings and hip NPR parents, with a few teens mixed in.

Josh Bis
Feelings.

I overheard two teenage girls who knew all the Saddle Creek gossip I once knew by heart. They chatted about which of Conor's ex-girlfriend's brother may or may not be in the band, how "Lua" is not actually a happy song ("It's about doing cocaine!" the young woman shrieked), and how they hoped he'd play "June on the West Coast." Me too, girl.

He didn't play that Letting Off the Happiness gem, but what followed was a set filled with songs from his solo records, as well as a few bones to old Bright Eyes fans. Stirring renditions of "We Are Nowhere and It's Now" and "Bowl of Oranges" blended with newer, less-battered-heart-on-sleeve (but still rich with feelings) tunes to create a thoroughly entertaining set.

Josh Bis
"This one's for Microsoft's tit!"

At one point, he shouted out Ben Gibbard, remembering a 2001 Death Cab for Cutie release show for The Photo Album that he flew out to play at the Showbox. Later, he kicked a monitor off the stage during a political number after saying something about people "sucking on Microsoft's tit." Sometimes-guitarist Jonathan Wilson's solos got unnecessarily wanky, but I forgave it when the band played one of my favorites, "The Calendar Hung Itself." But it felt different to me this time. What I once found an utterly romantic song now seems totally creepy: "Does he cry through broken sentences, God I love you far too much?/Does he lay awake listening to your breath?" Yikes. Oberst dealt with his own creeps at the show, getting catcalled by two young women in the audience who yelled "Have sex with us" multiple times. How rude.

What really strikes me about Oberst is that despite his image as a sad sack who hates the spotlight, he really is a great showman and songwriter. He thrashes around with his guitar, adding in embellishing shouts and changing lyrics as he goes, his eyes rolling back in his head with feeling. He always sings like he means it. It's more than an exercise in nostalgia for me to see him play. His performance holds up, and his new songs are better than ever. I may have grown out of those Converse shoes, but I still haven't grown out of Conor Oberst.

S's Cool Choices Is Perfectly Devastating Pop: Jenn Ghetto on Heartbreak, Blink-182, and Lesbian Rom-Coms

Robin Edwards — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 14:38:00 -0700

by Robin Edwards

Christopher Wilson
Making her fans cry.

It's not uncommon for audience members to cry at S shows. "I always hear that someone had to leave the show because they were crying," says S's Jenn Ghetto. It makes sense. Ghetto (who in a past musical life founded beloved Seattle sadcore band Carissa's Wierd) is a master at crafting perfectly devastating pop songs. Her fourth S full-length, Cool Choices, out September 23 on Hardly Art, is the breakup album of the year. Ghetto's expressive whisper-sing outlines the aftermath of a failed relationship with radical vulnerability in lyrics that use achingly personal details to create universally cathartic songs. At the core of its broken heart, Cool Choices is a pop album. Produced and engineered by Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla, these are sad songs that inspire sing-alongs. From the super-catchy hooks and intricate, melodic electric guitar of "Vampires" to the electronic soaring melodies of "Tell Me" to the heartbreaking piano ballad "Remember Love," Ghetto tenderly walks us through a tried-and-true topic—lost love—in a way that feels genuinely fresh and revelatory. Cool Choices is an instant classic that belongs in the breakup canon.

Keep reading and find out all about S's all-ages show at Sonic Boom tomorrow! »

S's Cool Choices Is Perfectly Devastating Pop

Robin Edwards — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 04:00:00 -0700

S's Cool Choices Is Perfectly Devastating Pop by Robin Edwards

What was the first song that you wrote for Cool Choices?

I wrote "Vampires" first, but it was before I really realized the record I was writing. After writing that song, I was involved in this crazy breakup. I started writing "Losers" right after that and was like, this is gonna be a breakup record.

What's your favorite breakup record to listen to?

I tend to pick probably the more angry breakup records than the sad ones. I don't know if this is a breakup record, but Icky Mettle by Archers of Loaf really speaks to me. I can't seem to get enough Nine Inch Nails. Miley Cyrus, that's a more recent one. My Pandora radio stations look like Katy Perry and Kesha and Tegan and Sara. I think there's something about pop music that's crafted so well—I find it really enjoyable. Maybe there's not the most depth in it, but sometimes when I'm going through a really emotional time, I don't want a lot of depth. I just want to listen to Jessie J sing about whatever she wants to sing about. I think listening to so much pop when I was writing this record really influenced me, and Chris Walla just has a pop touch. But still, when the record was done, I was really surprised about how poppy it was. Because it still feels really sad to me.

Do you feel more creatively inspired when you're sad? Have you ever written a song about having a good time?

I haven't. Those words just don't seem to come out, unfortunately. Sometimes I wish they did because I would love to be able to write for pop musicians—maybe a dark pop star. I just don't think it's in me. You know, write what you know.

Did you feel better about your breakup after you wrote the album?

Yeah. I mean definitely—if I am able to express something in a song that is totally what I am talking about, and the guitar part is working, I feel better. And then, because I spent so long on the record, I had some sense of closure when I got done. It had been so long. As much as it's a breakup record, it's a record about being able to love someone, losing them, and getting through that situation. And all the stuff you go through to get through. It ends at some point, the pain and struggle. It might take a couple years.

How do you decide if something's too personal to sing about?

Oh, I don't know. I struggled with that on this record. There were definitely a few songs that I was like, do I want to put this on the record? I'm glad that I wrote it, it felt good, but now do I make it public? Not to sound pretentious or anything, but I guess sometimes when you're making art that's sad, you have to be really personal. I wanted to make this record vulnerable, even though it was going to be poppy and loud. Sometimes it feels like an extended version of my journal the year of a breakup. Here's what happens when someone leaves you, and you see them around town, and then you feel like such a terrible person. And then who's that other person they're dating? Is anyone ever gonna date you again? The whole shebang. I don't feel like it's just about one person and one breakup.

You also front an awesome Blink-182 cover band called Silly Goose. Did playing those songs affect the way you wrote this album?

I do. When I was learning all the Blink-182, I was actually realizing that I already had a similar songwriting style—verse, chorus, verse, chorus, interlude, ending. It was being aware of that, and then writing again having played all these super-catchy punk-rock songs that were really short and poppy—somewhere in my brain was this idea of how long a song should be. I think they're brilliant because they write so well from the perspective of a teenager—all the angstiness and the sadness. There's no shame in whining about something, you know? They do it in this really great, anthem-y way.

Stacy Peck from the bands Pony Time and Childbirth told me I should ask you about your favorite lesbian rom-com.

Ooh. I don't think it's been made yet. Let me just state that. I'm working on a sci-fi lesbian time-travel rom-com. But as far as the ones that are out there go, I would say probably the movie D.E.B.S. If you're unfamiliar, it's about some secret-agent lesbian stuff. It's great. It flies under the radar.

Cool Choices doesn't really include a rom-com happy ending. Do you believe in those?

I don't know. Definitely within writing that record I see that my view of rom-coms might have changed [laughs]. Especially when you think you might have a happy ending and then you don't—how destroyed that can make you feel. I think the fact that I'm able to talk about the record and perform it, that's the ending.

I was also told you're a fan of the TV show Friends. Is S influenced at all by Friends?

I wish that it was [laughs]. I wish it was all Friends influenced. I tried to cover the Friends theme song once when I was first leaning piano. I made it really sad.

My Best Friend's Little Sister Still Likes Panic! at the Disco

Robin Edwards — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 04:00:00 -0700

Bumbershoot: A 19-Year-Old on What's Great About Panic! at the Disco by Robin Edwards

Panic! at the Disco's big-break story dates them. Formed by high-school friends in 2004, the dramatic Las Vegas band first caught the attention of Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz when they sent him a track on emo teen-diary website LiveJournal. While I can definitely get down with some "Sugar, We're Goin Down," I've never really gotten the appeal of the Bumbershoot headliner that's still rocking post-MySpace. So I enlisted the help of my favorite Panic! at the Disco fan—my best friend's 19-year-old little sister, Zoë Davies—to help understand the phenomenon.

When did you first hear Panic! at the Disco?

I think I was in seventh grade when I first heard "I Write Sins Not Tragedies," their most famous song. It just felt different than all the stuff that we were hearing on the radio, because it was a mixture of rock and pop. They wore guyliner and their lyrics were really strange. Brendon Urie's voice is really unique, and I don't really want to compare, but it's kind of like Freddie Mercury. It pulls you in. They became famous because of Fall Out Boy, but it was different than what was on the radio then, which was Fall Out Boy and that sort of punk boy-band thing.

Are Panic! at the Disco a boy band?

Sort of. They are a boy band, they just don't want to be called that.

Are they cute? Is that part of the appeal?

I don't actually think they're cute at all [laughs]. But their pull is not because they're attractive, even though they were considered a boy band. I personally think Brendon Urie looks super weird, although he's gotten better. He's gotten an "in" haircut now. But he has that attitude where if you don't like him, he doesn't care. And sometimes that can be cool, but sometimes it's off-putting.

How is it off-putting?

It's just off-putting to come off like you think you're so cool that you don't need your fans. I made the stupid mistake of following him on Instagram and Vine. It was the worst idea I've ever had. I like to follow celebrities, and usually they're pretty boring, but he's just so cocky. Like, he took a video of him getting a tattoo, and he was like, "I don't give a fuck what you think about my tattoo because my body is blah blah blah." And I was like, why are you posting this on the internet then? He did this thing called Positive Hardcore Thursday where he would just scream stuff. It was horrible. Don't follow people on social media. It's a terrible idea.

But it didn't shake your love for the band?

I still am deeply in love with their first album, and one thing I really love about them is that they will play every single hit they've ever had live. He does understand his fan base, in that he knows that he has to play what we want to hear. A lot of times, people come out with a new album and you go to see them live and all they play is their whole new album, and no one can sing along and no one can dance, because they're like, "We haven't heard this!" I just like it when I feel like they want to be there for you, when an artist seems appreciative and they talk to you and interact with the crowd, and Panic! does that.

Is there a specific mood you have to be in to turn on Panic!?

Yes. Two moods. There's like, you're belting it out in your car because you're happy and you want to sing loud and you're hanging out with your friends and you're cruising or whatever. But then also if you're pissed off, you can listen to some of the cheater songs and belt and be angry.

Would you recommend that people go see them at Bumbershoot?

If you don't like their stuff, obviously I wouldn't go. But if you know some of their hits, then I think you should go. They don't really have graphics and it's not ridiculous like Miley Cyrus on a hot dog, but the drums light up and there's fire that shoots out at some point. It's fun because the whole crowd sings. That's my favorite moment in any show, where if there's a song—or in their case, every song they play—and the whole crowd sings, because you feel like you're a part of something.

Is there anything else potential Panic! fans should know?

All I know is, don't follow Brendon Urie on social media.

Atlanta's Badass Punk Trio the Coathangers Bring the Noise to Pizzafest Tomorrow!

Robin Edwards — Thu, 14 Aug 2014 16:02:00 -0700

by Robin Edwards

Ryan Russell
Lving the dream.

There's a moment at the beginning of John Waters's 1990 cult classic film Cry-Baby where Johnny Depp's babely title character is radiating rebellion in full force. Dressed in a leather jacket with his name on the back, sunglasses midway down his nose, he leans up against a black car painted with red flames. As all-American, blond-ponytailed model student Allison walks down the steps of the school, Cry-Baby stares directly at her and lights a match with his teeth. "I'm so tired of being good," she sighs with longing. He puts the lit match into his mouth.

That sigh is how seeing Atlanta's rowdy rock 'n' roll band the Coathangers makes me feel. In matching denim jackets emblazoned with their band name, the ladies of the Coathangers are a hurricane of a band, using primitive howls, gang-style vocals, and manic energy to write gritty, menacing songs on topics like doomed love and Adderall...

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Give the Coathangers Your Weed

Robin Edwards — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 04:00:00 -0700

The Coathangers Bring the Party (and the Matching Jackets) to Pizza Fest by Robin Edwards

The lore of the Coathangers goes that the four original members started the group without any instrumental knowledge as an excuse to play parties, writing hilarious ragers like the scream-along bad-roommate anthem "Don't Touch My Shit." But eight years and four full-length albums later, and that origin story feels like old news, especially since there's nothing amateur about their latest Suicide Squeeze full-length, Suck My Shirt. Tight from an ambitious tour schedule, they rage with a more controlled fire than their first releases, but they have kept the same rambunctious irreverence (yes, the name is an abortion joke) that translates into one of the most fun live shows around. They've also trimmed down to a three-piece—drummer/vocalist Stephanie Luke (aka Rusty Coathanger) thunders on the drums, trading raspy vocal cries with the sing-song yelps and punchy guitar riffs of guitarist/vocalist Julia Kugel (Crook Kid Coathanger) that combine perfectly with the impressive Delta 5–style bass lines and call-back vocals of Meredith Franco (Minnie Coathanger). The result is a wild, party-vibes set with the Coathangers thrashing around, cracking jokes, and amping up the audience—never going through the motions. When I ask Franco what's kept them a band for so long, she simply says: "We love it. We're living our dreams."

Franco says the moment the band realized they could turn what was once just a party pipe dream into something sustainable was when Suicide Squeeze Records founder David Dickenson asked them to put out a 7-inch. "It was when MySpace was still around, and David sent us a message, and we ignored it because we didn't think it was real. We thought it was a joke," Franco recalls, laughing. "So he sent a few more, and we're like, huh, maybe we should call him. I think he had to write us three times or something."

Not taking themselves too seriously is something the band nails consistently, but like Cry-Baby's ability to shed a dreamy lone tear, the Coathangers have a tender side, too. Though Suck My Shirt still has elements of silly humor and cathartic screams (the song "Shut Up" yells the phrase as a chorus), the album follows the trends set by their 2011 Larceny & Old Lace and shows that they've got more than just punk vitriol. Luke's raspy howl on "Derek's Song" remembers Seattle musician Derek Shepherd who passed away in 2012; "Drive," the last song on the album, is a perfect pop snapshot of romantic longing in elegant simplicity: "I'm missing what we never had/And you, you drive away from me," Kugel croons in the heart-wrenching ballad.

But just because they've moved into more serious songwriting territory doesn't mean they can't still crack a good weed joke. For the A.V. Club's cover-song series, Undercover, the group performed a version of the Go-Go's "We Got the Beat" altering the chorus to "Give us your weed/We want your weed/We'll smoke your weed!" Franco says, "We were practicing it one night before sound check, and it just sounded like a cheesy cover, kind of like a karaoke version. So the next day in the van, somebody came up with it as a joke, and we were like, we should do that! Maybe people will start bringing us weed now." And like the eighth-grade delinquents who somehow knew every slang word and were already cigarette-bumming prodigies, if anyone could convince an audience to bring them drugs, it's probably the Coathangers. Says Franco, "It hasn't worked yet, but we'll see." There's your cue, Seattle.

Tonight's Recommended Show: Cherry Glazerr's Teenage Dreaming

Robin Edwards — Mon, 30 Jun 2014 14:03:00 -0700

by Robin Edwards

<a href="http://cherryglazerr.bandcamp.com/album/haxel-princess">Haxel Princess by Cherry Glazerr</a>

(Barboza) Cooing odes to grilled cheese, crushes who share a love for poop jokes, and wishing cats could fly, Cherry Glazerr frontwoman Clementine Creevy creates dreamy pop songs with delightfully bizarre lyrics that feel ripped from Trapper Keepers. And they probably are: Two-thirds of the LA group still aren't old enough to get tattooed without parental approval. Cherry Glazerr's full-length debut, Haxel Princess, is filled with songs for fuzzed-out SoCal days by the pool spent strung out on Haribo candy or sunburned sipping a slushy and trying to bum a ride to the mall. The reverb-drenched guitar crawls creepily around Creevy's versatile voice, which can reach Kate Bush heights as easily as it can drop into a too-cool-for-school bored sing-speak as she points out that "Rob Kardashian's a tool" on "Teenage Girl," which was recently used in a Saint Laurent campaign. Put on your heart-shaped sunglasses and prepare to fuzz out into a shoegaze teenage dream tonight.
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