A mid week show is often a pain to attend after a full day’s work, but last Wednesday, January 28, was the Mad Caddies at the Nectar Lounge and that was not to be missed. After a nearly eight-year absence, the Mad Caddies have performed concerts in the Seattle-Tacoma area three times in the last …
Month: January 2015
Yes, the bandwagon is groaning under the weight of fair-weather fans and long-time Hawks supporters, all clad in their “12” jerseys, caps and T-shirts. I personally am conflicted about wearing a jersey. I have rooted for the Seahawks practically since I moved to Washington state in 1989, but I hate to be a conformist. Can …
If I could choose any stone to have over my grave, my pick would be Thomas Jefferson’s. His is an obelisk, and his epitaph reads as follows: HERE WAS BURIEDTHOMAS JEFFERSONAUTHOR OF THEDECLARATIONOFAMERICAN INDEPENDENCEOF THESTATUTE OF VIRGINIAFORRELIGIOUS FREEDOMAND FATHER OF THEUNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA This is as noteworthy for what it leaves out as well as …
A declaration as old as reggae itself, timely reprised here: “We live in Babylon, going back to Zion…” Revered comedian/actor/singer Eddie Murphy released an awesome new reggae tune, “Oh Jah Jah,” on January 27. The song debuted at #4 on the U.S. Billboard Reggae Digital Song Chart. According to Soundscan, Murphy’s tune charted above genre …
With their second full album due out in February, Public Service Broadcasting have set their sights high on Race for Space. Beginning with the brilliant teaser video and album presale campaign, it’s been a solid promotional effort. With the first single from the album, ‘Gagarin’, they now have an accompanying video that’s something of a …
On the warm spring evening of January 24, I had the utmost pleasure of seeing the legendary Motels starring Martha Davis. The Motels hit the charts in 1982 with songs like “Only the Lonely” and “Suddenly Last Summer,” but although those songs are exquisite, they proved this night that they have more than just two …
[Updated 01/27/2015] San Dunn wrote and directed a series for VH1 called “Metal Evolution.” In the series, he traces various subgenres of metal, e.g., Nu, Black, and Progressive. So Mr. Nunn starts his exploration into prog metal by tracing roots to Yes, Genesis and King Crimson. He then tracks to Rush; specifically, Caress of Steel …
Was interesting to hear in both the movie and the panel discussion afterwards last night in LA, how many “punk legends” got inspired by “prog-rock” in the early 70’s. Great discussion by Jello Biafra about Hawkwind and Keith Morris praising Yes, King Crimson, etc. He wasn’t mentioned but John Lydon also went down that path …
The video above is for “No Sudden Moves,” a track off Dengue Fever’s first new album in four years, The Deepest Lake. The band has numerous Northwest shows coming up. The most important of these is here in Portland at the Doug Fir on 2/11. They will also be appearing at WOW Hall in Eugene …
Freedom Fry is an American/French indie pop duo made up of Bruce Driscoll (from Blondfire) and his wife Marie. “Shaky Ground (Hey Na Na Na),” (above) is their first single of 2015 and they describe it in this way, “At the heart of this song is a crazy delayed percussion loop that we made by …
I don’t know much about this tune, but I like it:
I love this new tune from British combo Desperate Journalist. It’s a postmodern pop tune with a slight Smiths feel, as if Morrissey and Marr were both in the delivery room when “Control” came aborning. This band consists of two girls and two boys who have bonded in the abandoned wilds of North London. Jo …
Saturday night on a warm spring evening in January I made the long pilgrimage out to the boondocks that is Arlington, WA. There I discovered a lovely little club called Mirkwood where I would see my beloved Skablins play. I haven’t seen them in over a year, but also on the bill were It Gets …
Jill’s indoor gardening tip #1 – To protect your large plants from becoming a kitty liter box, take a cheap plastic saucer and cut a slit to the middle then a circle in the middle for the plant. Jill’s indoor gardening tip #2 – Fruit fly death trap. Sweet white wine drinkers tend to bring …
Powerpacked, feedback-overloaded, garage-born Seattle blues rock dynamo, My Goodness, has released a new video for the tunes “Bottle” and “Say You’re Gone,” which you can see below. The video features a mature man who looks a little like East Portland Davey. The old coot strips down to his boxers and takes a bath in a …
The town of Stateburg, South Carolina, looks ordinary at first glance. It is just north of Highway 76 about halfway between Interstate 95 and the state capital, Columbia, and most travelers would not think to stop there without prior knowledge of the place. Like many small towns on the East Coast, however, it has had …
On Tuesday night, January 13 I joined hundreds of others outside Seattle’s Federal Building to join hands and surround the building in protest of the Keystone Pipeline that was recently passed by the new republican controlled congress. President Obama has said he will veto the bill, but this protest was enacted to make sure he …
Last Friday I saw The Imitation Game, the recent movie about British mathematician Alan Turing and the breaking of the German Enigma codes during World War II. It has been out for a while, but it was released only recently in my part of the world. It was panned a bit in The New Yorker, …
The documentary “Life Itself” shows film critic Roger Ebert in a less than flattering light. In a society that celebrates youth and vitality, some might find it shocking that we see Ebert’s face ravaged by cancer. We see shots of his final days when he’s unable to walk or talk. Yet he was able to …
With peppy electro beats and wistful vocals, Brooklyn-duo Surf Rock is Dead (SRiD) presents blissful tunes that hit you like a bittersweet wave of nostalgia, kind of like that last hangover of the summer. Loading up on fun and laid back California vibes, this washed out duo is releasing an effervescent new single, “Equinox.” Inspired …
Chosen Few’s Jenny “La Sexy Voz” and megastar Arcangel prove to be a dynamic duo in the song “Los Blueprints” unleashing their lyrical prowess over a melodic and catchy beat. Critics and fans alike have dubbed the single one of the realest reggaeton records in years and the video one of the most zaftig of …
El Rey’s Miami Vice marathon continues… of course, Vice and Phil Collins are eternally linked, from the very first episode. I don’t know too many people who care for Phil anymore, especially amongst my musician friends. I know, I know, he (and Genesis) wound up spreading the cheese pretty thick. I know, I know, Phil’s …