On the evening of November 8 I had the unmitigated privilege of seeing Britain’s Two Tone ska legends the Selecter for the third time in just over a year. Quel honneur! This show commemorated the 40th anniversary of Two Tone ska. The Selecter is fronted by the very charismatic Pauline Black and Arthur ‘Gaps’ Hendrickson, …
Chris Mcfann the owner of Der Hinterhof and one of our greatest fans and a true friend, designed this ad and purchased by purchased the back of the local entertainment magazine. Definitely consider taking a road trip to see our last shows before the band goes on hiatus. Seriously, it’s a lot of fun. One of the great …
This is why The SeaMonster Lounge matters. This was last call. Eric Struthers played here tonight. This is why I am proud to rep this City and why I have to travel the world to do so. I love Seattle and everything this town has given me. I want to bring more greats from around the World and I …
It’s just one of those things. It’s a challenge to make sure people get the jist that one of the top guitar players in New Orleans is going to play with The Staxx Brothers on Nov 3rd at The SeaMonster Lounge. It’s no longer an era where you send a press release to The Seattle PI or The …
On Sunday night October 21 psychobilly legends the Nekromantix were headlining at El Corazon. I’ve lost count now how many times I’ve seen Nekromantix, but I know I’ll see them again and again. I went to see these guys play (same venue) when I was in a wheel chair as I’d just had knee surgery. …
If Car Seat Headrest were a car seat headrest, they would no longer fit in a Toyota Prius. A solo project of singer/songwriter Will Toledo in the early years of this decade, Headrest is now a touring juggernaut, with seven members. Blistering sets at the Showbox over the weekend show Headrest now belongs in a …
People are already starting to debate Paul Allen’s legacy. Some admire him, some disliked him (mostly because of his wealth) and some don’t care at all. I can honestly say his generosity had a major impact on my life as well as countless other people in this region. He used his wealth to try and …
This is me as a manchild in 1994-1995. I am starting to look like him again. This kid was trying to dunk. He was damn close. ‘Free Your Mind‘ is heading up the charts again starting this weekend in the Caribbean thanks to the Godfathers. One thing music taught me was patience. The other thing …
☆ Last week the church I grew up in shut down forever because not enough people go anymore. There were no more kids, they couldn’t cover the mortgage. They did vote to welcome gays and allow Women to be Pastors, so they did go out with class man. Lord knows they tried. ☆ I sang …
Youtube is alive with fantastic vids of Simrit Kaur performing at various places around the world. The Keeper (below) is a particularly arresting introduction to Simrit’s siren blend of trance-world-classical with alt-folk vocals. This music has texture and, when given voice in the right venue, will ebb, flow and echo around the audience, hypnotizing, beguiling, …
I have a $100 budget. Who is ready to make a memorable show poster out of this image of Eric Struthers to celebrate his first show in Seattle with The Staxx Brothers? The show is Saturday Nov 3rd. We did some standout posters for the nights Ras Jones (Jonezy) came to visit us from England and when Matt Fink (Dr. Fink) rocked …
A long time ago, perhaps 36 years ago, I went to a club with my husband. It was really hot outside and I was wearing a dress that had no shoulder straps. My husband was hanging out with some friends and I was happily talking to another woman when a gang of UW frat boys …
In 1991 my wife and I were living in a townhome type place at 19th and Denny in Seattle across from a house we called the “Rathouse”. The Rathouse was home base for our Ohio expatriate gang. The Gits, 7 Year Bitch, Alcohol Funnycar and DC Beggars all rehearsed in the basement there. This was …
I finally get to tell you that Band in Seattle is switching to KING 5! I had to keep that under wraps for a while. This is so big for that show. An NBC affiliate. Conrad Denke has put his heart and soul into that show, and working with him has been one of the experiences of my career in …
This post apocalyptic Seattle smoke hellscape is deeply concerning and will have grave consequences. But healthwise I am fine. All my friends have headaches, bleeding sores, mutations, cholera. But I hit the sauna. I am both a Shark and a Jet. I am a hybrid. I will survive. But can we really survive the demise …
On a smoky Saturday night I ventured to Seattle’s Pioneer Square to a club I used to frequent often thirty years ago, the Central Tavern. This 100 plus-year-old tavern was hosting a night of local ska starring Mister Blank (with former members of the now defunct It Gets Worse). As I’ve mentioned, James Sweazea (bass, …
On the hot humid Saturday of August 18 I headed downtown to Seattle’s City Hall to join others protesting a white supremacy group calling themselves the Patriot Prayer group. As I wandered up and down the block I heard chants like, NO KKK. No fascist USA. No Trump. Rows of police lined the street on …
My word, KEXP really scored when they hired Eva Walker as the new host of Audioasis. This woman is a mega talent and I absolutely adore her long view and careful study of history. It makes her music and performances hit so much harder than what a Hipster might do scratching the surface with same the chord …
Oozing attitude and commanding attention, PSA’s new video for “Ghost” embodies the bombastic spirit of the rising Seattle pop star. Cheered on by her team, PSA lambasts a love gone sour with tongue-in-cheek flair. Native to the Pacific Northwest, PSA embodies the creativity and freedom of DIY culture as well as the drive and ambition …
On a hot August night I ventured to SE Seattle to see the highly pedigreed Western Standard Time Ska Orchestra. This outfit, fronted by Greg Lee (of Hep Cat fame) was a combination of a big jazz band, a ska band and modern mixed in with old and traditional. Greg Lee was fascinating to watch. …
On a warm early August evening I had the chance to do some time traveling. One of my favorite performers of the early eighties was playing a concert at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo. That artist is Adam Ant. I saw Adam a couple times in 81 and 82 and remembered him being an incredible performer. …
I know it sucks that THEY are coming for The Showbox. But the fate was sealed years ago when we all swallowed this pill of sh_t that it was OK to drive out the Soul of our city, starting with Black folks in the Central District that gave the world f_cking Jimi Hendrix and Quincy …
Seattle police’s lip-sync video of Macklemore’s “Downtown” (above) has rightfully drawn a lot of attention. The department still under a Department of Justice order to eliminate brutality, especially against people of color, has thoroughly embraced the Seattle rapper’s one-love vibe while putting their show on the road, blowing away police department lip-syncing videos from around …
When I watched the movie Hype! as a teen and simply never could convince myself to return it to Hollywood Video, one song and one band blew my mind. It was Love Battery. It was this performance. I thought it was amazing all these local bands were making it big and being from Seattle and even …
LIFE PLANS: It’s fun to tell you my plans for the future then, we can look back and see what fate revealed and what fortunes were won. I am currently planning to a few more albums for The Staxx Brothers then I want to shut that sh☆t down as a recording project. But it doesn’t necessarily mean …
I just got a call from Decurrian, AKA DC. The third official member of The Staxx Brothers after Joshua Hanson and I started the band on 2002. He was one of my best friends at the time anyway, and I remember Tina Turnbull told me after we rocked a particular house party that I had better ask DC to officially join …
“My Dad and My Dandelions!” A Tribute to Hank Kipp A little over six years ago, on April 29th, 2012 to be precise, I quite spontaneously decided to weed a dense patch of dandelions in front of the townhouse complex where I’d been living for the previous two years. The front of said complex—along the …
On Sunday June 23 Boston ska legends The Mighty Mighty Bosstones made their first Seattle appearance in four years and I was there to witness this esteemed event. The concert was once again held at Seattle’s Neptune Theater, a great venue to hold live music. This time they were promoting their brand new album While …
Here it is, the long awaited video for ‘Free Your Mind.’: The Book of Horace Chapter One As I am on the cusp of quite possibly having a Top 40 Hit in several countries with the song ‘Free Your Mind’, I keep hearing the voice and sage advice of my greatest professor. Horace Alexander Young. …
On Wednesday night June 13th I had the privilege of seeing Jonathan Richman for the first time in seven years and for the third time ever. Jonathan Richman is difficult to explain as he’s quite unique. I describe him as sort of a folky punk with a quirky sense of humor. This concert, was just …