On Easter Sunday I finally got the privilege of seeing legendary London punks the Damned. I’ve been waiting a long time. Last time I was set to see them it was Halloween Eve maybe 2007, but their visas didn’t come through and they had to cancel. The show began with keyboardist (Monty Oxy Moron) coming …
On April 4 I finally got to see Chicago’s Celtic punk rockers Flatfoot 56. I think it was 2009 when I saw them last opening for Street Dogs. That was the last time they played Seattle. I would have missed this show entirely if it weren’t for a bit of serendipity. I was sharing some …
On March 19 Seattle once again hosted a rousing fun night of (mostly) ska bands, this time at the Tractor Tavern. The headliners were the recently reformed Save Ferris. The only original member is lead singer/front woman Monique (Moe) Powell and she entered the stage after the rest of the band started playing. And what …
February 11, 2017 was a day I looked forward to for several weeks. Reel Big Fish were headlining a show with Anti Flag at Seattle’s Showbox (the good Showbox, not the Showbox Sodo). I don’t know when I last saw Anti Flag but it’s been at least six years. Reel Big Fish I’ve seen many …
On Feb 1, Seattle’s Funhouse hosted a night of ska this time with New York’s the Toasters headlining. Aside from bass player Tim, and of course front man Bucket, the members of the Toasters change with every tour. This doesn’t discount the level of musicianship in every member every show. This time the horn section …
On January 31st the Showbox Sodo hosted ska masters Less Than Jake From Gainesville, FL. This five-piece are punk/ska/pop all mixed together with a heavy dose of energy and fun. Though the show wasn’t well attended, those who came were very enthusiastic. There was a bit of crowd surfing throughout and the entire dance floor …
On Friday the 13th Seattle hosted another night of top notch ska. This time it was at the High Dive and the headliners were Seattle legends Easy Big Fella. They came on stage introducing themselves as Puttin’ On the Ritz. This eight-piece lineup shared a few members from Natalie Wouldn’t and a three-piece horn section …
On Tuesday January 10 Seattle’s El Corazon hosted the return of the Voodoo Glowskulls. With a stellar ska lineup playing that night. Hailing from Riverside, California, the Voodoo Glowskulls returned to Seattle after more than a two-year absence. The Skulls were the fifth band of the night and though the intimate El Corazon was sparsely …
On Saturday night January 7th I headed to Seattle’s Funhouse to see Die Nasty. This time they were headlining their own show with other Seattle punk bands. Die Nasty was just as energetic as always. Singer Lauren Goffin strutted about the stage, leaning into the crowd often as if personally serenading everyone in front. Bass …
Day three of my New Year’s weekend culminated with a concert from Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker at Seattle’s Crocodile Café. 2017 marks the 30th year I’ve been a Camper Van Beethoven fan. I saw them for the first time at the Central Tavern in October of 1987 and still have the photos I took. …
This marks the third year in a row that I’ve photographed the New Year’s Eve fireworks off the Space Needle, but I’ve shot from three different locations each time. This time I decided to shoot at the source instead of at a distance. I parked my car downtown and caught a bus to the Seattle …
My wild New Years weekend began Friday night New Year’s Eve Eve at Barboza Lounge where three Seattle ska bands were playing. Headlining was a band I saw for the first time called Gully. Fronted by vocalist Josh who had thick dark curls cascading past his shoulders that kept falling in front of his face. …
TORONTO – Seattle Sounders FC have been one of Major League Soccer’s best regular-season teams ever since the club joined MLS in 2009, but that excellence never yielded a championship. Ironically, the Sounders finally landed their first MLS Cup tonight after their worst season. Multiple times over the years the Rave Green have dominated until …
It’s been two days since I saw the Dwarves play at Seattle’s Highline bar and my body still feels as though it’s been through the washing machine on the spin cycle. I’m still getting my spine back in alignment and sticking body parts back together. I can still feel the bruise I got on my …
Seattle’s Funhouse Hosts Greece Punks Barb Wire Dolls Along With Some Seattle Talent, by Holly Homan
Tuesday night Seattle’s Funhouse hosted a punk band all the way from Crete called Barb Wire Dolls. I saw the Dolls about a year and a half ago opening for Dead Men Walking, a sort of super group featuring members of the Living End, the Alarm, and the Stray Cats. I was so blown away …
Saturday night November 12, Seattle’s foremost punk club El Corazon hosted Canadian punk legends D.O.A. Talk about raw punk power! This trio came out churning power chords and smashing drums like they were still 20 years old. Drummer goes by the name Paddy Duddy and reminded me of Animal from the Muppets with his scraggily …
Thursday November 10 brought LA Ska/funk masters Fishbone back to Seattle. Their first concert here in more than two years. The show was a sell out and Seattle’s Crocodile Café was packed. Fishbone is a very eclectic band as well as versatile Front man Angelo Moore played about three different types of saxophones and an …
On the evening of November 3, the Showbox Sodo hosted the triumphant and long awaited Seattle return of California punks NOFX. Lead singer/front man Fat Mike came out sporting a mohawk along with a short kilt and a new Bush/Quayle t-shirt. The significance of the latter was a mystery since much of the band’s songs …
The evening after Halloween brought dance macabre to El Corazon starring the Nekromantix. Singer Kim Nekroman, with his coffin shaped bass, held said bass above his head, held it like a guitar or straddled it all without missing a lick. On several occasions he even licked it. And he had high pitched screams down to …
On October 11 I ventured out to El Corazon to see LA’s the Interrupters headline their own show. And what a show it was. This ska/pop/punk quartet riles up the audience by standing on the monitors, or leaning into the crowd. This is particularly done by front woman/singer Aimee Interrupter. She constantly leaned into the …
On October 5th I had the utmost pleasure of seeing Robyn Hitchcock play at an old converted church, now Fremont Abbey Arts Center. This was a very intimate show, almost like having him play in your living room. He played two sold out nights. Robyn’s songs combine quirky, humorous lyrics with catchy melodies. This was …
Last Saturday, Oct first, Seattle’s Highline Tavern hosted the Skatoberfest featuring five ska acts. The headliners this time was the Seattleites. This was my second time seeing them in a week, but they’ve already grown as a band. Added this time were some amazing vocalists with personality to boot. Their main singer (Joseph Quinone) not …
Friday night Sept 2 brought another night of beautiful ska music at yet another Seattle club. This time it was Georgetown Orbits and Seattleites at The Royal Room in SE Seattle — a club I have never been to before. Of course if they keep booking ska bands I’m sure it won’t be the last …
Wednesday night August 31 Seattle’s Nectar Lounge hosted another night of wonderful ska bands. This time the evening was headlined by Butt Dial, a band I’ve been meaning to check out. Butt Dial are wildly fun. They have a gimmick that includes wild costumes, rotating musicians (as in some musicians leaving the stage and being …
August 28 was a date I looked so forward to. The Living End, from Melbourne, Australia, were doing a US West Coast tour with a stop in Seattle. I have only seen The Living End at festivals. Once at End Fest on the Kitsap Peninsula in 2001 and at Warped Tour I think in 2006. …
On a hot August 19 night Darrel’s Tavern just north of Seattle hosted a night of Seattle hillbilly, celtic and folk punk bands. The headliner was Wages Of Sin. This Seattle quintet combined a bit of country, a bit of folk, a bit of punk and a heavy dose of Celtic and tossed it into …
Last Saturday night was a long anticipated event, the return of NJ ska band Streetlight Manifesto. SLM are a very tight band. They exude an energy on stage that is reflected in their music, but not in their physical actions. This is not a band that interacts much with their audience. They get up on …
Friday night July 8 Seattle’s foremost punk club, El Corazon, hosted one of punk’s foremost bands, the Dickies. Hailing from So Cal, the Dickies have been around since 1977 and are essentially the clowns, the satire of punk rock while still being punk. The band integrates numerous props in their performance including an anatomically correct …
On Saturday June 25 the long awaited return of So Cal’s Tiger Army came to El Corazon. The last time Tiger Army played in Seattle I think it was 2008 or 2009. The band took some time off, but Seattle hadn’t forgotten them. The club was packed and there was already a good crowd when …
The Columbia Sky Observatory in Seattle, WA offers the tallest view available to the public west of the Mississippi. It can be a little frustrating to negotiate the surrounding one-way streets to get there, but the panorama is well worth the effort and the $14 fee. The Columbia Observatory may not be as well-known as …