Is it just me or does this new tune from Ella Eyre sound James Bond-ready? With her luscious piles of postmodern hair intact, Ella has Comeback (the title of her latest EP) with a projectiles-flying tune which combines artistic intelligence gathered from spy-high favorites as diverse as Shirley Bassey and Shirley Manson. Look for expansively …
The Rebel Light is a friendly LA band with some catchy tunes. Above and below is “Strangers,” their latest hit in the making, and I like it. The expansive drums at the start of “Strangers” reminds me of Edwyn Collins’ “I Never Met a Girl Like You Before” and that’s a very good thing. The …
40 years ago today, Van Morrison released the Veedon Fleece album – for every person who moans that Van never recorded another Astral Weeks – this album is for you. For everyone who claims Van is an “old git” – but thinks that someone like Robyn Hitchcock is still relevant, then keep in mind that …
David Gilmour’s guitar playing is so recognizable, even after all these years, that it goes beyond a signature style and approaches its own musical language. Perhaps the right word is “voice.” When I hear Gilmour’s guitar, I always know that it is Gilmour who is speaking to me even when I don’t understand his sui …
Monday night the Showbox Sodo was where the hip people were hanging out. After three plus years Boston’s legendary Celtic punks The Dropkick Murphys finally returned to Seattle. This crowd was ready for them and proved that the Murphys were not forgotten. After two decent openers, the crowd grew restless and started singing, “Hey Ho, …
Random thoughts at the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, from a husband of someone with Stage IV breast cancer: 1. There are no losers in the “battle;” some just run out of time. 2. There are an awful lot of people with breast cancer out there, women (and men), who have go through this …
Charles Pierce is one of the best sportswriters in the business today. He was at PNC Park last night, and he is also right on the money on the NFL. – Chuck Strom http://grantland.com/the-triangle/baseball-playoffs-mlb-roger-goodells/
I was recently talking to a friend about our mutual love of Pez… I’ve got a drawer full of Pez, mostly unopened with the two packs of little sugar tablets that will never expire… I loved Pez as a kid, and my mom would often bring home one that she thought I’d like. I got …
It’s impossible to resist the charm of hunky John Scargall. He’s relentlessly positive and comically self-effacing, as can be read in this excerpt from his bio, “For his debut album, John decided to work with a 5-time Grammy award winning producer, but after weeks of unreturned phone calls and e-mails, he ended up going with …
Early medieval women were far from passive damsels waiting for a knight to rescue them. Of course, this time period is hardly an ideal time for women: childbirth so risky expectant mothers were urged to confess their sins before they went into labor, fathers choosing whom a girl would marry, age 13 considered marriageable, wife …
I’m reading a book right now, Red or Dead, a fictionalized biography of Bill Shankly, the maniacal manager of the Liverpool football team who made it a dynasty in the English soccer league in the ’70s. I believe the Smiths were slamming him in the song “Frankly, Mr. Shankly.” Being from Manchester, which has had …
It’s the last Friday of September and the place to be is Slim’s Last Chance in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood. Northwest legends Girl Trouble are headlining a show. Hailing from Tacoma, Washington, Girl Trouble never puts on a disappointing show. GT front man, KP Kendall is the ultimate showman, often making spontaneous jokes, this time it …
We all remember Shaun Cassidy as a 70’s “teen idol” – but we tend to forget his 1980 exploration into “new wave / punk” with his “Wasp” album produced by Todd Rundgren with Todd & Utopia as the backing band – they cover songs by Bowie, Talking Heads, the Animals, and Ian Hunter. There’s a …
Seattle music legend and supernice guy, Graig Markel, would like to introduce you to his uberfresh, retro-soul/Muscle Shoals inspired project, Graig Markel and the 88th St. Band. They’ve just finished a record, and are playing a release show in Seattle at Barboza Friday, October 3rd at 7pm. Markel is joined on 88th Street by his …
Meet Daniella Watters, an award winning pop/soul/R&B singer-songwriter from Toronto. She has just released a video for her latest single “Never Will Die,” a song dedicated to her grandmother. As a Canadian child, it was Watters’ dream not to play pro hockey, but to be an Olympic figure skater who delighted worldwide audiences while skating …
Sunday September 21, 2014, people in many municipalities around the world gathered to protest climate change and push for clean, renewable energy sources. When I arrived things were already in full swing in downtown Seattle’s Westlake Plaza. I was quite surprised to see so many gathered in the one acre park. People stood or sat …
I was born and raised in Minnesota, and despite having lived more than half my life in Illinois, I still bleed purple. In my childhood, the Minnesota Vikings absolutely dominated their division throughout the 1970s. Bud Grant, Alan Page, “Benchwarmer” Bob Lurtsema, Chuck Foreman, and Sir Francis Tarkenton were household names. Tommy Kramer, Anthony Carter, …
It’s Sunday night and Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood is teeming with night life. I’m hanging at the Nectar Lounge where The Skatalites are headlning. Skatalites are pure reggae ska. Although they list Jamaica as their hometown, the members hail from all parts of the globe. And with various guest performers joining them from time to time, …
The Real McKenzies, from Vancouver, BC, ventured into Seattle for a hell raising show at El Corazon. After some rebel rousing from four opening acts, the Real McKenzies, all wearing green plaid kilts, hit the stage sans their lead singer, Paul McKenzie. They led the audience in several chants for, “Paul! Paul! Paul!” to no …
By Peter Dysart It’s been a blustery overcast morning. The steady rain has formed rivulets and puddles all over the lawn. Hot cup in hand, I’ve opened the email and click on a link to a new song. Within seconds of sound waves pushing a few bars of The Joy Formidable’s stompy new Aruthrol single …
If you haven’t seen these three ladies yet (plus one daughter along for the walk) you must stop and watch right now. I like the gritty sound from the stringed instrument one of them plays. This is a minimalist music video in the Georgian language which is absolutely lovely.
First published Sept. 8, 2014, on Spann of Time http://www.susanspann.com Who’s Guilty? God Knows. By Kim Rendfeld Delve into the justice system of early medieval Francia and you might find yourself grateful for what we have today, imperfect as it is. And I’m not only talking about the punishments for the guilty: slit nostrils, the …
Playing at Seattle’s Bumbershoot as part of their short reunion tour, the Replacements kick, kick, kicked our doors down. We didn’t realize what great anthems those songs were when only 200 people were in the audience. Somewhere between 5,000 to 10,000 were in attendance Sunday at the main stage at Memorial Stadium, singing along with …
Aren’t pugs wonderful? There is nothing they can’t do. Thanks to boingboing.net:
Linda Ronstadt, one the great folk chanteuses, has been in the news lately, receiving a National Medal of the Arts in July for all of her work. She released a collection of duets with various artists in April, and her memoir, Simple Dreams, was published in September 2013. Ronstadt was a leading member of the …
How can you not feel optimistic? In a world where unicycle-riding kilt-wearing Darth Vaders can belch flames from their bagpipes, there’s just no room for cynicism. – Randy Rendfeld
Saturday night, August 23, was a date I looked forward to for some time, for this night a rare reunion concert of the Posies was to occur at Seattle’s Triple Door. The lineup consisted of what was the original Posies, that is Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow. The two formed The Posies while still in …
Meet your new favorite reggae artist. Singer-songwriter Leilani Wolfgramm has the greatest name in show business. Any name with “wolf” in it is wicked awesome. The Orlando, Florida native with Tongan roots has been busy releasing four singles this summer from her recent album, Rebel. And here they are. East Portland Blog has only four …
A gift, if not “The Gift”— http://dangerousminds.net/comments/entertainment_gang_of_four_live_in_zagreb_1981 At or very near THE PEAK! (of Postpunk, of Rock Music in General, and of Live Musical Performance….) TK</a