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. …
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On June 30, 2018 I joined one of several protests around the country against the immigration policies of one Donald J. Trump. I joined the closest one to me in Edmonds, WA. Hundreds lined four corners on Edmond’s busiest intersection (the corridor that connects the main road to with Hwy 99 and I-5). When I …
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 …
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 …
My first concert of summer (I consider June the beginning of summer) just happened to be Brit punkers the Subhumans. Subhumans are raw, wild and raunchy, and politically charged — just as punk should be. Vocalist/front man, Dick Lucas is lank and wiry and flitted about the stage as if electrodes were planted on his …
Georgetown Orbits and the Skablins Celebrate A New Orbits CD With A Fun Night of Ska, by Holly Homan
Georgetown Orbits On Saturday May 12 I headed to Seattle’s south end to an intimate club called the Royal Room. Here Seattle’s ska masters The Georgetown Orbits were performing to promote their brand new CD, Solar Flares. I have been a fan of the Orbits since I first saw them open for the Slackers back …
Wednesday night I ventured out to Seattle’s foremost punk club, El Corazon. Yes, I’d seen Less Than Jake only three days prior at the Back to the Beach Festival, but it’s Less Than Jake. If they decided to come back to Seattle this weekend I’d venture out to see them. And if they came back …
Day 1 – Suicide Machines This past weekend I decided to celebrate turning the big 60 a bit early and hopped a plane to sunny LA. From there I would head to Huntington Beach on Saturday and Sunday for the Back to the Beach Festival. I got there on Saturday just in time for Suicide …
Saturday night April 14 was the night of the 2018 Psychobilly Brawl. I’ve attended the Psychobilly Brawl many times but I think this one was the best attended in a long time. Psychobilly is not dead in Seattle. This event was headlined by Detroit’s Koffin Kats, but any of the eight bands who played could …
On Saturday March 24, 2018, millions upon millions of people joined the March for Our Lives event that was happening in cities all over the country and even in other countries where participants marched in solidarity. I joined the Seattle march. We were marching in solidarity with the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School …
Friday night March 23, I helped pack Seattle’s El Corazon club to see a double punk bill with the Dickies and the Queers. This is the second time I have seen these two punk bands headline a show together and I hope to see them do so again. The Dickies came on stage just as …
Last night, March 21, I ventured out to Chop Suey to see the female dominated SO Cal group the Regrettes. This power punk quartet oozes charm and sex appeal as well as outstanding showmanship. Front woman Lydia Knight knew just how to work her audience. Her platinum hair was in French braids and she wore …
Tuesday night March 20, I ventured out to the Funhouse to see a ska band calling themselves the Opskamatrists. With a name like that, I knew I had to check them out. I wasn’t disappointed either. This five-piece from Idaho Falls was non-stop fun. Though they hail from Idaho Falls, for some reason their front …
Yesterday, March 14, tens of thousands of school children walked out of class and marched and rallied for stricter gun laws in solidarity with students effected by the recent Parkland, Florida high school shooting which left 17 dead. This was a student led event, at least in Seattle. Adults could participate, but it had to …
On March 7 I had the esteemed privilege of seeing They Might Be Giants. It has been many years since I last saw them and only my third time seeing them. The first time was in 1988 and was one of the most entertaining shows I ever had the pleasure of attending. They did not …
Listen up, all you ska fans living on the west coast of the USA. If you haven’t already heard, there’s going to be a two-day concert on the beach in So. Cal April 28 and 29, 2018 showcasing some of the finest ska bands currently active. As the promo states, this is a two days …
On the last day of February I celebrated by seeing England’s folk/punks Skinny Lister at Seattle’s Barboza club. Despite the dreary weather outside, Skinny Lister hit the stage bursting with energy, charisma and downright fun. Every member knows how to rile an audience. Singer Lorna Thomas beguiled everyone with her unadulterated charm. When she wasn’t …
On the frigid Tuesday night of February 20th, I had the utmost pleasure of seeing one of my utmost favorite bands, Gogol Bordello. It has been nearly five years since I last saw these self-proclaimed gypsy punks. They hit the stage right on time. This time front man Eugene Hutz sported longer hair that hung …
The month of February always brings the much looked forward to Toasters to Seattle. After some stellar openers, the band came on stage and the horn section (Gilbert Covarrubius on trombone and Nate Koch on sax) immediately riled up the packed house by thrusting their fists in the air and getting them to copy the …
On the 23rd of January I had the pleasure of seeing Vic Ruggiero play a solo show for the second time. Vic Ruggiero is the keyboard player and primary vocalist for the NY ska band the Slackers. This guy is classic New York Italian and very charming. He created an intimacy with his audience immediately …
The second annual women’s march began almost in disaster for me. I inadvertently left my camera bag with camera, lens and several memory cards at the ticket kiosk at Seattle’s light rail station, but didn’t realize I’d done so until I’d reached the boarding level and was ready to hop on the train. I rushed …
On the eve of Thanksgiving Eve, I headed down to the Showbox to see Newfound Glory. This tour celebrated the 20th anniversary of the band’s origins. Singer Jordan Pundik was all energy. He ran from one end of the stage to the other non-stop. Drummer Cyrus Bolooki slammed with such fury I kept expecting his …
On Halloween night I ventured to the Funhouse to see a new ska band I’d recently discovered called Joystick. This seven-piece hails from New Orleans and not only was this my first time seeing them, it was their first time in Seattle. Though they self-identify as a ska band, they seemed half ska and half …
On the balmy Sunday night of October 22 I ventured to the Funhouse to see the Creepshow. This punk quartet hails from Montreal and combines sweat, grit and charm into one tight package. Singer and guitarist, Kenda oozes so much charm, I left feeling like I’d had a major sugar overdose, but I overdosed on …
October has been a prolific month for concerts but the one I’ve looked forward to t most happened Thursday October 19 at the Showbox where the Aquabats headlined. Promoting their brand new album High Five Soup, the Aquabats, led by Mc Bat Commander were pure entertainment. This show was also a family affair. Spearheaded by …
On Wednesday night October 18, I braved stormy weather and headed to the Sunset Tavern in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. Playing was a band called Elettrodomestico with Jane Wiedlin (formerly of the Go-Go’s) playing guitar and singing lead vocals. Playing with her were Joe Gore (P.J. Harvey & Tom Waits) on bass, Dawn Richardson (3 Non …
On Saturday night October 14 I once again ventured out to El Corazon, this time to see a series of bands in what was dubbed The Splatterhous. My main reason for attending was to see The Silver Shine, a great psychobilly trio from Budapest. The event started at 5:00, but I arrived around 7:00 in …
Friday October 6 brought a return of psychobilly heroes the Nekromantix with a night of macabre themes. Lead singer and upright bassman Kim Nekroman came on stage wearing all black with his signature bass shaped like a child’s coffin with the head stock shaped like a cross. But he didn’t just beat the bass strings, …
On Sunday October first I was nce again faced with two great acts playing Seattle on the same night. I sacrificed Billy Bragg to see the Voodoo Glowskulls and four other bands ranging from hard core punk to danceable ska. There are 365 days in a year. You’d think the punk rock gods wouldn’t schedule …
I couldn’t call myself a punk rocker if I didn’t go to see Agent Orange, so of course I made the trek to El Corazon on Sept 30 to do just that. I have never seen AO before, but as Bullwinkle J. Moose once said, there’s a first time for everything. This So. Cal punk …