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Live show review | Crushes | DIY | Northwest Bands | Photo Essay

Photoessay: Eef Barzelay {Clem Snide} and Chris Otepka {Heligoats}

at Tashiro-Kaplan Artist Lofts

{Eef Barzelay / by Victoria VanBruinisse}

By some stroke of fortunate timing, we found ourselves at the Tashiro-Kaplan Artist Lofts in Pioneer Square this past Friday night, for a few beautiful sets of music from Eef Barzelay, Chris Otepka, and Shannon Stephens. It was one of those heard-it-through-the-grapevine "house" shows, with a few dozen folks scattered about on floor cushions, a table full of shared food and booze, and a donation jar for the musicians at the front door. For a few hours, we sat shoeless and took in the pretty vibes of Shannon Stephens + friends {most notably with our pal Andrew Rudd on the brush-and-file-folder percussion}, a quick but engaging set from Heligoats frontman Chris Otepka, and finally, a handful of mostly-new tracks from Eef himself.

Here's a few shots from the night to prove it all happened:

{Chris Otepka / by Victoria VanBruinisse}

{Chris Otepka and Eef Barzelay / by Victoria VanBruinisse}

{Eef Barzelay / by Victoria VanBruinisse}

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Monday, July 9, 2012
by imaginary victoria
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Live show review

Preservation Hall Jazz Band at the Neptune

at Neptune Theater

For decades, the required experiences when visiting New Orleans have included: a trip to Café du Monde for beignets, bar hopping on Bourbon Street, and catching a show at Preservation Hall. While I did miss the beignets, we Seattle folk only had to travel as far as the U District for the treat of listening to the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and their traditional New Orleans sound.

Jumping right in with a string of quick-tempo instrumental numbers including “Bourbon Street Parade,” the group blew us all away with the power of their unamplified sound. Making the rounds on solos, the individual members had the opportunity to shine and they egged each other on by both the shouting of encouragement and by raucous clapping. Band leader and trumpet player Mark Braud almost melted my face off with his blistering Satchmo-style solo.

This band has been around and touring for over forty years -- but the songs never sound dated or stale, in part due to the energy and craftsmanship that rotating members invest in the music. They’ve perfected the vintage New Orleans jazz sound but also add hints of soul and R&B rhythms. Clarinet player Charlie Gabriel, a fourth generation musician whose family has been playing music in New Orleans since the 1850s, impressed with both his bluesy solos and exuberance. Providing vocals on several songs, his voice was like a well balanced mix of Billy Eckstine and Ray Charles.

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Friday, July 6, 2012
by Imaginary Karen
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Live show review | Books

Scissor Sisters and Rye Rye at the Paramount

at Paramount Theater

When I saw that Rye Rye and Scissor Sisters would be touring together, my head almost exploded. Would I be able to handle that much neon, strobe lighting, lasers, and club beats in one evening? Heck yes! It was like completing a sweaty Baltimore bass half-marathon fueled completely on adrenaline and then being swallowed up in a congratulatory shiny glitter hug. [Ed. note: Damn girl!]

The diminutive Rye Rye took the stage with her duo of back up dancers, entertaining the crowd with their hardcore club moves. Slinging songs off her latest record Go! Pop! Bang! Rye Rye rapid-fired lyrics over a continuous undercurrent of pumping, dirty beats. She gave us the singles like “Sunshine," a product of her collaboration with M.I.A., and “Boom Boom” -- but then ended with the track that helped put her on Billboard’s 21 under 21 list, the dance hit “Shake It To The Ground.” As Rye Rye swaggered and ferociously spat out her rhymes, her dancers pulled audience members on stage, inviting them to shake their booties to the floor.  And you better believe they did! She danced with them, a whirling dervish in riotous turquoise, before wishing us all a good night in her sweet-soft speaking voice.

My sweaty t-shirt has just started to dry and unstick from my back when Scissor Sisters opened up with “Any Which Way.” Three minutes of that and I was back to being a hot mess. The crowd went crazy for Ana Matronic’s mid-song interlude describing the hunt for a bottle-tanned man.  The band played with their usual confidence and cheeky antics, but they seem to have also come into a relaxed familiarity, grown out of ten years of touring in mostly smaller venues. Spending an evening with Scissor Sisters, you get the feeling that we are old friends -- it’s like a class reunion for the filthy gorgeous.

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Thursday, June 21, 2012
by Imaginary Karen
1 comment

Latest comment by: Ian: "Great review. Show as a little bit more tame than the last tour, but they still brought it large."

Live show review | Northwest Bands

Japandroids turn Neumos into an awesomely loud sweatbox

at Neumos

{Japandroids / by John Gleason}

I went into Japandroids show Monday night fully expecting it to be a loud, liquor-fueled, sweaty mess -- and even with my expectations set so high, their show somehow managed to be even louder, sweatier, and more liquor fueled than I had expected.

Cadence Weapon got the crowd all warmed up with his electro/techno backed brand of hip-hop. The project of Edmonton native Rollie Pemberton, Cadence Weapon's delivery is sharp and witty, full of pop culture references and clever word play. His rhymes land somewhere along the lines of Das Racist, but with a bit more energy and bite. His beats are heavily influenced by electronic and techno music, with Pemberton himself citing Basement Jaxx, Aphex Twin, and Daft Punk as heavy influences. He even cleverly sampled fellow Canadian indie-electro artist Grimes' track "Eight" for his song "88."

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Wednesday, June 13, 2012
by John in Ballard
1 comment

Latest comment by: John (In Ballard) : "Anyone who missed out on this show in June get's a shot at redemption- Japandroids are coming back to Neumos on November 15th. And yes, I already have a ticket. "

Live show review | Northwest Bands

Destroyer and Nurses at the Showbox

at Showbox at the Market

{Destroyer / by John Gleason}I have to admit a small part of me was just a bit worried about how this show would turn out. You see, despite having a name befitting a metal band, Destroyer can tend to veer towards the light, jazzy, lounge-act end of the musical spectrum. My apprehension was that there was a chance this show would be too mellow and laid back. Would music that casual still be interesting in a live setting? Luckily, any small hesitations I had were put to rest as soon as Destroyer took the stage Sunday night. 

Front man Dan Bejar lead the eight piece band through a rather engaging and at times upbeat set, highlighted by the numerous fantastic tracks that make up their 2011 album Kaputt. An early standout of the night was "European Oils," which comes off of their 2006 album Destroyer's Rubies. The song started off light and smooth like a lot of other Destroyer songs, but as it progressed the guitar and piano picked up until it was absolutely rocking, and the band did it total justice by playing it LOUD. 

Bejar himself came across as an almost-timid front man. He would often sing with his eyes closed, occasionally playing the tambourine with his back to the audience. His vocal style is a bit improvisational -- at times closer to talking than singing -- and he kept the songs spontaneous and interesting by changing the cadence and rhythm of the words from their recorded versions. He would often kneel down during the instrumental parts of the songs, almost seeming like he was trying to take a back seat for a moment and let the band step up and do their thing. The band certainly held up their end of the bargain, as they sounded absolutely tight and locked in throughout the night.

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Wednesday, June 6, 2012
by John in Ballard
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