TIG: Who are you guys excited to be on the bill with here at Block Party?
Matt Bishop: There’s too many. Sonic Youth, Moondoggies, Wild Orchid Children, The Thermals, Fences, New Faces, so many good bands.

TIG: I heard you guys are working on a new album. Is that true?
Matt Bishop: Yeah, we’re kind of very much in the beginning stages of that. We’re really hoping to spend a lot of the summer and some of the fall writing new material. We’ve got a few songs done. We’re really just trying to get a larger catalogue together.

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at Capitol Hill Block Party 2009

As I approached Block Party from Broadway on day two of Block Party, I heard the rising wave of Hey Marseilles on the main stage. Upon entering, my half hung over self was immediately swept up in their orchestral swell. Their performance only got better and better until the last song where their improvised musical meanderings became overwhelming.

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at Capitol Hill Block Party 2009

Block party started off mellow enough with the sultry blues of The Dutchess and The Duke kicking off Friday on the main stage at 4 pm with “Reservoir Park,” the gravel between Jesse Lortz and Kimberly Morrison’s deep vocal harmonies foreshadowing the fine layer of grit that would coat my skin by the end of the day.

 

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After their set on The Vera Stage Saturday the 25th, The Pica Beats talk about their upcoming plans, Block Party, their new lineup and use of a horns section.

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Jesse Lortz and Kimberly Morrison of The Dutchess and The Duke sit down at Cafe Vita with threeimaginarygirls to discuss their new album, Sunrise/Sunset, their upcoming tour with Modest Mouse, and poop. Check out Block Party's youngest patron, seven week old Oscar Lortz!

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The members of Bow + Arrow sat down in their practice space, sweaty and winded after an energetic set on the Vera Stage in the mid-day Friday sun. Check out Benj and Lucas' broken shoes from the show and hear their plans to play only awesome shows from here on out.

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The Capitol Hill Block Party starts today!

We're so excited to have Team TIG of Chelsea and Dan to cover the fest and let us know the highlights and hot stuff of the fest. One of the bands hitting the stage tonight (Neumo's Stage at 7:45p) is Sleepy Eyes of Death.

What bands are you excited to see? Check back in and let us know what your favorite parts are (or if you run into Thurston at Vivace)!

(Photo by Amelia Gyde from the Sparkly Indie Pop Flickr Photo Pool)

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Only one more day until the Capitol Hill Block Party!

To prep, I've been perusing the  to see what I have in store.

One of the most talked about Seattle bands as of late is the New Faces. They may be one of the younger bands on but they have the kicks to keep up with the likes of the much more seasoned bands. They remind me of a young Kinks with their heaps of serious hooks and solid songwriting. Make sure to head over to the Vera Stage at 4.45p on Saturday (July 25) to see for yourself.

What are you going to see at the CHBP? Want some ideas? Check out Chelsea's Capitol Hill Block Party preview.

(Photo by Chona Kasinger from the Sparkly Indie Pop Flickr Photo Pool)

 

Only two more days until the Capitol Hill Block Party!

The Maldives will be taking the Neumos Stage at 6.30p on Saturday (July 25) and I for one hope to see if we can see something as cute as the above happen again. Mothers, mohawk your lil ones and maybe they can take home a Maldive guitar pick!

To plan out what some of our picks are, check out Chelsea's Capitol Hill Block Party preview. To see a sample of what we might be in store for this weekend, peruse the Sparkly Indie Pop Flickr Photo Pool for a photo sampler.

(Photo by Kyle Johnson)

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Let’s say this summer wasn’t chock full o’ sun-soaked releases and the upcoming Capitol Hill Block Party weekend wasn’t supposed to get up to 98 degrees. If the rest of July into August was one continuous seven day work week and there was no chance of getting a day off to go see the half-hundred bands playing on Friday and Saturday— If all these hypothetical situations were a reality, Now We Can See, The Thermals’ fourth full length album, and first Kill Rock Stars release, that came out in March could carry you through it.

It offers a slice of dystopian summertime that morphs into sun-flare filled bike rides or a yell-along from a rooftop, throwing voices and cares out towards the Olympics, and creates a contented resignation to all summer being good summer. You can immediately clap along with the chant on “We Were Sick” and bop wildly to the Vaseline-esque guitar on “When We Were Alive” without fearing looking like a jerk. You cannot lose this beat, and I’m willing to bet it will stick with you, even, if not especially, on more subdued tracks like “At the Bottom of the Sea.”

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