I don't make too many trips out to West Seattle – but if I do, it is almost invariably to go to the Skylark Cafe. The shows are always free, they book good bands, the food is tasty, there's plenty of parking, and the staff is very friendly (and a few people on the payroll have long histories of getting me drunk – albeit elsewhere).
Tonight, the club hosts their second birthday and they've got quite a lineup for it.
From their MySpace blog:
Join us at Skylark with intercontinental cowboys Brent Amaker & the Rodeo, supergroup Mass Sugar, and powerpop faves The Riffbrokers. The Riffbrokers kick off the event at 9:00pm and there is no cover charge. Go check these bands' pages out!
11pm – BRENT AMAKER & THE RODEO are on a mission to spread their brand of country music to the world–and they're getting around. Dressed in black from hat to boots, the men of the Rodeo have been racking up the miles in 2007 and 2008, playing club and festival dates, and making radio appearances across the US and Canada, Germany, Holland, Belgium, and Great Britain. www.myspace.com/brentamakerandtherodeo
10pm – MASS SUGAR is the brainchild of Ty Willman and friends. "Inspector Luv and the Ride Me Babies, Green Apple Quick Step, and Novatone are all bands I've started…But Mass Sugar is the beginning of all the things I've learned." Ty is joined by three other outstanding musicians, Jeremy Lightfoot (The Droneys, TRWST & the Puget Sound Machine), Keith Jaeger (Screamer), Cameron Brownfield (The Droneys, TRWST & the Puget Sound Machine). www.myspace.com/masssugar
9pm – THE RIFFBROKERS The Riffbrokers takes a refreshing approach to power pop. Their sound is decidedly infused with a southern twang, not country, but humidity and Budweiser in a bar at 2 am. Nick Millward, the Riffbrokers' chief broker, sells sass and defeat like self-esteem interest rates are at an all time low. His Mason-Dixie grit drys up the vocals and guitars alike, yet he wisely recognizes the need to offset the sour with plenty of pop sweet. http://www.myspace.com/theriffbrokers
The show is also doubling as a bachelor party for a former member of Brent Amaker's Rodeo. In a MySpace bulletin they explain:
Louis O' Callaghan (former Rodeo guitarist and guest player) is getting married. He has decided to have his bachelor party at our show. If you live anywhere near Seattle, please come down to the Skylark and help us give Louis one last night of debauchery and singledom. If you come down to the show and bring any adult entertainment items (magazine's, dildos, panties, girls…..), we'll let you in for free. Well hell, it's a free show, but bring that shit anyway.
Let's blow this one out for Louis!