Make sure you’re free next Tuesday or Wednesday night. That’s because legendary jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, along with world-renowned Brazilian Bossa Nova / Jazz guitarist, drummer, percussionist, and singer Vinicius Cantuária are playing together at the intimate and lovely Jazz Alley.
These two fantastic musicians are playing together again, as they have done many times over the past 20 years. In 2011, the duo released the beautiful Spanish-language album Lagrimas Mexicanas. Having been a fan of Frisell’s work for many years, I wasn’t sure what to expect from his duet with Cantuária. It is absolutely gorgeous, and works like magic.
I anticipate what I hear on the recorded work to translate well to the stage at Jazz Alley. There’s only one show each night, so make sure you buy early, as both nights are bound to sell out. Frisell and Cantuária, a rare treat that I am very much looking forward to.
As this is a show not to be missed, we have a pair of tickets to give away to the Tuesday night showing (both shows are at 7:30pm). All you’ll need to do is send an e-mail to thesunbreak@gmail.com before 9am on Friday, July 25 with “Vinicius” in the subject line. A winner will be drawn at that time and notified shortly thereafter.
As a music writer, there are a few ways to measure what makes one show better than another. The way the crowd is involved; the energy level of the band; the sound of the venue; the length of the show; the quality of the opening acts. Sure, a lot of subjectivity and conjecture factor into any definition of “good.” But there’s one specific, fool-proof way to know when a show is top-tier, to know that it was one of the best: making it to the end of the show without having written down a single note on the experience. The performance was so engrossing that you couldn’t bare to pull your note pad (or phone, in my case) out of your pocket to document what was happening on stage. Friday night at the Neptune was one such occasion. Consequently, this review is being pulled entirely from memory, and what a performance it was.
The Hold Steady, from Brooklyn, is led by Minneapolis-born singer and principle songwriter Craig Finn. Each song Finn writes tends to have Minneapolis-based characters (sometimes repeating across multiple songs), an arc, and a climax, usually with a cheer that the audience can scream along to. In addition to Finn, the band is built in true “rock band” style: 2 guitars, a bass, and drums. Their sound has changed very little over their 11 year, six-album history, with one exception: the distinct lack of keyboards since the departure of Franz Nicolay in 2010. But the current five-man roster is a well-balanced machine of rock.
Their live show is unequaled in power, excitement, and adrenaline. Finn’s delivery is emphatic, filled with joy and power. Typically grinning from ear to ear, he is constantly beckoning the crowd to sing along, stepping away from the mic and moving to the edge of the stage, arms extended and yelling at the top of his lungs. He appears to be having the time of his life, clearly feeding off the collective energy of his worshipping fans.
And the fans — this was not a typical Seattle club scene. If you’ve gone to a show in Seattle, you’ve seen this happen: 4 to 5 guys, in the middle of the floor, clearly wasted and attempting to get the rest of the crowd around them to bounce, slam and yell along with them, succeeding in nothing but annoying everyone. That behavior usually inspires long drawn-out sighs, extreme eye rolling, and the occasional well-positioned and rigid elbow from notoriously passive-aggressive Seattleites. But not The Hold Steady’s crowd. This was a lively, fully-engrossed and thoroughly vigorous audience. “You all could have chosen to stay home, cozy on your couch,” said Finn. “But instead, you chose to come here, to enjoy some rock and roll with other like-minded folks. For that, we thank you.” Not once in my 17-year time in Seattle have I seen a crowd so in sync, so content to get sweaty and fully invested in those around them. There was crowd surfing. There was mass moshing. There was even a stage dive, and it was glorious. Every bit of it.
The band’s set covered the gamut of their long history. Their 2014 album, Teeth Dreams, was well-represented, with four songs in the 21-song set. Most of the songs had the hard core fans singing along to every word, which is somewhat surprising given the amount of non-repeating lyrics in Finn’s songs. Hits from their 2006 album Boys and Girls in America and 2008’s Stay Positive had the most universal appeal, when the mosh pit would grow from 15 to 20 raucous individuals to what felt like one, 200-strong, fully enthralled mass.
It’s been years since I’ve enjoyed a show as much as this two hour set of guitar-centered American rock and roll from Craig Finn and company. There were a lot of shows happening Friday night that I was interested in — Modest Mouse at the Showbox, OK Go at Neumos, Jesse Sykes at the Fremont Abbey — but I ended up at the Hold Steady, and I am so glad I did. The show generated a glut of elation-based memories that will stick with me forever.
The Hold Steady are heading south and east for the next month or so, before turning homeward at the end of August. Then a European tour starts up in October. Go see them. Trust me, this is not an experience you can go through life without having felt yourself.
It was a night of powerful voices and strong wills. Three women, each with their own unique style, sharing deeply emotional lyrics and expressing themselves through their music.
The evening started off with a very understated set from Jana Hunter. You may know Hunter as the lead singer/songwriter from Baltimore band Lower Dens. Like the other women of the evening, Hunter’s voice is her top asset. Touring solo can be quite daunting, especially when playing as the first of three acts. Seated and playing electric guitar along with synth/drum rhythms created by the pre-programmed laptop next to her, Hunter evoked a child’s desire to recede into the background. Her songs leaned towards the 80s, with vocals showing hints of Siouxsie Sioux or Elizabeth Fraser. Her 30 minute set ended with more people talking amongst themselves than she would have preferred, as demonstrated by her short mocking of the murmur heard throughout.
A quick rearranging of elements on stage and Courtney Barnett and her two additional bandmates came on stage. I had not done my homework, and came into the set totally unprepared for the onslaught I experienced. Barnett, from Melbourne, Australia, is an absolute joy to watch perform, playing her left-handed guitar (labeled “when i was an alien”) without a pick. She wore her guitar with the strap hung around her neck like a necklace, allowing the guitar more freedom to move about.
I’ve been listening to Barnett’s recorded music for the last 12 hours, and the disparity heard between the live performance and the studio recordings is large. That’s not to say that either is bad or incorrect. On the contrary, they both stand out in their own ways. The recorded works would best be described as “singer/songwriter.” Not necessarily understated, but not rocking either. Liz Phair-style sparseness, with jangly guitar and garage-style drums allows Barnett’s doubled-up voice on the recordings to shine through.
Performed live, the rock n’ roll comes out. All three of the musicians on stage (Barnett, with Bones Sloan on bass, and Dave Mudie on drums) were quite animated, which always makes for a better performance. Barnett’s hair — a mass of straight shoulder-length brunette — often fell in her face, which only enhanced her grunge-like qualities. There were numerous drawn out guitar solos, and this being the last time they would be opening for Van Etten, the band really went all out. For the last song, Barnett came out to the foot of the stage, guitar dangling over the crowd, slaying the lot of us. I was left with a strong desire to quickly consume everything they’d ever recorded, and to see if she had any headlining sets in Seattle anytime soon. (Sadly, no. But they are playing some other West-coast dates in late July / early August that you should definitely go to if you can. And she’s also playing a short set at Sonic Boom Records in Ballard tonight at 7pm.)
I was slightly concerned that Barnett’s set may be the highlight of the evening, overshadowing the headliner: Sharon Van Etten. Thankfully, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Van Etten’s band (Darren Jessee (from Ben Folds Five) on drums, Doug Keith on guitar, Heather Woods Broderick on backup vocals and additional keyboards, and Brad Cook (from Megafaun) on bass) was very much on point, professional, and thoroughly enjoyable. And with Van Etten playing acoustic guitar, electric guitar, omnichord, organ and piano in addition to singing with the most powerful voice we’d hear that evening (and that’s saying something), the crowd was hanging on her every syllable.
Like Barnett, Van Etten would let her hair (short, dark, cut to the ears) fall in her face, singing through the mass and hiding her face. I never got the feeling that either of them were trying to hide from us, unlike what I was sensing from Jana Hunter, the opener (her hair was super short, not providing any respite).
Van Etten’s music is slow but not glacial. Languid but not weak. Sleepy but not tired. Listening to it, you can’t help but feel. Sadness, happiness, anger, joy — they’re all there, sometimes all at once. Amazingly, she is able to translate this feeling to the stage, performing these somewhat depressing songs with giddiness and a smile. “I’m weird, I’m totally weird. Is that ok with you?” she said, halfway through her set, and then she picked her nose. Seriously. It was such a menagerie of feelings, it could have been mistaken for schizophrenia.
But her set held together very well. Van Etten’s May 2014 album Are We There is one of my favorites of the year so far, and the songs got even better when heard live. The highlight of the album for me, “Your Love is Killing Me,” with the brutal first half of the chorus slowly singing “break my legs so I won’t walk to you; cut my tongue so I can’t talk to you; burn my skin so I can’t feel you; stab my eyes so I can’t see” is even more powerful sung right in front of you.
Van Etten played a handful of songs from her previous albums, but the new songs were the most polished. When she came out for the encore by herself, she stood behind the keyboard and sang another powerful standout from the new album, “I Know” which she characterized by saying “People think this song is about cheating. But it’s really about choosing music over a relationship.” You could hear the audience swoon, collectively.
The Neptune Theater has become one of the premier venues in Seattle — good sound, great sight lines, attentive crowds (or plenty of ways to ignore the non-attentive ones), with shows starting and ending at reasonable hours. Throw in three women with some of the most powerful voices in indie rock and you’ve got yourself a great night. Here’s to many, many more.
If you live in Seattle, I’d like to apologize up front for the feelings of despair and depression that you will surely feel at the end of this article. You see, you missed legendary saxophonist Maceo Parker performing with his exceedingly stellar band at Jazz Alley this past weekend.
A quick history: James Brown, George Clinton / Parliament-Funkadelic, Bootsy Collins, Prince. These artists have all chosen Maceo as their side man, leading the horn sections and defining the sound for many funky songs you’re very familiar with (such as “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” and “I Got You (I Feel Good)”). James Brown can be heard in many recordings shouting “Maceo, I want you to Blow!” He is a giant of the saxophone.
At 71, Maceo is still a consummate performer. He and his super-tight band — Dennis Rollins on trombone, Will Boulware on keyboards, Bruno Speight on guitar, Rodney “Skeet” Curtis on bass, Marcus Parker (son of Maceo’s brother and long-time drumming partner Melvin) on drums, Martha High singing backup and Darliene Parker (Maceo’s cousin) singing backup as well — brought a rare form of magic to the stage, that kind of magic that lifts you up and makes you smile uncontrollably. These people were born to be on the stage, performing for us. And they are enjoying the hell out of it, playing off of each other, joking, having so much fun that you can’t help but be roped in. It is equal parts endearing and exciting in its execution; you wish you enjoyed your job half as much as this group clearly does.
Maceo is in the midst of a world tour in support of his recent memoir, 98% Funky Stuff: My Life In Music. During the show, he gave us a touch of his history before and in the music industry. In school, he thought he was destined to be an instructor, training others for musical greatness, “but staying in the same place is not who I am.”
The band paid tribute to many of Maceo’s former musical partners and idols, performing old school funk hits like James Brown’s “Make It Funky,” pop hits like “Stand By Me” (led by Maceo’s cousin Darlene Parker), and even a new version of “It Takes Two,” led by backup singer Martha High, who, not incidentally, also performed for many years with James Brown. High’s version of “It Takes Two” was a funky, Aretha Franklin-esque explosion of the original “Think (About It)” by Lyn Collins (recognized by another generation for being sampled in the Rob Base/DJ E-Z Rock hit “It Takes Two”) — and she slayed.
Actually, the entire band slayed. Each person was given an opportunity to strut their stuff, with at least one if not more opportunities for a solo performance showcasing each of their outstanding talents. Overall, the band played for 2 solid hours, exhausting themselves as well as the audience. Having performed a set earlier in the evening (the band played 6 shows in 4 days), they showed no signs of slowing throughout the set, renewed by their own love of performing. While being the big name draw himself, Maceo was all about recognizing everyone in the band as well. “WHAT ABOUT THE BAND?” he’d say, throughout the set, amping the crowd up to show our appreciation of everyone, many many times.
This was one of those performances that I’ll remember all my life. An intimate dinner theater / jazz club setting, with delicious food and drink, and even stronger musical entertainment. It was the first time I’d been to Jazz Alley, and based on this performance I’ll be watching their calendar closely for any opportunity I can to get back there. You should do the same.
I’ll never understand the practice of having an official Record Release Party without actually having the record available for purchase. This is an obvious outcome of The World We Now Live In, where people listen to music through zeros and ones and rarely, if ever, purchase music in physical form. These “record-free” release parties still happen rarely — thankfully — but this was indeed the case on Thursday night at Neumos, where Seattle indie-rock super group (yes, I said it) Iska Dhaaf was playing to a packed house. It was a great show, and I would very much have liked to walk home with a copy of the band’s awesome debut album Even the Sun Will Burn in my hands.
The album was released in digital form this past Tuesday, March 11, and it is still available for free streaming on their Bandcamp site. Iska Dhaaf is a duo, with Nathan Quiroga on lead vocals and alternating between guitar and keyboards, and Benjamin Verdoes on backing vocals, drums and keyboards, all played simultaneously. You will recognize Verdoes from Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, the critically-acclaimed band he helmed for five years with his ex-wife and adopted brother. And Quiroga may not be as recognizable, but that’s only because he has his shirt on and glasses. He’s otherwise known as Buffalo Madonna, one of the vitriolic vocalists from Seattle’s somewhat notorious hip-hop group Mad Rad.
As Iska Dhaaf, the duo doesn’t sound like their past triumphs. This is Seattle indie acid rock at its finest. Both Verdoes and Quiroga are forging ahead, crafting amazing songs, having learned plenty from their Mad / St. Helens days. The two are close friends, having playing separately yet together for the past few years in various incarnations. I can remember seeing Verdoes on the small Yeti stage with Mad Rad at Sasquatch in 2011. The band has enabled the two of them to meet in the middle of their endeavors. For Verdoes, the rhythms are tighter, less chaotic than his MSHVB work. And Quiroga is using the new freedom that being in a duo allows, actually singing rather than screaming, as was his wont in Mad Rad.
I expected to see the two of them with a full band on stage, and was pleasantly surprised to see otherwise. They had a friend play bass in the very first song and the very last song, but otherwise it was just Verdoes and Quiroga, along with some sporadic video visuals being blasted onto the rudimentary props staged behind them. They spent most of the show silhouetted against these projections, letting your mind fill in the details of what their faces were doing on stage.
You should really check out Even the Sun Will Burn. I have a feeling it’s going to grow in popularity very quickly, and will soon be seeing a proper, physical release, to be sold in record stores. It’s full of hits, songs you can get lost in, an indie rock beauty. There are hints of Radiohead, Dick Dale, Modest Mouse, the Doors. But this is a unique creation, one that needs to be heard and seen. The duo isn’t playing a full tour, yet, with only two upcoming dates scheduled (Treefort Music Fest in March, and opening for former Murder City Devils lead singer Spencer Moody at a show in LA). But there will be more, that’s guaranteed. Get out and hear them, buy the album, and enjoy.
Neumos was louder than usual this past Tuesday night, and if you’ve been there before, you know that’s really saying something. The source of the loud was We Were Promised Jetpacks, from Edinburgh, Scotland, who were in town and playing to a packed house.
WWPJ are a group of five guys (three of whom play guitar, one on bass and one on drums) who throw themselves fully into the music they’re playing on stage. Adam Thompson, the lead vocalist and lead guitarist — the backbone of the entire operation — sings in the deeper registers and can seemingly hit 100 decibels all on his own. Throw on top of that the guitars and drums and you can literally feel the sound doing a number on your insides.
The band has released two studio albums to date — 2009’s These Four Walls, which won me over to the band a few years ago, and 2011’s In the Pit of the Stomach. Throughout the 1.5 hour set, the band played a good mix from both albums, as well as a smattering of songs from a new, as-yet-unreleased album that the band said was slated for release in September or October of this year.
The crowd at the nearly sold-out show leaned a tad towards the older side, but I find myself lacking in reasons for why that would be. I did hear a few accents in the crowd — maybe the Sottish contingency in Seattle is older and I just never knew it. Either way, they all sang along with Thompson, attempting to meet his loudness whenever possible. The amount of in-unison head banging and body rocking throughout the set felt as if the crowd had practiced a choreographed dance prior to the band taking the stage (they hadn’t).
Even the new, unknown songs brought excitement and adulation, but also a tad bit of confusion. With their new stuff, the band is clearly trying to break out of the somewhat formulaic mold they’ve built for themselves over the past two albums. Gone are the huge crescendos, the extreme quiets and the deafening louds, opting instead for changes in tempo, key and instrumentation — the types of changes the music geek in me wants to applaud. But they sounded almost like two different bands from the earlier work. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing — many bands have changed their tune mid-career and have been better for it — but when you’re so good at one particular sound, your fans may not understand when you want to push away from it.
The crowd stuck with it, however, and were well-rewarded for enjoying the new stuff when the band would circle back to the fan favorites. “Sore Thumb,” from In the Pit of the Stomach, with its 2+ minute intro, saw Thompson standing 3 feet back from the mic and singing/shouting to reproduce the hollow sound found on the recorded version. When the song breaks into the heavy part, the audience got immediately back to the head banging and jumping around.
I was surprised and delighted to see that no mosh pit broke out. This must be attributable to the overall age of the of the crowd. “It’s Thunder and It’s Lightning,” the first song from their debut album, was another fan favorite. To this day, five years past, any time I hear this song I have to stop what I’m doing and dedicate myself to throwing my body around when the bridge comes crashing in. The live set was no different, but we all somehow managed to stay in our own designated space, giddily smiling and enjoying the song with everyone without the need to tear down your fellow man.
We Were Promised Jetpacks is at the beginning of their nationwide tour, ending in Austin for SXSW. Do yourself a favor and see them live. It’s a cathartic experience that everyone should enjoy at least once in their life.