Columbia City Theater, Ground Zero for a goodly share of Seattle’s alt-folk/Americana movement, hosted a fundraiser for completion of Welcome to Doe Bay last Friday.
The documentary chronicles one of the Northwest’s most unique and satisfying music festivals (yes, I am a devoted festgoer), and its makers have nearly finished post-production. If the clips on display between the acts last week were any measure, it should be pretty damned magical. The excerpts showcased some of Doe Bay 2011’s finest moments, including the exultant set by local neo-soul rising stars Pickwick that culminated in a stage packed with fans as well as band members.
The musicians that served as the night’s bedrock played at a more subdued volume than the film clips, but hit plenty of magical spots in their own right. I missed Ben Fisher’s opening set, but special guest Sera Cahoone carried the second slot gracefully, with a rough-hewn, lovely set of acoustic country-tinged folk. Rusty Willoughby followed Cahoone with gorgeous readings of several Cobirds Unite songs, some magnificent and haunting new material, and (bless my soul) a Scott Walker cover. And Frank Fairfield, well, he had the crowd in rapt silence; his voice, guitar, banjo, and fiddle serving as some sort of beautiful Wayback Machine in the final stretch. When Welcome to Doe Bay sees the light of day, his work in it should be one of the film’s indisputable highlights.
Frank Fairfield at Doe Bay Fest 2011. (photo: Tony Kay)
Yeah, there’s lots of great stuff out there this weekend. Go see some of it already.
Tonight:
Welcome to Doe Bay Documentary fundraiser with Frank Fairfield, Rusty Willoughby, and guests @ Columbia City Theater. $15 at the door. Doors at 6pm.
Forget a notion as superficial as “retro”: California fiddler/banjoist/singer Frank Fairfield‘s wonderfully bare-bones traditional music sounds like it belongs in an ancient flatbed truck, tooling along a John Steinbeck countryside. And with the success of his recent solo CD/roots project Cobirds Unite, you can now officially take the word “unsung” out of the phrase, “Seattle’s best unsung singer/songwriter” when talking about Rusty Willoughby. CCT’s promising some super-special surprise guests, too. Tonight’s show benefits fundraising efforts on behalf of the documentary feature in-the-works, Welcome to Doe Bay (you can find their Kickstarter page here).
Lesbian, La Otracina, The Great Society Mind Destroyers, Hypatia Lake @ The Comet. $10 at the door. Doors at 9pm.
Who’da thunk you could get so many shades of loud and trippy in one night? Seattle’s own Hypatia Lake remain one of this ‘burg’s finest shoegazer outfits, and the mighty Lesbian brings the prog-metal with epic follow-through and a cloud of Stygian Black Lotus. Highlight of this bill, however, could well be The Great Society Mind Destroyers, a fab Chicago psych-rock combo who rock their effects pedals like Rambo rocks his bandanna and bandoliers. Bring your earplugs, and expect a contact high–with or without your own recreational aids.
Saturday:
The Wombats, The Postelles, The Static Jacks @ The Crocodile. $12 advance. Doors at 8pm.
Get your short, sharp guitar pop fix at the Croc Saturday night. The Wombats, three cute British lads packing Buzzcocks directness in a youthful package, headline, but The Postelles and the Static Jacks deliver similar energy and hooks with just as much spirit.
Vampires vs. Werewolves: THEESatisfaction, Knowmads, Dyno Jamz, DJ Darwin @ EMP. $7 EMP members/$10 general public. Doors at 7:30pm.
I woulda killed for all-ages shows this cool when I was a kid back in the pleistocene era. Fresh-faced youth can check out the EMP’s terrific Can’t Look Away horror film exhibit and hear a dizzying array of local hip-hop from retro-space-age lounge divas THEESatisfaction, jazz-friendly collective Dyno Jamz, and straightahead crew Knowmads .
Sunday:
White City Graves, Iron Mic, guests @ The High Dive. $6 at the door, doors at 8pm.
White City Graves hail from stout punk-rock stock: The band includes former members of Slop Shots, Lee Rude and the Trainwrecks, and I Fergit. The sounds generated by this current conglomerate, though, lean more towards the grinding garage-rock end of things. Think The Cramps and the Misfits with a little bit of Social-Distortion working-stiff elbow grease, and you’re on the right track.
M83, Active Child @Neumos. $15 advance, SOLD OUT. Doors at 6pm and 9:15pm.
M83 handily sold out not one, but two Neumos sets, so I’m obviously not the only person out there in thrall to their epic electro-shoegazer sound. Expect Anthony Gonzalez and crew to emphasize their fine, eighties-tinged new long-player, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming this tour. If you’re lucky enough to possess (or are able to score) a ticket to either show, though, keep your fingers crossed that the doomed romance of “Don’t Save Us from the Flames” rears its darkly-swoonsome head.
