Tag Archives: Sugar Sugar Sugar

Arts & Entertainment, Music

My Goodness, Ravenna Woods, and Sugar Sugar Sugar Rock Neumos Tomorrow Night

My Goodness, that Schneider kid rocks. (photo: Tony Kay)

Damn you, eternally-fertile Seattle music scene. The nerve of you, forcing the most agonizing of Sophie’s Choices on clubgoers. In addition to the Lemonheads gig already duly noted on this lovely site, Neumo’s has also demonstrated the unmitigated gall to program one of the best local, non-festival rock shows in recent memory tomorrow.

Rock power duos have become a sub-genre unto themselves in the wake of the White Stripes and the Black Keys, but local boys My Goodness are anything but bandwagon-jumpers. Guitarist Joel Schneider and drummer Ethan Jacobsen play (and in Schneider’s case, sing) like demons: They’re the Sonics or AC/DC to the White Stripes’ Led Zeppelin and the Black Keys’ Otis Redding. And they flat-out rage live.

Speaking of raging, that and acoustic instruments aren’t often synonymous…unless you’re talking about Ravenna Woods, the second band of the evening. My respect for their blend of acoustic instrumentation and explosive tension turned to worship after an amazing live gig at Doe Bay Fest. As I’ve said before, it’s the sound of someone fully awash in the pastoral beauty of nature, yet fully aware of the demons lurking in the dark corners of the forest. 

Finally (or firstly, if you really want to split hairs), get to Neumo’s early tomorrow to see openers Sugar Sugar Sugar. They’re coming all the way down from Bellingham to play the gig, and their charismatic, swaggering variety of glammy Stooges groove-rock makes for perfect driving music. Andru Creature’s stuttering vocals, Justin Verlanic’s gutter-glam licks, and Lupe Flores’ hot-pants drumming come on like a muscle car cruising the streets of Detroit. If I wasn’t indisposed of already (and Evan Dando’s band of merry popsters weren’t direct competition), my plans for the night’d be a no-brainer.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

The Art Punks of Virgin Islands Turn it Up to 11 at Columbia City Theater May 13

You’d think Michael Jaworski was busy enough. He books talent for one of Seattle’s best music venues (Ballard’s Sunset Tavern), and almost singlehandedly runs his own thriving indie label, Mt. Fuji Records, an imprint whose roster includes everyone from garage-punk terrors The Whore Moans (aka The Hounds of the Wild Hunt) to indie-country sensations The Maldives. But no. He has to go and put out one of the best full-on rock records of the year as lead singer/guitarist for Virgin Islands, to boot.

Ernie Chambers v. God, the band’s first full length, rocks every bit as hard and lean as Jaworski’s not-quite-dead earlier outfit The Cops, while still managing to explore a wider sonic pallate. Dischord punk vaults straight into the mosh pit with flanged-out garage rock on the spastically-hooky ‘No Doctor;’ ‘Kat Named Katastrophe’ brings to mind a mohawk-topped Cheap Trick; and the band whips up an angular funk groove worthy of Gang of Four on ‘I Come Correct’. All along the way, Jaworski spits out socially-aware lyrics with the sucker-punch accuracy of the best political punks out there. And did I mention that Virgin Islands rocks like holy, catchy hell?

Tonight, Jaworski and company celebrate the release of Ernie Chambers with a set at the Columbia City Theater (doors at 9 p.m.). If The Cops’ history of relentless live shows is any barometer, Virgin Islands should not disappoint. And with Tacoma garage-guttersnipes The Fucking Eagles, Bellingham heavy-groove trio Sugar Sugar Sugar, and the aforementioned Hounds of the Wild Hunt rounding out the bill, you’ll want to get there early enough to get your $8 (!) worth. Be there with bells–and earplugs–on.