Tag Archives: Tea Cozies band

Tea Cozies, Hounds of the Wild Hunt are Unmissable

Happy Birthday, Tea Cozies’ Brady Harvey! (Photo: Tony Kay)

Two bands responsible for a couple of the best recordings to come out of Seattle last year (according to one eminent local wag, at least) play this weekend. Do yourself a favor, and try to catch ‘em live.

Tonight, Tea Cozies headline at the Jewelbox/Rendezvous. Their EP Bang Up augments their hard-candy, Brit-influenced pop magnificently, and they’re never less than aces live. Major bonus points for the certifiably trippy (and gorgeously shot) video for the EP’s indisputable masterstroke, the psychedelic and fabulously cool “Cosmic Osmo.”

Oh, and they’re supported by indie trio Charms (who sound like an electrified Ravenna Woods gone new wave, maybe), and the wonderfully scary, swampy and cavernous Gang Cult, too. Show starts at 10 p.m., and with a $7 cover, it’s a bargain at twice the price.

Mighty electric-blues monsters Hobosexual, meantime, are the leaders of tomorrow night’s bill at the Columbia City Theater. But for the love of all that is good and true (AND loud), do not miss either of the preceding acts.

Portland’s Black Pussy (it’s a Stones reference, kids) ladle on the heavy stoner rock fabulously, but my heart (and bleeding eardrums) have belonged to  The Hounds of the Wild Hunt ever since I first heard their ambitious and frequently brilliant debut full-length, El Mago. Bless ‘em, the Hounds have made a great video for one of that album’s highlights, “A Walk to Remember.”

It sounds like a band of drunk Cossacks invading your favorite nightmare, and the clip makes magnificent use of singer/guitarist Jonny Henningson’s bull-in-a-china-shop charisma. Show begins at 9 p.m., and tickets ($7 advance, $8 at the door) are still available.

Gigs4Good Decks the Halls of the Crocodile for Wintersong (Photo Gallery)

Kevin Long.
Naomi Wachira.
Naomi Wachira.
Tony Kevin Jr.
Ben Fisher.
Ben Fisher and Shelby Earl.
Tom Eddy.
Tea Cozies.
Tea Cozies.
Shelby Earl.
Shelby Earl.
Ivan and Alyosha.
Ivan and Alyosha.

Kevin Long. (photo by Tony Kay)

Naomi Wachira sneaks some elegant soulfulness into the Wintersong Egg Nog. (photo by Tony Kay)

Naomi Wachira. (photo by Tony Kay)

Tony Kevin Jr., back from a long winter's nap. (photo by Tony Kay)

Ben Fisher rocks his dad's holiday sweater. (photo by Tony Kay)

Ben Fisher and Shelby Earl cover the Pogues in perfect whiskey and honey harmony. (photo by Tony Kay)

Tom Eddy sings his non-holiday-themed (but still great) original song, "Sunday Market." (photo by Tony Kay)

Brady Harvey of Tea Cozies takes out Chuck Berry with some well-chosen chords. (photo by Tony Kay)

Tea Cozies' Jessi Reed sings a happy Waitresses tune. (photo by Tony Kay)

Shelby Earl in action. (photo by Tony Kay)

Shelby Earl: Thawing cold hearts since 2007. (photo by Tony Kay)

Ivan and Alyosha's Tim Wilson, wearer of one of Seattle's finest pompadours. (photo by Tony Kay)

Tim and Pete Wilson of Ivan and Alyosha belt out "Auld Lang Syne." (photo by Tony Kay)

Kevin Long. thumbnail
Naomi Wachira. thumbnail
Naomi Wachira. thumbnail
Tony Kevin Jr. thumbnail
Ben Fisher. thumbnail
Ben Fisher and Shelby Earl. thumbnail
Tom Eddy. thumbnail
Tea Cozies. thumbnail
Tea Cozies. thumbnail
Shelby Earl. thumbnail
Shelby Earl. thumbnail
Ivan and Alyosha. thumbnail
Ivan and Alyosha. thumbnail

‘Tis the season for holiday-themed live shows, and Wintersong, Gigs4Good’s final fundraising concert of the season, was a toasty-warm way for the organization to send off 2012. Proceeds for last night’s show benefited Team Up for Non-Profits, the local organization devoted to helping other non-profits put on their own fundraising shows.

A stellar line-up of mostly acoustic artists took to the winter-themed format with the festive warmth of a mug of Christmas cocoa. Covers were sung, sweaters were worn, funds were raised for a good cause, and the proverbial good time was had by all.

Wintersong proved to be a well-stuffed musical stocking, but in keeping with the coming holidays, a Christmas List of the show’s highlights only seemed right.

The Ten Best Things About Gigs4Good’s Wintersong Concert:

10) Kevin Long’s wonderfully forlorn cover of “Blue Christmas.”

9) Hearing folk troubadour Tony Kevin Jr. sing live again after a year-long hiatus.

8) Getting out of an eight-artist live show before midnight on a weeknight. 

7) Ivan and Alyosha perfecting their union of  Beatles-influenced songcraft, acoustic earthiness, and jumping energy with their set. 

6) Tom Eddy and band’s swinging rendition of one of Vince Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown Christmas tracks.

5) Ben Fisher’s and Shelby Earl’s wonderful whiskey-and-honey cover of that Pogues chestnut, “Fairytale of New York.”

4) Naomi Wachira’s plaintive and soulful vocalizing.

3) Shelby Earl using the Christmas/Christmas tree/conifer continuum as an excuse to deliver a goosebump-inducing rendition of her gorgeous Patsy-Cline-gone-Brill-Building original, “Under Evergreen.” 

2) Tea Cozies kicking the party into high gear with perfect-fitting covers of Chuck Berry’s “Run Rudolph Run” and the Waitresses’ “Christmas Wrapping“.  

1) Ben Fisher’s magnificent Christmas sweater, pilfered from his dad’s collection. Seriously.

 

The SunBreak’s Picks for City Arts Fest Saturday

The closing night of City Arts Fest 2011 should pack plenty of unmissable moments in its own right. Enclosed, please find our picks for your Saturday evening.

Mudhoney w/Hot Bodies in Motion, Thee Emergency, Lovesick Empire @ Neumos
Katelyn: Mudhoney, people. MUDHONEY. Plus, Thee Emergency’s reinvented themselves at least twice since I saw them last, so I’m interested to see what the ever-sultry Dita Vox and the gang are up to now. Do wear flannel, and do prepare your eardrums for sonic assault.

Clint: Well, don’t I feel lucky going in for Mudhoney? I’d say that’s been covered quite nicely. Just one more thought: While other legendary Seattle bands/records celebrate 20 years in 2011, Mudhoney nears 25. And still the band’s spontaneous-yet-accomplished rock and Mark Arm’s serpentine, charismatic frontman talents remain unrivaled.

Tea Cozies will rock it up tonight at the Rendezvous.

Seapony w/Tea Cozies, Midday Veil, Witch Gardens @ The Rendezvous
Katelyn: Oh, you’d rather be less ragey, more happy on a Saturday night? Done. Go to the Rendezvous for Seapony and Tea Cozies.

Tony: Seapony’s girl-fronted pop’s just plain tasty and sweet, but my heart belongeth to Tea Cozies. The Ronettes fronting Gang of Four while channelling mid ’60’s Kinks, set to a walloping backbeat? Yep, that about covers it.

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down w/Grand Hallway, Lemolo, Kris Orlowski @ The Crocodile
Tony: The Croc’s wildly varied Saturday bill includes Thao’s winning herky-jerky indie pop, Grand Hallway’s entrancing and airy chamber-rock, Lemolo’s electronic allure, and Kris Orlowski’s burnished, beguilingly-ragged Mark Lanegen-esque pipes.

The Hold Steady w/ Grand Archives @ The Neptune
Josh: The pairing of Grand Archives (sunny American harmonics) and the Hold Steady (optimal bar band with a dash of literary tradition) make a great excuse to check out the Neptune.

Male Bonding w/Unnatural Helpers, Virgin Islands, The Fucking Eagles @ Chop Suey
Tony: The bill I’m most excited for this evening has to be this rock and roll quadruple feature at Chop Suey. British trio Male Bonding give great loud pop–short, catchy songs that sound like Teenage Fanclub after a case of Red Bull. But get there really, really early. The other three local bands on the bill pretty much rule: Unnatural Helpers and Virgin Islands serve up some great, spiky post-punk, and Tacoma collective The Fucking Eagles uphold T-Town’s noble tradition of gloriously git-down-and-dirty garage rock, but laced with some muscular R & B. Be sure to bring an extra pair of socks, as your first pair will be knocked off.

Seateeth: Jose Bold (John Osebold of “Awesome”) @ Theater off Jackson
Seth: I wrote about this earlier this week. I will be there at this very show, and if the Huskies beat Stanford that afternoon, I will be the guy smiling broadly and muttering “Keith Mother-f-ing Price! F-ing A!” at intervals. Sorry.

Capsula w/Whalebones, Stag, Rose Windows @ The Comet Tavern
Tony: When it comes to my sixties revivalists, I like ‘em swirly, swaggering and dirty. South America’s Capsula know how to break out the bad-trip psychedelia, and Seattle’s own Whalebones provide a great excuse to show up early.