SAT 6/29
Jewelbox: Astronautalis, Coconut Bonanza, Ladies on a Fence

Astronautalis moved to Seattle roughly two months ago, hauling his beat-filled laptop and sacks of laundry from Jacksonville, FL, to Cap Hill to set up a new homestead. But this white import is not a southern, swampy Bubba Sparxxx. Total opposite, really. Astro's brand of hip-hop is both foreign and perfectly suited to his new neighborhood: sing-songy, melodic, full of acoustic accoutrement, much less abrasive--and often more impressive--than the stylings of Why?. His last record, The Mighty Ocean & Nine Dark Theaters, is a far cry from his teen years as one of the country's best battle rappers (yep, he's even been to the famed Scribble Jam), though his ridiculous ability to chain freestyle thoughts with indelible rhyme and flow pokes through even in his most recent material (and he proves his skills by taking freestyle suggestions Who's Line style during most concerts).

Full disclosure--I've known the guy for years through Texas connections. But he doesn't return my calls, and he hasn't sent me a copy of his just-finished new record, produced by John Congleton (Explosions in the Sky, Black Mountain, The Mountain Goats) and featuring members of Midlake and the Polyphonic Spree in the backing band. Which means I'll have to see him for the first time in forever tomorrow to watch him debut new, far-beyond-hip-hop material from his ambitious, two-year recording ordeal. Openers Coconut Bonanza are from a similar school of hip-hop--a lot jokier and sillier lyrically (like, ahem, pissing on a lover), but the group, composed of guys from local rock/metal bands like Lesbian, delivers a prog-ish mentality that keeps their goofiness fresh.

So, the friendly neighborhood SPD just dropped by Comeback at Chop Suey, and told us that it was illegal to have our usual male nude posters up inside the club (they'll be back later about the noise). Now the posters have little strips of paper that say "censored" over the naughty bits. I'm no expert on municipal code, but that sounds like bullshit to me. Any lawyers out there on Line Out wanna weigh in?

In the meantime, because the pigs can't censor Line Out (and, yes, NSFW as well as blatant self-promotion):

You know The Source Magazine right? Self-styled "Bible Of Hip-Hop Music, Culture & Politics"? Here's the current issue, maybe you've seen it:

In it is obviously a story on the D-O-Double G, as well as a great story on the dangers of Southern hiphop's favorite beverage: promethazine-laced cough syrup. Also in this issue, as with every issue as long as I can remember, is the Unisgned Hype column- where budding, unsigned talent is showcased every month. This venerable space has showcased the likes of Notorious B.I.G., Eminem, Mobb Deep, DMX, and Common before they became superstars of hiphop (and beyond). I say all that to say this: this months's Unsigned Hype?

It's Seatown's sons Dyme Def!

This is the definition of 'a good look'. If you want to know what else would be a good look, I'll tell ya- showing up to the 2nd Edition of The Corner, taking place in the Rendezvous' Jewel Box Theatre tomorrow night. Charles Mudede had this to say about the first installment:

Where is the true hiphop? One spot that has it regularly is the Jewel Box Theater at the Rendezvous. Here, once a month, there is a gathering of local hiphop heads. This gathering is intimate. Meaning, there is a close relationship between the audience and the performers. This closeness (and smallness) is its truth—a truth because this how it all began, in small spaces, in small rooms, in the small hours of the night. What is documented in the bibles of hiphop—Beat Street and Wild Style—is being practiced at the Jewel Box Theater.

Charles couldn't be more correct- that basement flavor was in full effect last time, and it was positively intoxicating to go to a top-tier local rap show in such intimate quarters. And I'm not just saying that because my crew played last time, or because I'm hosting tomorrow's edition; that's just how it was.

If you'd like to see the Unsigned Hype that is Dyme Def, the authoritative voice of the streets D. Black, or Seattle's dusted-savant clown prince Sonny Bonoho, you're just gonna have to make sure you don't miss The Corner tomorrow night. See you then.

Normally I wouldn't talk about a show my band was playing because it's in bad form / conflict of interest / heinous / etc. but this is a special occasion. Tonight's Funhouse show is also the first performance by fellow Stranger Aaron Edge's new band Swearengen. Since there are two of us playing tonight I figure the conflicts cancel each other out, right? -1 x -1 = +metal show.

Swearengen is the duo of Edge (Iamthethorn, Grievous) and drummer Rob Lovell (Spitting Teeth, Positively Negative). They just recorded a one song, 14 minute demo of heavy, brooding doom metal taking influence from bands like Yob, Engine Kid, Cavity, Sleep, Iceburn and Khanate. They sound as brutal as the murderous cocksucker from whom they got their name.

Also playing tonight are bar rock miscreants Thunderbird Motel. They sound, as their name would imply, like a dirty, semen crusted mattress. Making their way across the mountains from Spokane are another Neurosis/Sleep influenced metal act, Merrick Diaries. And these assholes are playing too. Should be a good time.

I just put up an exclusive interview with Saigon on RaindropHustla, here's a taste:

...One day my little brother walks in the house and he got these Kevin Garnett-sized earrings on. R Kelly joints. Big, diamond earrings. If they were real they woulda cost at least a quarter-million dollars. I’m like the purpose of wearin' fake jewelry is to make people believe it might be real. So if you had the money to afford those earrings, you wouldn't be livin' in this house. He gives me the smirk - whateva. And I know he's gettin' that from the rap videos. I'm like look at how influential this is on my little brother, I'm schoolin' him every day talkin' about how fake most of these gangsta rappers are, but their influence is stronger than me and he knows what I've been through. Rappers are raising our kids. Rappers replaced the black father. Sad but true. You know how many young kids I know that think its cool to sleep wit' as many girls as possible? I'm like AIDS is out there, are y'all crazy? But no its like 'I'm a pimp, I got this many chicks duh-duh-duh-duh-dah.' Rappers don't emphasize safe sex; they emphasize butt-naked women in they videos. Seein' stuff like that made me feel like if I'm gonna do this, I gotta be responsible. I can't send kids to prison, can't do it.

Saigon plays Neumos's tomorrow night with Dyme Def, Cancer Rising, and Mr. Supreme.

The publishers of No Depression magazine—Grant Alden, Peter Blackstock, and Kyla Fairchild, all of whom have deep roots in Seattle—announced today that the magazine, dedicated to "surveying the past, present, and future of American music," will cease publication with its 75th issue, the May-June 2008 edition.

On a personal note, as a longtime contributor to ND, this is... well, devastating. In an era when most magazines opt for a big photo and a short blurb, and call that a "feature," the generous word counts at roots music bible No Depression permitted me to write some of my favorite longform stories, including in-depth ruminations on Sufjan Stevens, Robyn Hitchcock, and Carolyn Mark. They gave regional artists like Sera Cahoone and Tucker Martine well-deserved national coverage early in their careers.

Most importantly, they opened the door for some of my most-treasured memories as a writer: Being serenaded in a cab by Academy Award-nominated Nashville star Ronee Blakley; rubbing elbows with Rodney Crowell backstage at the Ryman Auditorium; stopping for the best roadside burgers ever with the Handsome Family somewhere in the mountains of New Mexico; and swapping quips with legends like Solomon Burke, Nathaniel Meyer, and, most recently, the Collins Kids.

They were also remarkably prompt in payment for submissions and paid a very fair rate. And, Lord knows, nobody at Rolling Stone or Details even stuck a note of compliment or gratitude in my paycheck like Mary at ND did from time to time.

Full press release, including a lengthy and thoughtful statement from the publishers, after the cut. And now, if you'll excuse me, in the words of Willie Nelson, I'll take this opportunity to cry.

Continue reading "No More No Depression" »

I know, I can't believe I'm defending them either. But in January Eric asked me if there was anything I wish I would have said or revised from 2007 and my answer was actually Idiot Pilot. I wished I would have said something nice about how their new album was significantly better than their old one (though still not great). I thought Wolves came out months ago. Turns out it was released today.

Anyone remember when Pitchfork called Idiot Pilot “the musical equivalent of a monkey with a hand grenade?” That was somewhat fitting for their debut album Strange We Should Meet Here, an abrasive, unfortunate amalgamation of Radiohead and the Blood Brothers full of glitchy beats and inappropriate screaming. Though it catapulted the band into Major Label buzz and world tours its praise was mostly given by people too young to buy beer.

I was legitimately surprised by their follow up Wolves. Comparing both releases, their growth as songwriters is obvious: Strange is high school and Wolves is college. Much of the inappropriate screaming has been removed; in fact most of the Blood Brothers vibe has been wiped clean. Michael Harris will draw Thom Yorke comparisons until the end of his career, which isn’t particularly a bad thing since its obvious that's just the way his voice sounds - he's not stealing any of Yorke's stylings. It's also much more effective when it’s not contrasted with screamo. Instead, bandmate Daniel Anderson has focused his attention on writing huge arena rock anthems deriving from an obvious love of classic U2. The result is an interesting one – grown up music targeted at children. While it's nowhere near a complete success it is vastly superior to their debut album, which if anything is a strong step in the right direction for the band. At least it’s less likely to get them booed off the stage at Neumos again. I give it 2 and ¾ stars.

As far as Phil Collins goes, I can’t (and won’t) try to defend his music. Or his actions. But there is an excellent episode of This American Life where he is consulted on heartbreak and breakups and he actually comes across as a nice, likable guy. It definitely raised my opinion of the man. It also reminded me how much I like the Bonnie Raitt song "I Can't Make You Love Me."

Music by underrated electronic music pioneers Josef Anton Riedl and Alwin Nikolais, the first person to buy a Moog synthesizer. Also on deck: Leticia Casteneda, who served up a superb set at the Wooden Octopus Skull PFest in 2006, acousmatic music by Darren Copeland, and the League of Automatic Music Composers, perhaps the first group to make music with networked computers.

Also in the mix: two Seattle sound artists - Byron Au Yong and some fine field recordings from China by Jason Kopec, who performs this coming Tuesday at the Chapel Performance Space - as well as work by Annea Lockwood ("Delta Run," a haunting end-of-life portrait of the sculptor Walter Wincha), John Adams, Nico Muhly (pictured above), and much more...

Catch the on-line stream or tune in to KBCS 91.3 FM from 10 pm to midnight.

Come out tonight to Seattle's Re-bar (1114 Howell Street) for Bonkers!. This night will be filled with a live electronic and visual set from Seattle's Tyler Potts (Dragon's Eye Recordings), DJ sets from the evenings hosts Erictronic, The Naturebot, Mr. Zillion, an all out disco/italo/soul-funk DJ set from myself (TJ Gorton), as well as a performance by The Cephalopod Appreciation Society. The fun and dancing starts at 10pm and has a cover cost of $5. Don't miss out!

Y'all don't know from power songs. YouTube says:

They forgot: "unironic, pantomime, using, asl, for, the, hearing-impaired."

Before I had Michel'lé, Maria Callas, Rosa Ponselle, Minnie Riperton, Björk, and all the members of En Vogue, I had:

Sandi Patty

Hooray! Terry Miller was interviewed on the blog Innersounds! Yay for us, but mostly yay for him!

Hey! I have that shirt!

Tonight Nectar, The Stranger, and Light In The Attic Records present STUDIO, an evening of disco sweat and dancing mayhem with deejays Fucking in the Streets, Glitterpants(Club Pop resident), H.M.A., and TJ Gorton. We will be spinning Electro-Funk, Soul, Italo & Sleazy Disco all night long for you to drink, sweat, and dance to. Plus, vintage 70's Playboy and Deep Throat LP soundtrack giveaways!!! This will be one of the craziest disco party the Northwest has ever seen, so don't miss out on a night where we turn the Nectar into a 1970's discothèque!

Here's all the official info:

Saturday December 8th
Nectar, The Stranger, & Light In The Attic Records Present
An Evening of Disco Sweat & Dancing Mayhem...
"STUDIO"
w/ DJs FITS, Glitterpants, Heavy Metal Army, & TJ Gorton
Spinning the choicest Rare Soul, Electro-Funk, Italo & Gay-Ass Disco cuts this side of Manhattan!
$3! 9pm doors
*Red Carpet Entry! Vintage 70's Playboy & “Deep Throat” Vinyl Soundtrack Giveaways!
*Hedonistic Dewars Drink Specials All Night!

Yesterday I was at Sonic Boom, flipping through the used vinyl, when exactly the thing I had always been hoping to witness in an independent record store became a distinct possibility. I heard the door open and someone come in, and the guy at the counter welcome them to the store. The customer’s response:

“Do you have any Hannah Montana?”

Ding dong! If ever there was a perfect opportunity for a jaded indie record clerk to let a customer know in an obnoxious and condescending tone that there was no possibility that a record store like Sonic Boom, which sells primarily music by musicians, not corporations, would ever carry Disney-brand child sugar pop, and that it was insulting for her to come into his music store and ask for something that could never really be classified as “music.” I just kept playing the scene from High Fidelity in my head over and over again, where Jack Black chews out the guy who comes into the store to buy a cheesy pop record for his daughter. That’s every record clerk’s dream, right? To totally stick it to some oblivious parent who wanders into a den of pretension and asks, “Will you please make fun of me for the following reasons?”

To no real surprise, the clerk was nothing but nice and courteous, looked in the database to see if the store had it (which of course they didn’t and never did) and offered to special order it for the woman. There was no condescending back talk. There was no pretentious rant. What a wasted opportunity. If only the same thing could have happened while I was flipping through records at Singles Going Steady I might have had a better chance of getting the scene I wanted.

Things reviewed on Line Out since Thursday:

The Spice Girls
Van Halen
The Beestings and Get Dressed
Club Pop
Coconut Coolouts, Arthur & Yu, the Thermals
Les Savy Fav
The Belmont
Roller skating in Bellevue
Rock Band, the game
Japanese band Avengers in Sci-Fi's pedal board set-up
Pony's swan song

That's 11 things.

With the demise of Pony coming sooner than one expects, you shouldn't miss tonight's Gay Disco-fest: Circus. There will only be one more.

We're gonna get all Disco, Italo and Cosmic on your asses tonight! Who knows - I might just drop the new Italo-flavored Sebastian Tellier single, Sexual Sportwear (Produced by Guy Manuel De Homem-Christo aka 1/2 of Daft Punk!). Or the funky new Martin Rushent disco single Itchy Hips (Yes! That Martin Rushent of Buzzcocks, Human League, Gen X, Joy DIvision, New Order....).

Don't miss it!

It starts at 7 pm, it ends at 9 pm, and for the entire time Chris Travis and I will be playing only local music. What's more, the last hour is all-request, so call if you have something you wanna hear.

So when debating what to write about for my temporary Line Out stint, I thought it would be nice to write about a local band or two, maybe pimp out their show.

Then, I got an even better idea to pimp out a show AND profit from it.

Great poster, huh? Totally makes up for this breach of ethics. (Not my ethics, but somebody’s, I’m sure.)

Seriously, this should be quite the winning combination. Openers The Mission Creeps (from Tucson, for Christ!) are candid in that their music owes a big debt to The Cramps. Word on the street is that the live show is not to be missed, so don’t be fashionably late. This shit starts at 10 pm sharp.

Robert Roth is a man who I met just last night. He gave me some posters and a CD that, unfortunately, I left at work. Goddammit. Anyhow, the former Truly frontman is playing a rare Seattle show before being whisked away to the magical land of CMJ in NYC, where I’m sure he’ll TCB.

Our headliners are the Endeavors, a band made up of four people who have never been in my kitchen.

There's no cover, but bring some drinking/merch money.

I'm going to go and wash my hands now.

You may have noticed, as of about 10 minutes ago, that we've added a list of Friends and Enemies of Line Out. As you can see, we love to love, but we're not above hating, too.

One of my personal favorite Friends of Line Out is Wax Poetics, a bi-monthly magazine featuring some of the deepest music journalism this side of The Wire. As their subtitle reads, Wax Poetics is all about "hip-hop, jazz, funk & soul." Nobody digs deeper into the roots of hiphop than these guys, who bear a profoundly informed love for both hiphop and all the music that instigated it, from reggae to jazz to disco to Richard Pryor. It's a digger's dream come true, a valuable resource for anyone dedicated to the search for the perfect beat.

If you subscribe to the Brooklyn-based mag, you get a few of their rare groove trading cards:

The magazine just started a record label, too, and I received their first release in the mail this afternoon: East of Underground, an album of soul covers played by the winner of a battle of the bands contest between American GIs stationed in Germany in 1971.

Friends of Line Out are into some cool shit. Check 'em out. And for God's sake, steer clear of our Enemies.

In the score this week, I wrote about DIY surround sound by The Flaming Lips, Ron Fein, and Phil Kline. Tonight on Flotation Device, I'll air Fein's magnificent plunderphonic collage for multiple boomboxes, Purple Mountains Majesty.

Also in the mix: two pioneers of electronic music - Mario Davidovsky and Brazilian composer Jorge Antunes (pictured above) - as well as Caroline Wilkins, local electronicists Cardboard, and Jeph Jerman, who goes low-tech with vinyl, playing LPs with the spikes of a prickly pear.

Catch the on-line stream or tune in to KBCS 91.3 FM from 10 pm to midnight.

Just another friendly reminder that tonight is the second installment of Club Cabana at the Solo Bar (200 Roy Street, lower Queen Anne). I will be turning the Solo Bar into a 1970's Discothèque, spinning rare classic italo and disco gems all night long. I guarentee a great night of drinking, dancing, and great music.

Here is a recent Todd Terje edit of Herbie Hancock's 1981 jazzy dance single "Magic Number" which originally was also part of the Magic Windows LP that came out that same year. I can't recall if this edit has had an official release or not, however one thing can always be certain, if Terje is doing the editing, then you know it has to be good. On this edit, he turns Hancock's jazzy dance track and turns it into a disco stomper without losing the jazz. A very nice blend.

Herbie Hancock - Magic Number (Todd Terje Edit)

The Stranger has confirmed the lineup for this year's fabulous Genius Awards party, happening the night of September 14 at the Central Library. Dig it:

The Blow
Velella Velella
w/ DJ Nordic Soul/Broken Disco DJs

Radical!

I've said it before--Velella Velella is a newfound love. Their hip-swiveling electro-funk seems like the perfect sonic complement to the technorganic architecture of the Central Library.

You'll be at the Block Party to get drunk and watch some rock and roll, but on top of all that, did you you'll also be able to stalk your favorite Stranger staffer and/or request that they play "Irreplaceable" by Beyonce?

That's right! All weekend, that music you hear blasting from the mainstage speakers while the crew sets up for the next band will be be coming straight from the record/CD/mp3 collection of some of The Stranger's very own.

Here's the schedule:

Friday:
3 to 4 pm - DJ FITS (Eric Grandy)
4:45 to 5:15 pm - DJ Dusk (Charles Mudede)
6:15 to 6:45 pm - Nips (Mike Nipper)

Saturday:
1 to 2pm - Zwikipedia (Jonathan Zwickel)
2:30 to 3pm - Jiggle Low (Dan Paulus)
3:45 to 4:15 - Klam-bone (Audrey Klammer)
5 to 5:30 - DJ FITS (Eric Grandy)

Hi folks! I'm Larry.

I write the hiphop column 'round here. I'm also in a local hiphop crew called Cancer Rising.

I don't write about my own crew in my column cuz I'm not a fucking tool. I hope. I'm realizing now however that this is a bit of a hindrance- cuz goddamn it, who else at this place is going to do it? Zwickel definitely looks out, but I wouldn't trust the rest of these fools to guess Erick Sermon's last name- that goes double for you, Charles. So just for this brief, shining moment, I gives a fuck about propriety. I'm plugging us.

So yeah, we rap. Put out a CD that was on KEXP's best-of-'05 list(#45), played some good shows, got a new EP coming out next month (god willing). Our old CD had a song called "Rawkstar" that is in every way superior to the Shop Boyz' "Party Like A Rockstar". (Schmader, something tells me you'll back me on this.) Listen to it here if you want.

We're playing the Neumos Stage tomorrow night @ 10:15pm- right between Viva Voce and The Trucks. Come thru, say wassup.

Tonight is the debut of a new dance night at Pony, everyone's favorite gay hole (in the wall). The night is called Circus, and it features not one but three Line Out bloggers on the decks—DJs El Toro (aka Kurt B Reighley), Heavy Mental Army (aka Terry Miller), and TJ Gorton (aka, well, TJ Gorton).

Circus will be a night of lesser known disco gems—you will not hear "It's Raining Men" or "Disco Inferno"—you will hear plenty of true school disco, Italo oddities, and sneaky re-edits. Terry also mentioned something about hot pants, moustaches, and Sandra Bernhardt, but I have no idea what he was on about. To get a taste for what you might hear tonight, check out Terry's Musical Life and these mp3s from American Athlete:

Mascara - "Baja (Instrumental Dub Remix)"

The Popular People's Front - "I Love Only You"

Normally, of course, we don't really write up Ruff Gemz, the extremely fun punk-disco weekly dance party at the Baltic Room, since it's progenitor is our own DJ Fucking in the Streets. It's kind of too bad--the funnest dance night in the city doesn't get any press from the smartest paper in the city (us, right?) because one of the DJs just happens to work here.

But this is a special occasion: tonight, Ruff Gemz has imported some disco talent for a live performance. The guest stars are. . .
Portland's Glass Candy! Italo-death-disco fanatics unite!

Doors are at 9, and the price is a paltry $6 (Ruff Gemz normally costs $3, but these kids gotta pay for gas). There are drink specials ($3 wells, $1 High Life). Come one and come all, it's gonna be super fun!

Capitol Hill ain't the only neighborhood with some ass-shakin' action. Did I just say "ass-shakin' action"? I did.

Tonight, Solo, a new-ish and swanky but still comfy bar on Queen Anne (200 Roy St), hosts their monthly night called Rock and Roll High School from 9 pm to 2 am. DJs Kingblind, Teenage Rampage and El Toro (KEXP, and uh... The Stranger), will spin "the best in rock 'n' roll, punk, glam, garage, pop, and new wave."

I don't usually do the dance night/DJ thing, but even that sounds fun to me. Solo has a cool, laid back vibe, and they made me a really tasty Shirley Temple once. Tonight I wanna hear old Bowie, some Refused, and someone better rock some Misfits (for Ari, of course).

Best of all, it's totally free.

(And if that doesn't do you for it, check out this week's Setlist to hear local bands and find out what else is going on around town this weekend. And if you're lucky, you'll win tickets to the Capitol Hill Block Party.)

Baseball and rock 'n' roll--as American as cocaine and hookers.

Many thanks to the fine folks at Barsuk Records (which is the next Sub Pop, don'tcha know, according to the Times) for sponsoring a day out at SafeCo Field yesterday. I joined label publicist Ever Kipp and several other full-time Barsukers, as well rockers Dave Terry, John Roderick, Heather Minton, and Phil Wandscher of the Sweet Hereafter, for what turned out to be a terrific game on a beautiful afternoon. Many beers were drank, many hotdogs were devoured, and a few crotch-waves were attempted. And hey, the Ms won in the 11th to sweep Boston in a three-game series! Go Mariners!

It was my first trip to SafeCo--what a great stadium. The view of the downtown skyline from behind first was sweet, but even better was the little nip of the Olympic Mountains that you get from the outfield bleachers.

I realized yesterday that baseball, to me, is all about sauerkraut.

That is, baseball comes down to eating hot dogs and hot dogs come down to sauerkraut, so really, when I think baseball, I think sauerkraut. Yeah.

Continue reading "Taken Out to the Ballgame" »

Tonight I'm one of the judges for Opticlash, the VJ Battle in Seattle. I've been promised that it's way more entertaining than either competing home videos or dueling screen savers, but this will be my first time at the event, so I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow. Should be a good time, so come on down.

OPTICLASH 2 VJ BATTLE

WED., June 13TH, 2007
6pm – 10pm
@ Capitol Hill Arts Center
1621 12th Avenue (12th & Pine)

$15 advance, through Brown Paper Tickets
+ Anywhere SIFF Tickets are sold

Punch Drunk Productions, 4Culture, Seattle Foundry, Art Patch, and The Stranger proudly present part of the 2007 Seattle International Film Festival: Opticlash 2, the 2nd annual VJ Battle in Seattle. Similar to a DJ battle, contestants pit their live performance prowess against one another - instead of scratching records and mixing music, they mix video images on two huge screens. A DJ plays music to which the VJs sculpt their video art, all in real-time. The winner, selected by a panel of local judges, takes home a $1000 Edirol V-4 video mixer for the grand prize. A portion of proceeds from the event will be donated to Seattle-based nonprofit ReelGrrls: Empowering girls through media production.

Sean Nelson is on KUOW talking about Dinosaur Jr right now.

A bunch of wildly smart and attractive people are giving a free reading. These people include: Joan Hiller of Sub Pop, Josh Feit of The Stranger, Eric Fredericksen of Western Bridge, the DJ and promoter and prolific Slog commenter Kerri Harrop, and, uh, me.

Oh, and of course Sean Nelson, the evening's host. It's called Rock Crit's Greatest Hits, but don't worry, it's not going to be all that rock-crit-y. Josh Feit is reading the Rolling Stone cover story about Patty Hearst from back in the day--he has the actual issue, yellowed with age. And I'll be reading excerpts from The White Album by Joan Didion, including the stuff about what John and Michelle Phillips did in the limo on their way to the hospital for the birth of their daughter Chynna.

Did I mention it's free? And that no one will ask you to buy anything? And that several of the readers are single? And that it will be homey and funny and you can sit on the floor if you want? And that it starts at 7 pm? And that the address is 3416 Fremont Avenue N? If you get lost: 206-633-BOOM.

UPDATE: And there will be beer.

I'm going to co-host the Young & the Restless on 107.7 the End with Chris Travis tonight. Tune in from 8-10 pm to hear two hours of local music. Not sure what he has on the agenda for the evening, but I'm taking a handful of CDs from here at the office, and I promise to play a track or two from at least a couple of them. Even if I have to take over the station to do it.

Here's what's in my bag: Boat, the Quiet Ones, Patrol, Say Hi to Your Mom, Night Canopy, Siberian, and Peter Parker. Wow, that's a lot of indie and mellow music. I'll grab the Whore Moans record too, just in case we need to rock. And really, don't we always need to rock? Exactly.

Listen, will you? You will.

Here I go, pimping my sexy friends. I know these guys; I love these guys:

Root Villa is a talented, fresh-faced quartet from the wilds of Oregon, and they’re hauling their amps from Salem to the Skylark Café tomorrow. Charming 60s-style pop with Elvis Costello’s twisted sense of structure can be heard HERE. Listen to “Soothing Song” once or twice and revel in its mysteriously airy poptastic goodness. Show them some love and get there early.

Meanwhile, at the High Dive in Fremont, Man Plus—a Seattle based electro-rock outfit with a knack for alluring histrionics—will be playing KEXP's Audioasis. This being live and on-the-air, I expect frontman Jared will probably tear out his heart on-stage and eat it for the amusement of all gathered. Listen to their recent performance of "Kisses..." on KEXP and see what I mean.

I'm going to be guest co-hosting the Young & the Restless on 107.7 the End tonight with Chris Travis from 8-10 pm. It's gonna be all local music for two whole hours.

A few records I'm going to take with me are... the new Siberian EP, the Whore Moans, and Lake of Falcons. And Chris always has a few good things up his sleeve too, so tune in, it'll be good.

Over and out.

I feel a little goofy posting this since the song I'm about to drool all over is by a local band whose roster includes one former and one current Stranger staffer. But then again, when has feeling goofy about something ever stopped me from doing it?

Exactly.

So I was just at Honeyhole grabbing a late lunch (Big Smooth, so good) and playing on their stereo was Harvey Danger's latest album Little by Little. I haven't listened to it in many months, but I was reminded of how much I do like this record. More importantly, though, I remembered how much I love the song "Little Round Mirrors."

Listen to it. It's amazing.

The fluid piano, that beautiful and proud French horn, and the delicate ba ba ba baaa's that all come together in the song's slow-build to a climax only to, minutes later, explode with starry guitar, more sweeping horns, and Sean Nelson's voice that aches with just the right amount of conviction.

I do believe it might be the best song Harvey Danger has ever released. I really, really do.

As the resident Vera Project graduate, I am incredibly jealous of Chris Hong's (a blogger and freelancer for the Stranger as well) new tattoo:

Photo by Kelly O

Veri Et Recti Amici means "True and Sincere Friends" and it is the acronym that Vera takes its name from. I am making a tattoo appointment as soon as I get some freaking cash.

...is also one of the best. I'm talking about Christopher Frizzelle's 1700-word assessment of the Shins' feverishly anticipated shock blockbuster Wincing the Night Away, which you can read here. Chronicling the avalanche of expectations foisted on the Shins in general and Wincing in particular (along with the bedwetters' appreciation of Dave Matthews and the horror of having one of your deep personal truths attributed to Natalie Portman), Frizzelle's review ultimately gives the record a scant two stars, which seems harsh even to me, the most provisional of Shins fan. (I'd have given the spotty-but-still-good Wincing no more and no less than three stars.) Still, his argument is compelling, as are his digressions. Enjoy.

This evening, at the former Bad Juju Lounge—now a fully integrated part of Neumo's—I'll be warming the place up on the turntables alongside Brian Webber and DJ Suspence of the Saturday Knights as part of the Capitol Hill Artwalk. Suspence has asked me to play "hip-hop / or the sweetest love songs you can think of (should be some slow dancing)," whereas Segal guesses I'll "be rocking [my] brand of party shit." I'm still working on my set list, so it's not too late for other requests. There will be some photography on display, and free food and drinks courtesy of Light in the Attic records. It starts at 6pm, and it's free.

In less conflicted events:

Tonight's edition of Oscillate at the Baltic Room is a benefit for DJ Kadeejah Streets, who tore his achilles tendon not long ago and is uninsured. Guests include: RAMIRO, DJ COLLAGE, JEN WOOLFE, J-SUN, TEKGNOSIS, with live visuals by SCOTT K. JAMES. It starts at 10pm, and it's $6 to help a brother out.

Tonight on Floatation Device: Terre Thaemlitz, Luigi Nono, some dubbed-out Sun Ra, and Laeticia Castaneda (who was stunning at the last Wooden Octopus fest) as well as acousmatic music by Bernard Fort and Olga Neuwirth's tribute to William S. Burroughs, Nova/Minraud.

Catch the on-line stream or tune in to KBCS 91.3 FM from 10 pm to midnight.

Afterwards at midnight catch the final show of Iain Edgewater's long-running Prisms. Over two lengthy runs (May 2000-December 2003 and August 2004-February 2007), Edgewater aired an astonishing variety of contemporary classical music heard nowhere else on Seattle radio. He will be missed.

On Saturday night, I ran into the Stranger's Romantic (as in Brahms) circuitry clairvoyant, Christopher DeLaurenti.

While DeLaurenti certainly writes an excellent classical/experimental/head music column for us, his true talent is writing radio halo orchestrations (check out "Gray Angel for electric guitar and prerecorded sound.")

I asked DeLaurenti what his latest was, and his answer blew my mind. Get this: He's taken the subversive art of field recording to its perfect double reverse back flip conclusion. Rather than the "traditional" conception—Steve Reich 1960s-style or even Eno/Byrne My Life in the Bush of Ghosts style—of holding the microphone down to the gutter and bringing the sounds of the real world into the concert hall, DeLaurenti sneaked his field recording set up into concert halls and bootlegged the players as they warmed up during intermission. The result? DeLaurenti's new CD: Favorite Intermissions. Music Before and Between Beethoven - Stravinsky - Holst

So, you've got that clashing intermission ritual on record: musicians (either solo or in small groups) all going at the same time—practicing the tough phrases that are coming up in the second half of the program. improvising, tuning, or just plain jamming.

Here's an excerpt from DeLaurenti's essay about the project:

I have spent the last several years at orchestra concerts and ballet performances on my own singular plane of existence. Furtive, vigilant, with my eyes everywhere (for I might get caught!) and my ears carefully attuned to "playing" the orchestra, I’m on a secret mission: to surreptitiously record intermissions.

At concert halls across the country, symphony musicians often return to the stage during intermission, sometimes mere moments after the entire orchestra has officially exited. Individually or collectively, clarinetists, trumpeters, timpanists, and others warm up and work through difficult passages that await on the remainder of the program. This soundscape is not limited to American orchestras, though in my experience, visiting European orchestras, after the program’s first half, usually remain backstage until the second half of the concert begins.

Why record intermissions? One duty of the composer is to expose the unexpected, overlooked, and hidden skeins of music woven in the world around us. Culling sounds from the world as a composition subverts long-standing, essentialist notions of music as comprised of notes, melody, traditional instruments (violin, guitar, drums, piano, etc.) and so forth as well as flouts contemporary expectations of abstractly agglomerated, musique concrète-ized sound.

Throughout history, the definition of music has remained a moving target. I hope recording and presenting these intermissions in some small way abets and accelerates the ongoing re-definition of music in our culture towards moving, meaningful, coherent listening.

Making such recordings is illegal, a result of rules negotiated by the Musicians Union and various venues, yet I believe the importance of documenting these intermissions trumps antiquated copyright laws and misguided prohibitions.

Indeed, I asked DeLaurenti if he's worried about getting sued. Nope. He doesn't identify what recordings are what and so, no orchestra will be able to come after him.

Tonight is the night of Wizard Rock.

While the Whore Moans are busy celebrating their official CD release at the Sunset (check out Megan's CD review here), their label-and-house-mates the Ironclads will be competing in UW's Battle of the Bands at the HUB, with first place taking an opening slot before Cursive later this year. While I can't really objectively vouch for the Ironclads myself anymore--I'm going to be producing the band's first EP later next month--anyone who has seen them play out will tell you that the Ironclads are going to fucking destroy UW tonight. I missed their last show at the Union Building, so I'll be there. Megan will be at the Sunset. You should spend your evening with the Whore Moans or the Ironclads, too.