At the Showbox. October 7th.

Go to www.lizphair.com for ticket info (eventually, right now the site says "Coming Soon!" and then redirects you to MySpace).

It’s Total Fest time. What is Total Fest you say? Total Fest is a three day music festival in Missoula, Montana. A mere seven hours away, Total Fest attendees camp and consume. Some people hike. Forty bands provide rock action. Beer is made and celebrated. A river is floated down. There’s a music swap at an ice-cream parlor. BBQ? Yes. Nudity? Maybe. Sun? Music and fun? Guaranteed like Grade A Top Choice tofu dogs or sirloin. Friday and Saturday are ALL AGES.

When: August 14-16. Record Swap is Aug. 16.
Where: the Badlander / Palace in Missoula, and Big Dipper Ice Cream.
How much: $35 three-day passes for 18+, $25 two-day (Fri.-Saturday) passes for all-ages.

In Russia, there is family of tightrope walkers by the name of Wallendah. The Wallendahs are a quiet bunch. The skill of tightrope walking is nimbly handed down through generations with care. They tightrope walk across town squares and from building to building twenty stories high. Some Wallendahs have fallen to their death.

Total Fest is nothing like that. Total Fest crushes the Wallendahs. People may fall at Total Fest, but they fall into soft grass, in the sun. And they are nude.

Some bands playing this year are Pierced Arrows, Akimbo, the Trucks, the Lights, PartMan PartHorse, Black Eyes and Neckties, Rad Touch, and Triclops! from SF.

Jeff from the Lights spoke about some of the goings on:

Can you talk Total Fest beer for me? Specifically keg beer.
Jeff: Well, in general, Josh Vanek (head honcho for Wantage USA record label) brews his own batch of "Total Beer." This is quite tasty, ask the bros in Big Business and the dudes in Akimbo. After that everyone pretty much drinks whiskey and cheap beer until 4 AM. Josh is also known for making DIY elk jerky. Punk rock does not have to be vegan. Nor does it have to be anti-hunting and guns. Josh is proof. He also owns a potato cannon.

How late is late night at Total Fest?
The last time we played there we ended up playing an after hours party at 4 AM that was as decidedly debaucherous as it was disastrous musically.

Is there nudity?
Nudity is frequent. The first time I saw girls take their shirts off at a punk rock show was in Missoula. Missoulians are not afraid to take it up a notch. Seattleites take note, getting stupidly wasted and undressed is fun.

Everyone floats down a river, right?
Yeah. Saturday is usually the day everyone mellows out and heads up the river for a swim. Levis are cutoff, people get stoned. It's fun to watch a bunch of dirt-bag rocker dudes in muscle tees act all wimpy when the icy river (glacial run off) goes above their testicles. Missoula is a fun town. It's a perfect mix of DIY punk rockers and American-Gothic rednecks.

Pierced Arrows (ex Dead Moon) are playing this year. If Fred and Toodie Cole are not the grandparents of DIY punk rock then I don't know who is.

Total Fest Line-Up after the jump.

Continue reading "Total Fest VII: DIY Elk Jerky" »

They're playing the KeyArena Saturday, October 11th. Angels and Airwaves and Tokyo Police Club open.

Of course, Weezer were already in town once this year. They played a handful of songs with 200+ local musicians and fans at the Vera Project in June. You can read a couple reviews of the day here and here.

UPDATE: Ticket info, should you want it...

Tickets prices are $25.00, $38.50, and $45.00 and go on sale Saturday, August 23 at 10:00 a.m. at LiveNation.com, Ticketmaster, or charge by phone (206) 628-0888.

Just announced today: a Mad Decent tour featuring int'l party starting DJ Diplo, Smelly punks Abe Vigoda, and mind-killingly dull electro sirens Telepathe. Ignore Telepathe—or show up late—and you've got what could be a really interesting bill. The tour hits Seattle on Halloween (!) at Nectar. Expect it to look like a drinkinger version of this:

Mixed with this:

Mixed with this:

With many different choices, as usual, on how to spend your evenings this weekend, I recommend stoping in at the Comet Tavern this Saturday to check out one of Northern California's most upcoming bands, Silver Darling. This three piece americana alt-country folk group has been gaining a lot of recent attention in the bands local Sacramento and Davis music scenes. They have become a rotating favorite on KDVS, a University of Davis college-run radio station, as well as being featured in Sacramento's established entertainment newspaper, News & Review. They wear their influences on their sleeve, sounding a lot like a mix between Uncle Tupelo, M. Ward, Bill Withers, and Damien Jurado, whom they will playing alongside with later next month for the band's upcoming CD Release show. They have one record to their name, Wrap Around My Heart, with another, Your Ghost Fits My Skin on it's way which will be release this fall on Crossbill Records. This will be their first visit through the Pacific Northwest, playing in Olympia tonight and Seattle Tomorrow. If your looking for some good and honest alt-country, I highly recommend checking them out. Being from Sacramento myself, I always look forward to going home and catching one of their always amazing shows. Plus, if nothing else, it's always great music to drink to.

You can hear and find out more about the group by visiting the bands myspace page.

Catch Silver Darling this Saturday along with Barton Carroll, Burning Rivers, Power of County, and Facts About Funeral at the Comet Tavern, 8pm

This just in from Amy Winehouse's roommate's publicist:

So I have a new, wild artist to introduce you to. First off, she's Amy Winehouse's roommate, her name (her given name) is Neon Hitch, and she's ready to make it big in the states.

A Gypsy by birth, she compares her style with an early Nelly Furtado and has some great tracks produced by Benny Blanco.

Right now her claim to fame is that she lives with Amy Winehouse--who's on the verge of death--and sounds like early Nelly Furtado. But she looks like a sexier (and less-dressed) Winehouse before Winehouse's body started rotting, and she sounds like this, so she'll no doubt get at least 15 minutes of fame on her own accord.

It was going to happen eventually... Rock Band is now not only a video game, it's also a (crappy) tour.

The musical video game phenomenon of Rock Band™ is coming to the Comcast Arena at Everett October 14, 2008. This fall Rock Band Live (www.rockbandlivetour.com) will travel across the country with headline acts Panic At The Disco and Dashboard Confessional, together on stage, with very special guests Plain White T’s, The Cab, and possibly YOU!

The concert tour will let Rock Band bands rock their way onto the main stage with a truly interactive experience that allows fans to compete in head-to-head competitions for the chance to play on the main stage in-between the tour acts’ sets. Bands will be selected through local radio promotions, national contests and on-site at each show.

Tickets go on sale Aug 8 at 10 am for $29.95, $35.95, and $39.95. Buy 'em at the Comcast Arena at Everett Box Office or www.comcastarenaeverett.com.

Friday Sept 19
NCGA Welcomes the 1st Annual
"CO-OPS ROCK!"
A concert to benefit The Cooperative Disaster Relief Fund, aiding farmers impacted by the Midwest floods.
Featuring:
THE NATIONAL
Menomena
Doors 7:00pm
Show 8:00pm
All Ages Bar With I.D
$22 ADV
$25 DOS
At The Moore Theatre
On Sale Friday Aug 1, 10:00am.
www.ticketmaster.com and all ticketmaster outlets.
Brought to you buy the National Cooperative Grocers Association and food coops nation wide.
Sponsored in part by by The Stranger and 90.3 KEXP.

Here's the info for the exclusive pre-sale, which is going on now:

EXCLUSIVE PRESALE LINK Starts Wednesday at 10:00AM.
http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0F0040FCAA545A32

Password is: coopsrock

Holy shit! Whoever was telling me about the Vivian Girls over the weekend, you get a gold start both for accuracy (they're fantastic) and timing (the promo cd just came in the mail today). I get a demerit for not remembering who you are (my guess: someone in a beer garden, somewhere.) The band is parts Vaselines, parts Aisler's Set, and, per their myspace, parts Black Tambourine, Wipers, and Shangri-Las. (Side note: does anyone actually listen to the Shangri-Las, or does everyone merely cite them as influences?) The band may already be old news, I don't know, but DAMN! Their self-titled album is sold-out of its original run but will be rereleased on In the Red on Oct 7th. It will, in the interim, be on heavy rotation on my various music playback devices. Sadly, the Brooklyn band has no Seattle dates scheduled for the time being. Someone here ought to do something about that...

Update: Mike points out that they were here two months ago. I missed them. I will now spend the time being kicking myself.

M83 just announced tour dates for the fall, they'll be back in Seattle (playing Neumo's) Tuesday, November 25th. Good news for anyone who missed their show back in May because of Sasquatch.

Read Trent Moorman's review of the band's last Seattle performance here.

See all tour dates after the jump.

Continue reading "M83 Returns to Seattle" »

Here's what Sam Mickens wrote about tomorrow night's scheduled, now cancelled show at Neumo's:

The Master Musicians of Jajouka

(Neumo's) The Master Musicians of Jajouka are the keepers of one of the most exquisitely unique and ancient musical traditions in the world. Having resided in the same severely isolated mountain community in Morocco for centuries, the generations of the Master Musicians make an ocean of wailing, mind-rattling sound unmoored from the shores of either European or Asiatic musical convention. Having become the object of adoration and investigation by William S. Burroughs, Paul Bowles, Brian Jones, and, most recently, Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, the group have inevitably found themselves in more and more frequent exchange with the rest of the globe. While these developments are inevitable and have had proven potential for exciting cross-pollinations, many believe that this may be the last generation of the Master Musicians' existence. SAM MICKENS

And here's the press release about Homeland Security keeping us safe from the Master Musicians:

BACHIR ATTAR & THE MASTER MUSICIANS OF JAJOUKA DENIED ENTRY INTO UNITED STATES

TOUR DATES AND KEYNOTE ADDRESS CANCELLED

The legendary Moroccan musical group *The Master Musicians of Jajouka*, led by *Bachir Attar*, had to cancel their July 2008 US tour dates this week due to highly unusual delays in the issuance of their US visas.

Although the group's US visa petition was approved by the Department of Homeland Security, and they were granted P3 status which is only awarded to "culturally unique artists," nonetheless we have been informed that several of the group members' names were *similar* to those on a Department of Justice "watchlist" and that *therefore the additional processing time for the delivery of their visas would take 3 months* after their US consular interview. The normal processing time for issuance of visas post-consular interview (the final stage in obtaining the actual physical visa) is 24 hours in most cases, and perhaps a few days to a week in unusual circumstances.

*Bachir Attar* was scheduled to give a keynote speech at the *Concert of Colors Festival* in Detroit, which had to be cancelled along with a major performance. Shows in Seattle and New York City were cancelled as well, creating a severe financial burden for the tour.

*Bachir Attar and the Master Musicians* have been internationally recognized and highly acclaimed for over four decades and have performed and recorded with *Brian Jones, the Rolling Stones, Ornette Coleman, Lee Ranaldo, Donovan, Deborah Harry, Talvin Singh*, and many other high-profile musicians. Artists as diverse as *Paul Bowles, William Burroughs, Brion Gysin, *and* Robert Palmer *have written extensively about the group's utterly unique and ancient music, which can be traced back literally
thousands of years.

This action sends a discouraging message to those who take the financial risk entailed in promoting and producing music from outside the United States, but the ultimate losers are listeners in the United States, whose access to world culture in recent years has been restricted.

These highly regarded, internationally recognized artists, who have been active for decades, who are acknowledged as "culturally unique" by the US government, and who have no known criminal record, should not be subject to such unusual and unfair security scrutiny *after their visa petition has been already been approved*.

In common with the arts community nation-wide, we feel that the US visa application process is opaque and needlessly confusing, and we call for greater transparency and accountability.

Refunds for tomorrow night's show are available at point of purchase.

TV on the Radio's new album, due out September 23rd on Interscope, will be called Dear Science,. Will there be songs about raw milk? Will the band appear on the Dear Science podcast? Will Golob finally explain why my radio doesn't get television signals? We'll see...

TV on the Radio play the Showbox on September 6th

Fremont’s Toy Box Studio celebrates five years of putting out diverse Seattle sounds with a party at the High Dive on Sunday, July 20th.

The show features twelve of the bands that have recorded there over the years:

Shawn Smith
17th Chapter
With Friends Like These
The Catch
Mass Sugar
Michael Clark & The Red Taillight
Gavin Guss
Michael Vermillion
Lonesome Rhodes & The Good Company
Supersonic Soul Pimps
Sam Squared
Haircuts that Hurt

Each band will play a short set. Doors at 7 PM. $7. A compilation CD featuring twenty Toy Box artists will be available for sale.

On 8/8/08, 88 drummers will play at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It’s the 88 Boadrum and it’s headed up by Japan’s Boredoms. 88 drummers playing at once. Probably for 88 minutes. They have asked me to be one of them and I can’t wait. (Boredoms see Seattle - here.)

As a drummer, it’s hugely exciting. It’s like if you were really REALLY into the yellow Teletubbie (Laa-Laa) and you were asked to participate in a Laa-Laa convention where there were going to be 88 other Laa-Laa’s. Or if you were a necrophiliac, this would be like being given a stadium-sized morgue.

The organizers of 88 Boadrum have asked me my shoe size and my t-shirt size. I’m interested to find out why they need my shoe size.

Here is a Viva-Radio interview with footage of EYE from Boredoms on last year’s 77 drummer event in Brooklyn on 7/7. He conducts the drummers with different colored polls. He also talks about his 7-guitar tower:

And another video summation of last year’s 77 drummer event on 7/7 - here.

Tomorrow, Saturday July 12th is Candy Fest at King Cobra and the Comet Tavern.

King Cobra and the Comet are coming together as one. Sharing love. Swapping spit. Getting stuck in each other’s braces.

Doors are at 4 PM and the music starts at 5. Tickets are $12 and one wristband gets you into both clubs. 21+

King Cobra:

THE GIRLS / RAZREZ / THE GREATEST HITS / THE LUXURY SWEETS (Santa Cruz) / AVENUE ROSE (Olympia) / PRETTY VANILLA (Vancouver BC) / THE SPURTS (Santa Cruz). 5 PM.

Comet Tavern:

APACHE (San Fran) / BUZZER (Oakland) / THEE MAKEOUT PARTY (LA) / THE KNAST / SGT MAJOR / THE PRANKS / AUDACITY (LA). 5:45 PM.

Which S-U-C-K-S for anyone heading across the water for the Sub Pop festival. Thankfully, The Pop's prepared for such a thing, and they have a few alternate routes: click here!

As already posted, Saturday is completely sold out, but tickets are still available for Sunday's show (with Wolf Parade, Green River, Comets on Fire, No Age, Les Thugs, Kinski, and more). You can buy them through Ticketmaster.

This one completely confirmed, for Portland's MusicFestNW, which goes head to head with happens around the same time as Seattle's own Bumbershoot, and which is apparently some kind of music festival that happens in the Northwest.

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.

When I say the name Joan Armatrading do you have any idea who the hell I'm talking about?

Short history: Armatrading is a West Indies-born/UK-bred singer/songwriter who's been putting out records since the '70s. Her best-loved stuff comes from the late-'70s/early '80s—1976's Joan Armatrading, 1977's Show Some Emotion, 1980's Me Myself I—and her "greatest hits," as they were, were an integral part of my sensitive high school and collegiate years. (Also falling during my college years: Tracy Chapman, whose status as a black woman with an acoustic guitar drew immediate comparisons to Armatrading and scorn from Armatrading fans, who viewed Chapman as a simplistic knock-off. To use an alterna-rock analogy: if Joan Armatrading was Sonic Youth, Tracy Chapman was Green Day.)

Despite several handfuls of unimpeachably great songs, Armatrading never really made one album that summed her up and secured her place in the singer/songwriter canon—none of her studio albums achieve the completeness of Blue or Tapesty or After the Gold Rush, though Armatrading's place alongside Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Neil Young is indisputable.

Still, with no one record to latch onto, I left Armatrading back in the world of "college music" that I remembered fondly but listened to rarely. Then last year I came across her early-career-summarizing collection Love & Affection, and fell in love all over again, harder than ever. (Eternal favorites: "Friends," "The Weakness in Me," "The Laurel and the Rose," "Down to Zero.")

And then, right in the midst of this personal Joan Armatrading renaissance, I noticed that Joan Armatrading is coming to town, as part of the Cyndi Lauper/B-52s True Colors tour, which lands at Seattle's WaMu Theatre next Tuesday, July 1.

I am swooning in anticipation.

For now, please enjoy a rich dose of Joan from 1979.

God I love her.

Watch this trailer for Rebel Scum, an upcoming rock documentary on the Dirty Works, a "pshyco white trash punk band from Knoxville, TN." I never heard of them until today. Their MySpace profile makes 'em seem legit, but this documentary just looks too crazy to be based on truth. Still, fake or not, I can't wait to see it.

Find out more about the movie here.

(Thanks for the tip, Robby.)

As you've probably heard, Liz Phair is releasing a deluxe expanded edition of Exile in Guyville, her legendary double-album debut that kept so many of us swooning for the majority of 1993, and whose off-the-blocks brilliance somehow diminished the rest of her output forever.

But that's beside the point, which is this: Exile in Guyville remains a start-to-finish masterpiece. To salute this fact, tomorrow night Three Imaginary Girls take over Chop Suey for Exile in {Imaginary} Girlville, wherein a plethora of local bands/musicians—including Visqueen's Rachel Flotard, Ms. Led's Lesli Wood, Team Gina, Tennis Pro, and Throw Me the Statue—tackle Exile in Guyville's 18 miraculous tracks in order.

Nine acts, two tracks each, with events commencing at 9pm (with co-hosting duties supplied by yours truly.) No spoilers here, except that Throw Me the Statue will be playing my personal favorite Guyville track. More info here, see you there.

It slipped under the radar of this week's Up & Comings, but Tigerbeat6/Trouble&Bass artist Drop the Lime will be playing a free show tomorrow night at the War Room along with iheartcomix honcho Franki Chan and Radiocl*t. RSVP required at http://www.scion.com/avrelease (yes, it's a corporate promotional party, but it should still be plenty fun).

This just in: Sigur Rós will play Benaroya Hall Sunday, October 5th.

Tickets go on sale this Saturday at 10 am. All the details are after the jump.

The new album, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (in English: "With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly"), is in stores tomorrow.

Continue reading "Sigur Rós Coming to Seattle in October" »

For all of my "too cool for school" demeanor, I'm completely stoked at the fact that we're finally getting a US Air Guitar Regional competition here in Seattle (Monday at Chop Suey). Not Rock Band, not Guitar Hero, air guitar. I'm a little worried that Seattle isn't going to live up to the rest of the world, as the bar's already been set pretty high (go see the documentary Air Guitar Nation for reference). So here's a tip for any of you would-be contestants out there: use this weekend to practice your technique. As one of the judges Monday (no, really), I'll be comparing you to the world's best, not just to your peers. I'm more than willing to be the "East German judge" of air guitar.

Here are a couple of video examples of proper technique:
C-Diddy - 2003 World Champion

Hot Lixx Hulahan - 2006 US Champion

From flickr user Rob Gruhl

Want to see your Gay Pride event listed in The Stranger's comprehensive guide? Anything can get in, as long as it's celebrating homosexuality and open to the public, so yes, your costumed bowling night counts.

Send an email with all the details (time, date, place, gay-osity) to music@thestranger.com as soon as possible to be included!

Girl Talk has posted a new track up on his myspace page, called, "I." While it's not the embarrassing rudimentary mash-ups of the fake Feed the Animals leak, the song isn't exactly promising either. It sounds more like Gregg Gillis is aiming to shore up his much-discussed Merzbow fan bona fides, with its slurred vocal samples, echoing glitches, phased static, and low rumbling rhythm. Still, this could just be an intro track, or a goof, or, shit, maybe he's gonna do a drone set at Capitol Hill Block Party. Who knows? At least the new album art (if that's it) is fire.

Here's another summer festival to throw on to the pile, but this one will have an exorbitant amount of rainbow colored clothing, funny hats, and good vibes. And jams. So, so many jams.

Rahwa from Hidmo just sent out an e-mail:

Dear friends,

This Friday, June 13th marks a significant day in my life. It will be my 30th BIRTHDAY and I am commemorating it with an event that draws together my closest friends and family along with my love of music, dancing, activism, young people, dressing up and having FUN!! I am having a B-day party at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW) this Friday but in true Hidmo style. The show will be hosted by Gabriel Teodros and Khingz (Khalil) and will feature Hidmo regulars Fats and Imani as Grizz Gang and Geo & Sabzi of Blue Scholars, as well as a BOOMBOX Danceparty, featuring Sabzi as well. For the first time ever we will have Hidmo merchandise available (limited edition shirts and stickers), a photo booth, and other not-to-be missed surprises (don't forget to dress in your best 70s clothing). In addition, all proceeds from this event will go straight to Hidmo.

Tickets are available in person at Hidmo or at the electronic version of Hidmo. This is something to attend, for sure.

(Thanks to Line Out tipper Tim.)

I couldn't quite roll with Low Motion Disco at first listen. Sure, I liked the Still Going remix of "Love Love Love," but the first time I put on the duo's upcoming full length, Keep It Slow, I found myself listening to the first 30 or 45 seconds of each track, then skipping ahead to find one with a discernible groove (the most immediately winning was late in the album epic "People Come in Slowly"). Of course, I rather missed the point completely.

In their press materials, Low Motion Disco explain themselves thusly:

...we have developed a way to dance while not moving. We do it standing at a bar, or sitting on a sofa, in a car, wherever. While doing this, we groove and shake like hell, it just doesn't show on the outside. This technique is the basis of all we do. We call it "low motion disco."

Obviously, anyone with that awesome of an artist's statement gets another few listens, and on repeat spins—at home, on my headphones over pho, wherever—the album has totally grown on me. It is, essentially, a chill-out record—only a couple songs have dance floor ready beats by even the most cosmic standards of disco—but it's the good kind of chill out record, groovy and minimal and playful without being cheesy (even an interpolation of the 5 Stairsteps' "Ooh Child" works). And there are grooves here, they're just, you know, slow moving enough as to be imperceptible at first. There are little disco signifiers, too—congas, wet wah-wah guitars, loose bass—but they're dubbed out and drenched in reverb until they become only the ghost image of disco. Elsewhere, field recordings of nature or odd vocal samples further distance the record from disco, setting moods more pastoral or abstract, respectively.

Low Motion Disco keep a blog at lowmotiondisco.wordpress.com, they have two 12"s for "Love Love Love" out on Eskimo Recordings, who will release Keep It Slow on June 24th. In the meantime, you can find a few of their tracks via Hype Machine.

Billboard reports today that the new Girl Talk record, Feed the Animals is due out "on the Internet over the next few weeks" via Illegal Art with a pay-what-you-want pricing scheme sampled from Radiohead (mashed-up with NIN, possibly with Saul Williams a capella over the top). The album will be 55 minutes long, contain over 300 samples, and be "more over the top" and feature "more in-your-face classics" than Night Ripper, which just boggles the mind.

Girl Talk plays the Capitol Hill Block Party on Friday July 25th.

Did you miss the Raconeurs at Neumo's about a month ago? Well now you have another chance to see them... at WaMu Theater.

THE RACONTEURS
With Special Guests The Kills
Friday, Sept. 19th
8:00 PM Showtime I 6:30 PM doors

Tickets are $35 and go on sale via Ticketmaster this Friday, June 6, at 10 am.

The Sonics with Special Guests
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2008
8:00 p.m. | Reserved Seating | All Ages
THE PARAMOUNT THEATRE

Just Announced:

KUBE 93 SUMMER JAM
Featuring Lil’ Wayne, T-Pain,
Bow Wow, The Game & Ray J!
WHITE RIVER AMPHITHEATRE – AUBURN, WA
Sunday, July 20, 2008

The only Washington show on Wilco's upcoming tour is in Spokane. Fleet Foxes open.

WHEN:
Thursday, August 21, 2008
8:00 PM Show time I 7:00 PM Doors

WHERE:
INB Performing Arts Center
W. 334 Spokane Falls :: Spokane, WA

TICKETS:
ON SALE FRIDAY MAY 30 at 10AM
$29.00 Reserved Tickets

Tickets are available through ticketswest.com.

Speaking of Fleet Foxes, this is what it looks like when they play the Mainstage at Sasquatch in front of tens of thousands of people who have no idea who they are (or think they're the National).

So says meteorological oracle weather.com about Sunday in George, Washington (home of the Gorge). This is how it begins. Come Sunday, I fully expect to be knee deep in mud and hail in what will look like a third world refuge camp (only full of white people). Pray, Zeus, stay your thunderbolts.

I'm writing a little something about the upcoming Radio Slave / Quiet Village show at Nectar on Wednesday, June 4th—it should be a stellar show—so I visit Quiet Village's website to get some basic information out of the way when I'm confronted by one of my biggest, most enduring internet peeves, one that I can't even believe still happens on websites that aren't personal homepages about cats (and myspace, same dif): automatically playing music. Is there anyone who actually appreciates this? Sure, it won't actively bother the people who have their volume muted (but they won't hear it, either), but if you're someone who listens to music on your computer while you browse the internet—you know, the type of person who might be visiting the sites of recording artists—then it's massively annoying. Even if you might otherwise enjoy the automated music, it inevitably clashes with whatever you've, you know, chosen to listen to. Yeah, it only takes a second to find the widget to turn the shit off, but for that moment, you're aurally violated by some awful chance trainwrecking. Ugh. Shit is sooo 1.0. Quiet Village (and everyone else), please.

[/Andy Rooney]

The line-up (announced today) features a lot of really great locals, and yeah, the Helmet that's listed is THE Helmet.

But for the record, the Godspeed that's listed is not Godspeed as in Godspeed You! Black Emperor, it's Godspeed as in the 206 hiphop trio.

As in, these dudes:

Not these dudes:

Just didn't want ya'll to be confused.

The Georgetown Music Fest (now it in its fourth year) has announced the line-up for their upcoming party (as if this summer wasn't busy enough). Here's the list, straight from their MySpace:

Thee Emergency
Aqueduct
The Hands
Slender Means
The Lashes
Cancer Rising
Carrie Akre
Helms Alee
Little Pieces
the Kindness Kind
Megasapien
Skullbot
Spanish for 100
Leeni
Lords of the North
The Hanks
Skeletons With Flesh on Them
Denelian
Kaylee Cole
Daguerreotypes
The Oregon Donor
The Bad Things
Reporter
Nazca Lines
Bronze Fawn
The Globes
Ms Led
Danny's House
Pwrfl Power
Emblematic
Shim
Tennis Pro
The Upsidedown
Le Fleur
Levator
Pink Snowflakes
Hypatia Lake
Panther Attack!
Godspeed
and.... HELMET!

More bands will be announced in the coming weeks. Check for updates and info at www.myspace.com/georgetownmusicfest. We'll post any news on Line Out as well. Because we're nice like that.

If you missed out on tickets for the Posies show at Neumo's this Saturday (which is also a CD release for Beautiful Escape: The Songs of the Posies Revisited, and a party with the promise of surprise guests throughout the night), then you'll be happy to hear that Neumo's has just added a second performance from the band!

Doors for the early show are at 7 pm, doors for the later show are at 11:10.

Visit www.neumos.com for all the info.