Last night's LoveLand listening party at Gainsbourg was full of smiling, familiar faces from Seattle's music scene—members of Minus the Bear, Helms Alee, 90 Lb Wuss, These Arms Are Snakes, and Born Anchors, among others. But it wasn't about who was there. It was about who wasn't. The night was celebrating the release of The Beautiful Truth, a record 10 years in the making and the record that John Spalding recorded before passing away in November after a four-year battle with cancer. (You can read more about the album, which is great, here.)

While Spalding's songs played overhead, friends sipped on small glasses of neon-yellow Absinthe. A lot of the guest musicians who appeared on the record were hanging out, sharing stories of working with Spalding (who was very particular about the album's outcome, it turns out), but the vibe wasn't at all sad. Everyone was drinking, eating, and laughing, periodically interrupting their own conversations to point out favorite parts on the album.

The Gainsbourg is a great, cozy bar too. It was romantically lit by chandeliers and candles, and the walls were spotted with exposed brick. A black and white film with lots of pretty people silently played on the back wall, and the French-inspired menu is far more interesting (and delicious smelling) than any normal bar fare (something I wish I had known before I had decided to eat dinner beforehand). The Gainsbourg also donated 10% of last night's profits to the John D. Spalding Medical Fund.

Copies of The Beautiful Truth were on sale at a small table in the back, but manufacturing delays have pushed back the official release to February 24th. The album is already available electronically, though, via iTunes and Amazon.

John Spalding's LoveLand - "Good People"