Some of my favorite shows have been at the Vera Project, wherever the Vera Project was at the time. I remember Pretty Girls Make Graves at the Theater Off Jackson in 2002. I was supposed to meet up with a dude I had a crush on at the time and he totally didn't show up. UGH. But it was still an awesome concert. I remember Against Me! and Lucero at the Vera Project space on Fourth Ave in 2004. Remember that giant, steep set of stairs? There wasn't an elevator and bands had to haul their gear up all those stairs. Not easy. That night Lucero covered Jawbreaker's "Kiss the Bottle" and I, not being very familiar with Lucero at the time, thought "Who the fuck do they think they are?" Ha! If I only knew they'd turn out to be one of my favorite bands today.

The second to last last Waxwing show was at the Vera Project in 2005. I saw Schoolyard Heroes and Kane Hodder play Vera approximately 8,000 times. Juno played there, after a long hiatus, in 2005 2003. That was incredible. Later that same year they played there again with the Beauty Pill and the Prom (remember the Prom!?) and Beauty Pill blew me away. I remember they banged on pots and pans and they were hitting the pans so hard that pieces of drumsticks were flying everywhere.

More recently, So Many Dynamos played Vera's current space, at the Seattle Center, in 2009 and even though it wasn't a great turn out, the show was still electrifying. And remember Trial's insane reunion show there in 2009, playing for the first time in, like four or five years? Fuuuuuck. That was a hell of a show. When the Lonely Forest sold out the Vera Project that same year that's when I knew they were going to be something big.

A donation would be a great way to say happy birthday and thank Vera for all the memories. I'm just going to be over here, in the corner, being misty-eyed and nostalgic.

I love you, Vera Project.