Category Archives: TVD Seattle

I will always have a special place in my heart for Easy Street Records as I grew up using it as a landmark to how close we were getting to my grandma’s house. My more recent appreciation for the store is mainly because it never fails to provide specials and live performances from my favorite bands. Also who wouldn’t love seeing a live performance at an awesome record store. Shopping for new music WHILE listening to live music, I’m all about multitasking these days. Check out what Easy Street has in store for June.

Brett Dennen & Taylor From Dawes will be at the Queen Anne Store on Tuesday, June 14th at 6pm.

Attention California! Sarathan Records‘ My Goodness has set sail and is currently on their maiden voyage down the west coast. The powerful duet played Portland last night and for all you TVD Los Angeles followers, you are in luck. You can catch them at The Echo tomorrow, Thursday, June 9th for FREE!

The band’s next stop will be San Francisco for an early show on Friday, June 10th at Amnesia. Hope everyone who can make these shows gives them a nice and warm welcome, just don’t be too nice or they might stay in sunny California forever. If you can’t make their California shows, next best thing would be giving their album a listen and cranking up the heat a bit.

For the Seattleites wondering when they will be playing here, worry not, they will be playing in July and will also be playing Bumbershoot in September.

Happy touring My Goodness, rock on!

A few years ago I started noticing that a band called Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head was receiving more and more attention around the Seattle area. I was a big fan of their band name and it definitely stood out on any bill. While the band ended up changing its name to Brite Futures, they continue to make some great tunes that are worth checking out. I came across this video of them sharing an intense moment with Natalie Portman a while ago and it still has me cracking up.

I’m personally a big fan and they put on a ridiculously fun live show that will definitely have you dancing. I left their set at Sasquatch a few years ago with a pretty sever toe injury due to some wild fellow dancers. You can catch them this Sunday, June 12th at Chop Suey along with Fresh Espresso, The Redwood Plan and Lisa Dank. Just make sure to put on your dancing shoes!

Brite Futures – “Me + Yr Daughter” (Live on KEXP)

Check out this cool project that was covered by TVD Cleveland. I definitely think they should add Seattle to their list of cities to visit…but without your help they may not be able to get this project on the road, so read up and help them out! – Steph

And you thought vinyl records were dead? Not so fast.

The New Face of Vinyl is a project that explores why young people across the United States have started a digital “devolution” by buying and listening to vinyl records. Throughout the country, young people are buying more and more vinyl, thus getting back to the analog roots of listening to music. Collecting and listening to vinyl has become a unique experience for many teens and young adults throughout the world who have chosen to explore the once forgotten black wax. Photographer Ben Meadors and writer Owen McCafferty are setting out to discover what vinyl means to these people, and will create a full color photo documentary book to tell the story.

The project at its core, explores and focuses on the cultural changes occurring as a result of this new found interest in vinyl. The reasons why vinyl has become so popular now are vast; Owen and Ben want to set out to New York City, Cleveland, Chicago, Portland and San Fransisco and talk to young record collectors, store owners and occasional vinyl-lovers to find out what keeps bringing them back for more.

After collecting all the pictures and interviews, the team will compose a 180+ page full color photo-documentary-book to tell the story, and share their experiences with the world.

Owen and Ben have chosen to use the popular organizationKickstarter to help collect donations in order to cover the traveling and printing expenses of the project.

The project won’t receive funding if $6,500.00 isn’t raised by July 31st 2011, so visit the site and make a donation to help Ben and Owen make this exciting project a reality.

Keep an eye on their site for updates, photos, and stories. You can follow the project on Twitter via @newfaceofvinyl.

Next Friday, June 10th don’t miss a solid lineup at Chop Suey featuring Tea Cozies, Fox and the Law, Hounds of the Wild Hunt and Basemint. In preparation for this glorious grunge/surf rock show check out my interview with Tea Cozies where I was able to ask them some questions about their history with music and of course whether or not they really use tea cozies.

TVD: Did you make it to Sasquatch this year and if so what was your favorite Sasquatch 2011 memory?

TC (Jessi): Yeah, it was my first time at the Gorge… it was nice being out in the middle of nowhere. The Flaming Lips were my favorite.

TVD: What is your favorite Seattle record store?

TC: Bop Street, Everyday, Easy Street!

TVD: What was the first album you ever purchased?

TC (Brady): It was Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill. We tried out the new car stereo with it, but when she said “fuck” my dad pulled the disc out and said “EXCUSE ME.”

TC (Jeff): I forget which version it was, but one of the first albums I bought was MTV Party To Go. I used to practice the Humpty Dance in my garage.

TC (Jessi): My first CD was Janet by Janet Jackson but my first tape was Please Hammer Don’t Hurt Em, which I later traded with my cousin for Bon Jovi’s New Jersey. It was a bad trade.

TC (Garrett): Ain’t Too Proud to Beg by TLC. I think I got it from the BMG Music Club.

TVD: Who has been the biggest musical inspiration for Tea Cozies?

TC: Alanis Morissette, Janet Jackson, MC Hammer, TLC and Digital Underground.

Lovely Hearts Club presents: Tea Cozies – Dead Man’s Sister by Paper Garden Records

TVD: If the band had to agree on wearing matching outfits for a show, what would you pick?

TC: Business casual.

TVD: What Seattle bands are you listening to now? Who would you love to tour with?

TC: We’ve been recently grooving on The Nightgowns and Basemint who are from Tacoma. TheeSatisfaction, Glassy Globe, Exploding High Fives, MK Speed Dial, The Lights (RIP), and Kinski. We would tour with anyone.

TVD: Does your band really use tea cozies?

TC: No.

In addition to Tea Cozies, we can look forward to seeing Hounds of the Wild Hunt (formerly The Whore Moans) along with Fox and the Law, and of course you can’t miss one of the Tea Cozies’ favorite, Basemint.

Comment on this post for your shot to win tickets to this show at Chop Suey next Friday, June 10th. You don’t want to miss it!

I personally wasn’t able to make it to Sasquatch this year, a huge shame considering The Gorge is the only place I would like to spend Memorial Day weekend. Lucky for me NPR Music is providing us with archived sets from the entire weekend. Even better they are letting us download the recorded music. Maybe I’ll dedicate this weekend to having a belated Sasquatch of my very own. Thanks NPR!

I hope everyone survived Sasquatch/Folklife and enjoyed a weekend with some sunshine. Luckily we have ample time to recover for Block Party and Bumbershoot. I’m hoping sharing this post from TVD San Francisco will send Seattle the message that we are ready for the sun to stay! I love Jason’s summertime picks and I hope you do too! – Steph

Summertime and the livings easy…

Now that Memorial Day weekend is over, it’s time to pull together my ultimate summertime playlist. I find myself thinking of songs that remind me of my favorite summertime activities, which include, but are not limited to; drinking beer by the pool, drinking beer while grilling by the pool, and drinking beer from a keg by the pool while grilling and playing lawn darts or as they are more commonly known, “Jarts”. (Yes I am originally from the Mid-west) Now instead of giving you a clichéd list of summertime favorites put together for your next pool party or cookout, I decided to dig a little deeper and find out the stories behind a few summertime staples. The results speak for themselves.

“Feel Good Hit of The Summer” – Queens of the Stone Age– Conceived after a three-day Millennium party, backing vocals by the metal god himself Rob Halford, and a drug cocktail reference that would make Nikki Sixx blush, here’s my vote for all-time best Summer anthem.

“I Fought The Law” – The Clash – Much-covered classic originally recorded by Sonny Curtis and The Crickets (post Buddy Holly) in 1959 and famously covered by Bobby Fuller Four in 1965. Just as the song became a top ten hit, Bobby Fuller was found dead in a parked automobile near his Los Angeles home. The police considered the death an apparent suicide; however, many people still believe Fuller was murdered. The song was later covered by The Clash and then again by Green Day. The Clash version reigns supreme as it turns out that Green Day had never in fact fought the law, having only brushed up against it.

“Doin’ Time” – Sublime – “Doin’ Time” is a loose cover of “Summertime” by George Gershwin, composed for the opera Porgy and Bess. The lyrics tell of a cheating girlfriend, whose infidelities and poor treatment of her lover makes him feel like he is in prison.

“Schools Out” – Alice Cooper –What’s the greatest three minutes of life asks Alice Cooper? “There’s two times during the year. One is Christmas morning, when you’re just getting ready to open the presents. The next one is the last three minutes of the last day of school when you’re sitting there and it’s like a slow fuse burning.” Cooper says, ‘If we can catch that three minutes in a song, it’s going to be so big.’” On a seperate note; the greatest three minutes of my life during high school can be attributed to the first time I, um, never mind.

“California Girls” – The Beach Boys – The music for the song came from Brian Wilson’s first LSD experience. According to Brian Wilson himself, shortly after taking LSD, he ran up to a bedroom and hid under a pillow, shouting “I’m afraid of my mom, I’m afraid of my dad.” Randomly, he got up, said “That’s enough of that” and went to a piano. David Lee Roth would later cover the song while suffering a different form of LSD referred to as Less Significant and Disappointing.

“Song #2” – Blur – The first time this song was played live lead singer Damon Albarn stated that “This one’s called ‘Song 2′, ‘cos we haven’t got a name for it yet”. The working title ended up sticking and the number two eventually became associated with the song. Other fun facts: it is the second track on the album, the second single from the album to be released, it reached #2 on the UK singles chart, is exactly two minutes long, and Woo-Hoo are the only 2 words you remember.

“Born To Run” – Bruce Springsteen – The prior year, Springsteen had released two albums to critical acclaim but with little commercial success. The lyrics to the song are appropriately epic for his last-ditch, all-or-nothing shot at the stars, yet they remain rooted in the universal desperation of adolescence. There is a rumor that the drums and cymbals are on separate tracks because the drum track was recorded and played backwards (the sound is consistent with backmasking and ‘tape flip’ can be heard during the middle of the first verse). Springsteen has so far offered no comment about the track’s backwardness.

“Dancing in the Streets” – Martha and the Vandellas – Written by Stevenson and Marvin Gaye, the song highlighted the concept of having a good time in whatever city the listener lived. The idea for dancing came to Stevenson from watching people on the streets of Detroit cool off in the summer in water from opened fire hydrants. The song was recorded in two takes. While produced as an innocent dance track, the song took on a different meaning when riots in inner-city America led to many young black demonstrators citing the song as a civil rights anthem to social change. The British press aggravated singer Martha Reeves by putting a microphone in her face and asking her if she was a militant leader. The journalist wanted to know if Reeves agreed, as many people had claimed, that “Dancing in the Street” was a call to riot. To Reeves, the query was patently absurd. “My Lord, it was a party song”, she said.

“Walking on Sunshine” – Katrina and the Waves – Estimates are that the song will have earned $1 million per year for the decade ending in 2010. According to a former employee of EMI, “Walking on Sunshine was the crown jewel in EMI’s catalog,” and it was one of EMI’s biggest earners from advertisers. The song is very popular in commercials and advertisers typically pay $150,000 to $200,000 per year to use the song. To put it in perspective, advertisers can get “Walking On The Sun” the mid nineties hit song from Smashmouth for about the same price as a bag of Skittles.

“Hot Fun In The Summertime” – Sly And The Family Stone – The single was released in the wake of the band’s high-profile performance at Woodstock, which greatly expanded their fanbase. It reached #2 on the U.S. pop chart and #3 on the U.S. R&B chart. Thematically, the song is a dedication to the fun and games to be had during the summer, although it has also been analyzed as a commentary on the race riots of the late-1960s. On a lighter note, if the riff sounds familiar it’s because the members of Toto have also cited it as the inspiration for “Hold the Line”.

What songs are essential to your ultimate Summertime playlist? Please join the conversation in the comment section below.

This past weekend I had the chance to sit down with Pullman based band Yarn Owl after their KEXP in-studio to ask them a few questions. Over the past few months the group has started to get some attention in the Seattle music scene, landing them a spot on the Capitol Hill Block Party line up. When asked how the Seattle crowd reception has been, the band said that all the shows have gone well. The crowds have been very appreciative and out of the handful of shows not one has been a flop. Capitol Hill Block Party is the most well promoted show the group has played and they are really excited to be a part of such a popular event.

Being from Pullman created a few barriers for Yarn Owl to overcome, considering that the town’s population is primarily college kids. They are looking to get signed to a label to assist them along the way, which is resulting in some of the members possibly moving to Seattle in the near future. Doing everything on their own has been a fun but difficult process, and the fact of the matter is that Yarn Owl has begun to outgrow Pullman, and the band is ready to take things to the next level in Seattle.

One of the things I was curious about going into this interview was where the name Yarn Owl came from. Javier had a collection of yarn art covering the walls of his room; turtles, castles, and of course an owl. The underappreciated art and ideal behind it fit the group, hence their name, Yarn Owl, not Barn Owl. Their debut album, Montaña y Caballo, has a unique title as well. This translates to “Mountain and Horse” in Spanish, which came from the small amount of Spanish vocabulary Tim could remember from school. It also helps that Javier is fluent in Spanish.

The song writing process for Yarn Owl consists of Javier or Tyler bringing an idea to the group, followed by them jamming on it for awhile until they fit all the pieces together. Sometimes Javier will have more or less of an idea of what he wants, and in that case the group helps turn that idea into the song that was envisioned. The recording process brings in Chris Early who worked with Tim before Yarn Owl in other groups, which was perfect for the group because there isn’t an abundance of people to work with musically in the Pullman area.

When asked who some influences were Ted told me Javier likes the Beatles, and then there was silence. That silence spoke for itself. The Beatles are a large influence. Along with the Fab Four the group is into a lot of music people may not expect such as, jazz, instrumental music, and on the ride from Pullman, a lot of 80’s music.

Before Yarn Owl had recorded their full length album they played a show in Spokane at Terrain. Over four thousand people attended, James Pants DJ’d, and it was an all around great experience with good energy for the band. The response they got from the crowd was a huge boost of confidence and brought them to the realization that they should record a full length album.

The most entertaining part about interviewing a band is hearing some of their quirky stories, and luckily I was able to get a gem from Yarn Owl. Upon asking them who they’ve been listening to lately I was told Fleet Foxes, Beach Fossils, and The Lonely Island. The Lonely Island isn’t exactly something they intentionally listen to, but on their weekly musical bowling excursion in Pullman, the Lonely Island gets played a lot. Yarn Owl and fellow Pullman band Buffalo Death Beam are a part of the Dead Beat Degenerate Bowling League, where before each match they hold their drinks up in respect to Dick Berger, the finest bowler in Pullman history. Dick Berger where ever you may be, know your legacy continues in the D.B.D.B.L.

Wrapping up I asked the guys who they have been listening to in terms of local music. Aside from Fleet Foxes, they have been listening to Craft Spells, Buffalo Death Beam, and Portland band Yeah Great Fine. All of which I would also recommend to anyone looking for some cool new Pacific Northwest music.

Yarn Owl will be performing with Chapter and The Young Lions this Friday, May 27th, at the Columbia City Theater celebrating their CD release. Tickets are $6 and the doors will be at 9PM/21+.

For your chance to win a free CD and ticket to Yarn Owls show this Friday, please be 21 years of age and email your name to seattle@thevinyldistrict.com

Incubus currently has a cover contest going on where they asked fans to cover their new single “Promises, Promises” given only the sheet music for the song. I was very pleased to find that the best video submission I have seen so far was created by a fellow Seattleite, I’m impressed!

This cover was recorded by Seattle native David Michael Frank along with Ben Klenz (drums) and Joseph Intile (bass). Don’t be fooled by the illusion of identical triplets playing alongside each other in this video. What we are really seeing is a multi-talented musician, David Frank, who is currently in the process of recording an original VideoAlbum. Stay tuned for more information on this upcoming album.

Only the submissions with the most views will be considered for the contest, so be sure to check it out and support local talent.

Download this cover of “Promises, Promises” for free and be sure to check out other covers by David Michael Frank on his Facebook page and his website.

Judging by all of the weird things that have been happening to me in the past day (house currently under raccoon siege, guy sitting next to me wearing aqua socks) I’d say this time it’s DEFINITELY the real deal.

R.E.M. – “It’s The End Of The World”

In preparation, everyone better make it to some good shows tonight, and make yourself a really good mix to listen to tomorrow afternoon, just in case. Anyway, Happy Friday, ya’ll! Here’s some of the music you can catch tonight:

The Crocodile – Handful of Luvin’, The Good Hurt, Local Strangers

Chop Suey – Buffalo Tom, The Heavenly States, Kimo Muraki & Tiny Messengers

High Dive – Thee Emergency, At The Spine, Baltic Cousins

Neumos – Star Anna & The Laughing Dogs

Showbox SoDo – Jimmy Eat World, Kinch

The Triple Door – Gypsy Soul

Tractor Tavern – The Cops, The Golden Blondes, Stag, The Chasers

The Stranger’s Capitol Hill Block Party is sneaking up on us and they have just given us a few reasons to start getting excited. I hope everyone is pleased with the lineup, and if not, hold tight and hope for the best as there are still more bands to be announced. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, May 20th at 10am online.

All of this Seattle sunshine is going straight to my head and I’m getting a little prematurely excited for all the music that is headed to Seattle this summer. Capitol Hill Block Party will be happening July 22, 23 & 24th and just two weeks later will be Bumbershoot (tickets already on sale) on September 3, 4 & 5th! We don’t have the entire lineup for Bumbershoot yet but check out their Facebook page where they are revealing one artist every day in May.

TV On The Radio – “Wolf Like Me”

Check back with TVD Seattle for the latest information on the biggest summer music festivals in Seattle!

This is the show of the week you don’t want to miss! This Friday, May 20th, at the Crocodile be sure to catch Handful of Luvin’, a Seattle based folk/rock band that will not disappoint. Joining them will be The Good Hurt and Local Strangers.

All three of these bands in one night is going to be absolutely awesome, the very best way to end this sunny week in Seattle, I assure you.

You can purchase tickets online and check out the Crocodile’s website for more details on the show.

Finally, the details of this supposed concert celebration have been officially announced! Pearl Jam will be hosting and headlining a Labor Day Weekend concert at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, WI. Joining them will be The Strokes, Queens Of The Stone Age, Mudhoney, John Doe, Joseph Arthur, Glen Hansard and Liam Finn. Tickets go on sale to the general public on June 4th at 10am.

If you are like me and will not be able to make it out to the middle of the country to celebrate, they will be following up the festival with a short Canadian tour. Tickets for the Canadian shows will go on sale May 27th at 10am.

Check out Pearl Jam’s website for more details on the festival/tour and the sweet deals you will be getting if you are a Ten Club member!

For those of you that missed the memo, Soundgarden finally announced more shows, one of which will be the Gorge on July 30th. I was starting to get a little worried that they would forget about us!

There is a pre-sale through The End that starts at 10am this morning, otherwise grab your tickets tomorrow, Saturday, May 14th at 10am through Ticketmaster. Joining them at the Gorge will be Queens of the Stone Age, Mastodon and Meat Puppets.

I was lucky enough to catch their secret show at the Showbox last year (their first time playing together live in 13 years) and it was incredible! Don’t miss them at the Gorge and check out a little piece of Seattle’s music history.

Check out this show happening in Portland Sunday, May 22. The $1 pancakes and music combo, I’m into it. Who’s up for a little road trip? – Steph

The New York-based artist Dara Greenwald has some sturdy NW roots, having brought her stirringly political and personal work to Portland in February 2010 when she helped co-curate an exhibit at PNCA entitled Signs of Change: Social Movement Cultures 1960s to Now. Soon after that, Greenwald was diagnosed with cancer, which she is in the midst of treatment for as you read this. While she does have some healthy insurance, it’s hardly enough to cover the expenses she has incurred as a result of this diagnosis. So, her fellow arts community is raising up arms to help raise money to help stave off the piling up bills.

The first such event here in Portland is taking place on Sunday May 22nd at the art center Disjecta on 8731 N Interstate. For a sliding scale fee ($8 – $100), you can partake in a pancake breakfast and special performances by Stephen Malkmus and Rebecca Gates. The whole thing is going down from 11am until around 2pm with the music starting at noon. Screw this lazy Sunday nonsense, get up and get out for a good cause.