Nestled betwixt the highly-exposed Northwest metropoli of Seattle and Portland is a little burg by the name of Tacoma. Oh yeah! Tacoma! T-town! The City of Destiny! Sister City to Vladivostok! The Gateway to Gig Harbor! Why don't we give you more love? Seriously, Botch came from you! And Harkonen! Seaweed! Lozen! And yet, it seems you are often overlooked when the PNW music scene is discussed. Well, let this oversight not go unpunished -- and have Argonaut do the punishing this Saturday at The Comet Tavern on Capitol Hill. If there is any band fully outfitted to prove that Tacoma deserves rightful consideration and mention in the current heavy music scene, it's these burly fucks. With the recent addition of Chad Baker from Seattle sludge legends, Mico de Noche, their sound has developed into a gargantuan force of brutal waveforms. This will mark the release of their latest effort, What's Your Perfect Day; a perfect entry into the current state of pounding stonerdom in which the showgoing sect of our region happily exists. These guys took four years off, underwent a series of personnel changes, and were only brought back from the dead two years ago by the pleading cries of their nostalgic fans. All of this would normally describe a band that may be too long in the tooth and reluctant to push themselves to become relevant on a contemporary stage, but with the leaps and bounds they have taken since reuniting and reconfiguring to become perhaps the best version of themselves yet, it is clear that they have a bright future in this shit. All of the growing pains only aided the formulation of a mature and wizened mass of meat, strings, and thunder. Just one listen of this new EP is proof of that.
But, hold on, this southerly wind of awesome isn't only coming from our most aromatic close neighbor – a couple of fantastic bands are blowing in from the Rose City as well. We here at SRG can't shut up about Gaytheist, and it seems that their reputation for incredible live shows and pummeling good times is steadily growing around these parts. Without a doubt, this is the most fun you can have watching three dudes go at it. But the real treat of the night could be the grindy Transient, whose last show at the Comet culminated in likely the most epic impromptu stuffed animal fight that has ever taken place anywhere. On that particular night, unbeknownst to the band, some clever woman provisioned the crowd with three large plastic bags full of assorted plush toys prior to their set. Frontwoman Krysta Martinez growled and screamed defiantly through a constant barrage of beanie babies, Elmos, Nemos, Kermits, and various teddy bears, as the band returned fire while simultaneously working to create a scene as dark and menacing as it was absolutely cuddly. Despite the distraction, it was clear that Transient is an amazing band and, with or without adorable playthings, they demand the crowd's attention.
Last but not least is the rambunctious noisefest that is Princess. The recent release of their wonderful EP, Welcome Winter, and the ensuing release show at the Josephine, helped to solidify the band's enduring presence in the local heavy music community. The fact that a band of this caliber is opening this show should ring louder than your ears at closing time.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment