0 [SASQUATCH 2010] Day 1 Recap: The Good and the Bad, but Mostly the Good

Words and Photos by Nik Christofferson

If you know me you’d know that I’m a sucker for music festivals, so to say I had a great weekend at this year’s edition of the Sasquatch Music Festival is quite the understatement. Upon arriving home I did a final count to see how many acts I actually caught while trudging up and down the hilly landscape of the Gorge for 3 straight days. I was actually taken back a bit, but not overly surprised by the final count.

47.

That’s right I saw 47 acts in 3 days! Is that some sort of record? I’d say my perseverance was only a product of the fantastic 3-day line-up. Sure a few of those 47 were sought only out of modest curiosity (solo set by Massive Attack singer Martini Topley-Bird, Fresh Espresso -- still not impressed), and a few others just in passing (Avi Buffalo, Phantogram), but if you stay long enough to check out a couple songs you saw the band right?. Whatever the case, I was stoked about the workout that basically kept me from getting drunk off those $9 beers all weekend; my only regret.

This also marked the first year I attended the fest as a member of the “media”, with special wristbands and all. SRG hadn't quite been born this time last year, so it was a lot of fun to have access to photo pits, VIP balconies, and well ssshhhhh-- backstage for free Molly Moon’s ice cream and coffee to which I took full advantage. Isn’t that special.

Here’s a breakdown of who I saw on Day 1-- highlights, and lowlights (very few). Enjoy!

Who I Saw:

Minus the Bear, Brad, The Lonely Forest, Portugal. The Man, The Posies, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, The Hold Steady, Nada Surf, Broken Social Scene, The National, Vampire Weekend, My Morning Jacket

Highlights:

Minus the Bear:
I’m a fan of their live show, and this marked probably the 5th or 6th time I’ve seen them. The big unknown hanging over the band was how would the “OMNI” material translate live? Well, I’d have to say not bad, actually kind of fun. It was mixed in well with strong live staples from “Planet of Ice”, probably lessening the blow a bit. Overall, MIB churned out a fine afternoon performance and had the crowd eating out of their hand from what I could tell.

Brad:
I already touched on the Brad performance in a previous post, but despite the poor attendance they played a great set full of new material and give me a fucking break-- Stone and Shawn at the Gorge? Awesome! Everyone in attendance who slept on it should make an “L” with their right hand and place it firmly against their forehead for the remainder of the week. Losers!

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros:
What a fun, fun show, and a perfect band for festival atmosphere. I had no idea these guys were a bunch of Manson Family lookalikes, but damn did they throw out catchy sing-a-along after catchy sing-a-long, and the huge crowd was really into it. Half way through the set, I had my run in with “blacked out naked guy”. Yep, dude stripped and proceeded to “flaunt” his bits and pieces for any and all unsuspecting females while his buddies forcibly tried to clothe him. The one and only time I felt bad for the redneck beverage police all weekend was when they had to escort the guy out. Yuck!

Broken Social Scene:
I strolled up to the BSS main stage set a little late, mainly because they weren’t high on my list for day 1. Welcome first big “Ah-Ha!” moment of the festival. Broken Social Scene is an amazing live band, and boasted one of my favorite performances of the entire 3 days. Some bands just have the right ingredients for not only a setting such as the Gorge, but for festivals in general. When they broke into those full tilt jam sessions all I could do was lay back and bask in it all. Sometimes it’s all about the vibe and the moment, and man did they ever capture it.

Vampire Weekend:
For the record, I am not a fan of Vampire Weekend. Now that we are clear, I still cannot disregard the magnitude of their popularity in relationship to the epic dance party that ensued a minute into their set. From my perch it looked like no one was standing still—No One! I was then dragged into the fray by my lovely wife who insisted on my participation, I bowed to her wishes and joined the party. It was one of the more fun moments of the entire weekend, but following their set I went to the nearest port-a-potty to puke my fucking guts out in pure rebellion.

My Morning Jacket:
Some bands deserve to headline the Gorge and MMJ is one of them. They certainly did not disappoint with an awesome greatest hits set, plum full of the southern rockers and freewheelin’ jams that make a MMJ show such a great live experience. Jim James sported his signature moon boots and seemed to be having a blast according to the shit eating grin plastered on the large mainstage video screens. The only issue with MMJ headlining this year was the lack of new material to circumvent the popularity of Vampire Weekend. They delivered with gusto but the chips were heavily stacked against them before even taking the stage.

Lowlights:

- I had high hopes that Portugal. The Man would be a festival highlight, but something was off with the sound and therefore only ended up earning a “shoulder shrug” this time around. Bummer.

- Poor attendance for two veteran Seattle acts. Both the Brad and The Posies’ sets were poorly attended. OK Go of all bands stole The Posies thunder. Kids these days don’t know shit!

2 [LIVE REVIEW] Mastodon / Baroness / Between the Buried and Me / Valient Thorr @ The Knitting Factory (Spokane, WA)

Words, Photos, Videos by Nik Christofferson

The goal since March has been to hit up a show somewhere beside Seattle once a month, and damned if I haven't made that a reality thus far without really thinking about it. #1 was Red Fang in Portland, #2 was Pierced Arrows at the Capitol Theater in Olympia, and now #3 with Mastodon, Baroness, Between the Buried and Me, and Valient Thorr in Spokane, WA. The venue was The Knitting Factory, and even though the place is part of a corporate chain of venues it was super impressive. Huge stage, video screens, pro lighting, spacious main floor, large bar with excellent site lines, and a large upper balcony area. The Knitting Factory had to be designed by someone who has seen a lot of shows in underwhelming venues, because it was great place to see a big metal show.

Mastodon are currently in the depths of a secondary market swing across the US, and are still in the midst of their "Crack the Skye in its entirety” phase. Thus I got to experience it for the 3rd time, and needless to say it was still amazing! The band followed up the 2009 masterpiece with a slew of hits from previous records as they have been doing now for almost two years running. The kicker this time, was the inclusion of "Blood and Thunder" in the setlist, as it was left off the two previous visits to Seattle (Neumos, Wamu Theater). Mastodon plays their stuff so effortlessly and at such a high level it almost makes you sick between uncontrollable full body headbanging fits. These guys are consummate pros; looking, sounding, and playing like they were destroying Madison Square Garden instead of owning a stage in the armpit that is Eastern Washington.

As far as I'm concerned, Between the Buried and Me have lost credibility since the release of Alaska. That record as well as the preceding two were great, but I never did take to Colors nor have I given The Great Misdirect much of a listen either. Live the material droned a bit, and caused the Mastodon hungry crowd to turn half way through their set. The inclusion of "Sequel to the Prequel" and finale "Mordecai" saved the set for me personally, but that didn’t save them from the pitchfork wielding mass who didn’t take kindly to BTBAM's sometimes lengthy over-the-top prog metal and were extremely vocal about it.

This trip was all about Baroness. Period. I drove 600 miles in two days to see and hear Baroness own the "Blue Record" live. I'm very happy to report they one-upped all my expectations. From the opening acoustic interlude of "Bullhead's Psalm" into "The Sweetest Curse" and on down the line it was epic as fuck. It was also the John Baizley and Peter Adams show, as the duo put on a guitar clinic, while frequently hamming it up for some excellent photo-ops. When "A Horse Called Golgotha" came after another beautiful acoustic build-up, I pretty much lost my shit. I barreled into the pit, knocking at least three rednecks to the floor in one fellow swoop (I helped them up of course). I have since placed "The Blue Record" up on this divine album pedestal, where it will remain until someone decides to dethrone it. From start to finish Baroness has made a magnum opus, and the live show only enhanced that sentiment. Bonnaroo or bust. Baroness I'm coming for you again in June.

Stoner party boys Valient Thorr opened the evening at 6:30pm. In other words most metal heads hadn't woken up yet from the previous evening’s debauchery and so the venue was pretty empty. Spokane must have a curfew or something, because that was an early start by anyone’s standards. I caught the last couple songs, and while I’ve never been a fan of Valient Thorr for some reason I own two of their records on vinyl? When and how I acquired them, I have no idea? They are fun, nothing spectacular, though shirtless, and beer bellied frontman Valient Himself is a riot on stage. He alone makes the band a worthwhile live experience at least once, and they also recorded their most recent album with Jack Endino. So I guess there’s that as well.

The trip was a success, and I won't mention the part about somehow ending up in a gay bar playing Addams Family pinball in a real bad part of town. This is music blog after all, so I won’t bore you with the rest of the trip details. Here is a bunch of footage from the show enjoy it at your leisure.

3 [LIVE REVIEW] Madraso / Salvador / Sandrider @ Comet Tavern (4/23/10)

Words and Videos by Nik Christofferson

If you came out to Your Village Sucks! Fest back on the 8th you would have noticed a slight discretion in the line-up upon entry. The mighty Madraso was unfortunately forced to cancel last minute for reasons beyond anyone’s control. A couple weeks earlier though, they tore it up at the Comet Tavern along with extra-stoney Akimbo side-project Sandrider, Portland behemoths Salvador, and cosmic rockers Valis featuring Van Conner of Screaming Trees fame. Another solid billing pieced together by the fine fellows at Ladies Choice Presents.

In Sandrider, Akimbo bassist Jon Weisnewski holds down guitar duties with gusto while partner in crime drummer Nat Damm does his best Animal impression; bashing it out behind his signature oversized kick drum. Meanwhile, Ruby Doe dude Jesse Roberts supplies the witty stage banter and sick bottom end. During this performance, Sandrider continued their brazen stoner metal onslaught on Seattle. The only issue I see, is I get a strong feeling these guys don't seem to be taking this project very seriously, which is a bummer because Sandrider rules; a blending of the elements that make both The Ruby Doe and Akimbo so good. In my mind this combination of veteran local musicians actually raises the bar; add Akimbo’s Aaron Walters as a second guitarist to this mix and fucking forget about it.

I discovered Portland’s Salvador during our little Red Fang road trip last March, and was stoked on their return to Seattle. The bands dynamic sludge metal was laid on thick, with burly Brent Hinds lookalike and frontman/bassist Kirk Evans doing his best King Buzzo impression. Maybe I’m generalizing but man does he do a sweet job channeling the silver afroed legend on their killer rendition of the Kiss/Melvins tune “I’m Going Blind”. Salvador is part of a Portland heavy music scene that continues to amaze. The shear number of rad bands calling PDX home at the moment seems to grow by the week, or is it we are just in the dark on the happenings just 3 hours south, and keep making new discoveries, I don’t know. However you want to look at it -- PDX bands need to drive up this way for a change. Yeah, I’m talking to you Mongoloid Village. At least send us music and stuff so we can help spread the word up here, eh?

I can’t say enough about Madraso, they are truly one of Seattle’s heaviest hitters. Though their debut full length “Van Horne” was one of the best local records of 2009, they are best experienced live and in the flesh. This trio continues to quench my thirst of noisey, abrasive, and intelligent heavy rock, not to mention they are also a class act bunch as well. There are so many reasons to support this Seattle powerhouse, and you can start this weekend as Madraso gets back in the saddle and plays Rendezvous Saturday with Mico De Noche and Thor Ark. Here are some videos from the Comet show to get you stoked!

0 [LIVE REVIEW] Red Sparowes / Caspian @ Neumos (4/29/10)

Words and Videos by Nik Christofferson

Back on the 29th of April, LA post-rock quintet Red Sparowes along with Massachusetts natives Caspian took over Neumos for an overall enjoyable, sometimes epic, but as you would expect mostly yawn-filled evening of post-rock. Both bands are on tour in support of solid and relatively recent releases. Red Sparowes made available ”The Fear is Excruciating, but Therein Lies the Answer” via Sargent House earlier in the year, and Caspian dropped “Tertia” in late 2009. Both are well respected in their field, but it was Caspian who stole the show by shear deafening force and killer light show. While gangly guitarist Philip Jamieson and company unleashed massive waves of core shaking beauty, Red Sparowes effortlessly played nice instead, with their typical heavy mellow vibe. Not having the same complete annihilation quality as Caspian, Red Sparowes just couldn’t hold my attention as the “shit, it’s way past my bedtime” thoughts distracted from an otherwise flawless performance. I can tell you the crowd was certainly stoked on everything they were hearing. I’m even listening to ”The Fear is Excruciating, but Therein Lies the Answer” on vinyl as I write this, and damn is it great-- in the right context of course.

There are a number of talented bands currently boasting the sonically heavy instrumental sound commonly associated with the silly sub-genres of post-rock and post-metal, too bad most are just too boring to watch live; unless of course your name is Russian Circles. So for my next post-rock experience, I will be setting the mood by bringing with me to the venue a comfy lawn chair, blanket, and maybe, just maybe my own personal morphine drip bag to enhance the malaise.

The much hyped Fang Island opened with I’m hoping at least somewhere close to as much enthusiasm contained on their breakout self-titled record. I was tardy and missed’em. Bummer.

3 [LIVE REVIEW] High on Fire / Priestess / Black Cobra @ Chop Suey

Words by Death Metal Dr. Gonzo

High on Fire, Priestess, Black Cobra
Chop Suey - May 4, 2010

Next to Mastodon’s gig at Nuemo’s last year and Shrinebuilder’s show earlier this year, I have a hard time thinking of any concert I have had greater anticipation for than the arrival of the mighty High on Fire for a headlining gig in Seattle. The RV parked outside Chop Suey had to be a mere decoy for the Viking warship I know the band rolled in on. I could smell hints of smoldering remains and mead around the entire 1300 block of Madison as Capt. Weirdbeard and I approached the venue.

Black Cobra, of San Francisco and Southern Lord Records, opened the show. The drum and “detuned so far it might as well not be a guitar but god damn that’s heavy” guitar duo laid down some real heavy breakdowns and precise post-thrash, clearly having fun beating the already-drunken metal mongrels in the crowd with gnarly volume.

Next, Montreal’s Priestess took the stage. I don’t have good things to say about Priestess, but I am going to say them anyway. First, Rush and Ion Dissonance soaked up all the metal potential from Canada – so Canadians: don’t try. Second, if you are going to harmonize guitars, play something interesting and be more ambitious than just doing a fifth over the other guitar the whole time. Third, if you are going to have clean vocals, then fucking sing in key. Shit. I have not been so under whelmed in some time. Priestess sound like a Blue Oyster Cult record from the late 70’s. Capt. Weirdbeard completely disappeared early in the set and I found myself looking at the time every few minutes and anxiously shaking my empty can of PBR.

Finally, the stage was cleared and a massive Emperor stack crowned with a Soldano SLO-100 was turned toward the crowd. More pieces fell into place and eventually Matt Pike, Des Kensel and Jeff Matz took the stage. At long last we were all in the same room as High on Fire, who wasted no time breaking into “Frost Hammer” from their new album ‘Snakes for the Divine’, playing the song at an even more frantic pace than on the record.

Christ, I wish this show would have been at Neumo’s. It was clear early on that Chop Suey’s P.A. had no business trying to handle the sonic girth of High on Fire. Matt Pike’s guitar was nearly washed out by the resonance from the kick drum (hello sound man – have you heard of a low pass filter?!) and the bass was clearly equalized more toward the g-funk shit that Chop Suey usually hosts, confirming the suspicion I had earlier while getting frisked by some Kevin Federline-looking bastard wearing Lugz and a ridiculous faux-fur hooded coat. Damnation!

Luckily, High on Fire were not deterred by the sonic inadequacies of the venue. They shredded through song after song from their impressively deep catalog, drawing quite a bit from 2002’s ‘Surrounded By Thieves’ and even a couple from ‘The Art of Self-Defense’. Jeff Matz filled the gaps between songs with fuzz bass of death, until Matt Pike would roar “RUMORS OF FUCKING WAR!!!” and the band would resume annihilating the disoriented, moshing, sweaty mess of a crowd. It goes without saying that the guitar solos were off the hook, but you don’t really (I mean, REALLY) realize how awesome Matt Pike is until you are ten feet from him committing unnatural acts on his nine-string. Most “guitar heroes” can’t handle a wimpy Stratocaster, and here’s Pike with an axe looking like it was pulled from the heart of a thousand year-old redwood. The guy kills.

The band shredded the title track from “Snakes for the Divine” and cleared the stage. The crowd barely had time to collect themselves before the band came back and played “Bastard Samurai” and “Fury Whip” for good measure. It’s a wonder anyone was capable of language after such a performance. I was heavily disoriented as I tried to remember where I parked, fuck it, what city was I in? Seattle endured the most severe assjacking of this decade, but it was just another night for High on Fire. I was tempted to follow the path of entrails to their next appearance.

0 [LIVE REVIEW] Band of Skulls @ The Crocodile

Welcome new contributor Morgan Elizabeth. Morgan is a local filmaker, actor, and burlesque performer as well as music fan. Here is her take on the recent Band of Skulls stop at The Crocodile.

Words by Morgan Elizabeth

I entered The Crocodile late. The 22-20s were near the end of their set, and Saint Motel was long done. Never having been at this particular venue, I was extremely pleased at how awesome it was. Oh, I love Seattle. Grabbing a vodka tonic, I entered the sea of flannel, sneakers, and beards. Hello, heterosexual Seattleites, it’s been awhile. I felt very out of place in my “fuck me now” Fluevogs, Victoria Secret rocker top, silver dramatic eye shadow, and skulls headband that nicely propped up my short lioness hairstyle. However, nobody seemed to be staring, they were way too consumed by the music and their beer and Redbulls. The music wasn’t anything special to me, so I wandered to the upstairs bar. It was small, but the view was pretty good. The band was on their last song, so I decided to venture back down and secure a spot three feet from the stage. It was here that I noticed that while in my “fuck me now” Fluevogs, I was taller than most of the guys. I’m not a super tall person, but I seem to be on the taller side here in Seattle. I pondered the concept of lack of sunshine in relation to growth hormones while the roadies prepped the stage. The roadies left, the lights changed, and Band of Skulls emerged!

They opened with “Light of the Morning”, the first song from their debut album “Baby, Darling, Doll Face, Honey”. Head banging commenced on the big drumbeats. Everyone knew the words. We were all loyal fans. I knew my neck would pay for this in the morning, but I didn’t care. My inner rocker was free, and I was at one with the flannel, bearded ones.

I discovered Band of Skulls with Seattle Rock Guy last summer at the Capitol Hill Block Party. They played at Neumos and stole my rocker heart. They have great energy on stage that feels like a balance of passion and chill. Tonight at The Crocodile was no exception. Russell Marsden was right there in the moment with his guitar. He played hunched over often, migrated a bit to Matt Hayward on the drums and would meet Emma Richardson and her bass in the middle of the stage. Emma and Russell’s chemistry is what gives off the balanced vibe. She stands more upright and moves about the stage in a laid back sort of way. Men shouted at her. They wanted her. She didn’t really acknowledge them at all, she was focused on the music, but occasionally she sported a sincere smile. Matt just did his thing on the drums while sporting a Whigs t-shirt. His energy totally supports the balanced vibe. I also really love that they all have shoulder length hair.

They played my favorite song, “Cold Fame”. This song and I have a good history. The whole album became the album I used to help me get into the character Libby, the first leading role I had in an independent feature film that I shot a couple weeks after first seeing Band of Skulls. When I hear music, I get images and feelings, and when I hear Band of Skulls, I think of small towns with a desire to break free AND urban life with dissatisfaction. Although Band of Skulls comes from England, their music brings about American nostalgia for me. I think of softball fields, beer, whiskey, parties, sex, pot, and the 70s. I think of the movie Dazed and Confused. Libby very much had these elements to her. The line from “Cold Fame” that hit her soul was “I know my place, but it don’t know me.” As I slowly moved to this song at The Crocodile, I felt a strange transcendental moment. I was there as Morgan and as Libby. So many memories and feelings were stirred up, and I stood there proud of it all.My eyes got watery, but I held back tears and smiled with passion and understanding of life. Then the song changed, and I snapped out of it.

The show was great. The music never actually stopped. They held chords between songs. This was their last show of their American tour, and they rocked it. No words can truly describe a concert experience, so here is the best YouTube video from the show I could find.

Rock!

0 [LIVE REVIEW] Captured! By Robots / BlöödHag / Stovokor @ Funhouse

Words and Videos by Nik Christofferson

Sometimes sci-fi Geekdom is a fun place to venture. As was the case back on April 9th at the Funhouse, where probably the greatest collection of geek bands ever assembled battled in out for shtick of the decade. In the process, a Klingon warrior death metal band defended their honor, we said farewell to long-running “Edu-Core” kings BlöödHag, and helped celebrate 10 years of the Chucky Cheeses on acid sideshow that is Captured! By Robots.

Stovokor aka the NW’s only Klingon death metal band drove up from Portland, Oregon to open the show, and immediately had some choice words for the humans in the audience, making it abundantly clear that today was a good day to die (“Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam”). Klingons definitely cannot play instruments better than humans, but that didn’t stop them from making skull stew and slinging as many Klingon insults as they could during the time they held the stage. Hab SoSlI' Quch!

Though not a popular decision as far as their fans are concerned, BlöödHag still made the choice to hang it up after 15 years of immortalizing sci-fi authors through death metal, and this marked their final show. Seattle’s own long time pro-literacy metal heads ripped through two minute bloodbath after two minute bloodbath, choosing to retrace their catalog of sci-fi author themed tunes in alphabetical order. You better believe Issac Isamov, Jules Verne, Anne McCaffery, and Ray Bradbury made the final setlist, but it also featured a couple never before and never again played additions as well. Throughout the 40 minute set, neck-tied hellbeast Jake Stratton's vocals were furious and guttural beyond belief, while Jeff McNulty threw down the forever vicious riffs that have since 1995, built BlöödHag’s reputation as far more than some novelty act. Even though J.B. Stratton, Dr. J.M. McNulty, Sir Zachery Orgel, and Ambassador Brent Carpenter pelted the packed house with shitty garage sale sci-fi novels for the last time, their legacy as one of Seattle’s most well-read and indisputably brutal metal bands maintains intact. This time I avoided a novel upside the head unlike my previous BlöödHag experience. Kind of a bummer though because it would have been nice to go home with a keepsake. RIP BlöödHag (1995-2010).

The evening’s headliners were non-other than Captured! By Robots. If you aren’t familiar with the C!BR story, the basic premise claims that the human JBOT attempted to create his own band out of robots. Instead of following him, they revolted, and now force him to travel the world with them, performing music. A simple ploy, but the actual experience is so much more. Jay Vance aka JBOT is a certifiable genius, controlling the packed stage of three robots (two evil bug eyed drummers, and a bass player reminiscent of Short Circuit’s Johnny 5), two stuffed apes, and three headless horn players all via his self-made robotics remote control called the “Motherfucker Board (MFB)". It’s quite a show, one that not only contains a musically gratifying blend of punk rock and metal, but also features an unbelievably entertaining storyline and amazingly well-timed banter between JBOT and all members of the robot band. C!BR is geekery at its highest level, and some might even go as far as to even call it wizardry (me), but one thing's for sure you must see to believe.

2 [LIVE REVIEW] The Wedding Present @ The Crocodile

Words by QuitterDan

The Wedding Present
Girl in a Coma
4/21/10
The Crocodile

Let’s just say that today was going to be a good day. After spending considerable time & dough at Seattle’s coolest new vintage everything store, Damaged Goods, I walked out with Led Zeppelin’s “Physical Graffiti” on vinyl. This was going to be a day to remember. Waiting patiently in the smokers lounge at the Crocodile, for an event no 30+ indie punk fan would dare miss, I felt myself reflecting on the first time I heard The Wedding Present’s now classic “Bizarro” album (Which was the reason for the tour, the band were playing it in it‘s entirety tonight). Meh, I thought, sounded like the Buzzcocks with Morrisey singing. A couple spins later, I was really understanding David Gedge’s songwriting, where he was coming from, and his now legendary guitar playing. I became a huge fan of this album, band, and really related to David’s tales of heartbreak & loss. So to say I was excited to hear the album live for the first time would be an understatement.

Openers Girl in a Come came on, bombasting into some tune of which I have no idea what the hell it was. My first impression was, sounds like they threw all their favorite music in one pot, and tried to mix up as many styles as possible per song. But something was there, and guitarist/ vocalist Nina Diaz proved to be that something. Her vocal style hails comparisons to Bjork, and Elizabeth Fraser, with powerhouse guitar playing, an amazing combination. Bassist Jenn & Drummer Phanie round out an impressively tight rhythm section. I bought their latest cd, TRIO BC after the set, and have been quite impressed with their versatility, melody & power.

The Wedding Present hit the stage, and as expected, I was disappointed in the band’s newer material. Gedge has a knack for writing the melody from Heaven, and the breakup from Hell, but I feel at some point (maybe it was the 7” single a month for 12 months experiment back in the early 90’s), that he fell off the wagon. The Band did play a couple great tunes out the gate (“Dalliance” from 1991’s brilliant Seamonsters lp & “Everyone thinks he looks daft”, another early favorite). I haven’t seen TWP since the 90’s, and the band is completely new, except for Gedge. They all appear young enough to be his kids, but handled the instruments capably.

After a ten spot of intro songs, the band started the “Bizarro” album in it’s entirety. "Brassneck" shot out the gate like a stallion from hell, and the groove was there. Following was "Crushed", my second favorite track off the record. An explosive burst of punk that really can’t be described unless heard. Following "No and Thanks", came "Kennedy", the one radio heavy tune from the album. The crowd was eager for this one, and showed much love with extreme gyration. By the time the band reached my favorite tune, the 9 minute melodically layered tour de force "Take Me!", the drummer seemed flat out tired (as he should, the original drumming on the lp is phenomenal & aggressive), he held out to the end, but it appeared to take a strain on his ticker.

The band closed the evening with "Be Honest", the album closer. Gedge strummed & sang his heart out, and gave us what we came for, the rest of the band did their part( to be fair, these side musicians play newer WP tunes just fine, but somehow don‘t have the spirit or the stamina to recreate the past). I can’t help but feel that with another set of more able musicians, this could have been a much more magical show. I made my way home & put on side 1 of “Physical Graffiti”.

2 [LIVE REVIEW] Soundgarden @ Showbox at the Market

Words by Nik Christofferson

Alright I’ve had a couple days now to finally digest the magnitude and whirlwind of what happened this past Friday. Living in a city like this has its many perks and privileges when it comes to music I suppose. Sometimes you can become a little jaded to the fact that we do get our fare share of excellent shows, especially ones that involve the local musicians who were so hugely important while growing up in the 90’s. With this in mind, never in my life would I have guessed that I would have had the opportunity to see such a historic moment as was the reunited SOUNDGARDEN playing their first show in 13 years in front of give or take 1200 people at Showbox. Since 1997 was a couple years before I started going to shows on a consistent basis. I have long thought I had missed my chance, even with the four members alive and well.

The marquee of the Showbox read NUDEDRAGONS SOLD OUT, and the atmosphere both inside and out was electric. The positive energy was beyond powerful, and the minute the silhouettes of Chris, Kim, Ben, and Matt walked onto the dark stage around 10pm it was pandemonium. I was literally freaking out like those people you see in old Michael Jackson concert footage save the crying and fainting of course. Chris with his now shoulder length hair, strapped on a guitar, and belted the opening number “Spoonman”, with Kim, Matt and Ben laying the thunder behind him. A mighty version of “Gun” was next and then the triumphant “Searching with My Good Eye Closed”. Seeing that song in particular was breathtaking and a sure highlight, as it has always been a favorite. It also cleared Cornell of all his recent solo career offenses, even though I had been quite vocal about my disappointment following his despicable plunge into mainstream pop music. I humbly recant because Chris is back at home, at least for the time being. His voice was really strong the entire night, and he destroyed the high notes on “Flower” with ease. Having seen the man with Audioslave and solo a number of times, I’ve never heard him actually attempt the type of falsetto vocal acrobatics contained on Soundgarden’s earlier material and with only a slight echo on his mic it was pretty much mind blowing.

The band kept crowd interaction to a minimum, Chris joked a bit but overall it was all business as the guys barely even acknowledged each other beyond a few quick smirks. The combo of “Hunted Down” and “Nothing to Say” was a surprise highlight, first reason being the Record Store Day re-release of Soundgarden’s very first 7” on Sub Pop scheduled for the next day (Kim had to remind Chris of that point). Second being they were 2 of the 3 songs played during last year’s amazing Tadgarden surprise. Thirdly they were so off the charts massive. On both of the 7” single tracks along with “Loud Love” in particular, Ben Shepherd was badass. He obviously knew how monstrous his bass sound was by the “don’t fuck with this” look on his face. Matt Cameron just flat out did his thing. His non-flashy workhorse style never ever wavers, and it was amazing to have seen him playing with his old band while of course not even breaking a sweat. Matt’s talents never cease to amaze, and I’m sure Eddie, who was rumored to be in attendance along with Stone, Mike and Jeff was very proud.

Next came two numbers from the “Down on the Upside” record. Chris rallied full participation while holding the mic stand out over the crowd at the end of “Blow Up the Outside World”, and the chant had to have been heard out on the street. “Pretty Noose” sounded great as well but was probably the only shaky number of the night.

Kim Thayil who hid under a beanie with his famous frazzled locks protruding out the back was on fire, especially after the sound guy finally honed in right around “Rusty Cage”. “Outshined” was met with fists and metal horns a plenty, but “Slaves and Bulldozers” was the heaviest song of the evening. Once again Ben maimed eardrums, but Kim laid down some of the thickest riffs known to man. A brief encore came and went, and then a couple more killer Louder Than Love tunes-- “Big Dumb Sex” and “Get on the Snake” made an appearance. The show ended with a massive cover of the Doors’ “Waiting for the Sun”, and the band just walked off stage.

As you can see from the set list, they included quite a few early cuts. The inclusion of “Beyond the Wheel” off Ultramega OK briefly took me for a loop early on. Overall, it was a great mix that hit every release at least once, and I’m happy they left off “Black Hole Sun”. A couple songs I was hoping for that didn’t make the cut included: “Fresh Tendrils”, “My Wave”, “Somewhere”, and “Hands All Over”, but who’s complaining. I’m not sure if I can actually express in words what the teenager in me was feeling finally hearing “Searching With My Good Eye Closed”, “Outshined”, “Loud Love”, and “Fell on Black Days” for real as opposed to a Chris Cornell solo or Audioslave cover version. At just under 30 years of age and having seen some truly amazing shows over the last 10+ years, all I can think is man I just saw something that is beyond description, beyond writing a stupid review for a blog, beyond anything that I had planned for my life even. I stood there following the show wide eyed in amazement, beaten, battered, ears ringing and fatigued but probably as happy as I have ever been. I basically still can’t believe that it happened and on such short notice. A week ago if you would have told me I would be part of the lucky group who just saw SOUNDGARDEN in Seattle at the Showbox in 2010. I’d say you were fucking high. Somebody pinch me already…

A sincere thank you to the folks who were involved in myself being at the right place at the right time when it came down to GO time, you know who you are. I also hope I was personally able to guide a few folks towards their tickets as well.

Setlist:

Spoonman
Gun
Searching With My Good Eye Closed
Rusty Cage
Beyond the Wheel
Flower
Ugly Truth
Fell on Black Days
Hunted Down
Nothing to Say
Loud Love
Blow Up The Outside World
Pretty Noose
Outshined
Slaves and Bulldozers
Encore:
Get On The Snake
Big Dumb Sex
Waiting for the Sun (Doors Cover)

0 [LIVE REVIEW] Pierced Arrows / Lullabye Arkestra @ Capitol Theater (Olympia)

Words and Videos by Nik Christofferson

It’s not often I find myself anywhere near Olympia, unless it involves taking in a show at the Funhouse with a frosty cold one in my hand. Even though our state’s capitol is a quick hour drive, I have always thought of it as just another pass-through city en route to Portland rather than any kind of hot spot or live music destination. This oblivious sentiment has quickly gone the way of the compact disc since venturing down south a couple Fridays ago to catch a killer show with my esteemed music scribe buddy Bob Ham.

The venue: Olympia’s historic Capitol Theater or more accurately the theater’s secondary venue-- The Backstage, impressed with its crappy/awesome DIY ambiance and a perfect potent aroma of mildewed hundred year old building, musty theater seats, and unshowered hippy. The entrance alone was impressively tattooed with years of band stickers and a full wall of past set lists; years upon years of shows all at a glance, making it easy to clog up the entrance with curiosity. Behind a curtain laid a descent sized room with a rather large makeshift stage complete with its own flashlight waving staircase bathroom attendant. Only complaint of the evening-- all-ages venue = no beer.

The show: a killer double bill featuring San Francisco’s black metal maestros Ludicra along with the unfettered and legendary NW garage rockers Fred and Toody Cole, also known as Pierced Arrows. With Pierced Arrows having played a Thursday night gig at the Funhouse and Ludicra scheduled for a very rare local turn at the Georgetown DIY venue The Morgue on Saturday, we were really killing two birds with one stone.

The result: Lullabye Arkestra bassist Kat Taylor- Small’s nimble and weighty bass riffs were met with powerful yet simplified throne work of husband Justin, resulting in a tight and muddy garage hardcore punch in the face. The opening Toronto duo hit it fast and hard and even threw in a cover of The Cro-Mags’ “We Gotta Know” for good measure while proving to be an awesome new discovery.

Around the time Pierced Arrows began to set up, word spread that Ludicra guitarist Mike Cobbett was rushed to the hospital with an emergency appendicitis. Sadly finally catching up with Ludicra was just not meant to be. What was meant to be was a blistering and extended Pierced Arrows performance that pushed the boundaries of volume humanly possible to withstand. Seemingly ageless, despite the 60 years of weather on their faces, Fred and Toody along with drummer Kelly Halliburton rocked the fuck out without fatigue or set list for nearly 90 minutes. The flannel shirts in the crowd were many and dancing ensued. Wait? People were actually moving their bodies to the rock and roll music? Yes, it’s true and it felt like something out of the grunge twilight zone or at the very least that awesome NW music doc “Hype”. Beyond the killer live show, all disregard for anything resembling the typical Seattle too cool for school attitude, made seeing the legendary ex-Dead Mooners in the historic musical landmark a real treat and nice break from the norm.

0 [VIDEOS] Weedeater / Black Tusk / The Gates of Slumber @ Funhouse

Words and Videos by Nik Christofferson

There’s nothing like a killer metal show to start the week off right, as was the case with the Monday night Weedeater headlined sludge and doom fest which rolled into town back on March 29th. The Nine Toe Tour as it was humorously named following Weedeater bassist “Dixie” Dave Collins’ digit obliterating shotgun accident, also included a stellar supporting cast including Georgia swamp rats Black Tusk, Doom peddlers The Gates of Slumber, and brutalists Struck by Lightning.

Having blown it and showed up too late to catch Struck by Lightning, Indiana’s The Gates of Slumber were first up. The Gates of Slumber have certainly spent some considerable time studying at the Trouble institute of the doomed or perhaps Pentagram University as well. Gates’ many years of paying homage to doom metal’s pioneers have resulted in a text-book sound that in fact is no way shape or form repetitive or boring. Actually, “Hymns of Blood and Thunder” was one of the better metal records of 2009, and on this night the trio showed why.

With bands like Mastodon, Baroness, and Kylesa all hailing from the Peach State, standing out in the Georgian metal scene seems like an uphill battle. Power trio Black Tusk, while making their Seattle debut, seemed primed to stake their claim as a new Georgian force to be reckoned with in 2010. The new material builds on and crushes anything they have done in the past, and should turn some heads as soon as “Taste of Sin” hits streets May 25th.

Weedeater unfortunately lived up to their well deserved reputation of blowing fuses wherever they go. On this particular occasion they had blown their forth fuse right about the time 1am hit, meaning I couldn’t stick around any longer to see if they were even able to get off the ground. Bummer.