Pop quiz: When I heard an attendee call someone's behavior "sleazy," were they berating the alleged perp for:

a. Wearing a headdress that tribes have said are offensive to them?

or

b. Working at a "smoking lounge" at which adults of legal smoking age could smoke?

If you guessed A, you're giving too much credit to your average, garden-variety hipster.

Sasquatch! fans are preachy types. In the last 36 hours, I've been pitches the gospel of "Legalize Gay Marriage," "Support Local," and "No Corporate Aftertaste." On attendee got in my face and asked me why my shirt was on when it could have been off (the answer, it goes without saying, should have been obvious).

Getting a pass in the liberal do-gooders' sermons are the thousands of attendees sporting feathers, "war paint," and headdresses.

Socially conscious? Sure. Culturally insensitive? Definitely.

Renee McMahon

Gettin' down to Pretty Light, Friday night at the Sasquatch! Music Festival at the Gorge.

Sorry, I'd have more to report had we not sat for 2-plus hours in the short stretch of road between the 90 and the Gorge. Oh, well. We got to know 95.7, the region's version of Seattle's Jack FM (only better curated).

Mark Lanegan (7:45 p.m., Bigfoot Stage): the former Screaming Trees frontman, and the guy who plays the Beast character to Isobell Campbell's Beauty (the pair's 2010 release, Hawk, is an absolute classic) - is becoming (or has always been) the Bad Blake character of the post-'90s grunge class. The black-eyed crooner grips the microphone, huskies through his parts, and staggers off the stage in a gait that is both mightily deliberate and mysteriously tender. It's not clear if his minimal interaction with the audience and absense of charm should be taken as distain for the scenario (or, worse, laziness), or if his modest performances are the full extent of the possibilities of a troubled soul. Sadly, I missed most of this set (thanks, traffic!).

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This morning, continuing their Complete Lists series, our siblings at LA Weekly presented their Top 20 Whitest Musicians of All Time, compiled using the following criteria:

To qualify as one of our whitest musicians, then, requires more than a pasty complexion, it requires a near-total disregard for jazz, blues and soul or, even worse, a complete whitewashing of them. Without further ado, then, here are 20 performers who put the you-know-what in honky-tonk.

Celine Dion's on the list. So is Moby, Vampire Weekend, and Will Smith. But it took one of our own hometown heroes to hit number one, a musician whom LA Weekly's Nicholas Pell dubs "the musical equivalent of a mashed potato sandwich with mayonnaise on white bread." The above image should be clue enough for you, but if you still can't guess who the culprit is, click here.

Situated between the Red Lion and Radisson hotels just across the street from Sea-Tac Airport (on International Blvd.) is Gregory's Bar & Grill, a Wednesday to Saturday karaoke venue that's been hosting crooners for over 20 years. A couple Saturdays ago, after stopping in and moving on from a couple spots in Georgetown and Des Moines, I wound up there just before midnight.

There is a nice casual feel to this place. It was a light crowd as Saturdays go, but some inspired entertainment was provided by the regulars. Within my first five minutes there, two Asian guys fully decked out as the Blue Brothers sang "Soul Man" and danced the exact choreography Aykroyd and Belushi boogied during their legendary performance on SNL. It was a total riot. Their stage personas were "Jake and Elwood" that night, but I'm told those aren't the only characters they do. On any given week they may show up as themselves or some other fictitious duo.

The KJ, Aury Moore, is a crowd favorite and has hosted at Gregory's for many years. I immediately saw the connection she had with the people there. I bellied up at the elevated back end of the square-shaped bar alongside four other guys singing lone wolf that night. The stage and Aury's KJ station were set up on the other side facing out at the dining area. There seemed to be a lot of couples in that section. Jake and Elwood looked like they were on a double date.

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Memorial Day weekend has arrived and with it the official start to the summer festival season. If you're not already trekking to Sasquatch or attending Folklife, Reverb's got a game plan for you. For $8, you can see 4 bands play at the Planned Parenthood Fundraiser tonight at the Croc. No Rey, Sweet Secrets, Fox and The Law, and The Volcano Diary join the ranks of every group from Best Coast to The Decemberists who've raised money for the organization. Then tomorrow you can donate further to the Moondoggies' tour fund at this show at the Piranha Shop.

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Chastity Belt
Fuck Chastity Belt
Out now, chastity-belt.bandcamp.com

"This is the worst music you will ever hear. Chastity Belt is the worst band to ever exist," proudly proclaims their Bandcamp profile. Sadly, for fans of the worst song in the world, that's far from the truth (and surely that honor is reserved for "Friday" or Weird Al's "Polka Face"). The four songs on Chastity Belt's debut EP were produced by fellow garage denizens Dude York (of whom the all-lady Chastity Belt could easily be the female counterpart) and pair the stripped-down punk-funk aesthetic of C.O.C.O. with the direct, at times risqué lyrical charms of Be Your Own Pet.

Listen to the lead track, "God Damn," after the jump.

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Creighton Design

Your Favorite Rapper's Favorite Rapper is a semi-regular feature on Reverb, in which we track down some of [y]our favorite MCs/rap artists and ask them to blab about their personal favorites.

As the cornerstone artist of Seattle's own Sportn' Life Records, Fatal Lucciauno has had a busy year. He's released two major albums (one snuck in under the guise of an "E.P."), and managed a full concert calendar, including an opening slot for Young Jeezy back in March. If you've got a pass to Sasquatch! this weekend, you can catch Lucciauno on the Maine Stage at 2:15 on Saturday.

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Duff McKagan is the founding bassist of Guns N' Roses and the leader of Seattle's Loaded. His column runs every Thursday on Reverb.

With all the hubbub about the access for the Port of Seattle aside (and thank you KING-5's Chris Daniels for the traffic report this week!), it really does seem possible that we here in Seattle may be getting an NBA team back here within the next five or so years. The Sonics! . . . MAN. That would be REAL sweet.

Investor Chris Hansen seems to be the real deal here, folks, and through all the excitement around the Sacramento Kings drama, Hansen has stayed rather cool, aloof, and nonplussed. He seems to be the right mixture of determination and smarts for what will certainly be a testy process.

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Jared Price

Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band play Friday, June 1st, at Columbia City Theater.

Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band
Prehistory EP
Dead Oceans

Post-rock blog darlings Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band recently returned to the stage after an extended hiatus (they hadn't performed since 2010). Now they've got a new EP coming out as well, and next Friday, they celebrate its release at Columbia City Theater. Those who remember the glory days of 2008-2009 will undoubtedly be excited for their return, albeit in a slightly toned-down form. "Warm Bodies," the EP's single, is a somber, acoustic ballad that explores the pain of human existence, while opener "Best Bet" shows the spark and swagger that made their first album so compelling. "The Day" exhibits an almost dub sensibility in its pumped-up bassline. Singer Benjamin Verdoes' versatile vocal performance, at times ragged, at times sensitive and sad, completes the hypnotic overall effect.

Read on for a taste of Prehistory, and an explanation of why their second album got such a bad rap.

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Jen Sbragia and Rose Melberg are The Softies

Indie pop duo the Softies are undoubtedly one of my favorite Northwest artists of all time, and so it's inevitable that I'm beyond excited to get the chance to see them perform their beautiful harmonies and intricate guitar melodies for the first time Saturday at Folklife. Made up of Rose Melberg (also of the awesome Tiger Trap and Go Sailor) and Jen Sbragia (All Girl Summer Fun Band), the Softies were active from 1994-2000, releasing four albums of love songs on K Records that sound as fresh today as when they came out.

As the K site notes, this will be the first Northwest appearance by the Softies in many years. "They have lay dormant since the release of their Holiday in Rhode Island album, as Rose Melberg and Jen Sbragia have been busy with their other musical pursuits: Rose her solo album Homemade Ship and Jen the All Girl Summer Fun Band." You can read an interview with Rose Melberg discussing the reunion at the K Records website.

Not to sound huckster-y, but if you're a friend of indie pop, you'd be a fool to miss this rare chance to see them.

Listen to one of my favorite Softies song, "Sleep Away Your Troubles," after the jump, and catch them at the K Records showcase on Saturday, May 26th, at 2:50 p.m. at the Center Stage.

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