X at the Showbox 3/30/08

Last night's X show was my last night in a long run of going to a show straight after work for nearly a week. Since last Tuesday, I caught five shows in Seattle. That equates to twelve bands over six days, with one day off in the middle. I was *this* close to accepting an invite to the second X show tonight, without a camera to lug around, and with a full crowd of over-the-legal-drinking-age folks, but I had to turn it down. This girl is exhausted. To be completely honest, I was impressed by literally every band I watched in this marathon, save for the awkward set by one of Jens Lekman's openers... He was called the Honeydrips, he sang along to his instrumental iTunes playlist, and air-guitared along to the music while wearing a guitar he never actually played. It could have been funny, you know, if that's what he was going for. Surely, it was his first venture to the U.S. from Sweden, and he probably couldn't afford to tour with his band (if he has one?).. So I'm trying to cut him some slack.. But otherwise, it was a pleasurable experience the whole way through, and rarely does that happen.

Please, enjoy the photographic evidence.

Nada Surf at the Showbox 3/28/08

I don't watch American Idol, but apparantly this guy, David Cook, sang Cornell's version of MJ's "Billie Jean" on the show. (I wish I'd never had to write that sentence.)

Now, old man "indie rock" has found vindication of sorts in the positive remarks on the performance from Randy, Paula, and Simon.

According to Billboard:

"There was a moment when I was sitting there writing this new arrangement thinking, 'Is this a good idea or a bad idea?' Watching the response from the judges was really gratifying. They were signing off on it right there. It was something that worked. It was an idea that went over huge. When I play it live on tour, it brings the house down every time."

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The Cribs, Ra Ra Riot, Jeffrey Lewis
Where: Chop Suey
When: 8 p.m.
Cost: $12

Even though I'm a married baby-mama, I still get rockin' crushes. My love for music has always been primarily libidinous, and these crushes come in two varieties: one immediately packs a powerful punch to my naughty bits (like a Steve Turner guitar solo). The second offers the same POW, but first to my intellect, then slowly trickles down. I'd assumed that feeling was what I'd been experiencing for NYC's Jeffrey Lewis, as I'm currently smitten with his ridiculously sharp folk-rock. But then I realized that this man-boy, with his off-the-meter smarts, self-deprecating wit, feminist ideals, and seemingly endless vault of musical knowledge, possesses all the characteristics that I not only find hot, but are just the kind I'd want my son to grow up with. Now it seems I have a third, all-new kind of crush, this time on Jeffrey Lewis' mom.
-- MA'CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR

All photos by the fabulous Jenny Jimenez. Click here to watch a slideshow.

Live Review: Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
When: Saturday, March 29
Where: KeyArena

My first year out of college I was fortunate enough to land a position as a clinical research coordinator for Planned Parenthood. The research dork still lives inside me; epidemiology and statistics remain a fascination, and I often find myself fantasizing about studying the psychology of music, both in terms of the audience and the artist.

I've always wanted to know how it affects iconic artists when they reach that point in their career where they remain wildly successful, but permanently reside in the shadow of their back catalog, regardless of the quality of their current output. It's gotta be rough when you are sick and tired of playing your big hits, but you know that's really what your audience is waiting for. Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead admits playing "Ace of Spades" is no great joy anymore, but keeps doing it because he feels it's the right thing to do. "If I went to a Little Richard concert, I'd expect to hear 'Long Tall Sally'," he's been quoted as saying.

Such is the dilemma at a live show with someone like Bruce Springsteen: a beloved icon with a feverishly devoted fanbase and bottomless back catalog can't please everyone, especially when he's pushing 60 and his bandmates are understandably feeling all those accrued road miles. I'll always fiercely defend the man, his art, and his politics, but you're gonna have to count me among the disappointed after Saturday night's performance.

Full review and more photos after the jump

Since I found the Springsteen show last night to be one big, big letdown (more on that, plus photos, on Monday morning), tonight I'm going to drown my sorrows in the PBS premier of Pete Seeger: The Power of Song, which is the season opener of their consistently excellent American Masters series. It's on from 6-8 pm tonight and will be repeated after that several times. Here's the preview:

All Time Low

The Matches

Alternative Press Tour
When: Saturday, March 29
Where: El Corazon

All photos by Laurie Pearman

I think Human Giant is very funny:

I also think Eugene Mirman is very funny...

And naturally, I think Monty Python is the greatest comedic force of all time and probably shouldn't even be lumped in with anyone else...


But despite my best efforts, I do not find these guys funny in the least...

Am I alone here? Everyone I know loves Flight of the Conchords and given the premise, I figured I would to. Finally got around to watching it this week and...I gotta say, I don't get it.
What am I missing here? Can somebody fill me in?

DJ B-Girl

In my year-end column in '07, I lamented the lack of media attention being paid to the thriving community of women crafting smart, subversive hip hop in the Northwest. As an old school feminist punk, I'm reluctant to spotlight groups according to gender-centric criteria, but in the cases where women are being dramatically undervalued, I think it's important to seriously step up and recognize who is toiling under the radar.

SW writer Erika Hobart has more than stepped up in that regard, profiling Filipina duo 1st Quarter Storm, the Ladies First collective, and MC BeLoved01 in recent issues. This week she gave us a beautifully written profile of local producer and artist DJ B-Girl who is throwing her record release party this Friday at Lo-Fi. It makes me damn proud to see this sort of coverage in our music section, so I had to give her a shout out.

In case you were one of the many unlucky who didn't get to witness Eddie Vedder's intimate Kenyon Hall solo shows in West Seattle, Billboard's got a great review. The bastard played Cat Stevens' "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out" and Petty's "Won't Back Down". Once again, if you wanted to feel even shittier about either not hearing about it, or not being able to attend...tickets were $5.
(Thanks to Matt Vaughan of Easy Street for the link)

What: Directions to See a Ghost by the Black Angels
When: Last Sunday afternoon
Where: Driving the Pacific Coast Highway, up through Big Sur
Why: Because the nice peeps at LITA gave me an advance before I left on vacation.
Hear the (Light in the Attic) Record: Via digital download on April 15; physical release is May 13 (see more details below)
Free MP3: None available, but you can listen to "You On the Run" over on their MySpace page.
Download: "You in Color", "Never/Ever"
Go to the store for: The limited 4-track disc featuring live and unreleased tracks. Fans who purchase a digital download card at their local record store can hear the album as soon as April 15. When the physical release hits on May 13, they can go back to the store and get a hard copy of the CD with full art, plus the bonus EP at no extra charge. Very cool.
Notes: The Black Angels are in that dreaded tough spot for baby bands. Round two for any artist whose first release was widely revered isn't necessarily an enviable position.

The good news: the band's passionate fans won't be disappointed. They still sound like a Jason Pierce-engineered spacecraft landing in the desert at midnight, perhaps with Jim Morrison in the pilot seat. It's ominous, erotic, droney, and druggie. The opening strains of "You On the Run" will make everyone feel as comfortably numb as expected.

The bad news: there's not a lot of growth going on here, which wouldn't be a criticism even worth mentioning if they didn't seem to be musicians with much more to give. Erik Wofford's production is fantastic and part-time vocalist/multi-instrumental mischief maker Alex Maas is getting some great tones out of his tools (as is seductive drone master Jennifer Raines), but I look forward to them getting out of their own heads a bit more on the next one. I know they have it in them.