Kelis Files for Divorce From Nas

Posted April 30, 2009 at 6:40 pm by Jonathan Cunningham

In some unfortunate music news, it looks like R&B singer Kelis filed divorce papers this afternoon against her husband of four years, Nas. I read a blog post about it a few hours ago but couldn't find anything substantiated on the subject. But after just checking out VIBE.com, it appears the rumor is true. Nas and Kelis are headed for splittsville.

On the surface they seemed like they had a good chance of working out but longevity and celebrity marriages rarely happen. The cause for Kelis filing for divorce hasn't been revealed yet, but what is known is that the couple is expecting their first child together this summer. Currently, Kelis is seven months pregnant.

Topics: News

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GMK Does the Burger King Dance

Posted April 30, 2009 at 5:57 pm by Jonathan Cunningham

Last night, Seattle rapper GMK opened up for Wale, and apparently put on an impressive show. Unfortunately, I missed his set (doh!) and feel crappy that I did. But I get a feeling that GMK is going to be making a strong push this summer as he's gearing up for the release of his EP, Songs For Bloggers. Hopefully that means he'll be playing a good amount of shows locally as the weather warms.

I just saw this video that he put on his website a few minutes ago and had to share. Why you posted this for the world to see, GMK, I'll never know.

Topics: Random

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CD Review: Bob Dylan's Together Through Life

Posted April 30, 2009 at 5:21 pm by Brian J Barr

Bob Dylan
Together Through Life
(Columbia)

In 2000, Bob Dylan won an Academy Award for "Things Have Changed", a pop-blues number he wrote for the Wonder Boys soundtrack. Ever since then, the little golden Oscar statue has joined him onstage, perched atop his amplifier. When I first noticed the Oscar at Dylan's Portland State University show in 2005, I took it as a joke. After all, Dylan always been possessed with a wry sense of humor—what good was an Oscar if he couldn't show it off like a kid tacking "A+" homework to his parent's refrigerator? But listening to his new album Together Through Life, it struck me that the Oscar might actually represent something about the music he's been making so far this century. I played the album back-to-back with 2006's Modern Times and 2001's Love and Theft and it all came together—21st Century Dylan has been about creating a fictional America, his own Invisible Republic, if you will. And his songs have been nothing if not cinematic.

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Topics: CD review and Reviews

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Free MP3: Sol -- "Spliff" Featuring Philharmonic

Posted April 30, 2009 at 4:06 pm by Jonathan Cunningham

Ryan Lewis

Here's a relatively new track from Seattle rapper, Sol. It's the same Sol that nearly won the EMP Sound Off competition a few months ago and has been making a name for himself with his witty raps and playful rhymes. He actually sent this track to me on April 20 but it got caught in my spam and I didn't see it until recently.

The track is called "Spliff," hence the 4/20 release date and features rapper Philharmonic doing a guest verse and some shit-hot production. I dig the overdubs and laid-back 93 Til Infinity vibe on this one. Click here to listen to the song.

Topics: MP3s

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I've Been Listening to the Wooden Birds, Emmylou Harris, and Holly Golightly

Posted April 30, 2009 at 2:23 pm by Sara Brickner

Barsuk Records recently signed Austin folk band the Wooden Birds (pictured courtesy Aubrey Edwards)— the new project of American Analog Set songwriter Andrew Kenny— and it's right up my dusty country road. Their first record, Magnolia, hits stores May 12, and I've been thoroughly enjoying the hushed vocals and lazy string folk melodies that comprise it. It reminds me a little of Vetiver, but the lyrics don't have the same old-timey personality. But the Wooden Birds' more modern interpretation of folk music doesn't mean the record wants for authenticity; in fact, its sincerity stems from its refusal to indulge in kitschy Appalachia-speak (not to insult countrified lyrics— I like those, too). Basically, Magnolia is the perfect backdrop for the hot warm, lazy summer evenings that, with any luck, we'll be enjoying up here very soon. For a little taste of the band, you can listen to and/or download Magnolia's first song, "False Alarm," on Barsuk's website, though my own personal favorite tracks on the record so far are actually "Never Know" and "Seven Seventeen." If Barsuk releases either of those for free, 'll be sure to write a big old blog post and alert you.

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Topics: I Heard This

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Tonight: Bangers & Mash Premieres at See Sound

Posted April 30, 2009 at 1:21 pm by Kevin Capp

Promoter/DJ Tigerbeat and friends are launching tonight what promises to be quite the luau at See Sound Lounge. Dubbed "Bangers & Mash," the new weekly focuses on bass-heavy electro, Baltimore Club, and Top 40 remixes (ya know, for the kids). The guest headliner is Drop the Lime—an inspired selection to usher in a gala dedicated, in part, to the grimier side of electronica: The NYC jock is well-known for his dark and bass-tinged style. (His label is called Trouble & Bass for a reason.) Other spinners include Fourcolorzack, of the popular War Room parties "2080s" and "Yo! Son," and Tigerbeat himself. So many choices, so little gas money.

Topics: Happenings

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Reverb Is on Twitter: And Twitterviewing Geo of Blue Scholars Right Now

Posted April 30, 2009 at 1:19 pm by Jonathan Cunningham

Yes, Reverb has given into the Twitter craze and set up an account. We're online cranking out daily content in a new form now, and you can follow us at @swreverb.

Right now, new writer Hollis Wong-Wear, who some people might now from her role in the group Canary Sing, is "twitterviewing" Geo of Blue Scholars. Hop on our twitter page right now if you want to see him answer some interesting questions.

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Ursula Rucker and King Britt to Play Chop Suey May 22nd

Posted April 30, 2009 at 12:28 pm by Jonathan Cunningham

For a lot of fans of spoken word poetry, Ursula Rucker is a hero, and a pioneer. The Philadelphia-bred writer/artist/musician is, in my opinion, a bridge between new urban poetry (the kind you might see on HBO Def Poetry) and old school veterans like Sonia Sanchez, June Jordan, and Nikki Giovanni. What sets her apart from many of her contemporaries is that she often records her poetry over soulful hip-hop/electronica production and has made music with groups like 4Hero and the Roots. If you want to get a quick feel for how she's revered as an artist, definitely check out the video above.

She's playing Chop Suey on May 22nd and she's got the dynamic DJ, King Britt accompanying her as well. He's real big into spinning blacktronica artists and those two together should make for a great show. All the details are below. If anybody out there is a fan of these two artists, please let me know.

Heidi Jackson Presents:
Ursula Rucker and King Britt
with Black Stax and KBCS's City Soul Radio DJs
AC, Atlee & Lewis
hosted by: Christa Bell and Suntonio Bandanaz
Friday, May 22 2009
Chop Suey
8PM/ 21+ / $10 Adv $15 DOS
www.ticketweb.com

Topics: Concert News

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John Tesh + Ahmet and Dweezil Zappa = Late Night TV Bliss

Posted April 30, 2009 at 11:35 am by Jonathan Cunningham

Here's an oldie but goody from the early days of the Conan O'Brien show. I had no idea the children of Frank Zappa were such big John Tesh fans. You've just got to watch it to believe. But be mindful, apparently watching this video on repeat could give some fellas Teshticular cancer.

Topics: Music Video and Random

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Os Mutantes, Franz Ferdinand Added to Bumbershoot Lineup

Posted April 30, 2009 at 11:25 am by Sara Brickner

Here's the latest incarnation of the partial line-up, with the addition of Franz Ferdinand and Os Mutantes. Oh, and one subtraction, because the Ting Tings canceled.

Anyway, I sort of slept on the initial Bumbershoot line-up announcement, but now that I've finally gotten around to checking out the roster and mulling it over, my feeling so far is that, like Sasquatch, it's a pretty mixed bag. This collection of bands runs the gamut on my own personal excitement-nausea scale from "I'm so excited I may pee my pants," to "Listening to this band for more than five minutes makes me ill." On one hand, seeing Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan in tandem, De La Soul and Raphael Saadiq will be super. And there are a lot of great local bands on the roster as well.

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Topics: Bumbershoot

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Live Music Roundup: Thursday, April 30

Posted April 30, 2009 at 7:00 am by Sara Brickner

One of my favorite local pop bands, Hey Marseilles, plays the Crocodile tonight with Palmer Electric Co. and Cataldo; that starts at 8 p.m. and costs $10.

There's also a Willie Nelson tribute night at Conor Byrne's around 9 p.m.. For someone like me who's always thought the guy was a better songwriter and musician than he is a singer, it'll be cool to see how local artists interpret Willie's songs. I'm fairly sure that I am the only person in the universe who feels this way, but even if you don't agree, it won't prevent you from having a good time. Be warned, though— these country tribute nights at Conor Byrne's are popular. I tried to get into a Dolly Parton tribute night at about 9 p.m. on a Saturday about three months ago and the thing was already sold out. I'm not kidding. Get there early and drink some beers so you'll be good and toasty when the time comes for a Willie sing-a-long.

Sleepy Sun, Blue Light Curtain at Sunset Tavern, 9 p.m., $8

Everything you want to know about Sleepy Sun (pictured courtesy Kirstie Shanley) is revealed in the band's name. The music is slow and lazy, with a tired — but not bored — quality. It's also bright and buoyant, with warm vocals: Singers Bret Constantino and Rachel Williams complement each other on "Sleepy Son," a particularly melodic song that features a harmonica solo. For all the stirring instrumentals — Matt Holliman and Evan Reiss often break from their mellow guitars into heavy riffs — Sleepy Sun is better defined as a jam band than a psych rock outfit. True, the members sometime hit a perfect harmony: On songs like "Lord," Constantine drags on the end of his words, slurring his lyrics over hazy music. Other times, it sounds like every band member is pushing for a solo. Even a beautiful song like "Sleepy Son" attempts to fits together harmonic sounds with the over-the-top ones, making it less a singular piece of music than a conceptual musical experiment. This means Sleepy Sun will appeal most to those listeners with plenty of patience: It'll take a few spins of the self-released Embrace to really understand that this more that the album is more than just an accidentally recorded band practice. PAIGE RICHMOND

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Topics: Happenings

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Duff McKagan: Rocking the South, Dodging the City Council

Posted April 30, 2009 at 6:36 am by Duff McKagan

Deanne Deesay

Duff McKagan's column runs every Thursday on Reverb.

As I revealed last week, I am back out on the road with Loaded. This is our first-ever foray into the U.S. rock marketplace. A band like Loaded is perhaps a risky endeavor, considering the more mainstream leanings of the American ear.

East and West Coast cities (Seattle, New York, Boston, L.A.) are places that harbor a music scene that allows for all types of bands to come through and find an audience. In the true spirit of Loaded, however, we did things the hard way and started our tour last week in the South. Huh?

Let me preface this subject by saying that I think the southern part of the U.S. is stunningly beautiful and its people extremely charming, affable, and friendly. The South, however, is a place a rock band might come after they have "broken" a bit worldwide, or at least nationwide. I'm not sure why, but the South is often the last place record companies try to market a band—perhaps because it is more spread out and rural, and hence it's tougher to spread the "word."

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Topics: Duff McKagan

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DJ Supreme La Rock Starts New Night at Chapel

Posted April 29, 2009 at 3:24 pm by Jonathan Cunningham

Long-time Seattle crate digger DJ Supreme La Rock is starting a new club night on Thursdays that sounds like it should be a heck of a party. Tomorrow night is the kick-off and I've got a feeling Supreme is going to be going hard on the turntables to make sure people start coming on a regular basis. Anybody that's familiar with Supreme knows he's got one of the most extensive record collections in the city. He's been collecting seriously since '89/90 and probably has all of the records in his house that your favorite DJs are still trying to find online.

About two weeks ago, he told me that he was starting up a new club night at Chapel focusing on rare breaks, mash-ups, and electro. I'm hoping to pass through there tomorrow just to see what the vibe is like. Thursday can be a crowded night for club nights in this town so he's going to have to work hard to compete with places like Venom, War Room, and Moe Bar. If you're a fan of his already popular club nights at See Sound and Heavens, come out to Chapel tomorrow night and support him

Topics: News

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Last Night: Yann Tiersen @ Neumos

Posted April 29, 2009 at 2:56 pm by Erika Hobart

French musician Yann Tiersen is best known to those outside of his home country as the man who composed the enchanting score to the 2001 film Amélie starring Audrey Tautou. And while Amélie certainly has a cult following of 20-somethings, I could not wrap my mind around the fact that Tiersen did as well. How the hell does a 39-year-old man known for his minimalist compositions sell out a venue such as Neumos?

I posed this question to SW's Gavin Borchert, who studied classical composition in college. "Maybe it's because he's European," he suggested. Not really the insightful answer I was looking for, but let's roll with it. 20-somethings love Tiersen in all his chain smoking European glory.

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Topics: Concert Reviews, I Heard This, and The Morning After

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Last Night: Collie Buddz at Nectar + Video Footage

Posted April 29, 2009 at 12:05 pm by Jonathan Cunningham

Seattle audiences are starved for good reggae music. I've noticed this trend on numerous occasions since moving here from South Florida several months ago. There's not nearly enough reggae coming through town on a consistent basis, and crowds are hungry for quality artists to play in this market. Last night, Bermudian reggae star Collie Buddz played Nectar and eager fans came out ready to soak up some of his island culture and reggae grooves.

I first met Collie (real name Colin Harper) a few years ago when I did a feature spread on him for FADER and he's really a good dude. Despite his gimmicky appearance on the surface (yes, he is yet another white dude singing reggae) the truth is, Collie's a real talented singer and producer. He'll probably always be plagued by people thinking he's a "fakin' Jamaican" but the twang in which he talks is real and the subject matter he sings about is genuine. Now the patois in which he sings is exaggerated a bit, but that's mainly because no matter what part of the Caribbean island chain you're from, the dominant sound for reggae music is Jamaican patois and Collie's just following suit.

For awhile, he used to just play shows with a DJ behind him, which was alright, but he's much better with a live band as Seattle audiences got to see last night.

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Topics: Concert Reviews

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