​Local visual artist (and occasional creative collaborator with Six Organs of Admittance's Ben Chasny) Steve Quenell recently sent me this fantastic link to a short film by Richard Linklater documenting a 1985 music festival in Austin called "Woodshock". You can clearly see the trajectory between this and the organic inspiration behind Linklater's 1993 sentimental stoner masterpiece, Dazed and Confused. At the 3:40 mark, you can also see some rather astonishing footage of a young, dare I say svelte-and-semi-lucid Daniel Johnston, pimping out cassette tapes of Hi, How Are You. Definitely worth a look (after the jump). Incidentally, Johnston plays Neumos this Friday, September 4.

More >>

Curse Your Branches is out Sept. 1 on Barsuk. David Bazan plays a live streaming show today at 5 p.m.

​David Bazan
Curse Your Branches
(Barsuk Records) Sept. 1

To a non-believer--or to fans that are unfamiliar with the Evangelical beliefs that defined the first 30 years of David Bazan's life--Curse Your Branches sounds like it was written by a man who has made up his mind about God. Out Sept. 1 on Barsuk, the album is Bazan's first full-length in five years and his first true solo album since the break-up of Pedro the Lion. Curse Your Branches is an autobiographical look at Bazan's fall from the Christian grace that launched his career, and the mournful-voiced musician is not holding back. The opening track, "Hard to Be," calls out the book of Genesis and the very idea of original sin as bullshit: "Wait just a minute/ you expect me to believe/ that all this misbehaving grew from one enchanted tree?" Of Curse Your Branches' 10 songs, all but one (the catchy and pop-tinged "Please, Baby, Please") mention either God or Biblical myth, often criticizing and challenging some of the most well-known contradictions in Christianity.

At times, it sounds like Bazan outright renounces God. On "When We Fell"--perhaps the album's most clear statement of Bazan's new beliefs--he credits God with causing the fall of man: "You knew what would happen/ and made us just the same/ And you, my Lord, can take the blame." On "In Stitches," he calls God's treatment of the ever-suffering Job "defensive."

More >>

​Seattle rapper Wizdom shot a music video over the weekend. It's for the title track off of his latest EP, Bring it Back, and has plenty of cool throwback images with rhymes about "GP, Shawn Kemp, and Nate McMillan." for all of the Sonics fans out there. But what's really nifty about the video is that he claims to have recorded the whole thing in less than half an hour. All three verses were done in one take and the editing was finished in an hour.

If all that is true, this is one of the fastest music video jobs in history. After the jump, check out what a music video looks like when it's created at near microwave speed.

(h/t) Blogs is Watching

More >>

The Dodos: hipster music?

​No, really. I want to know. Perhaps some of you already saw this otherwise interesting article in The Seattle Times, which briefly describes a study that compares the radio listening habits of people who live in Seattle to those who live in the surrounding area. In it, the author, Eric Lacitis, referred to KEXP as a "hipster music station." Well, let me ask you something, then, Mr. Lacitis (and readers kind enough to indulge my rant): What is it about being sick and fucking tired of turning on most other radio stations and hearing the same hundred songs over and over again makes me a hipster? And what exactly is "hipster" music, in your opinion? Is it reggae? Rockabilly? Electronica? Crusty punk rock? Because KEXP DJs play all of those things, not just the generic indie rock that the phrase "hipster music" suggests to me. And why is it that people can't wrap their heads around the fact that plenty of human beings -- not just the tight-pants-ed among us -- are tired of listening to stations that play "Stairway to Heaven" and "Hotel California" four times a day, every day? Some of us DO want to hear new and innovative music, and one of the very few places on the airwaves that plays both new, innovative music and obscure vintage gems is KEXP.

I know I'm nitpicking here. And I don't doubt that Mr. Lacitis probably just wrote that damning little phrase offhand and didn't think twice about it because he was on deadline. I understand that. But for once, I'd like someone to just call KEXP what it is: a radio station that happens to be run by people brave enough to play music of all styles and genres that exists outside the realm of corporate record label politics and payola. Independent music is not hipster music. It's just music. And I resent the implication that you must be an American Apparel-worshipping, faux-Ray Ban wearing asshole with a trust fund and an attitude to like it.

​BOAT is the sort of band that doesn't take itself too seriously. At the Crocodile on Friday, four of the Seattle band's members--two of whom were keyboard players--crowded the front of the stage during their performance. They all sang together, sometimes yelling more than singing. Everything about BOAT felt a little ridiculous, from starting their set with a song about declawing your pets ("We've Been Friends Since 1989") to cracking jokes constantly.

Pavement trademarked this ironic sense of humor (feigning detachment to show everything that's wrong with the music industry) with songs like "Cut Your Hair." But BOAT's songs are closer to 90s indie bands like Cap'n Jazz than to anything Stephen Malkmus wrote. The songs are more cute than clever, and the music is noisy and chaotic with a hint of bouncy pop. The problem with BOAT, though, is that there's just so much noise being made that it's hard to tell where it all comes from. This is more a result of Boat's carelessness than musicianship. If the band members were less concerned with entertaining the audience, they might learn to play off each other instead of drowning each other out.

Seeing Ramona Falls and BOAT perform on the same bill was like watching an exercise in musical seriousness. Brent Knopf, the musician behind Ramona Falls, has no time to joke around. If he's going to recreate during live performances the same sound as Intuit, his debut album, then he's got his work cut out for him.

More >>

THEE Satisfaction performing at a SODO loft Saturday night

​House party music showcases were happening all over the place this past weekend.
While a lot of people came out for the Carousel Music fest which showcased scores of local bands in house venues around the city, a group of musicians gathered in a SODO loft Saturday night for a hip-hop show featuring the next wave of Seattle rappers. THEE Satisfaction didn't headline but still stood out the most. And tit's good to know that they continue to play shows even though they already had a fairwell gig last week. Hopefully they stick around for awhile because their rhymes were tight, they set a good groove, and nobody wanted them to get off the stage.

The State of the Artists, AKA SOTA Boys, who we twitterviewed last Thursday, performed as well and showcased why they're starting to garner a fan base..

More >>

Classy ZZ Top. In addition to his regular column every Thursday, Duff McKagan will write about what's circulating through his iPod every Monday.

​ZZ Top, "Jesus Just Left Chicago": Any of y'all wanna get schooled on some good old kick ass shuffle blues and hear what slowhand rock guitar sounds like? Well, just download this song.

Iggy and Stooges, "I Got A Right": Search out this Iggy pop/James Williamson recording first and be astounded. This is how trash and roll sounds, ladies and germs.

Sly & the Family Stone, "If You Want Me To Stay": This song epitomizes what groove and funk are all about at their primal best. Larry Graham is one bad motherf*cker here and this song showcases Sly and his Family Stone at their very best. KILLER.

Hear all three tracks after the jump. See you back here on Thursday.

More >>

​I almost forgot that Atlanta's Anthony David is in town this evening and playing a soulful set of music at Nectar. He's easily the most exciting male figure to hit neo soul since Dwele came out and he sets himself apart from other R&B crooners by adding acoustic guitar into his mix. You can check out the video above to get a feel for his style. 20-year-old local jazz singer Isabella Du Graf is opening up for him and since Choklate is the one who helped organize the show, there's a good chance she'll be performing a few songs as well. Tickets are $12 and the show starts at 9 p.m.

More >>

As I predicted a few days ago, the "cancellation" of the Michael Jackson flash mob scheduled for today was just a ploy. At Occidental Park, Kerry Park, and Pike Place Market, various groups broke out choreographed dance moves to celebrate what would have been Jackson's 51st birthday. Some of their dance moves are laughable, but at least they tried. Ironically, it was reported that Jackson's family finally buried him today in a private ceremony. But the folks in the video above were definitely in a more celebratory mood.

​It was only a year ago that DJ AM alongside Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker survived a horrific plane crash and managed to cheat death. They were the only two passengers who survived although all four other passengers perished. You'd think that would be enough of a wake up call to help an individual walk a straight line. But as of today, reports out of New York are saying DJ AM was found dead in his apartment and it looks drug related. The New York Post reports drug paraphernalia was found inside of his apartment and police are investigating to see if DJ AM (born Adam Goldstein) died of an overdose. But there's no way to say if that's the case until the toxicology reports come back.

His last tweet was incredibly cryptic. On August 25, he tweeted, "New York New York big city of dreams, but everything in New York ain't always what it seems." While the circumstances around his death are mysterious, what is known is that while he was alive, he could rock a party like nobody else. The last time I saw DJ AM spinning, he was backing up Jay-Z last year and everyone was celebrating his recovery. So his death today is incredibly sad news.

More >>