Seattle via Chicago Music Experiences
Since first buying their album back in August, I can’t stop (and won’t stop) raving about The Head and the Heart and what their music has meant to me. It was one of those special moments where it felt like an album was speaking both to and for me because it came to me at the perfect time. The themes of the album are the themes of this blog, the themes I’ve been thinking and feeling since I moved here. I couldn’t articulate the connection in words but fell deeply… Read More…
This pretty much sums it up: I’m not in the mood for much flowery prose – plus I’m inspired by how freaking short their songs are – so I’m just going to lay out for you. Reasons Why I Like The Young Evils and their Debut Album Enchanted Chapel A Lot: It’s effing catchy. Mackenzie and Troy are effing cute, endearing, and super nice. The melodies are sweet and sugary like a guilty pleasure without any syrupy aftertaste. Every song toes a very fine line between familiar and predictable, but… Read More…
I’m still pretty new here. I feel like I’ve just started catching on to a lot of the most fantastic music being made in the Northwest. I commonly ask people I meet what regional bands they love, and a name that came up several times in the fall as a must-see was “Drew Grow and the Pastors’ Wives,” but I never made it out to a show. Fast forward to December, when I started to make new friends who are deeply connected to the exciting acoustic music scene around some… Read More…
It seems fitting that as Snowpocalypse 2011 (Snowmageddon, Thundersnow, what have you) hits Chicago this week, I reflect on Seattle’s Snowpocalypse 2010. A few days before Thanksgiving, Seattle got hit with a full day of snow and ice. By Chicago standards, it was not a lot. By Seattle standards, plus black ice on Seattle hills, it was a mess. Natural disaster puns aside, one of the casualties of the storm was The Volcano Diary‘s much anticipate CD release show at Neumos, which was canceled as the buses began to slide…. Read More…
First, let’s all take a personal moment and watch this beautiful acoustic session at KEXP: The band is Campfire Ok. I have not seen this band live at a club yet, but will soon (see below). Yet, thanks to their collaborative creativity, talented friends, and the internet, it feels like I already know them intimately. I found myself humming “Strange Like We Are” every morning walking to work and spending a large portion of my valuable procrastination time watching this and other videos. So I contacted them, set up an… Read More…
There is a certain controlled manic-ness to Ravenna Woods’ music that is uniquely energizing and best experienced live. It doesn’t need to be loud or distorted to be big and movement-inducing. In fact, guitarist Chris Cunningham can’t sit still – either onstage or during our interview – but manages to make this an extremely endearing quality that conveys a sense of urgency which serves the music and lyrics. I also love that everyone usually sits down on stage except drummer Matt Badger. There is something special that happens in the… Read More…
Alicia Dara is answering new questions. As a Seattle-based singer/songwriter she released five records and toured extensivley over 10+ years. The latest, 2008′s The Secret Dream of Tigers, felt like the final chapter of that story. All the questions had been answered. It was time to find some new questions and start making music in a new way. Now, as the frontwoman of The Volcano Diary, Dara is exploring new sonic territory via collaboration. In addition to working with skilled guitarist Gus Palaskas, Dara is navigating this new project with… Read More…
Story time: A few weeks ago I played a short set at a musical house party in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood. It was a great night with a lot of really nice and fun people (not to mention the made-to-order crepes) and after sets by Chicago buddy Emily Claire Palmer and myself, everyone was just hanging out and jamming it up. At some point there was a momentarily lull, and before I knew it the host was making an announcement that some acoustic band had just shown up and was going… Read More…
//**EDIT – I’ve wanted to put up an updated post, as this band has done some really amazing things in the last year, but I’ve failed. If it’s for nostalgia’s sake, read on. If you actually want to check out the band, go to www.thelocalstrangers.com and ignore these old demo videos, for now **// As I’ve said many times on this blog, upon moving to Seattle I didn’t know anyone who did music here. I was fortunate, however, to receive the wisdom of many great musicians – often via interviews… Read More…
The Head and the Heart I haven’t gotten to see these folks live yet, but their self-titled debut album has been on constant rotation in my car. The record gets better and better as I listen to it over and over – a truly impressive effort with zero duds. Like Mumford & Sons (another band with whom I have fallen into a deep and tireless love), this band masters the multi-part song, making drastic tempo and rhythm changes feel completely natural with beautiful, memorable Americana hooks. I’ve already come to… Read More…
This blog started as a means to explore music communities in Seattle, which was a huge personal success. From here on out it will be more personal – more of a creative outlet to help me dig into music that is affecting me. Thanks for reading and sharing these experiences with me. [Read More …]
