On Sunday night, Seattlest and a bunch of other Seattleites showed up at Chop Suey for the "Jive Turkey Extreme" Cancer Rising cd release party. The Valley (a Seattle rock band) opened, but we missed their set due to an emergency Piecora's artichoke-heart and sun-dried tomato pizza slice run. Ah, well. No matter. We were still among the first hundred people to buy our ticket and therefore obtain a free copy of Cancer Rising's hot-off-the-presses album! And we were in plenty of time for Dyme Def, The Girls, and Cancer Rising themselves.

At precisely 10:25, host Barfly and rapper Billy the Fridge led the crowd in what can only be called "The Slow Clap." This was delightful and made Seattlest laugh and laugh and feel as if we were in an 80s movie. So inspirational, so moving. So 206proof.com. While we calmed down from the Slow Clap and pondered whom would be the recipient of our extra copy of the CR album, we were treated to an excellent set from Dyme Def (those guys never fail to impress). "If you hate it, you should let it go," they rap, and we agree. Besides, it's hard to hate them. They're born to get radio play. (Remember that you can request music on KEXP, and you don't have to wait for Sunday night to request hip-hop.)

After Dyme Def, The Girls punked out for awhile. They may not be our style per se, but they're obviously good at what they do. And the lead singer has really toned upper arms.

It was fun to see a different group dominate the floor; if Slats himself wasn't there (we're not actually sure that he wasn't in attendance), a couple of his young punk proteges represented the skinny jeans/big hair crowd nicely. We asked Devon Manier, founder/co-owner of Sportn' Life Records, his opinion on the success of mixed bills. "Some are [successful], some aren't," he replied. "It's in the stars... Who knows how it's going to play." Though many of the hip-hop heads used the punk set as concentrated drinking time, Neezie Pleaze was clearly rocking out and Gatsby looked like he was feeling it too. Seattlest liked the mixed bill; the varied sounds brought some extra oomph to the night, even though we still like soulful hip-hop better than the desperate screeches of punk rock.

Cancer Rising was, as usual, in damn fine form. DJ Tiles One was on point, and the Judas/Gatsby interplay was amusing and invigorating. Judas was down on the floor rapping back and forth with Gatsby for awhile; we loved it. Cancer Rising was one of the first local hip-hop groups we ever heard, and they're still one of our favorites -- especially live -- for humor, crunch, sincerity, and a warm but oh-so-cool presence that draws in everyone in the room. They'll be at The Program in December, but you don't have to wait until then to hear the new tracks. The new album is officially released!

Seattlest has been in possession of CR's self-titled album for about a month now, and we have grown quite fond of it. Actually, it took only two listens in quick succession (we are a dedicated journalist!) to discern our strangely powerful attachment to "Everyday Bidness (ft Bruce Illest)." It's got something to do with Rainier Avenue, and we swear to God it's spiked with something addictive. The studio recording is expertly produced by djblesOne (who also dj'd at the Jive Turkey concert), and live... well. Live, it's an irresistible crowd-pleaser and an instant classic. In the same "does this have crack in it" vein, the crowd loves "Let's Start Some Shit." (With that hook, who wouldn't love it? Plus, it's Gatsby booming out that line, and it sounds badass.) The third new track we adore live is "Wait A Minute," also a djblesOne production and featuring a really fun 70s happy disco feel. We love this album's sampling (Grandma's Boys!), we love the deliberate, pounding beats, we love CR's new stylin' sound. This is great material from Gatsby and Judas and it's more than worth your $$.