Sometimes this Seattlest is a bit behind the news, so an e-mail we just got from a friend who works in Fremont let us in on the fact that the Fremont Sonic Boom is closing and selling its CDs. 30% off new ones and 50% off used. more ›

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If you're awesome, you don't get SAD, we see. You get BOLD! Awesome's John Osebold [MySpace] is filled with the spirit of the season:

Hello! Happy December. I love this month. I wish I could give you all something this holiday season but I'm not very good with cards or throwing parties.

We're trying to test Amazon's new MP3 download service because we hate CDs and iTunes and we love DRM-free music files and compensating artists for their work. Hang out with us a minute here while we try this... more ›

According to this guy's cost analysis, not only is Vista going to screw you, the person who purchased the software, it's also going to doom Microsoft itself and quite possibly the computing universe as we have come to know it. Particularly, he's got issues with the Visa Content Protection specification of which he says in the Executive Executive summary of his paper "The Vista Content Protection specification could very well constitute the longest suicide note in history." Nerds will be able to parse the fact that a content protection specification has to do with DRM. Normal people might need to be told that DRM has to do with copy-protection and that kind of thing. Bill Gates himself isn't so high on DRM these days, despite the fact that he's about to stake Microsoft on an operating system that holds digital rights as one of its core truths. In December he told a blogger that the best way to ensure that your music is legal and playable is to rip CDs yourself. We'll see if that holds true under Vista. more ›

Happy New Year! We were only a few minutes into it when the first Seattle gun violence of 2007 happened at Skyway Park Bowl and Casino (which is actually in Renton, but whatever). A pregnant woman, a woman and a man were all shot just minutes after midnight at the bowling alley and taken to Harborview. The P-I doesn't list a motive. more ›

One of our 43 Favorite Things about Wallingford is closing up shop over the next few days. Music & toy store, art gallery, and occasional show space Electric Heavyland is closing for good on January 1st. Rather than the standard "rising rents" storyline that you're used to, the Electric Heavyland folks are closing the shop so they can focus on their record label, enterruption. Since they're closing to focus on music, it would seem that the Wooden Octopus Music Pfest is still on, but we suppose we'll see next year. The store's closing out with a big sale: more ›

Tuesday, December 12 more ›

--USS Mariner convinces us that Richie Sexson must go. more ›

That's one thing we learned from The Moth Story Tour on Sunday night at Town Hall. Actually, we learned that from the brochure, which explained what local voices were going to appear in which cities. Cho in LA, Savage in SEA. more ›

Today's PI has an article about a new social networking site founded by a couple of ex-Real employees. Shelfari is a place to show off and discuss your favorite books. Founded by former RealNetworks employees Josh Hug and Kevin Beukelman, the three-person company plans today to unveil a Web site that allows people to list book titles, write reviews, recommend books to friends and find like-minded bibliophiles. Shelfari plans to make money by passing leads... more ›

If you're like us, you already own all of Neko Case's CDs. Get ready to expand your collection. Her first DVD -- her 2003 performance on Austin City Limits -- will be available October 10:

Performing on Austin City Limits, one of Neko and her grandmother's all-time favorite programs, was one of Neko's proudest career moments, and probably one of her proudest personal moments as well... more ›

Ok, it's not funny when someone's house gets invaded by the cops. The continued erosion of our rights in the name of the war on terror isn't funny in the least. Perpetrating obscene phone calls isn't funny. The police making an error and therefore not apprehending the person making the obscene phone calls isn't funny, either. Multiple squad cars driving up onto someone's lawn in search of porn is, well, kind of funny. And this article from the Spokesman-Review that contains all of the above is completely hilarious. more ›

Maybe they're still thinking about it. Maybe they're waiting for more requests to come in. Maybe if you requested the same DVD (performer: Mary-Louise Parker; Release date: July 11, 2006), critical mass would be reached, and we could check it out of the library one of these days. At least with books, if they opt not to buy the title, they'll request it via interlibrary loan. At least then we know. more ›

The Port of Seattle just knocked on Seattlest's inbox with news that six computer disks that contain information on over six thousand airport workers are missing. First of all, who the hell still stores information on "computer disks?" Hopefully, that means "DVDs," but still. When are we going to hear the first report of a thumb drive containing critical homeland security data being stolen? more ›

They've sold music. They've sold movies. Now, Starbucks is adding a "third leg to the stool": books. But not, you know, good books. They're officially launching their "book strategy" with Mitch Albom's new novel, For One More Day. Per the PI:

Albom's sentimental narratives are far from the Beat poetry traditionally associated with coffeehouse culture, and from CDs by Coldplay, Antigone Rising and others that Starbucks has sold. But Lombard said the author's new book, the story of a son reunited with his late mother, "embodies Starbucks values" because it's "an inspirational tale that encourages people to examine their lives with family and friends."

Silversun Pickups is an up-and-coming California four-piece with boy-girl rock vocals. Their 2005 EP, featuring the single "Kissing Families" won them a lot of new fans, including John Richards and the rest of the KEXP crew. Now their full-length is set to be released next Tuesday to much anticipation in the indie rock blogosphere, and rightfully so---it's solid. Seattlest spoke to raspy singer/guitarist Brian Aubert about the differences between the EP and the LP, the comparisions they get to other bands, and their favorite places (and beer) in Seattle. All the girls on the internets think he's dreamy, but as far as we're concerned, Brian's a total Chatty Kathy. more ›

LAist has so much fun this week! They go to E3, where they overhear the timeless remark "Man, this is where nerdy girls get laid." Is that a promise? They also give us this week's best CDs and make us realize that LA is the best place to use Zillow. more ›

USA Today reveals that America's next would-be culture czar is already enthroned as (gulp) the nation's barrista baron. more ›

Today is No Pants Day. It's also Cinco De Mayo. Seattlest thinks celebrations for the former will get started after celebrations for the latter, continuing until tomorrow. Since they'll run into tomorrow anyway, Seattlest declares this weekend No Pants Weekend. You can celebrate as you see fit, but for all the ladies, tomorrow's DJ Assault show is going to be the place to get your Girls Gone Wild on. more ›

We're a little reluctant to tell you about this, honestly, because we don't want any more competition for the good stuff, but we really are good folks at heart, so we'll let you in one of the absolute highlights of our year: tonight is the special Member's Preview of the Friends of the Seattle Public Library Book Sale at Magnuson Park. It runs all day Saturday and Sunday as well, and on Sunday things are half price, which, we'll get to prices in a minute. more ›

Despite the attention, it's not just the status of Rainier Hardware and the Seattle P-I that are worthy of mention. Here are some other pieces of news from the local business landscape. more ›

Tired of sitting around with your friends looking stupid? Of course you are! So get off your ass and check these shows out… more ›

Despite the warnings that the smoking ban would ensure anarchy and despair on the nightlife front, instead smoking has strengthened its role as a social lubricant. A new brand of comradery is being forged nightly as smokers go outside for their nicotine fix. This isn't all that surprising, since people are social creatures, not unlike the uber-cute momonga. Not to be too Fremont-hippie about this, but we crave company and need one another, knowing we can get more done together than we can alone. more ›

Seattlest loves it when huge local retailers start getting into what those in the content business call "the content business." You may remember reading our post about Starbucks and Hollywood recently. To paraphase ourselves we weren't very excited about it. Kind of ambivalent and not really expecting much from it. Amazon.com and Starbucks are two different creatures, though, and when we heard yesterday that Amazon would be launching a show of its own we were a bit less skeptical. Amazon sells media, at least, and not something that you drink. more ›

Obviously you know that Starbucks has been very very successfull at selling coffee. Someday, and you're going to hate this but that won't stop it, we're probably going to call any kind of espresso drink a "starbucks" like people from Georgia call any carbonated beverage a "coke." ("What kind of coke you want? We got Spriiite, root beer, diet, cherry ") They've pretty much got the espresso thing nailed down. Caribou, Dunkin Donuts, independant cafes everywhere: Close down now to spare us the pain of watching you be assimiliated. more ›

Shopping frenzy time, everyone. Unless you're going the starving artist route and giving your loved ones experiences for Christmas you're getting down to the wire in terms of Shopping Days Left Till. With that in mind let us frame this weekened's I <3 Rummage as the perfect opportunity to not only support local crafters, designers and artists, but also to let your family know exactly what kind of gifts you'll be expecting in return next year. more ›

Seattle's most webtastic indie rock groupies afficianados Three Imaginary Girls will be kicking it with the pros on Saturday at the KEXP studio for another of their excellent Audioasis appearences. It may sound like a knock when we say "These TIG appearances on Audioasis are great for keeping up with TIG's friends' bands," but then you realize that that encompasses just about anyone playing music in the city. There's only three of them, right? Somehow they seem to shmooze at an easy half dozen shows a night and report on a full ten the next morning, but that's great for everyone who lives an Imaginary Life through their site. Which includes us. That's not to mention that there's just flat out nobody having as much fun on the local internets as Three Imaginary Girls. more ›

Seattlest loves the Seattle Public Library system. So what if the downtown library can, from certain perspectives, be compared to a smushed cheese grater? We hardly ever make it through the front doors, and we'll tell you why -- in a bit. more ›

We are thoroughly unimpressed with the shows in town this week. We will let you decide if that's because there are no good shows or that we are a little dead inside. Despite the lack of good shows, there are some pretty hot new CDs out to satisfy your music fix. more ›