WAR may be rooted in the 1970s, but the American funk band proved it is still kicking with quite the following during its long weekend showcase at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley. On opening night on Thursday, WAR packed the house for two back-to-back shows, bringing out a large middle-aged crowd to see the diverse band play its hits. Although the lineup is quite a departure from the original crew, the sounds of WR sounded crisp and familiar to a crowd that was more than eager to dance and sing along to hits including "The Cisco Kid," "Low Rider" and more. Lead singer/keyboardist Lonnie Jordan was a comical and entertaining host who gave all six other band members their chances to shine during the band's lengthy two-and-a-hal-hour set. Check out photos from the show below, with more available on Flickr. more ›

We all know the funky, rhythmic beat associated with popular American songs "Low Rider" and "The Cisco Kid." Starting this Thursday night at Jazz Alley, the L.A.-based band WAR brings these songs and more to Seattle for four nights of shows. more ›

IS THAT FUNK I SMELL?: George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, objectively speaking the best funk band in the world, play the Showbox SoDo tonight. We can’t think of anything to say about this that hasn’t been said, except that you owe it to yourself to see Clinton perform--after 50 years in the industry, he still brings it. more ›

Though Sharon Jones was the first concert this Seattlest attended in 2009, we will make a wager that it will far surpass anything we'll see for the remainder of the year (concert-wise) and for that matter, possibly next year too. more ›

STRONG, WILY OL'D MAN: My! Oldominion, a legendary and superdope Northwest hiphop collective boasting members who happen to be some of our area's strongest and most creative artists, certainly has aged well. The group turns ten years old this year, and to celebrate, they're throwing a family reunion/party/show combo at Neumos this weekend. On the bill: The Saturday Knights, Grayskul, and assorted extremely important members of the crew. We're just saying, Oldominion knows how to party. more ›

EIGHT TRACKS 'N EIGHT TRACKS: Oh wait, that was the predecessor to Tapes 'N Tapes, the band playing at Neumos tonight. Everybody loves a little celebratory Midwestern indie rock on Inauguration Day, right? To prepare, or if you can't make it to the show but still don't want to Miss It, check out this Lollapalooza feature from a year or two ago where you can download the tracks from their set-list. more ›

Idly we wondered, "Move on up where?" as we listened to Velella Velella shake the Sunset Tavern into percussed splinters of funk. But it seemed better not to ask questions. Velella Velella (named for a jellyfish) are Andrew Means, Michael Burton, Jeremy Hadley, Bethany Petersen, and Johanna Kunin, and we'd been meaning to check them out ever since we ran into Andrew at a party and he knew what Zork was. "Gonna move on up," the chant from "Do Not Fold / Do Not Bend," could be a band mantra. Up tempo, upbeat, they took us up where we belong--their enthusiasm is as infectious as the Santa's sack of hooks they're carrying around. They have a whole two albums out now: their Flight Cub EP and Bay of Biscay LP, but they played until they were short on material. The encore was just one song. Imagine a crowd of white Seattle hipsters wanting more dancetime. It could have gotten ugly, but Velella Velella is not about ugly--they are about a profusion of happy non sequiturs and a rock flute and a bunch of piledriving beats on an recalcitrant iPod. (Andrew was fiddling with it, Jeremy said, "iPods! What are ya gonna do?" and either new member Bethany or new member Johanna piped up with, "Buy a Zune!") If you're into it, you can jump down the rabbit hole of musical sources and influences (Curtis Mayfield, DJ Shadow, Timbaland), but the band's appeal is equally the five live people beaming with sweaty pleasure and the keyboards, bass lines, and that classic Fender sound, all producing a (mostly) irony-free, joy-filled groove that you're an equally sweaty party to. Crazy kids. more ›

DIAL M-A-C-E-O: You know how some people are so funny (Steve Carell, Ellen DeGeneres) that just looking at them makes you laugh? Well, that's kind of how Maceo makes us feel, but instead of making us laugh, he makes us get funky. He's played with everyone who matters—from James Brown to Prince—and he's here tonight and for the rest of the weekend to bring the funk to you. How lucky you are! more ›

GIRLS WITH STRONG GASTROCS: The Pacific Northwest Highland Games are up in Enumclaw this weekend! Have you ever seen a troupe of Highland dancers, or examined any of their calves? Those ladies have serious plantar flexion skillz. And the National Highland Dance Competition's not all that's going down. We're talking pub piping, Scottish sing-alongs, a full-blown ceilidgh (it's more than just a barn dance!) and of course the field games! Seattlest's Scottish blood thrills to the thought. more ›

?uestlove and Black Thought of The Roots completely rocked it last night at Neumos. The DJ's set was fully loaded with hiphop and funk classics, aimed straight at the heart of the crowd's collective groove, and Black Thought's aggressive, wild voice is a pleasure to experience live. How could you not dance? One guy was so excited he was jumping up and down. (Not hopping, not bouncing. Jumping!) more ›

REALLY GOOD DOCUMENTARY: Here's yet another reason that SIFF has won the loyalty of Seattle's filmgoers, , a terse, refreshingly un-preachy documentary that attempts to unravel the mystery behind the murder of an American nun in the Brazilian rainforest. more ›

George Porter (of The Meters) and his band, Porter Batiste Stoltz, are descending upon Fremont's Nectar Lounge tonight, providing you with the opportunity to experience legendary New Orleans dirty funk right here in Seattle. Porter was the bass player for the original Meters back in the '60s and '70s. Russell Batiste, Jr., and Brian Stoltz jumped on the funk train with Porter in The Meters' late '80s reincarnation--the Funky Meters. George Porter, Jr.'s, bass is sexy as hell; have you "Cissy Strut"? more ›