Despite what you might infer from their name and the (current touring) company they keep, Foreign Born is a band that was born and raised in the good ole U.S.A. While the band shifted south from San Francisco to L.A., they are by no means a band that can be easily classified as having an "L.A. sound," typified by heavy fuzz and a fascination with glam. Instead, the band finds inspiration from artists like ELO, Bruce Hornsby, and the Doors--or at least Val Kilmer’s portrayal of the Doors--and can count Ed Droste of critical darlings Grizzly Bear among the band's growing legion of fans spread across the globe. In advance of Foreign Born's show at Chop Suey tonight (with headliners The Veils and openers The Other Girls, $12, 21+), we were able to catch up with lead singer Matt Popieluch to discuss the band's sound, influences, and upcoming plans. more ›

Brother Ali is here to share The Undisputed Truth in person! From the Twin Cities, this man has a powerful story and a powerful vision for what hiphop can be. He's challenging, personal, and fresh. Witness: more ›

parody of a musical in the first place, with enough cheesy lines, bawdy humor and exposed flesh to sate more or less any appetite. more ›

Not so long ago--even into the 1980s--it seemed certain that the Western would stand the test of time as quintessential American cinematic form. After all, the story of cowboys, outlaws and Indians on the great rolling plains between the coasts and the travails of those courageous families crossing the country in covered wagons is as much a part of our creation story as defeating the British; Independence and Manifest Destiny go hand-in-hand, and John Wayne, with his swaggering bravado, not only represented the embodiment of American masculinity, but his unwavering devotion to righteousness (even, perhaps especially, when begotten by violence) spoke to the American sense of our own virtue and uniqueness. Even when the Italians got their hands on the genre, and Clint Eastwood gave the cowboy a dark edge, that moral ambiguity never really changed the fundamental sense that there is a right and wrong; the innocents, after all, are still innocent. The change that Sergio Leone wrought was simply one of transforming the West into a wide open space into which the damned could escape their demons, even in death. The figure of the dying cowboy, gut-shot, riding into the sunset slumping atop his steed is still an image of freedom and hope. more ›

We've already mentioned the lovely and talented Jesse Sykes appearing tonight at the Tractor with bandmate Phil Wandscher. Also tonight (and also in Ballard) is San Francisco's Citay at the Sunset. Think Sabbath and Zep meets the light pop touches of Big Star. Here's some footage of them from a previous visit to Seattle: more ›

When we lived in LA we had no problem watching the Huskies play at Pauley Pavilion. We could just get in our car, hop on the 10, and presto, eight hours later we were in the building. more ›

Saturday night we were itching to get our drink on. A few calls later, we ended up with a plan to check out The Copper Gate in Ballard. The wife, who used to live within walking distance of the place was wary. "When I used to live up there, the cops warned us about that place." more ›

's coming back on Sunday, 9pm on Showtime! This means weekly installments of nothing but gloriously bad decisions, lesbian sex both complicated and primal, stylishly coiffed men, women, and those who have yet to make up their minds, and -- possibly our favorite part--endless cups of coffee, gossip, and star guest performances at (all-purpose meeting point) The Planet. more ›

There is something seriously wrong in this city right now. The fight between drivers and bicyclists has been brewing for years, but recently it seems to be reaching a boiling-over point. It pushes what we consider to be sane people, on both sides of the argument, into a state of rage that we honestly find a bit frightening. more ›

Last night, Seattlest hit up the Red Bull Big Tune 2007 Championship at Neumos just like we said we would. The idea of the competition was to showcase U.S. hip-hop producers in the form of a beat battle, tournament-style; in between rounds we were treated to the skills of DV-One and Just Blaze, and also to a mini-concert from giants De La Soul. We were not expecting this last, and it was kinda fun. Our favorite part was seeing Neumos packed with locals excited about hip-hop, though. "The whole city's here," Courage of Eastern Sunz commented before the rounds began. "Do you know what the prize is?" No, we did not, but later we discovered the winning producer would be going home with some expensive sound monitors and a recording date in LA with a hip-hop star. Sweet. more ›

This Sunday, they return to Seattle for the fourth time (they most recently played Bumbershoot), with the Hold Steady at the HUB Ballroom at the UW. Art Brut's newest effort singles like "Modern Art" and "Bad Weekend," but it still delivers some memorable songs like "Direct Hit" and "Nag, Nag, Nag, Nag." more ›

We gotta admit to being kind of a sci-fi nerd. We own all the Star Wars movies in most of their various formats and edits, have read The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and its sequels numerous times (including the atrocious Mostly Harmless), and actively seek out any books and films that depict any kind of a dystopic view of our future. So when we heard that yet another cut of Blade Runner was playing at the Cinerama, AKA: God's Gift to Seattle, you can bet we made plans to get down there. more ›

Mateo Messina, a Seattle native, has been composing television and film scores and penning symphonies for 10 years. His most recent score is for the upcoming, buzz-magnet comedy Juno. His latest symphony will be heard tonight at Benaroya Hall's (sold out) Symphony Legacy concert. (That's him above, at last year's show.) more ›

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A while back, we posed some questions and then got some answers about WaMu Theater. A Seinfeldian what is the deal? kind of thing. Well, we're finally going to find out for ourselves whether the joint is a "concrete cave" with poor sound, or an innovative concert hall. Either way we're super-excited about this show. more ›

Local filmmaker, occasional pub trivia host, and friend of Seattlest Dom Zook blogged on September 19 that he's moving to LA.

I’ve been a stalwart Seattle fan for most of my adult life. I love this town, even though some of the people who govern it are slightly “challenged”. I love making movies in this town… but I think I’ve gone in depth about my issues here. Many have wondered why I’ve stayed so long in a town that’s only moderately supportive of its filmmakers. Why I’ve stayed in a town where actual, paying film gigs are about as scarce as tumbleweeds on Pike St. Why I’ve stayed for nearly five years at a job that’s been both good and bad to me just so I could make movies in this town.

If you scroll back through the last couple of years’ worth of posts you’ll see the trials and tribulations. I did it all. Cast negotiations, legal paperwork, business plans, investor talks, budget write-ups, etc. And frankly I had a great plan with a fantastic script (written by Faye Hoerauf and Jessica Baxter) and I knew it would be a hit. Modest hit, maybe, but a hit. Unfortunately no one was buying. No one of influence believed the script would go far. Despite at least one major name in the cast and several more just waiting for an investor to come forward, despite several awards for the script alone, despite a rock-solid business plan with proven talent (and I’m not even talking about me, Faye or Jessica here!), we were denied. more ›

Sometimes when you start going off about how *hysterically funny* someone is, people take it as a dare not to laugh. But Lauren Weedman cracks us up, and we don't care who knows it. more ›

Sketch comedy isn't rocket science. Get some funny jokes, present them in a scene, and get off the stage. more ›

The Detroit Cobras, from the selfsame city, mix the old and the new, combining the sounds of Motown girl groups with raw garage rock. With their tough chick singer Rachel Nagy (and female guitarist Mary Ramirez), the Cobras are kinda like a certain big-haired British trainwreck minus the trackmarks. LA Weekly said it loud and clear: "No offense to Amy Winehouse, but it was the Cobras [and] Rachel Nagy who first reinvented the 60s soul-pop diva as a boozy, punk-informed, smart-mouthed chanteuse in the late 90s." more ›

It's east meets west tomorrow night at the Crocodile. Come for the psychedelic rock of Brooklyn's The Comas, stay for the indie pop goodness of LA's Great Northern. more ›

You may recall that Seattlest recently moved to Rainier Beach. more ›

We did our best to ignore the shirtless guy's bongo tappy tappy, but when two California poseurs got him to provide a beat for them to rap to (badly), it was time for our person to move along. more ›

Mark Siano has been performing in Seattle for over ten years (with stops in New York, LA, and most recently the Orlando Fringe Festival!). His new show ‘The Mark Siano Soft Rock Spectacular’ plays this weekend at Re-bar, and features soft rock, dance, and comedy. more ›

It was a week of bizarre, embarassing headlines at DCist. The trial of the local administrative law judge who sued his cleaners for $54 million over a pair of missing pants left everyone shaking their heads. Then the capital city was nearly brought to its knees, twice, by poop. Finally D.C. contemplated taking Vermont's place as a state and marveled at the GOP lessons learned from the "Macaca Moment." more ›

Holy smokes! Giant fish on the MTA, Paris Hilton in jail, then out, then in again, Al Gore, goatses, blumpkins, Matt Damon, and baby art critics! It's been a busy week across the Ist-A-Verse, and here's a smattering of what's been going on. more ›

All across the Ist-A-Verse (or at least the American parts thereof), writers and editors are in the midst of enjoying their three-day weekend. But after the week we've all had, we feel like the break is not only needed, but deserved. Just look at everything we've been doing! more ›

Vitals: Andrew Eugene Pettitte, 34 yo LHP. Born in Baton Rouge, LA. 6-5, 225. 188-105, 3.79 career. 2-1, 2.72 in 2007. more ›

BOOK CRUSH: Librarian Nancy Pearl´s latest book is Book Crush, a guide to books you loved when you were growing up. How does she know? Head over to the launch party and find out. more ›

This week we'd like to congratulate the -ist network's Mother Hen, Gothamist's Jen Chung, who found herself a recipient of Wired Magazine's Wired Rave Award. If that doesn't sound terribly exciting, keep in mind another recipient was J.K. Rowling. Yep, that's right, the -ist network and Harry Potter now have something in common. Go us. more ›