Results tagged “showbox”

Gossip is an Olympian band that chose its name wisely: they're worth spreading, fun to know, and slightly malicious. We mean that in the best possible way. Live, the three-piece vibe raucous fury, singer Beth Ditto's righteous wail affixed like a spike to the front of guitarist Brace Paine and drummer Hannah Blilie chop shop roadster. Fast, dark, and dangerous, just like Gossip.

Jacque-Henri Lartigue's images of urban life are sweetly quirky and full of whimsy in a way that could only have been possible prior to two world wars. If you're a fan of the movie Rushmore, you owe it to yourself to see his work, as director Wes Anderson has drawn on Lartigue’s photographs for inspiration. Lartigue’s photographs are accompanied by the photography of Marion Post Wolcott, who worked with the Farm Security Administration during the 1930s and 40s.

GET YOUR LADYHAWKE ON: Although supporting Perez Hilton is probably not high on your agenda (hopefully), the lineup makes that forgivable. His first endeavor in concert-promoting brings you Ladyhawke, Ida Maria, and Semi Precious Weapons.

OCEAN JUNK: Saturday Curtis Ebbesmeyer reads from his new book Flotsametrics and the Floating World: How One Man's Obsession with Runaway Sneakers and Rubber Ducks Revolutionized Ocean Science at the Central Library. Ebbesmeyer is a very smart guy studying a very disturbing and very new topic: ocean-borne trash. If anyone can figure out where those severed feet that washed up around Puget Sound came from, it’s him. A must for anyone concerned about the state of the oceans.

BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN PRACTICING YOUR EDDIE VEDDER FACE: Be uber Seattley and go see Pearl Jam, with Ben Harper and Relentless 7 at Key Arena. Drink lots of coffee and wear plaid. You know you want to.

THE ONE THAT MAKES YA FEEL ALRIGHT: We don't need to notify you that today is Crue Fest 2. Undoubtedly you are already on your way to White River, wearing your finest American flag halter top and blasting "Girls, Girls, Girls." We know you are very excited for Motley Crue (set to play Dr. Feelgood in its entirety), along with Godsmack, Drowning Pool, Theory of a Deadman, and Charm City Devils, especially if they all collaborate on a live performance of the Crue's new single "White Trash Circus." Yes, it is a rawk dream come true, and yes, the only thing better than tonight's show is the upcoming Poison and Def Leppard doubleheader. 5 p.m. // White River Amphitheatre // 40601 Auburn Enumclaw Rd SE, Auburn WA // $16.50-$95

Last month, The Pixies announced a tour celebrating the 20th (!) anniversary of still-awesome album Doolittle. Today, they announced the North American cities on said fall tour, and Seattle made the cut. No date or venue mentioned yet, to which we say: please two nights at the (real) Showbox or the Paramount. We love you, Pixies, and we lurrrrrve that album, but not enough to see you at the SoDo or Key Arena.

• West Seattle's Alki beachgoers have suspected that an algae bloom is to blame for the "scungy yellow stuff" mucking-up the local waters. Until an official report is in, our toes are staying on land.
• The hiphop concert series Rock the Bells opted out of making a repeat Washington stop during the 2009 tour. After pissing and moaning about Seattle getting the shaft, Rock the Bells is back on for an intimate--not really affiliated, just didn't want to hear bitching anymore--show come August at the Showbox.

SWEET H.S. HOOP ACTION: Seattle will host the ninth annual Quaker Summer Slam tournament, in what is sure to be a crazy intense and heated weekend of high school basketball rivalry. If you can withstand the elements of a gym, you'll witness 32 of Washington's top prep team, we're talking serious shooter and truly a college basketball recruiter's dream. Seattlest Seth says certainly keep an eye on these rising stars Garfield's Tony Wroten and Pierre Wright, Kentwood's Josh Smith, Seattle Prep's Mitch Brewe and Franklin guard Anrio Adams. If you can't make it (or don't do h.s. gyms in the summer), follow Seth; he'll be tweeting live from the games.

OPENING: A new art gallery in Pioneer Square! What a thought. Flatcolor Gallery celebrates its grand opening as part of First Thursday art walk tonight, with work by 2H and Parskid. The gallery is the brain-child of Christopher Cook, who founded Flatcolor.com a few years back as a clearinghouse for limited-run works by local artists on the web. 5-9 p.m. // 528 First Ave. S. // free!

With dear, sweet Jens Lekman in town for a two-night stand at the Croc, you'd think it'd be easy to find a way to see him one of those dates. But no! Jens has some serious live music competition. Thursday night at the Showbox, there's an all-ages show with Metric, starring the lovely and talented Emily Haines. It's sold out, but as always, where there's a will, there's a Craigslist posting. And then Friday night you've got the tough call of Jens or Handsome Furs at Neumo's, the husband-wife duo featuring Dan "Jimmy Legs" Boeckner from Wolf Parade. Bad timing for Jens, but good timing for the rest of Seattle.

Lookit, today is a downright glorious day--way too glorious for the beginning of a workweek. We could encourage you to attend all kinds of events, including scads of SIFF films and at least two shows (the dirty electro of Peaches at the Showbox or ex-members of the Unicorns and Arcade Fire making up Clues at Neumo's). But we won't.

FUZZY: Everyone's favorite NYC-based noise-pop band, the Vivian Girls, are back at Neumo's tonight. Last year, their self-titled debut made it on nearly everyone's best-of list, despite the fact the band lacks the harmonic sensibilities of, say, tour mates like the Pains of Being Pure at Heart (not with them tonight). In fact, for all the talk about a resurgence of "noise pop" with cascades of fuzz and distortion, the Vivian Girls remind us of no one more than the notorious, idiot-savant kiddie band the Shaggs.

Just announced: The Shins are set to play two shows at the Showbox on Monday, May 4 at 9:00 p.m. (all ages) and Tuesday, May 5 at 9:00 p.m. (21+) . Tickets are $34.99 (yowza), not including those delightful Ticketmaster fees. Tix go on sale this Friday, March 27 at 10 a.m. We'd advise you to save a few bucks by buying your tickets directly from the Showbox box office. Also on sale via Ticketmaster/Live Nation this Friday/Saturday: Death Cab/New Pornographers/Ra Ra Riot at Marymoor Park July 18, Ben Folds at the Paramount May 14, and Phish at the Gorge for two nights (*shudder*) August 7 and 8.

IF RAP GETS JEALOUS: Somalian-American hiphop artist K'naan brings his passionate, political flavor of hiphop to the city tonight, and you should be there to experience it if that sounds up your alley. He's phenomenal, you should know, if that helps to sway you towards heading to Neumos tonight. Opening for him is Ethiopian-American local emcee Gabriel Teodros, who never ever fails to convincingly call us towards a better life with his sincere and listenable rhyme, and the gorgeous and talented YZE. Get there.

       

There was some excitement on the street before Lykke Li took the stage for a full house at the Showbox, so maybe that's why we felt out of sync with the slow-boil, drum-and-bass(ish) start to the concert. We'd wondered how Lykke Li would take to headlining at such a large venue, and the answer was stark shafts of light, atmospheric smoke, and a heavy hand on the bass end of the soundboard. It was miles away from the Swedish pop songbird we'd seen at the Triple Door in May of last year, but it grew on us, hearing the fierce, sweet, ear-candling pop lyrics of "Little Bit" and "Tonight" lofted over over a booming cataract of drums--and seeing a whole roomful of Seattle concertgoers dancing. Meanwhile, Lykke Li dervished her way around the stage, alternating between staring off with soulful eyes and brandishing various sticks at the cymbals, band, and anyone else who might have needed a little kick in the pants. She's touring with a set drawn from her album Youth Novels, which we have yet to grow tired of hearing--it's bracing to hear a twenty-something writing lyrics so idiosyncratically well in, for her, a foreign language. Even at the back the conversational rumble would die down, everyone's eyes glued to the stage, the Showbox's many bartenders with nothing to do but run a cloth over the bar until the next song ended.

DANCE DANCE DANCE: Pint-size Swedish ex-ballerina Lykke Li returns to Seattle for her largest venue yet, the Showbox at the Market. Last time we saw her, we said she has "an extra helping of cute and an idiosyncratic voice: breathy baby-girl ("Liddle bit in love wi' you," she sings, and your heart melts) mixed with Swedish soul. Her first full album is Youth Novels. Live, she's in perpetual motion, sashaying around the stage, swiveling her hips, one hand pushing the audience back, the other punishing a cymbal with a drumstick." We're not saying it's because her parents were hippies, but she's got a hell of an onstage work ethic.

SUB POP HEROES: The Murder City Devils are back, and they're probably not happy about it. But if ever the time was right for their post-punk gloom and doom, it's now. It's like when Warren Zevon was talking about having cancer and he was all, "This is the kind of thing I've been talking about." (He also said, "Enjoy every sandwich.") And just so you know, Sound on the Sound is "stoked" about this show.

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.

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.

PILLOW TALK: Almost no one we know gets a terrific night's sleep these days. Either it's restlessness or insomnia or neighbors, but it's tricky to get sleep to shroud you in his purple cloak. Dr. Catherine Darley, a naturopathic doctor from The Institute of Naturopathic Sleep Medicine has put together a Sleep 101 seminar (seminars do put us to sleep!) on what normal sleep is, and what can go wrong: sleep disordered breathing (and its effects on the cardiovascular system), insomnia, et al. And she'll talk about how sleep deprivation affects you, and how a sleep disorder can increase obesity.

BEST OF BASS: Did you miss the Decibel Festival? Despite urgings from Seattlest Donte, DJ Riz and others, we did in fact miss said musical electro-fest last time around. Micro Decibel Festival is our chance and yours to make good. Jesse Rose, KiloWatts outta Philly and Deru are performing tonight, and you should be there.

punk rock song?

Four years ago, George W. Bush had a crappy approval rating, the Democrats and youth of our country promised vote-inducing change, and Pearl Jam took part in a swing state tour to encourage people to act democratic. Four years later, there's no Bush on the ticket and no tour. But there is a documentary of Pearl Jam's unfortunately futile 2004 efforts; the band has released the first three parts on their official site, and will post the finale, fittingly, on Election Day. And those of you with tickets to tonight's Showbox-hosted, sold-out Get Out the Vote event will be treated to the full-length premiere of Pearl Jam: Vote for Change? 2004. Watch. Listen. Get thee to a polling place.

Curious about Chris Cornell and Timbaland's Sunday Showbox set, but not enough to buy a ticket? Then go see them that afternoon at Tukwila’s Verizon Wireless store—for free. The duo will smolder, issue autographs, and perform something from Scream, Cornell's upcoming collaboration with Timbo.

Sigur Ros never fails to put on a good show. Unlike Jamie Lidell--whose gimmicky, disjointed full-band set at the Showbox on Friday left us longing for his solo days--Sunday night, the Icelandic quartet delivered a serious yet ethereal show, as always. Something that never fails to impress us is the graciousness of a Sigur Ros audience. There are always magically organic moments so quiet and weighty that no one breathes, lest they break the silence and ruin the moment. For those who saw the show at Benaroya, Jón þór Birgissin's effortless alien falsetto was well on display, as was the band's rock instrumentation, covering songs from their new album, as well as their previous releases.

Even if you're going to tonight's John in the Morning at Night, Friday's best bet is DJ/blue-eyed soul man/gold lamé bathrobe-wearer/consummate performer Jamie Lidell, along with opener Janelle Monae at Showbox. Jamie also has an instore at Easy Street Queen Anne this evening at 6:30 p.m.

GLASNOST: The Cold War Kids bring their bluesy, vaguely Southern-sounding brand of piano-based indie rock to the Showbox/Market tonight. The Cold War Kids first gained notice back in 2006 with their debut LP , dropped last week. Tix for tonight are still available as of this morning.

Pearl Jam's rhythm guitarist, who recently recorded with Fags' bassist Barbara Ireland, will join the reunited local early-80s act tonight at the King Cat Theater. (Thanks for the tip, Marlow Harris.) $15 gets you in to see that band (minus original singer Charles "Upchuck" Gerra, who died of AIDS in 1991), Ginger Coyote and the White Trash Debutantes, and the Nasty Habits—and the CD Upchuck: Gone But Not Forgiven, a new collection of Gerra's notable works. Should be muy interesante. Stone's next Seattle gig? Backing Vince Mira at the Showbox on November 1.

FOREVER WAR: Dexter Filkins, the Pulitzer Prize-winning , recounting his experiences covering the war in Iraq. Filkins actually had a piece in yesterday's "Week in Review" section about returning to Iraq for the first time in two years, finding it a changed if uneasy place, balanced on a knife's edge of peace following the much ballyhooed troop surge, but still capable of slipping back into chaos. With the economy in the tank, most people are probably less interested in Iraq, but Filkins' trenchant analysis is worth the time of anyone truly interested in understanding the realities on the ground in Iraq and figuring out how to move forward.