As previously mentioned, Les Savy Fav play Neumo's tonight. If the idea of a pregnant dude spitting water on you doesn't quite float your boat, head to the Croc to check out Cave Singers and Fleet Foxes. Tonight is also a free-free-free hip hop show at the War Room with Bun B and Swizz Beatz, care of the redundantly good people at Goods and Zune. Show up early; the last event like this, with Clipse......

We pushed into the gorge campsite at a crawl, albeit a very loud crawl, as the engine of our borrowed behemoth rumbled some declaration of its might. People stared. Our means of transport, as it happened, was a Ford F-350 power-stroke something or other -- basically, a well endowed diesel-guzzling grizzly bear of a truck. Additionally, there was the matter of the license plate frame. A shining expression of patriotism, the frame was one......

What is the Download Festival? First and foremost, it's a music festival consisting of eight bands on two stages. Now in its fifth year, Download 2007 will be happening in Boston, Chicago, San Fransisco and here, at our own Gorge Amphitheatre. Tickets are $60. The Music: Modest Mouse Incubus The Presidents of the United States of America Nada Surf The Thermals The Heavenly States Arthur & Yu Back Door Slam The Other: According to......

Last time we saw The Thermals, they opened for Cursive and we were annoyed by the lack of response they received. To say that was not a problem at Wednesday's show is an understatement. Revisiting our show stasis theory, the sold out nature combined with the high-energy bill not only resulted in a frothy mess of people, but said frothiness only took a song and a half to develop. Hutch (the lead singer) seemed pretty......

After starting out our night at The Thermals (a show that gave us exactly what we were hoping for, in terms of band and crowd energy), we stopped by Neumo's to catch The Budos Band, a Staten Island-based afro/funk/psych/soul eleven-piece outfit. Having just spent an hour sweatily jumping around at the edge of a minor league mosh pit, the scene at Neumo's was a bit of a tectonic shift. The crowd was laid back......

BENEFIT: The Clif Bar Save Our Snow Tour, featuring DJ Sabzi from the Blue Scholars, stops by Fremont to help start global cooling. First they came for the snow, but we said nothing, because we follow the sun. 7-10:30pm // Evo Gear in Fremont 122 NW 36th St. // $5 BOOK:Journalist and activist Ann Jones talks about her book Kabul in Winter: Life Without Peace in Afghanistan, her account of volunteering to teach English to......

Wednesday, February 21 >>> The Thermals at Chop Suey. The Thermals are back in town to rock out for the cause of saving all ages shows. With Helvetia, Speaker Speaker. * mp3: How We Know 8:00 pm doors // $10 adv. // All ages >>> The Budos Band at Neumo's. James Brown may be beating women in heaven, but on Earth we've still got the Budos Band, a ten-piece of twentysomethings who bring sweet......

Last year's Sasquatch line up was good, but not good enough to get us to spend three days at the Gorge. We still prefer the festival in its one-day, all-in-one-fell-swoop form, but with the lineup that's been announced for this year's two-day fest, we may just have to make the trip. Out of the two days, it was Saturday that really made us coo. Bjork *and* Arcade Fire? Consider us sold. There are still......

Seattlest has a penchant for double-booking shows. Sometimes it's planned, but more often than not there's an "Oh shit" moment where we have to determine how to be in two places at once, and how best to disperse our energy over the evening. Friday was one such night (yup, we're behind in our posting), but Seattlest lucked out with the shows of interest being split over the rock and dance worlds, which thankfully run on......

Tuesday 17th >>> Beirut at The Croc. This 20-year-old wunderkind from Albuquerque is the latest entrant into Who Wants To Be a Gypsy Rock Star Millionaire? 9pm;$10 >>> The Secret Machines at The Showbox. The sonically huge psych rockers will be performing tonight in the round, each member of the trio on an elevated platform on the venue floor. If nothing else, it's something different. 8pm doors; $14adv/$16dos. All ages Wednesday 18th >>> The......

Yeah, yeah, KEXP has an online feed and there's plenty of other internet radio worth listening to out there, but you're here and you might as well listen to these. Also, if you're a band and you have full mp3 files online send us a link and maybe we can include them in next week's playlist. >>>The 'American Idol SUCKS!' Chick - Daddy* >>>Skullbot - Lookout >>>The Thermals - God and Country >>>Long Winters -......

We were expecting the first day of Bumbershoot to be absolutely hellacious, what with the warm temps and the large crowds. Surprisingly, neither weather nor crowd size was *that* bad. As to the music: Interest is building for local band The Purrs, and their solid set at the EMP Sky Church showed why. Their sound is straight-forward jangly rock, with heavy British influences and more than a hint of shoe-gaze. The band really took......

Decisions, decisions. This member of Seattlest will have a good friend in town for the duration of Bumbershoot weekend, so most of our scheduling will depend on him. Good thing our friends tend to have taste. Present company excluded. On Saturday, we want to check out new Sarathan psych-rockers The Purrs, but we'll also catch Jamie Lidell. We have seen him once before, but our friend has not and we think Jamie's retro-futuristic electro-soul......

Seattlest loves Portland pop-punk band The Thermals. They're the only good that came of a brief relationship a few years ago, where the guy ended up being a complete tool, but his recommendation on this band was sound. Since then, we've seen them play twice: once at the (old) Vera, and once at the Crocodile. The crowds for both of those shows were raucous and fun, everyone singing along and jumping around. So imagine......

Here's another entry in the categories of "Until There is a Portlandist" and "Seattlest Has a One-Track Mind." An AP article making the bloggity blog blog rounds has dug up a swath of indie bands telling Hummer to go stick it in their 10MPG gas pipe and smoke it. Hummer ad execs, while drinking designer vodkas and wondering how they could be as hip as that Cohen kid on the O.C., must have picked up......

Since you have undoubtedly already seen 'Star Wars Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith,' we recommend putting your wookie costume in dry storage and checking out comedy legend (okay, not really a legend, but a funny guy) David Cross performing with Todd Barry and the Thermals at the Showbox. It is really hard for us to quantify our love of David Cross, but we would like to say that if any cast member of 'Arrested......

The Showbox just added two David Cross dates to its May calendar. May, 20 and 22 Cross will be participating in the Vera Project's fundraiser "A Drink For Kids." The Friday show on the 20th will feature Cross with comedians Todd Barry and Jon Benjamin with musical guest The Thermals. The comedians return to the Showbox on Sunday where they'll be accompanied by The New Pornographers. The Vera Project's "A Drink for the Kids" fundraiser......

Today is Day One of the Modest Mouse Sold-Out-a-Thon (and you can interpret that title however you want) at the Showbox. For the very eager and very commited there's a potential four days of MM and openers Mason Jennings, Headphones, and The Thermals in store for you. The masses that couldn't get it together in time to purchase a ticket or a four-day pass are left to sort through the leavings at Craigslist and, no......