popwreckoning

Monday was by far the longest of the three days gallivanting around the Seattle Center, as it started at 12 Noon sharp. I met up with some people over at the Fountain Lawn stage for Motopony, one of Seattle’s newer phenomenons. I saw them play live for the first time last summer and recently heard their song “King of Diamonds” on 103.7 The Mountain, which is pretty big actually.

Frontman Daniel Blue can really put on a show, I’ll tell ya. Their early (and I mean early) afternoon show made me wish they played more around the city.

My camera and I moved over to the Free Yr Radio stage for Lake’s acoustic set, since I knew I couldn’t make it to their main set later in the day because of such a full schedule. While I found several times that weekend the people doing the short impromptu interviews at the stage were quite awkward, Lake was so chill that it made the set that much more enjoyable. I’m sure it was easier for the girl doing the interview as well.

Curtains for You was next, and they were one of the main bands I was looking forward to on that Monday. They opened for the Head and the Heart back in January at Neumo’s, and the atmosphere at the EMP Level 3 stage on Monday was just as warm and inviting as the Neumo’s show. It felt so intimate and fun – almost like a living room show.

After that was a trifecta of local talent – starting with Grand Hallway, whose brand of indie pop can only be described as majestic, with the strong instrumental melodies and orchestral quality.

I then headed over to the Free Yr Radio stage again for Ravenna Woods, since I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make it to their set later. I’ve seen them several times, so I didn’t feel that bad. But their acoustic set was fantastic. Again, dealing with the awkward interview, frontman Chris Cunningham laughed it all off with a giant smile, after rocking out to my favourite of their songs “We Want It All.” Which reminds me, I need to see if I can get into that Nirvana Nevermind exhibition, because Ravenna Woods is playing at it.

Back to the EMP Level 3 stage I went, and this time for Lemolo, who had quite a long line waiting to get in to see them by the time I got there, and it was already at capacity. It warmed my heart to see so them – like so many local bands that weekend – get such a strong audience. The two girls put on a lovely show, like always. The best part was when it sounded like everyone in the room started singing along to their song “Open Air.” It was a bit surreal, even for me.

After my heart was thoroughly warmed, I ventured into the Exhibition Hall for the first time that weekend for Eisley’s set. To tell you the truth, I used to listen to Eisley about 4 years ago, but have since moved on with my musical tastes. Because I hadn’t listened to them in forever, I was expecting something completely different at their show. I was not expecting them to rock so much. Thankfully I did see their show, or else I would have gone on thinking that they still did breathy lite indie pop. These girls have come a long way since Room Noises in 2005.

Vendetta Red was also in the Exhibition Hall that afternoon, and even though it wasn’t much of my style of music – this classic Seattle alternative punk band rocked the house. It definitely was nice for those fans to get to see Vendetta Red play live after their four-year hiatus.

The final act I got to see in daylight was Sharon Van Etten, who I had never seen before and didn’t know what to expect. While for the first couple of songs, it was only Sharon and her guitar on stage, her charm commanded the audience for a fantastic, rather stripped-down set.

Then the next hour of my evening went like this – ran over to Phantogram, stayed for a few songs and they were amazing. I was surprised because last year when they played Musicfest Northwest it was a bit underwhelming. After that, a couple of my fellow photographers and I ran across the Seattle Center to see Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside at the EMP Level 3 stage, and she was adorable, even if she admitted to being a little hungover. Then literally as soon as we were done shooting, we skidaddled over to the Key Arena to find some seats for Hall & Oates. Yes, Hall & Oates.

The main reason I saw Hall & Oates was not because I had been dying to see “Maneater” live, but merely the fact that I could say that I’d seen Hall & Oates play. The audience inside the Key Arena was hilarious – the exact opposite of the teenagers the day before. It was a bunch of middle-aged women singing their middle-aged little hearts out, which was endearing to say the least.

So it was the end of Bumbershoot 2011. It was a wild ride, but my week was far from over, as I’d be driving to Portland two days later for Musicfest Northwest the rest of the week. Stay tuned for that coverage coming soon!

For more photos from Monday, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/abbigshmail/sets/72157627482031965/

Seattle’s newest stars, the Head and the Heart, rocked the house in their first headlining gig at the Showbox at the Market this past Friday. They already had the Showbox scheduled, but when that show sold out in just over 17 minutes, they added a second show at the Moore Theatre the next day.

Needless to say, this band is going places.

To open the show was Salt Lake City’s The Devil Whale, who proclaimed to the exuberant audience, “it was a year ago when we played a show with the Head and the Heart at a little place called the Comet Tavern. Look at how far they’ve come!” It is quite a miraculous feat, seeing that the Head and the Heart has only been playing together for just over a year.

But the Devil Whale put on a great show – mixing sunny 60s-tinged pop rock with blues hooks that made you want to sway back and forth to their songs. “Golden” and “Magic Numbers” were two standout tracks, which are equally as good on their CD Teeth, which they were selling at the merch table. “Werewolf Army” was another splendid track, a subdued ballad full of passion and sadness.

After an enjoyable set, Poulsbo, WA natives Lemolo took the stage as the second act of the night.

Lemolo had opened for the Head and the Heart back in January when I saw them at Neumo’s, and I instantly fell in love with their sound, and this time it was no different. While sound check took a while, it was all worth it, because the girls, Meagan Grandall and Kendra Cox, bring so much sound between the two of them. With Grandall on guitar and keyboards and Cox on drums and keyboards, they create a simple sultry Seattle sound. Their sound spams from the upbeat dreamy pop of “Open Air,” the melancholy of “Beautiful Night” and the bluesy and sexy “Who Loves.”

And just as well as their band’s intense stage presence, they girls are charming to speak with, so I suggest the next chance you get to see them, you stop at the merch table and say ‘hey.’

Lemolo left the stage, and several people made their way up to the front where I was standing, making the crowd even denser than before. I didn’t expect there to be as many drunk people as there were, but one girl leaned over to me and slurred to me, “Do you wanna be famous?” as she shook my hand with the wrong hand. At least they were nice enough to let me stand in front of them while I could take photos.

The band took the stage, and you would have thought that Eddie Vedder was standing at the back, because people went nuts. I guess for good reason, because not only is the Head and the Heart an amazing band, they got signed to SubPop this year, they are playing the main stage at the Sasquatch Music Festival, and they’re touring with Iron and Wine. This is a good year for Seattle music.

Singer Josiah Johnson sported a Conor Byrne pub t-shirt, which was fitting, seeing that the band got their start playing open mics at the pub in Ballard. It even sold out earlier this year. An open mic sold out. Seriously.

After a drawn-out intro laden with Beastie Boys music, the band jumped right into “Cats and Dogs,” surrounded by old lamps that lit up the stage. After “Cats and Dogs,” the energy never stopped. The Head and the Heart is one of those bands that genuinely looks like they’re having the time of their life on stage. They make it look so easy, and so much fun. It makes me want to start a band.

While it was awesome to hear all the songs I’ve been listening to non-stop on the album like “Lost in my Mind” and “Down in the Valley,” some of my favorite moments of the night were with new songs – one that I don’t even know the title of. “Josh McBride” was a beautiful ballad that was so moving, that I almost started crying. I loved that song so much, and I wish I’d gotten in on video, just so I could listen to it over and over again since it isn’t on the record. But if you’d like to listen to it, Fuel Friends Blog did record a Chapel Session back in March. Another great moment was when singer Jonathan Russell took the stage solo with his acoustic guitar in a fantastic lament. It was met with a bunch of hoots and hollers as Russell hit the big notes.

In fact, there was plenty of screaming that night. One woman in front of me has noticed the Conor Byrne shirt and made it well known to the rest of the audience, and at another point she shouted out “We love you!” which Johnson replied back with “We love you too.” And the most uproarious applause came during the final part of the amazing track “Rivers and Roads,” one that’s so good that they had to include it on the album when Sub-Pop rereleased it this year. In the bridge of the song, where violinist Charity Rose Thielen starts singing, people screamed, again, like Eddie Vedder had suddenly taken the stage.  Thielen does definitely bring something special to the band, and that’s more than just lovely harmonies.

It had been awhile since I’d felt so much love at a show, and it was well-deserved. I know I’m excited to see what’s next for the Head and the Heart, because I can say I was there before they made it big.

Visit http://www.theheadandtheheart.com/

If you haven’t yet educated yourself about Seattle’s own the Head and the Heart, do it. Well, read this first and then go watch their videos, buy their album, see them live, etc.

After hearing so much good stuff about the Head and the Heart from many of my friends around Seattle, I finally got to see this marvelous band on Friday at their first headlining show at Neumo’s – which was 21+, and sold out. To say that I was proud is an understatement. You see, the Head and the Heart just officially signed to Sub-Pop Records on Jan. 11, even though it was worst kept secret around Seattle for at least a few weeks. You can actually buy their debut album on iTunes now, and it’s being re-released in physical form under Sub-Pop in April.

But enough background. Let’s talk about the awesome night of local music I had on Friday!

Opening the show was Lemolo, a girl duo made up of Meagan Grandall on keyboard and guitar and Kendra Cox on drums and also keyboard. It was Cox’s grandfather’s Casio- I came to find out because her father was standing next to me in the crowd and he could not stop gushing about the band. “That’s my daughter up there,” he kept telling people around us. It was cute.

Lemolo surprised me. You definitely would not expect that much sound to come from just two girls, but the girls’ stage presence is full of so much passion that once you see them, you get it. With Grandall’s sultry voice and confident stance, Cox’s infectious energy at both the keyboard and drums, and their impeccable harmonies, Lemolo brought the house down, even if it wasn’t full at that point. Grandall even said, “Tonight Kendra is playing drums for the first time in heels. I’m proud of her.”

“They’re really tall, see?!” Cox shouted back with glee.

Lemolo played through a strong set of songs off their couple EPs, including the incredibly catchy “Open Air” and the understated and sexy “Whale Song.” It was both Lemolo’s strong local connection and their obvious friendship that made their performance so enjoyable, and that theme led throughout the night as Curtains For You took the stage.

Turning up the energy, retro-pop band Curtains for You brought smiles across the faces of the whole crowd, most certainly. Fronted by brothers Matthew and Mike Gervais, Curtains for You has a sound familial to Kay Kay and the Weathered Underground, Rufus Wainwright, perhaps the Beach Boys, and even a bit of vaudevillian charm in there.

Seriously, during toe-tapper ragtime track “Small Change,” we not only had the drums, guitar, bass, and keyboard on stage, but also the saxophone and sousaphone. It’s a wonder that Curtains for You has been around since 2004 and I’ve never heard of them, because they have enough energy for venues three times the size of Neumo’s. They played songs off their 2009 album What A Lovely Surprise To Wake Up Here as well as their 2010 EP Heaven’s Waiting, all of which had earnest and lovely lyrics but powerful arrangements that filled up the crowded room.

Just when I thought the night could not get any better, guests of honor the Head and the Heart took the stage to a wild round of applause, and jumped right into the sweet little ditties “Popsicle” and the gospel-tinged “Cats & Dogs.” I can say, I’ve never seen so much love in one room before. It made me proud to be a Seattleite, seeing how much this band had accomplished in less than a year and how much the Seattle music community supported them.

“Some of us are from Virginia, and every time we leave, it makes us realize how fucking lucky you are,” said guitarist Jonathan Russell, which was met with more applause. “I mean, we like Virginia too, it’s nice.”

“We love Virginia!” Chimed in violinist Charity Rose Thielen.

There was not a down moment during that performance, as they started the unbelievably catchy “Ghosts,” which ended in a giant sing-along of “ba-da-ba-da-ba-ba! I’d seriously never been to a sold-out 21+ show, but it may be my new favorite thing. You’ve got all the love and energy of an all-ages show without all the precocious teenagers stinking up the place with their bad weed.

The middle of their set was the so-called “low-energy” songs, but they were no less beautiful, with “Sounds Like Hallelujah,” “Lost In My Mind,” “Seat Beside Me” and “Winter Song.”

“You see, what’s great about headlining is that the stage is for all intents and purposes yours for the night. You get to choose the awesome bands to play with, and because of Derek right over there,” and Josiah Johnson pointed over at a tall man shoved in a corner of the room and he waved, “you get to have people come up on stage with you if you want.” So instantly the women who were crowded up front near me shuffled their way to the tiny staircase and I’d say at least a couple dozen people on that stage singing and dancing along to “Lost In My Mind.”

What I love so much about the Head and the Heart is that they mix southern charm, northwest passion, and a whole heck of a lot of talent between the five of them. Seriously, I will drive up to Ballard on Sunday nights just for a chance to see any of them play at the Conor Byrne open mic night, which, from what I’ve heard is quite a good time.

After Johnson inquired if anyone in the audience was from a state that started with “T” and people started spouting out random states, the band played a great cover of Johnny Cash’s “T is for Texas.” As the hour passed midnight, I was already on a musical high, but then they closed the night out with a goosebump-inducing performance of my favourite song “Down in the Valley,” and an even more moving version of “Rivers and Roads,” which wasn’t even on the first printing of their debut album.

After the amazing extended version of “Rivers and Roads,” the band exited the stage while the crowd already started chanting for an encore. But the problem was this – they’re a new band. They’d already played all their songs, so they were out of songs to play for an encore, and it took the audience quite a long to figure that out. Honestly, they wouldn’t leave.

But who would, really? You wouldn’t want to leave that high behind. The Head and the Heart was that good, so good that you didn’t want to leave even when the show was over.

Setlist: (There was one song they added in at some point that wasn’t on the setlist, but I can’t for the life of me remember what it was.)

1. Popsicle
2. Cats & Dogs
3. Coeur d’Alene
4. Ghost
5. Love You Long Time
6. Sounds like Hallelujah
7. Honey
8. Seat Beside Me
9. Heaven
10. Lost in my mind
11. T is for Texas
12. Winter Song
13. New Jam
14. Down in the Valley
15. Rivers and Roads