popwreckoning

The Kentucky rockers in Cage the Elephant, popular for hits such as “In One Ear” and “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked,” played Kansas City’s Beaumont Club with a high energy set filled with big guitar solos and bluesy vocals. Photographer Todd Zimmer captured the event:

by Todd Zimmer

by Todd Zimmer

Kansas City’s Dave  Matthews-esque Clay Hughes recently released this video for “Sunday Stroll.” You can check out more great alt-country/alt-rap tunes from Clay off his album Burn here.

The Salt Walter Taffy House is a venue that I often frequent for shows, usually for friends that happen to be playing on a Monday night for 30 or so people. When I heard that Native and La Dispute would be playing there, I jumped at the opportunity to see them. Except this time, there were almost 200 people in attendance.

Let me explain what the Salt Walter Taffy House is: a two story house plus a basement. That basement is where these shows take place. It’s a small basement with a bar (used for selling merch), where 50 people is normally a large crowd. Over 200 is extremely packed with no room to move, especially not to dance without hitting someone next to you.

Six bands took the stage, or rather floor, starting at 7 p.m. Appleline, a local band, opened the show. They had an amazing female drummer who impressed me greatly and a female vocalist who rattled the windows with her pipes. They set a great mood for the rest of the night, setting up much anticipation for the rest of the bands.

Next was Grizzly J Berry, an indie/progressive/experimental band who also happens to live at the Salt Walter Taffy House. Having seen them a million times, I kind of knew what to expect. But, they brought out the fireworks for this show, changing up their set list with a new song.

Native was third, all the way from Northwest Indiana. The crowds moved in so close to see, the band barely had any room to move around. Their sound is almost like an angry Minus the Bear with edgier vocals. The guitar’s clean riffs accent the way the bass and drums fit together. The vocalist/bassist Bobby Markos puts so much passion into his performance, it’s intriguing. You can listen to Native by downloading their album Wrestling Moves on their Myspace or by streaming the entire thing.

I have never seen an audience as emotional as the one watching La Dispute. Well, except for maybe N*Sync when I was in the 4th grade. I was surprised to see that at least 40 people who knew every single word to all of La Dispute’s songs, and that’s a lot of words. The most memorable thing about La Dispute, are their lyrics. They’re deep and have so much emotion, enough emotion to send the crowd into tears. The fans were beating their chests as they yelled along and pushed closer and closer – even crashing into the band a few times. I walked away physically bruised and in mental awe.

La Dispute’s latest album, Somewhere At The Bottom Of The River Between Vega And Altair was released in 2008. As part of their Here, Hear series, Here, Hear III was just recently released. Until January 17, the band will be taking only donations for it with all proceeds going to the Well House, in their hometown of Grand Rapids, MI. The Well House is a shelter that gives the homeless a place to stay and to try to get back on their feet.

After La Dispute, local bands took the stage to round out the night. The Senators, who had recently broken up, did a reunion set consisting of two songs.

Guitarist Dylan Pyles’ other band, Bottle Rocket, played a set after the Senators. Bottle Rocket is an instrumental band usually compared to Explosions in the Sky.

A hardcore band, Coronado Left for Dead ended the night. CLFD puts just as much emotion as La Dispute does into a show. Vocalist Storm Shaw has been known to lie on the ground and is always jumping around. He puts his entire heart into their set.

Having seen the other bands before, Native and La Dispute blew me away. This show was extremely breath-taking. The bands are currently on tour together so if you get a chance to go see them, do so!

Tour Dates:
Jan 2, 2010 – Ft. Worth, TX (US) @ 1919 Hemphill w/ Jubilee & Sohns
Jan 3, 2010 – Austin, TX (US) @ Emo’s w/ BrotherGhost & Candidate
Jan 4, 2010 – Hattiesburg, MS (US) @ 1126 House
Jan 5, 2010 – Tallahassee, FL (US) @ Coolifornia
Jan 6, 2010 – Melbourne, FL (US) @ 1008 1/2 House
Jan 7, 2010 – Marietta, GA (US) @ Swayze’s Venue
Jan 8, 2010 – Rome, GA (US) @ The Greenhouse
Jan 9, 2010 – Louisville, KY (US) @ St John’s Church
Jan 10, 2010 – Normal, IL (US) @ Jake’s House w/ Jake Cary

When I heard that The Classic Crime was playing their annual holiday show at the Showbox @ the Market, I was ecstatic that they were continuing this local tradition. With a great lineup at a legendary venue, the show promised to be just the thing to start off my holiday week the right way- a good dose of local talent mixed with just the right amount of fun and excitement.

Having been to the Showbox @ the Market enough times to find good parking during rush hour traffic, I got there early enough to stand in line and wait for doors. At seven o’clock sharp, the doors opened to a crowd of slightly damp but thoroughly excited Seattlites waiting to start the evening’s festivities. The venue had been decorated with Christmas trees and holiday lights to set the mood and the hum of an almost sold out show continued to mount as fans continued to pour in for the next half hour. At 7:30, the energy in the room was almost palpable as the first act took the stage.

First up was local band Katie Lavoie and the Verdict. I have to admit, I was a little hesitant about them being on the line up since it was their first show, but I was immediately proved wrong. The sultry sound of Katie’s voice mixed with a strong background of brass, sweet guitar riffs, and a talented drummer brought back memories of big band holiday music and old school jazz. It became quickly apparent that they were full of good old fashioned local talent and would definitely be a band to keep an eye out for on future line-ups. With a quick twenty minute set, they didn’t have much time to interact with the audience but set the stage for the next local opener.

Moneta is a long time local favorite with a history of rocking the Showbox pretty well. Having opened for The Classic Crime many times before, this was only their second show since the recent member shake up. Opening with “No Surrender” off their second album Heroes, they rocked the crowd from the very beginning, showing off their new, edgier sound. Front man Jeremiah Kansky (Jerry to his fans) was his usual self, finding the diehard fans in the crowd and grabbing hands, singing in their faces, and generally working the stage and showing what the band is really about: the fans. The crowd started moshing along during other favorites like “A Better Defense,” “The Getaway” and “Letters,” showing their obvious pleasure at the band’s addictive lyrics and insatiable guitar riffs. Promoting their upcoming album release of Villians, the free downloadable single “Last Transmission” helped steal the crowd when Classic Crime front man Matt McDonald came out to help with belting the last half of the song. Finishing this amazing set was “We Fall As One” with the crowd singing at the top of their lungs and the entire band playing to their full potential- making the floor of the venue shake as fans pumped their fists in the air along with Jerry.

Third on the bill was Endeverance, hailing from neighboring town Tacoma and bringing a more mellow popish sound to the stage. Opening with “City Lights” off of their sophomore album Avenues, front man Seth brought a new kind of energy that kept the crowd going through “Masquerade” and into an acoustic ballad that had the crowd swaying back and forth. The band kept the holiday spirit alive with an acoustic rendition of “O Holy Night” before rocking the stage with the crowd favorite “Time and Time Again” complete with tambourine and Seth walking the barrier to rock out with the front of the pit. Included in this fantastic set was a slightly random show of talent with Moneta drummer Leo Martin hoping up on stage with a few floor toms and rocking out with the members of Endeverance. The crowd loved the almost Drum Corps worthy performance and Endeverance took it in stride and continued on. Polishing off this fantastic set was a long time favorite of mine, “Searching for a Call,” bringing to light the tremendous range of talent the entire band has, from ballads to rockesque hits. Since their CD release show for Avenues, it looks like they have formed a more cohesive group and have tightened up their sound a little, working out all of the kinks and putting on one heck of a good show before calling it a night and handing the stage over.

Continuing the night’s mellow tone was Kent’s very own Daphne Loves Derby, another local favorite of mine and a definite crowd favorite. This was the first show since the end of their recent headlining tour and they played a disappointingly short set of a handful of songs. After opening with “Cue the Sun” they switched it up by playing “Nouveau” and “Bedroom.” Next up was their smash single “Cute As Ever” in which front man Stu Clay invited brother Steven Clay onstage to add a touch of harmonica, making the crowd sway. During the set, it became apparent that Stu was going to switch guitars between EVERY song, but even though they were close at hand and it was a quick switch each time, it was also a little distracting and detracted overall from their set. With no mention of another album, the set was slightly bland and not up to their usual standards. Even so, D<3D played a cover of Third Eye Blind’s smash hit “Jumper” that had every person in the place singing at the top of their lungs- including the lighting tech and bartenders- and closed their set on a high note and just in time for the headlining band.

After an annoying, but necessary interlude from 104.9 The Funky Monkey’s promoters, a goosebump inducing recording of “Carol of the Bells” announced the arrival of our favorite Christmas act, The Classic Crime. Now avid fans will tell you that there is nothing like a hometown Classic Crime show and their holiday shows are even better. Busting out with the ever popular “The Way That You Are,” you could tell that Matt McDonald wasn’t quite warmed up yet, but by the time they started “Just a Man” off of their second full length album The Silver Cord, the floor was shaking and the crowd was almost as loud as the band themselves. The fun continued as “Say The Word” and a new single from their upcoming CD release (April 6th, 2010) blew everyone away. In hometown style, McDonald flirted with the crowd, saying hello to both new and old fans, and joked about Santa saying that he wouldn’t have time to deliver everyone’s presents this year. When McDonald asked Santa why he wouldn’t be able to, they launched into their addictive “Abracadavers” saying “It’s like I never have time…” Even though everyone was having a blast, it was time to tune it down a bit with mellow singles such as “Who Needs Air,” “Seattle” and “Headlights,” singles that span their first two albums Albatross and Seattle Sessions. After playing the ground shaking “The Coldest Heart” off of their debut album, they debuted a new single called “Solar Powered Life” that has been taking local radio stations by storm, and concluded with a winteresque song entitled “Salt in the Snow.” After the band waltzed off the stage to return with some holiday spirit- Santa hats for all, an acoustic version of “Silent Night” rocked the house before my all time favorite “The Fight” had everyone- even in the bar- singing at the top of their lungs. Finishing the set with a Merry Christmas, they left the stage and were done for the night.

I have to admit that being a huge Classic Crime fan, I knew the set was going to be great. But Friday night’s show was phenomenal, better than they have ever been. With two CD releases under my belt, more shows than I can count on my fingers and toes, and a few acoustic shows, that is saying a lot. Nothing but good things were said by the crowd as the venue emptied. Everyone is completely excited for the new album in April and the accompanying CD release show. Will it be any better than Friday? I think we will have to wait and see, but frankly, I can’t wait.

Photos and writing by Annastasia Gallaher