popwreckoning

Spring is here in Seattle and with the gorgeous weather comes something we all have been waiting for: the release of The Classic Crime’s junior album, aptly named Vagabonds. While many have been anxious to see the newest chapter from the indie rock group that has stolen the hearts of many Pacific Northwesterners, the album is sure to be one that you keep in your car or on your iPod for a long while- and can even benefit charity if you play your cards right.

Recorded in just three weeks, the eleven track album is a little different than the work we have previously seen from the Seattle native quartet, but still has the same base sound with the same incredibly thought provoking lyrics that we are used from the nomadic group. During an interview with vocalist Matt MacDonald he stated, “The production is a lot different- Silver Cord is epic and expansive: expensive tones, songs fit in that vibe. For Vagabonds, it is more of an “I am poor and I don’t care. I am still happy just making music” theme, and it has some really raw production, uncut, unproduced, a lot of one-take production, very organic. It has integrity. We wanted to convey EXACTLY where we are at with the band and our producer really pushed us to make the album this way.”

All eleven tracks are unique in the fact that they hold a very live sound. The three week production went smoothly due to the band working with producer Michael Baskette on the previous three albums, and according to Matt, “We were looking for an ebb and flow, really looking for that live sound and really looking for the organic sounds- no stopping to tune midway through a recording, no stopping to fix a miss-tuned drum. There was a lot of me going and laying down a demo and then turning around and just laying down the track. It saved a lot of time and the hassle of getting the process down- we knew how each other worked and work well together.” They managed to hit the nail on the head with their live sound (a perk of being a Seattleite is Classic Crime hometown shows) and has been done so well that you can close your eyes and practically imagine them playing within a close proximity to you. The tracks themselves are wrought with their best guitar work yet, amazing drums and powerful lyrics full of passion, faith, honesty and more about the human condition. Wandering through multiple time signatures, chord structures, and dynamics in both melody and rhythm, the music ties into the lyrics to create an incredible journey for any audiophile.

With that in mind, they have always been masters of creating an emotional album. Once again they play both ends of the spectrum, from hope to despair, love to hurt, and every aspect in between. When doing this, some bands can pull it off, and other times it just sounds sloppy. Due to their excellent track record of pulling off a wide variety of emotions in an album, I was not at all surprised when Matt made a comment about the thematic vibes. “We actually cut two songs from the album because they didn’t fit with the rest of the material. We wanted to show a lot of angles of emotions but still wanted them all to fit under the same umbrella, with the same vibe, but at the same time, not being redundant,” said MacDonald. The album starts out with a more sarcastic, yet happy tone before taking on a more honest and raw passionate vibe. It makes for an incredible listening experience for a myriad of moods and situations.

Along with drawing influence from real life situations, they also draw influence from their Seattle roots. During the song “Vagabonds” they reference a particular intersection in Seattle (Dexter and Denny, about seven blocks from Seattle Center and the trademark Space Needle), and have previously mentioned other locale in other songs, even naming their acoustic EP Seattle Sessions. Seattleites always love it when a band will pledge hometown allegiance or promote our wondrous Emerald City, and The Classic Crime is no exception. For anyone who is a musician or an audiophile, the song “Four Chords” will strike a particular affinity, as it states “and even if I die tomorrow, I’ll be glad my life was filled with song.” If you’ve ever had your heart broken, chances are “Broken Mess” and “Different Now” will be something you can identify with. The lyrics are real, the situation is real, and believable- and this really sets them apart from other bands. You can connect with the music and that always seems to make the album a little bit extra special, whether you are a local fan or someone in another country.

Along with being able to connect with their fans, the band also always makes time to give back what they can into making the world a better place. After finishing recording Vagabonds in October 2009, the band then traveled to Haiti in November to volunteer with JiHM, just 8 short weeks before the 7.0 earthquake that devastated the country. After seeing the high amount of poverty and seeing that they were in need of as much help as they could get, the band decided to give all of the proceeds from the preorder of their new album to Haiti earthquake relief! “After seeing how blessed we are that we get to be in this band, and do what we love, and make music- we want to do what we can to help,” stated Matt.

With all of their charitable efforts and an excellent album on the way, things could not be better for The Classic Crime. The upcoming album release show should be one incredible show. On April 6th, fans will take over the Showbox at the Market in downtown Seattle. Once again, the Seattle hometown-show crowd is anxiously awaiting this show and so far, it is creating quite a bit of commotion. Look for a review of the show here, and preorder the album today! I promise you will be coining yourself a Vagabond before the end of the album, just in time for the warmer months ahead.

Track Listing:
1. A Perfect Voice
2. Cheap Shots
3. Solar Powered Life
4. Four Chords
5. Vagabonds
6. The Happy Nihilist
7. My Name
8. Everything And Nothing
9. The Count
10. Different Now
11. Broken Mess

Written by Annastasia Gallaher

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