Moss Mantis is not a band of many words. If you check out its website or Facebook page you’ll only find one sentence in the About section. It goes a little something like this: “Moss Mantis is a four-piece rock and roll band from Seattle.” It’s simple, to the point. The band members* just aren’t really into talking about themselves. Refreshing, right? What they are into is playing music, and good music at that. The kind of music you can rock out to — shake your hips, nod your head, jump around, sing along. Shit, you could even throw in a head bang if you were feeling especially inspired, and it wouldn’t be that weird. Have I piqued your interest? (The answer is, “Of course!”) Well, lucky for you Moss Mantis is playing this Friday at the High Dive in Fremont. And as the concert poster states, it promises to be a night of “absolutely insane rock and roll music.” You’d be silly to pass that up. So don’t be silly. Go to the show. Rock out. Thank me later.

*Moss Mantis band members

Ray Benson – Drums

Cameron McCracken – Vocals, Bass, Guitar

Charlie Tribe – Vocals, Guitar, Bass

Sean Walsh – Guitar, Vocals

First, two sort of disclaimers: One: I am not really a music reviewer.  By that I mean that I love music (it’s like saying that you love breathing or sleeping), but really lack the appropriate vocabulary and vast musical knowledge to review anything with any authority.  Although the internet seems to be a place where people with no background in anything can spout their opinions as if they were fact with little to no consequences I will not do that.  It’s not that I have no opinions.  It seems to me that there is still a difference between opinion and fact and we all might be well advised to remember that.  Two: I am what you would call a casual Radiohead fan.  I also lack the broad knowledge of their catalog and prior concerts to do this any justice.

With that, I present to you my “review” of Radiohead at Key Arena last Monday night.  (more…)

The Gorge in George

My favorite thing about attending concerts at the Gorge is that for the extent of your stay, your only job is to be weird. No matter the musical genre, all concert attendees get weird for a 24- to 72-hour period. What does Gorge Weird look like?

Gorge Weird looks like a sea of tents and cars in a giant grass field in the middle of nowhere, and everyone seems to think this is normal.

Gorge Weird looks like a bunch of strangers setting up tents four feet from each other, initially ignoring one another, but becoming BFFs by the  second case of beer.

Gorge Weird looks like a man named Grizzly wandering the fields wearing only a sarong looking for his one true love, in complete faith he will meet her that day. True story.

Gorge Weird looks like multiple men of no relation or acquaintance with weird names, wearing skirts and wandering the fields on various missions.

Gorge Weird looks like a van adorned with discos lights that shows up to every concert – country, rock and folk alike —  blaring techno music from morning to, well, the next morning, for a mob of uber-stoned ravers.

(more…)

The 2nd Annual Heineken City Arts Festival 2011 Poster

Piling onto Shannon’s post yesterday about all the concert’s coming up this summer, there is one fall concert festival that you need to start planning for now!

Kicking off October 20-22, 2011, is the 2nd annual Heineken City Arts Fest in Seattle. With more than 20 venues across the city and a killer lineup featuring Ozomatli (my personal fave), Robyn, Built to Spill and more (full list below), you just can’t go wrong! Full festival passes went on sale last Friday, August 5 and cost $69. After August 24, you’ll be able to purchase tickets to individual shows, but you can bet that the prices won’t be as economical, especially if you’re planning to hit up several shows.

In addition to the abundant musical selections throughout the festival, this year they have expanded to include performing and visual arts as well!

This festival is brought to Seattle by City Arts Magazine and more than 23,000 tickets were sold last year, its inaugural year! So, act quick and get yours before they are gone!

Full lineups after the break. (more…)

It’s a busy weekend around Seattle so there are no excuses. So many opportunities to eat, drink, eat & drink. I’ve listed a few that I’m squeezing in amongst some other activities but even if you can only make it to just one of these, you can’t go wrong. Hopefully next week I’ll have enough energy back to give you the run down on my Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic that took place this last weekend. I will NOT be riding my bike anywhere this weekend!

Have fun and happy almost Friday!

The Bite of Seattle

What: The Bite of Seattle Brought to you by Comcast hosts over 450,000 visitors each year.  Nicknamed “the Northwest’s Premier Restaurant Showcase,” the Bite’s main focus is local culinary talents and so much more. Aside from the over 60 restaurants, visitors also enjoy nine entertainment stages, live cooking demonstrations with the city’s finest chefs, a wine tasting, family area and much more.

Where: Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St.

When: Fri. & Sat., 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Why: It’s the events 30th year – for a little extra fun head to The Alley  hosted by Tom Douglas for a $10 smorgasbord. (more…)

Ok so I know this is super Cheese McCheesy but I have no shame. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical, The Sound of Music, is one of my favorite movies and served as my lyrical training ground in my formative years. I never had dreams of becoming a nun, or babysitting seven children for that matter, but you really can’t go wrong with Julie Andrews and her way of solving life’s problems with a simple tune. And of course, I do have dreams of bursting into song as part of my everyday routine.

Leave it to The 5th Avenue Theater to host the Sing-A-Long Sound of Music on January 1 and 2 ($28 per adult).

Check it:

Sing-a-long Sound of Music is your chance to test your vocal range with several hundred other assorted nuns, Von Trapp family members and Julie Andrews look-a-likes.

Costumes are encouraged! Costume contestants will be guided across stage by our host while the audience votes for the winners. Your host will show you how to use your free goodie bag throughout the film and suggest some appropriate heckles and accompanying actions (such as hissing the countess, barking at Rolf and, of course, cheering for Julie).

Then sit back and watch the original 1965 movie in glorious Technicolor with the lyrics for all the songs on the screen, so you won’t miss a chance to sing your hearts out. The audience takes over as the star of the show from this point and almost anything can happen!

Sing a-longs like this take place all across the country using different musical features such as Marry Poppins, Greece, Wizard of Oz, West Side Story and many more.

Enjoy!

The Mountain Music Fest 2010! Yikers, what a fun line-up. It’s a great mix of well-known artists and will provide the perfect backdrop for spending a lovely, sunny summer day at Marymoor Park. Starting at 4:00pm on Saturday, August 14, the Mountain Music Fest will feature Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Jakob Dylan, The BoDeans and Sara Bareilles.

Tickets are still available from $32.50-$49.50. Sadly, they are sold by Ticketmaster who will tack on extra money, but we’re all used to it, right? You aren’t going to find a better deal than this. Arguably, Bumbershoot day passes are only $40, but in my experience, most people only go for the 2-3 bands on the mainstage. With Mountain Music Fest, you’re getting an extra mainstage act, and spending less money!

So, since several of you probably *think* you don’t know some of the above mentioned acts, allow me to post a few of my favorite videos for you to enjoy. Robert Randolph is my personal fave (if you’re only going to watch one).

Robert Randolph’s “Ain’t Nothing Wrong With That”

Jakob Dylan’s “Something This Way Comes”

The BoDeans’ “Closer to Free”.. um, hi, Party of Five? (sorry, couldn’t find official video, please forgive me)

Sara Bereilles’ “Love Song”

On a separate note, anyone slightly disappointed by the Bumbershoot scheduling? Don’t get me wrong, tons of great acts, but out of the 4 main artists I wanted to see, Ozomatli & Bob Dylan conflict, as do Weezer & The Dandy Warhols… wtf? And, just to make matters worse, Ben Harper is playing with Dave Matthews the same weekend at the Gorge! WHAT’S A MUSIC LOVING GIRL SUPPOSED TO DO!? It’s going to be a long weekend of music. Any advice?

True story. Somewhere between Moe Bar, the beer garden, AT&T’s VIP room and the main stage that housed Atmosphere, my keys peeked out from the inside of my purse and were promptly snapped up by the pavement. Poor things probably just wanted to see what all the raucous was about. Next thing you know they’re swimming in the belly of the Block Party never to be seen again.

Drunk, grumpy and minus one set of keys.

While extraordinarily annoying, losing my keys wasn’t that big a deal. Luckily for me I have friends willing to let me into their apartments even when I’m wearing the same beer-stained outfit they saw me dancing (and therefore, sweating) in the night before. I’m also blessed with a father who had enough foresight to make copies of my keys in preparation for such an event. It really was only a matter of time. Thanks family and friends for helping me in my time of need. I promise it won’t happen again. That is, until the next time I’m drunk and running through a crowd. So probably next weekend…

Anyhoo, moving on, back to the actual Block Party. So amazing! The entire event was everything I expected and more. MGMT andAtmosphere rocked it out. I’ve seen Atmosphere a million times (and will see them a million more), but this was the first time I’d seen MGMT perform. Such a great show! I’d definitely see them again. The one thing I do regret was that I didn’t spend much time at the other stages. Next year I will make it a point to do so. I’m also super bummed that I missed The Dead Weather. I’ve heard it was the best show of the weekend!

We spent some time up in the AT&T VIP room, which was located on the second floor of Caffé Vita. Those windows provided the best people watching. We watched people drink, spill, dance, stumble, flirt and argue to our hearts content from comfy cushions of the VIP room. AT&T was even kind enough to provide us with a couple free beverages. Jealous? It’s okay, I’d be too if I was you. Below is a photo of the crowd from our vantage point. Please excuse the poor quality. My BlackBerry isn’t exactly a Nikon.

View of the crowd from the AT&T VIP Room

I could go on and on about the goings-on at the Block Party, but I think the best way to describe it is through pictures. Here are few photos, some taken by me and some not, that I think serve as a good representation of the weekend as a whole:

It's been a long weekend.

The Main Stage! Originally posted by DAlbrightVideo.

CHBP hearts costumes. Originally posted by ADIREN!

The Pretty, The Scary and The Juvenile. Photo by Suzi Pratt of Seattle Show Girl.

What about you? Any good stories or photos from the Block Party? Share them with us!

It’s not just any party – it’s the Capitol Hill Block Party. And this year’s line up is better than ever. Not only have the organizers secured some great big names but they’ve added a third powerful day of independent music and culture.

Comes see huge musical names such as MGMT, The Dead Weather, Atmosphere, Blue Scholars and many more. Check out the full line up here.

This year’s Block Party is July 23-25th 2010. After 13 years of being a two-day festival, community support and a never-ending supply of talent opportunities initiated the addition of a third day, Sunday July 25th. Advance three-day passes and single-day tickets are available on The Stranger website here . As always, Capitol Hill Block Party ticket prices make the event one of the most affordable music festivals in the country.

The main entrance to the Block Party is at East Pike Street and 12th Avenue. At this entrance you can purchase tickets, pick up your will call tickets, and it’s where the guest list lives. You can also enter on East Pine Street at 10th Ave by Odfellows Hall. At this entrance you can get in if you have an actual hard ticket or wish to purchase a ticket.

The Capitol Hill Block Party is about music and culture, but it’s also very much about the unique neighborhood of South Capitol Hill. There are tons of clubs and bars in the neighborhood, but also a lot of retailers. They support the Block Party and without them the festival wouldn’t happen. So please, in return, visit these neighbors and support them.

What happens when you combine a guitar-playing hobbit, a regenerating beard, an unassuming bumblebee, a fashionable charmer, a little girl, a time-keeping robot, the unintentionally funny one, and the mature teacher? You get a damn fine mix of people and instruments that make up Seattle’s-own Exohxo.

An eight-piece pop/rock band, Exohxo is comprised of Danny on vocals and guitar, Jasen on vocals and guitar, Jason on bass and vocals, Kyle on keyboards and vocals, Johnny on drums, Hiromi on violin, Elizabeth on viola, and Benjamin on violin.

The band is the brainchild of members of the group Speaker Speaker. Toward the end of 2008, Danny and Jasen wrote and recorded songs for Exohxo’s first album, Other Ghosts. Live performances around the Emerald City, and airplay on The End (107.7), as well as articles in online magazines, The Stranger and Seattle Weekly have given the band a certain amount of local fame.

The Internet played a big part in getting the band together, with some members responding to craigslist want ads, and another who answered a request on Twitter. The original plan was to have an always-changing succession of members, but once everyone started playing together, it worked so well that they’ve been together ever since.

A month ago, Exohxo recorded an EP with Conrad Uno (of The Presidents of the United States of America, Mudhoney and the Posies), and created a five-song EP called The Pitfalls, the Possibilities, the Peril and the Promise. The album varies stylistically and includes everything from ballads to driving rock, and features nearly 30 people when you include a ten-piece choir, a string quartet and a thirteen-piece orchestra.

After their very first live show, The Stranger’s Megan Seling had this to say, “it was as promising and charming as any first show should be for a band that has existed only about two months.” Others have compared Exohxo with the Hold Steady and Arcade Fire.

Check out their music on MySpace or Facebook, and the songs from the new EP here. Not enough Exohxo for you? Go see them in person on June 3^rd at Neumos at 8pm, and get ready for something different.