Towne Lounge, a month of shows
Matt King, the booker at the Towne Lounge sent me a very concise list that covers a month of shows. If only other bookers and publicists would do the same, it would save hours of my day [I work alone here folks, c'mon!] Check out the list below and mark your calendars. Visit the Towne Lounge website for band links and more. All the show descriptions below are from Matt.
Thursday 7/3/08
White Hinterland, The Baptist Arms
“When Dead Oceans sent over “Dreaming of the Plum Trees,” I could’ve sworn I’d heard it somewhere before; maybe in some lost animated Christmas special I saw as a kid, or buried away on one of my parents’ dusty LPs. On “Dreaming” — and much of the wonderful Phylactery Factory LP, for that matter — White Hinterland recalls pieces of Guaraldi, Sufjan Stevens, and Joni Mitchell at once, as Ms. Dienel’s endearing voice skates over that instantly familiar bassline and playful, jazzy piano shuffle, resulting in one of the best songs of this young year” – GORILLA VS BEAR
$8 / 9:30pm
Saturday 7/5/08
The Globes, The Lonely Forest, Don’t Tell Sophie
“The sounds on Nuclear Winter [The Lonely Forest's debut album] are lush and epic. For such a huge sound you’d expect a symphony, but it’s really made by just three young men (two of who aren’t yet of legal drinking age). The piano is explosive—loud and nimble, and the driving force of each song. The bass is fluid and strong; the drumming is sharp and precise. From the pretty minute-and-a-half prelude to the droning, almost 20-minute-long end jam that accompanies the world’s demise, there’s no lack of drama. From the seclusion of Anacortes, the Lonely Forest have created a new world of their own, an alternate dimension sprouted from the imaginations of boys with a lot of space, time, and probably pot at their fingertips.” – THE STRANGER
$5 / 9:30pm
Sunday 7/6/08
Absent Minds, Groups of III, Wester Daywick
$5 / 9:30pm
Tuesday 7/8/08
Mostly Bears, David Kyle & the Invisibles, Kate’s Mirror
“Adventurous and never boring, Mostly Bears have stirred up a hornet’s nest of buzz since a SXSW showcase earlier this year. Although the vocals bring to mind Arcade Fire, there is plenty of oomph and jump to the opening “The Digital Divide” which is drenched in fuzz guitar. Mostly Bears shine on the lengthy, prog-leaning “The Pharmacist” which finds its groove early on while “Eclipse the World (Oh, My Brain)” is a dirge-ish, creeping kind of song that evolves into a spacey, psychedelic effort.” – POP MATTERS
$7 / 9:30pm
Thursday 7/10/08
Pay the Coyote, No They Do, JR Soapbox
“No They Do is the all-robot musical collective led by musicologist and “future’s Alan Lomax,” XJ3. Its album is the soundtrack of the inevitable future, in which robots destroy the human race, discover acoustic guitars and play robot folk music.” - NPR
$5 / 9:30pm
Friday 7/11/08
PacificUV, My Education, Logs (CD release)
“Austin-based instrumental quintet My Education composes wordless songs through vast, gorgeously orchestrated soundscapes. From squealing electric guitar wails to screeching viola yelps, the band’s music has all the vocals it needs, drawing its narrative tension from ambient dischord. Each track on the group’s new album, Bad Vibrations, offers a buildup and release that’s equally commanding and cathartic. But with all the musical strife, much of the album proves tranquil and soothing in its atmospheric nature, as the band paints a beautiful musical picture with layers of brooding instrumentation.” - NPR
$5 / 9:30pm
Saturday 7/12/08
Bill Mallonee, Kelly Blair Bauman, Drew Grow
“Bill Mallonee has remained fascinated with the shadowy emotional toils and struggles inherent in the American experience, compelling, insightful, [he] continues to probe through Americana rock and roll proving that sometimes the only story worth telling is that of the journey.” – ROLLING STONE
$10 / 9:30pm
Sunday 7/13/08
Tall Firs, The Coal Age, Alexandra (formerly Von Super)
David Fricke described one Tall Firs live set in his Fricke’s Picks column: “A gently uplifting highlight of my…weekend…a psychedelic-folk tangle of spider-leg-guitar arpeggios and hazy, bong-room singalong harmonies. The Guardian UK describes a recent live show as possessing ‘a muscularity that recalls Neil Young in one of his more ornery moods, or a beefed-up Galaxie 500′. Too Old to Die Young [Tall Firs’ sophomore LP] brings this muscularity to the friendly confines of your private listening environment. In gems like “The Breeze” and “The Woods,” their duo vocals are moody, without squawking in that already dated freak-folk style; the guitars are occasionally colored by chimes, organ and brushed drums. “Go Whiskey” has the high, lonesome shiver of an old Townes Van Zandt record, except without any obvious country affectations. If your idea of staying warm on a winter night is a bottle of bourbon and a bleak memory, Tall Firs will make excellent company.”
$7 / 9:30pm
Tuesday 7/15/08
Cohen, Per Se, Nick Caceres
$6 / 9:30pm
Wednesday 7/16/08
Facts About Funerals, Ryan Auffenberg, Kyle Andrews
“Throughout Marigolds, his debut LP, Auffenberg proves himself adept at setting mood—without being at all old-timey, the whole album conjures a sepia-tinged and almost rueful invocation of the sideways angle of sunlight as late summer afternoons taper into evenings, and of the feelings associated with those times. No, this isn’t the first time you’ve heard a singer-songwriter described in similar terms, nor will it be the last, but the assurance with which Auffenberg delivers his wistful, shimmer-adorned songs carries him at times into the higher echelons of folk singer-songwriters. With any luck, this assured skill at writing evocative and engaging songs will carry Auffenberg even further in the years to come.” – POPMATTERS
$5 / 9:30pm
Thursday 7/17/08
Pony Village, Yeltsin, Plagiarists
$5 / 9:30pm
Friday 7/18/08
The John Francis, Winter’s Fall, Pickwick, John Courage
“As impressed as I am with this project’s sound and songwriting I have to say that I’m more interested with why the masses aren’t simply raving about [Winter’s Fall] Muddy & White EP. I mean, this stuff is incredible! Hell, I would even say it’s one of the better EPs that I’ve come across here in the first part of the year. – SIDE ONE TRACK ONE
$5 / 9:30pm
Saturday 7/19/08
Ex-Boyfriends, Speaker Speaker, Spectacle Machine
“Ex-Boyfriends stay true to their word and produce music that is layered, catchy, and more addictive with each listen. The group maintains the same themes and sounds, yet continues to succeed in discovering ways to make tracks different and interesting.” – POPMATTERS
“Speaker Speaker delights in playing catchy, cheerful pop songs at rubber-burning tempos. What makes the band stand out is the boundless energy with which it does this.” - SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
$6 / 9:30pm
Thursday 7/24/08
The Airborne Toxic Event, Southern Belle, Blue Horns
“Absurdly rich with talent. Live, the Airborne Toxic Event delivers total cohesion and unflappable energy.” LA WEEKLY
“In a just and fair world, The Airborne Toxic Event would be indie rock favorites of critics and fans the world over. Maybe, just for a moment, the world will get it right for a change.” POP MATTERS
$8 / 9:30pm
Friday 7/25/08
The Skinnyz, Lovers In Arms, Dem Suite
$5 / 9:30pm
Saturday 7/26/08
Chikita Violenta, Soft Tags, Crazydumb Saint (CD release)
Each song on The Stars and Sun Sessions (the debut LP from Mexico City’s Chikita Violenta) is like its own little production filled to the brim with intensely memorable and heartfelt songs. It’s a near-perfect pop album that introduces not only a band to watch out for but also an entire country getting ready to take the independent music world by storm. - DELUSIONS OF ADEQUACY
$8 / 9:30pm
Tuesday 7/29/08
The Republic Tigers, Ley Lines, Annie Stela
“Emerging from a curious indie-rock-meets-new-age fog, located somewhere between Enya, Bright Eyes, and Air, the Republic Tigers’ debut Keep Color, is an excellent collection of acoustic guitars, backing ooohhhs and aaahhhs, sailing keys, and frontman Kenn Jankowski’s hushed vocals, all covered in a ethereal, smooth production. And album opener “Buildings & Mountains” is an apt mission statement, with its digi-filtered instrumentation, sputtering progressions, and otherworldly transcendence.” - SPIN
$6 / 9:30pm
Wednesday 7/30/08
Aqueduct, BOAT, TBA
“Or Give Me Death is louder, thicker, and even more relentlessly catchy than any previous incarnation. While Aqueduct’s 2005 release, “I Sold Gold,” may have made him adored within Seattle’s music community as that quirky little pop act with that song about Guns N’ Roses, Or Give Me Death will interest both current fans as well as those with a palate for something a little less saccharine, a little more bitter, and with more staying power.” – THE STRANGER
$8 / 9:30pm
Thursday 7/31/08
The Friendly Skies, The Unit Breed, Per Se
$5 / 9:30pm
Friday 8/1/08
Eef Barzelay, The Sleepover Disaster
“Bitter Honey [Barzelay’s 2006 solo debut] might have been a little stripped-down, but “Ballad of Bitter Honey”, his narrative from the perspective of a dancing girl in a Ludacris video, had Clem Snide archness written all over it. “Lose Big” (2008s sophmore release) continues in that vein, and it’s a clear sign that Barzelay is faring quite well in his post-Clem Snide world. The record finds Barzelay stretching out, not only in terms of subject matter, but also in terms of arrangements and sound.” POP MATTERS
$8 / 9:30pm
Saturday 8/2/08
Film School, Another Cynthia, Go Fever
Hideout [Film School’s 3rd LP] is the kind of album that dares you to roll up your car windows, crank it and be swallowed whole. – LA TIMES
“One of the most successful bands to translate the species known as shoegaze in the 21st century, [Film School] combines ethereal vocals with swirling guitars to create songs that are nothing short of transporting.” SPINNER.COM
$8 / 9:30pm
Tags: Concerts, Live Shows, Towne Lounge
