30 posts tagged “music”

What I have to show for it

Apr 30, 2007
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The Grand Archives show Friday night was really good. I could take or leave the openers (although Welcome, the second act, wasn't bad), but Grand Archives did well live. It's definitely weird when a band only has a four-song demo and is likely only now starting to write/refine other songs for a full length (after signing with a label). What you get is all four songs from the demo, a couple of new ones, and a cover.

Grand

Except for one of the new songs that sounded different than their other stuff (more rocking, less of a slow build), everything sounded pretty good. I wasn't there for their first show, so I don't know if they sound more put-together than before they went on that mini-tour opening for Modest Mouse, but I really enjoyed the show.

The thing that struck me about the set was that Mat Brooke looked a lot happier up there on the stage – joking with the crowd, smiling even – than he did when I saw him with Band of Horses or with Carissa's Wierd.

As you may know, I was a big fan of Carissa's Wierd. That was a "depressed" Mat Brooke, and it worked for the music. Band of Horses ... maybe that was an uncomfortable Mat Brooke. If Grand Archives is a more cheerful, upbeat Mat Brooke, I'm interested in seeing what happens with the other songs.

This weekend, we did one of the big wedding steps: We registered. We only went to Macy's and Bed/Bath/Beyond, but we have a pretty good selection of stuff there now. We still need to figure out more bedding stuff, maybe pick out some "nice" China, and then put a bunch of less-expensive stuff from Target on the list for the guests who don't like us that much.

Five days

Apr 27, 2007
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It seems like it's been a busy week. There's sort of a lot going on: We're continuing to plan the honeymoon (current task is finding lodging on the Big Island and Kauai). We're planning the next items on the wedding checklist (this weekend: start our registry, get sized for rings, start an account at the tux/suit place). We're looking at rental houses (we saw one on Tuesday after work that didn't cut it; there's another one up on Phinney that sounds good) and trying to figure out when we would stop looking before the wedding (June 15? July 1?). We watched TV. I played some video games and started a new book. Stuff like that.

This weekend, we're going to do some wedding stuff, I want to work more on getting rid of stuff in the house before any potential move, we need to do some work in the garden (whether or not we're living here by summer, we still have to deal with the pile of dirt under a tarp in the driveway), and I want to relax a little, too.

Tonight, we see Grand Archives at the Crocodile. Since they only have four songs that I know of, this should be interesting. I guess that signing with Sub Pop means they have an album in the works, so we'll probably hear some brand-new stuff. I wonder what they played when they opened for Modest Mouse. Just the four songs from the demo? Anyway, should be interesting.

Back on the (ex-)Horse

Apr 9, 2007
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It's sort of been a slow period for music, personally, or rather live music. I feel like I've bought a decent amount of new CDs in the past couple of months. Anyway, this is slated to change real soon. Coming up:

April 27 - Grand Archives (Crocodile) - These guys juuuust changed their name (from Archives), have played just one show, and there's already a backlash brewing over their hype. Thanks, Pitchfork. But I like how their four-song demo sounds, I like their pedigree (ex-Band of Horses/ex-Carissa's Wierd Mat Brooke is involved), and damn it I'm going to try to go to one of their shows before they get too popular and I either can't afford to see 'em or don't want to stand through a crowded show. I'm going to try to get a ticket at Sonic Boom tonight.

May 10 - Nickel Creek (McCaw Hall) - I wasn't planning on going, but it's their last show (for now) here, probably, right? So maybe I will.

May 11 - The Posies [acoustic] (Triple Door) - It's sort of a weird venue for them, but acoustic is pretty intimate and I'll bet they'll sound great. I wish my friend Chris (now in D.C.) were still in town to see this with me.

*May 26 - Sasquatch Festival Day One {Björk, The Arcade Fire, Beastie Boys (instrumental), Manu Chao, Neko Case, The Hold Steady, and others} (The Gorge Amphitheater) - I'm really hoping that the weather is a happy medium from a couple of years ago (too hot) and last year (freak hailstorm), because this is a great lineup. And they better let me bring in my decidedly not professional camera, as per the rules. I'm going to print them out so I can bring mine in with me. We're driving back after the show and not camping, because it's not worth the trouble and in the middle of SIFF anyway.

June 9 - The Wrens (Crocodile) - It will be awesome to see them again.

In other music news, it was cool to hear that the New Pornographers are finishing up their next album and expect to release it sometime this summer. I am looking forward to it.

As for the last few days, we met up with Elizabeth's old friend/pen pal Brian, who was in town visiting friends, and had sushi at Mashiko on Saturday night. Mmm! Saturday, we also did a bunch of trimming, digging, and hauling dirt around the yard, despite the drizzly weather. Also, my parents have been out of town, so I made a few trips to feed the cat/give her medicine. We never got around to seeing any movies this weekend, but that's OK.

Three three

Mar 24, 2007
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I had a nice birthday yesterday. I had to work, though, which made it a not-so-exciting day until work ended. First, I walked down to the Jolly Roger Taproom for a first beer with

beer_retard. They have this deal on Fridays where they cap a limited-edition keg and sell $3 pints until they run out. We each had a pint of their Islander Pale Ale.

Firkin Friday

Then, we met up with

decadentscholar and

negihama for some food (caprese platter, three orders of fish and chips, and a side salad) and drinks (I had two more beers, but they were of the high alcohol variety). Afterward, we walked up to the house and served cake. The cats came out and made friends, and we had a not-so-late night. It was a good birthday.

The big present from Elizabeth was tickets to the Sasquatch Music Festival (day one, Saturday). The lineup: Host Sarah Silverman; artists Björk, The Arcade Fire, Manu Chao, Neko Case, The Hold Steady, Mix Master Mike, Mirah, and a bunch of others. Now I need to investigate the latest photo policy (what does "professional cameras" mean to the gate security?), see if it's worth it to get "Premier Parking", and start getting hydrated now.

In a little bit, we're heading over to my folks' to see some relatives, have more cake, and generally take it easy.

Barley Whine

Mar 18, 2007
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I finally got the resized engagement ring for

negihama, so now some of her coworkers will believe her that she's engaged. I'm so glad!

On Saturday, I tried some barleywines with

beer_retard and

decadentscholar, which was fun. Without my designated driver I was a little buzzed after the sweet, high-alcohol drinks. Good thing we wandered around Fremont for a while; I felt much better after some thrift-store and library browsing.

Today, among other things (a bunch of housecleaning), I wandered down to Sonic Boom to see a free in-store of a newish band, Night Canopy. I'm going to try to get to one of their upcoming shows.

Night Canopy 4

I'm also very interested in the Archives, a new project by Mat Brooke (of Band of Horses, briefly anyway, and Carissa's Wierd). I like what I've heard so far on their Myspace page. It was so weird when his last band blew up so quickly (I barely got a chance to see them before their album was plastered all over the Zune ad campaign). I've sort of gotten on a music-discovering and buying kick lately, and it's fun after a slow period.

The Ides

Mar 15, 2007
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I guess that in the next few days, we're going to pick our caterer. Next on the list are the DJ (I guess DIY would be too much work) and the officiant (two of our top choices can't do it). And I need to call the potential groomsmen. We met with a caterer yesterday afternoon, and we might end up going with them. It would have been nice to taste some food — by the time we left, we were famished.

Things are quiet-ish now, but they're going to pick up soon. Friday is a pie party (two days late). Saturday, I might do some barleywine sampling at Brouwer's; we're also going to try to start some yardwork and early garden prep. Sunday, I'm going to see Night Canopy do a free in-store at Sonic Boom. And then next week includes meeting up with my Aunt Angi, who's in town for a conference, we may have houseguests for a few days on the weekend, my birthday happens (I have no idea what we're doing that night), and I suppose other things will come up, too.

A year ago today we flew to Italy.

On my way to where the air is sweet

Mar 6, 2007
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Sometimes it just takes a sunny day to make everything better. Not that everything was bad before, but the sun that was out when I walked down to Ballard for lunch (without a jacket!) was pretty darn nice.

The flowers on the trees at the end of our street are starting to bloom. (You can see a photo of them from two years ago here.)

Signs of Spring

I picked up the latest Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter CD, after reading yet another good review. I also got Neon Bible, the new one from the Arcade Fire. On my second listen, I'm quite enjoying it. It has been a while since I bought any new music, so it felt good. And so did the sun.

It may be nice outside, but Lucy still prefers inside. I'm sure that will change within the next month. Linus has been going out every day except for those sub-freezing days this winter. I don't think he cares.

And yeti...

Feb 20, 2007
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Geez, the one time I went, it was kinda miserable, but this year's line-up at Sasquatch almost makes me want to go. If we just did Saturday: Björk, The Arcade Fire, Manu Chao, Neko Case. That's worth it right there. Sunday's not so much of a draw, with "only" the Beastie Boys, Spoon, Mirah, and Jesse Sykes really catching my fancy.

On the wedding front, we may have settled on a photographer. We're getting a good deal, so we can save that money for the food. Which we need to arrange very soon! It's still 6 months away. I have to remember that

You who?

Feb 14, 2007
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Sometimes, the amount of stuff on YouTube overwhelms me, so I sort of avoid going there to avoid a timesuck. But I got interested in seeing if anyone had filmed recent Neko Case live shows. Sure, some have, but I found the following video, which is even better:

Maow - Ms. Lefevre (featuring Neko Case)

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That's Neko Case in Maow, her old "punk" band (that must be one of their pop songs). Mid-'90s Neko Case. Nice.

(I also noticed the actress who plays "Callie" on Battlestar Galactica has a bit part as a singer in the New Pornographers' video for "The Laws Have Changed". Those Canadians and their small acting scene!)

Speaking of TV, who was the African American guy who was talking to Veronica Mars last night? Walter? Wendel? Oh right, Willis. Where have you been?

Nice

Feb 12, 2007
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It was another nice weekend. Saturday was negihama's birthday, so we spent the day doing stuff she likes. After a great breakfast at Cafe Moose in Ballard, we headed up to Capitol Hill to visit one of her old hangouts, the Volunteer Park Conservatory.

I took lots of photos. (Click to see the set.)

Shine

After that, we walked around the hill, going to some of her favorite old shops. In the evening, we had dinner at our favorite sushi place (Mashiko) and rented a movie.

On Sunday, Elizabeth worked at a booth at a Chinese New Year celebration put on by the Families of Children from China. (Yes, I know that the actual new year is next week.) The performance portion is the best part: Lots of cute kids, dancing in colorful costumes. I took lots of photos. (Click to see the set.)

Streaming

On Sunday night, we saw Neko Case open for Merle Haggard. We only stayed for maybe a half dozen Haggard songs, but it was a good night. Neko was awesome as always. I didn't take photos, but I guess I could have because Paramount security wasn't bothering any of the other people taking photos. Oh well!