Part 40
Papa Roach, Nothing More & Escape the Fate @ Showbox SoDo, 5/4/18
Photos by Alex Crick
Memory Lane Series, part 40
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Part 39
New Politics, Dreamers & the Wrecks @ the Showbox – 3/4/18
Photos by Alex Crick
Memory Lane Series, part 39
New Politics‘ David Boyd
The superb Danish trio New Politics visited Seattle’s Showbox in March. They’re an exciting trio of great musicians and entertainers who’ve built a huge fanbase over just a few years. Part of that fanbase includes Weezer’s River Cuomo, who worked with them on the track “Tell Your Dad,” off the latest New Politics album Lost in Translation. That’s awesome. And as they confirm in their about section on Facebook, they are, indeed, “Danish as f*ck.” Opening for the night were two Los Angeles bands: the Wrecks (by the way, they return to Seattle for a show at El Corazon on 11/11), and Dreamers (who’ll be back in Seattle on 10/24 at Chop Suey).
More
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Part 38
Jay-Z @ KeyArena – 12/13/17
Show Review & Photos by Josh Daniels
Memory Lane Series, part 38
Jay-Z
Let’s just get this out of the way now: Jay-Z is the god-damned man. He managed to spend two full hours strutting around the stage like it was the “Big Pimpin'” era, never missing a beat or lyric. In many ways he outshone the next generation of rappers, not bringing a hype man on stage or letting the background track do most of his singing/rapping for him. The only performers in KeyArena that brought a matching level of energy and skill was his insanely talented house band. Partially buried beneath the ever-moving stage in what can only be described as a fairly conventional orchestra pit, the musicians manning drums, percussion, guitars and more, not only kept the energy level at 100% through the entire set but elevated HOV to an even higher standard of performance. In one case, the guitarist (who had no part in the song), jumped up and down swinging a hype towel for the entirety of “Big Pimpin'”. This is worth mentioning not because it was some outstanding moment of the set, but because it was the standard for every second of it. Whether sauntering around the stage or standing at a mic stand in the center of it, Jay-Z kept the energy level high and delivered every beat of his classics perfectly, mixed in with selections from his new album, 4:44.
Speaking of 4:44, the album itself is good. It boasts a ton of acoustic instrumentation and has a very organic feel to it. But good lord, this album was meant to be performed live. Every single track from 4:44 was more compelling in its softer and more honest moments, or energizing in its more upbeat ones, than any recording that Jay-Z and company put to tape and released. If I’ve ever before yearned for a live bootleg of an album, 4:44 takes the cake.
In stark contrast to the energy of the night was the glaring issue of the most effective way to present a solo artist, keeping them interesting and compelling while they, well, walked around stage rapping. Unlike Justin Timberlake or other pop acts, there were no dancers or onstage antics, and unlike Snoop and crew-based rappers, there wasn’t an entourage of hype men jumping around in the background. It was just Jay-Z and the crowd.
More
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Part 37
The Shins, Foxygen & Day Wave – 9/23/17
Photos by Peter Dervin
Memory Lane Series, part 37
The Shins‘ James Mercer
Another cool set of photos by Peter Dervin, these ones taken at the Shins’ Marymoor Park headlining performance in ’17. Last year and this year, the Shins did a very intriguing thing: after releasing Heartworms in ’17, they redid that album in ’18. Called The Worm’s Heart, the album was “flipped”, which means the band made new versions of every track. Remakes are always exciting. Also on the bill for the Marymoor Park date were California’s Foxygen and Day Wave.
More
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Part 36
Yes & Todd Rundgren – Yestival @ Tulalip Ampitheatre, 9/3/17
Photos by Peter Dervin
Memory Lane Series, part 36
The Seattle area has been lucky to have Yes play two shows in the last two years: Tulalip in 2017, and Woodinville in 2018. The 2017 concert was part of the Yestival tour, while the 2018 concert was one date of the 50th Anniversary tour. Congratulations on that anniversary! Todd Rundgren, who opened in 2017, has also been busy with six albums already released this decade. There are loads of opportunities to catch both bands again right now, so check them out.
More
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Part 35
Talib Kweli, Styles P & K’Valentine @ the Showbox – 1/24/17
Photos by Casey Brevig
Memory Lane Series – part 35
Talib Kwali
Styles P
The beginning of 2017 found Talib Kweli looking forward to sharing new works: his own ’17 album, Radio Silence, and the EP The Seven, with rapper Styles P. But first, he kicked off the year with the Seven Tour, which featured Styles P and hip hop artist K’Valentine (on Kweli’s label, Javotti Media). After you check out these photos, head over to Billboard, who has a great interview with Kweli and Styles P about their collaboration.
K’Valentine
More
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Part 34
Less Than Jake @ Showbox SoDo, 1/31/17
Photos by Charitie Myers
Memory Lane Series, part 34
Less Than Jake‘s Roger Lima
Okay, Less Than Jake’s most recent show in Seattle was just earlier this month, but we’ve got you covered on their 2017 show here. The always-popular Gainesville, Florida pop/ska band has even more dates coming up, including a spot on the 2018 Vans Warped tour. Less Than Jake’s most recent release is 2017’s Sound the Alarm EP, which included seven previously unreleased songs. Thanks, Less Than Jake!
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Part 33
Upstream @ Various Locations, 5/13/17
Photos by Monica Martinez
Memory Lane Series, part 33
Gazebos‘ Shannon Perry
For day two of its inaugural event, Upstream 2017 brought out another variety-filled lineup, including Dinosaur Jr., Sundries, J GRGRY, Helms Alee, Gazebos and the Soft Offs. Punk, hard rock and pop got attention from photographer Monica Martinez – all in one day. Congratulations to Upstream, and thank you for letting us cover your debut!
Dinosaur Jr.
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Part 32
Upstream 2017 @ Various Locations, 5/12/17
Photos by Monica Martinez
Memory Lane Series, part 32
Before you tuck into this, alert: Upstream 2018 tickets are on sale now! Everything was so awesome last year, they’re doing it again. In 2017, photographer Monica Martinez attended, and her first group of photos are from day 1. Brent Amaker and the Rodeo, Charms, the Fabulous Downey Brothers, Metz and the White Tears & Pearl Dragon Is Dead were among the performers. Thanks Monica, for racing all over and getting these cool shots.
Brent Amaker of Brent Amaker and the Rodeo
Brent Amaker and the Rodeo
Charms
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Chastity @ Barboza, 3/13/17
Photos by Monica Martinez
Memory Lane Series, part 31
Chastity
Brandon Williams, going by the name of Chastity, performed (with band) at Barboza last March. The Ontario, Canada native, who’s signed to Brooklyn label Captured Tracks, released his debut full-length in July ’17. Grab that album, called Death Lust, over here and/or watch the video for “Children,” the first track from it.
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