Details: So, this is pretty amazing: Toro y Moi (real name Chazwick Bradley Bundick) has a date named after him in Berkeley, California. As of 2017, June 21st is Chazwick Bradley Bundick Day! That’s an honor. Toro y Moi also put out a record, Boo Boo, in 2017, making it a big year for him. He’s already made two videos, “Pavement” and “Windows,” from the album with photographer Kristie Muller, but hasn’t announced any tour dates. As an opening band, Toro y Moi chose duo the Mattson2, with whom he made 2017’s album Chaz Bundick Meets The Mattson 2.
Singer-songwriter Tori Amos played a solo set on two pianos at the Paramount Theatre over the Thanksgiving weekend. Seattle’s stop was near the tail end of her 24-city North American tour in support of her recently released 15th studio album, Native Invader. English indie band Scars On 45 opened.
Hillary Clinton, former First Lady, United States Senator, and Secretary of State, visited Seattle on Monday evening, December 11th. Clinton’s currently on a national tour to discuss her latest book, What Happened, and to discuss whatever she feels like talking about on any given evening. Topics on Monday ranged from the current political climate to resilience, and was moderated by writer Anne Lamott.
The audience, primarily women, was delighted to hear Clinton speak. Several generations of women joined together as Clinton described how women can move forward and become more involved in politics. As a speaker, Clinton was warm and engaging, discussing how difficult it can be for women to gain acceptance as leaders as opposed to being in support roles exclusively. Interestingly, she shared that one of her biggest disappointments from her 2016 election defeat was not being able to work with Germany’s Angela Merkel. She also graciously commented on her interactions with people who come to her book signings, mentioning one woman in Denver, who earlier that day had told Clinton of her fears about where the country is heading. Clinton’s advice is to remain vigilant of unchecked power, and keep working for women’s rights, reminding us of this picture of men who are making decisions on women’s health care.
Another of the many areas Clinton moved her crowd with (and yes, the venue was sold-out) was her description of her mother’s childhood. Abandoned by relatives twice, her mother became a maid at the age of fourteen, getting all her work done before high school because she wanted to learn. Clinton one time asked her how she was able to have such a positive attitude about life. Her mother’s answer? The “small acts of kindness” people showed to her when she was a poor child, such as a teacher bringing extra lunch food by mistake, and sharing it with her. Clinton’s firm belief that we are all in this together (even naming her new organization Onward Together) comes from the biblical ethos of Don’t Get Wary Doing Good. Being able to listen Clinton talk without external noise or interpretations of her was excellent.
Anne Lamott
Hillary Clinton
Anne Lamott
Hillary Clinton – all photos by Dagmar
Below are two brief videos I took for the dialogue, rather than my trusty iPhone video capability.
Hillary Clinton & Anne Lamott discuss weird reporting about Clinton:
Hillary Clinton discusses women worldwide, resilience, and her mother:
Ani DiFrancoplayed The Neptune to a packed house back in November. I know DiFranco as being a very talented singer song-writer; however I never knew how funny she was. She had the crowd cheering and laughing between various poignant feminist inspired songs.
Ani started off her show with her band playing an ode to feminism, “Not a Pretty Girl.” The song really made a statement and I loved her choice of a standup bass, which gave a real folk feeling to the show.
Details: Let’s mention this first, because it’s super awesome: Grouplove has created their own special jacket. While only the band’s been sporting these beauties, they’re available for pre-order now on their site. They’ve got a scorpion on the back (the jacket, not the band)! No one asked us to mention this, it’s just, damn the jackets are cool. But back to the main point of this post, which would be the photos from Grouplove’s Seattle’s 2016 visit. They’ve even been here twice in 2017, by the way. For the Crocodile show, the audience was able to enjoy for the first time songs from the just-released Big Mess. Also check out Jonathan Leung’s sweet shots of openers, MUNA and Dilly Dally.
