Day 2 of Watershed with 10 artists performing on the Main and Next From Nashville stages. Darius Rucker headlined on the Main stage with Bailey Bryan opening. Bryan headlined the Tractor Tavern in Seattle on August 15th. Lots of sun and a festive atmosphere. The photos are shown in reverse chronological order – from the headliners in the evening on each stage, to the openers in the early afternoon.
Get ready for Louisiana’s Lost Bayou Ramblers to cause some serious stomping at the Sunset this Thursday, August 24th. The Cajun band will, I am certain, perform song new songs from their ninth release, Kalenda. Kalenda, which also features title track “Kalenda,” gets its name from the dance (there’s a championship of it!). Also, the Caribbean dance is a stick fight! How cool is that? Anyway, please leave any sticks at home, and dance in a matter however it moves you. Lost Bayou Ramblers has played lovely music since 1999, when brothers Louis and Andre Michot decided to do their own thing. Accordion fans will get to hear Andre Michot play the Cajun accordion; Michot is actually one of the only Cajun accordion builders! The group’s worked with actress-singer Scarlett Johansson on 2012’s Mammoth Waltz tracks “Coteau Guidry” and “Coteau Guidry Reprise.” If she likes them, you’ll like them.
Show Preview:Swans @ the Neptune, Fr. 8/25 ~Dagmar
Swans
It’s the end of Swans as we’ve known them. The beyond experimental band (what would that be? Answer: Swans. Naturally) returns to Seattle this Friday, August 25th as headliners at the Neptune. Now, it doesn’t matter where Swans plays, they’ll be awesome anywhere, but the Neptune, perhaps mostly due to its stained glass images of Roman gods, seems such a fantastic spot for them. One’s of Aphrodite, goddess of sex. Magnificently, there has always been something sacrosanct about Swans’ music and sacred about their shows. It’s not just the extreme volume they perform at, it’s that ability to express what is holy and godlike. And do it with a strange and terrifying beauty; their shows are more like a possession than just any old show. Extensive songs evolve with true beauty, and this show is one of the last bandleader Michael Gira will do with the current Swans lineup. Swans will not completely disappear, as Gira has said, “I will continue to use the name Swans, but will revert to a cast of revolving contributors, drawing on a pool of men and women I’ve worked with along the way (and new ones too). . . In addition to new music, I’ll be working on making sure the Swans catalog is all reissued properly and stays in print in the best possible form and packaging (which is just as important to me as the music itself)”. That’s great news. Also, a documentary about Swans, called Swans, Where Does A Body End?, is set for a 2018 release.
Rising country artist Bailey Bryan headlined at the Tractor Tavern, just two weeks after playing the main stage at Watershed. The 19-year-old is originally from Sequim, Washington and now resides in Nashville. The audience was filled with many home state family and friends. With over 2M plays on Spotify, her debut PE, So Far, is getting a lot of attention. Earlier this year, Rolling Stone listed Bailey in their 10 New Country Artists You Need to Know column.
Country artist Kacey Musgraves recently opened for Willie Nelson at Marymoor Park in Redmond, east of Seattle. She and her five-member band played material from her two studio albums as well as several new songs. Kacey told the audience that up until the tour started, she’d been busy planning her wedding [with Ruston Kelly] and writing. Near the end of her set she sang “Rhinestone Cowboy” as a tribute to Glen Campbell, who died a few days beforehand. Kacey’s set ended with a well-deserved standing ovation.
