On August 3rd, British duo AlunaGeorge headlined the Neptune in Seattle’s University District. AlunaGeorge, whose name comes from singer-songwriter Aluna Francis and producer George Reid, reached worldwide note with one of the most prominent songs of the last several years, “You Know You Like It.” Its lyrics, including If you wanna train me, like an animal. . ., are just going to stand out anywhere. As a performer, Francis has a slinky, groovy movement with adorable, cotton candy vocals. You’ve probably also heard those vocals on Disclosure’s “White Noise.” And good news for fellow AlunaGeorge fans: The band’s second album hits stores this September 16th. Plus they’ll have opening slots on Sia’s upcoming tour, with a Seattle date on September 29th. That’s nearly here!
South Carolina’s NEEDTOBREATHE brings their TOUR DE COMPADRES, the band’s largest tour yet, to Marymoor Park tomorrow night. And get your calendars straight so you don’t miss it: it’s on September 1st. That’s right, September begins on Thursday (hope the summer has been awesome for everyone). One of your final summer festivities should definitely include seeing rockers NEEDTOBREATHE, who celebrate brand new album H A R D L O V E, which just happens to be their highest-charting album. Congrats to the band and their fans!
NEEDTOBREATHE – photo by Eric Ryan Anderson
For H A R D L O V E, NEEDTOBREATHE added some synth to their sounds, and guitarist Bo Rinehart described this addition creating “a sense of wonder that was almost mystical.” Rinehart also has said how seriously the band takes their music, and their music’s relationship with fans: “We want to make the kind of record that impacts people’s lives, the way they love and work and dream and live. We hold that in our mind when we’re writing, and we keep on refining everything until we feel like it’s in a place that absolutely deserves to be a part of that conversation.” I love this band’s approach! I can tell there is so much mutual respect between the band and their fans.
Marymoor Park’s show includes a fabulous opening lineup with Mat Kearney, John Mark McMillan and Welshly Arms. Get there early. Doors are at 5 PM. For tickets & more information, follow this link.
Oh hey, Bumbershoot starts this Friday! Art, film, comedians, writers, and oh yeah, music take places of honor throughout the Seattle Center grounds’ annual festival. I’ve picked a few acts to highlight for each day; day one includes local and international treats from electronic music to pop. Also, I’m pretty sure this is the first time Bumbershoot has offered yoga (Yogashoot with Liz Arch) , an idea I can really get behind. Great idea!
About: Brooklyn, New York’s Iska Dhaaf returns to Seattle for Bumbershoot. Seattle’s its place of origin, after all. The immensely talented duo (Benjamin Verdoes and Nathan Quiroga) just finished putting together their entire fall tour. It’s a big one, and it begins with this date. I saw their first Bumbershoot appearance, which displayed their grooviness, a couple years ago.
About: Seattle soul band Fly Moon Royalty (another duo: Adra Boo and Action J) can win over any audience. With obvious joy for what they’re doing, the group’s electronic spin on R&B is something else.
About: Bob Moses, also known as Jimmy Vallance and Tom Howie, has an incredible and melodic house sound. I’ve only just become aware of this band, and every Bob Moses song I have heard so far is fantastic. They’re based out of Vancouver, British Columbia Canada, but don’t miss them because you might think you can just catch them any time. Don’t take them for granted. I have a really good feeling about this duo.
About: Father John Misty always gets a crowd. He’s a happening guy. But what I really want to talk about is the crystal earrings he now sells. I am not being at all sarcastic when I say this is a cool idea. Now, even if you don’t believe in the healing power of crystals, it’s probably never going to hurt to wear something pretty.
About: A favorite of several Back Beat Seattle staffers, Zella Day brings her sweet vocals to the festival. Day, who’s just 21, deserves praise for all she does, and for her perfect combination of pop & rap with “Mustang Kids.” That track includes Baby E., doing some nice work with Zella Day.
About: Norwegian DJ Kygo (Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll), one of the biggest electronic music names there is right now, rightfully gets a slot on one of the largest Bumbershoot stages. His debut, Cloud Nine, has already released three huge singles: “Firestone,” “Stole the Show,” and “Stay.” A Bumbershoot must-see, or you’ll regret it.
About: House music! House music! This Toronto pair aptly plays the KeyArena, where they can let their beautiful music match a brilliant light show. A perfect way to end or your evening, or get it started if you’re an EDM night owl.
Sub Pop Records celebrated its 28th birthday with a show at Barboza on April 1st. How time flies! Sub Pop artists Cullen Omori, Kyle Craft and Porter Ray performed sets to commemorate the event. Congratulations, Sub Pop, you’ll be 30 before we know it. All photos by Monica Martinez:
Huge apologies to Train and everyone who helped set up photographer Jonathan Leung with a photo pass for Train’s Gorge 2015 appearance. It’s all an error on my part for somehow thinking I had posted these photos, while I had not. The snaps feature Train during the Picasso at the Wheel Tour (this show happened to be the tour’s final date). Unexpectedly, the group’s most recent releases are Christmas in Tahoe, a Christmas album, and a cover of Led Zeppelin’s Led Zeppelin II, called Train Does Led Zeppelin II. Train brought The Fray and Matt Nathanson along for the entire Picasso at the Wheel Tour.
