The Tractor Tavern in Ballard was a perfect venue for duo HoneyHoney to perform this summer. Benjamin Jaffe and Suzanne Santo comprise the LA-based alt-folk combo, one that uses Santo’s triple talent of singing and violin/banjo playing along with Jaffe’s cool vocals and guitar playing. They’re an all-around class act.
I first noticed Battles when the British show Torchwood, an excellent Doctor Who spin off, featured their song “Atlas.” The song was paired with character Owen Harper (played by the wonderful Burn Gorman) freaking out in, I think, a drug-induced state. At first the song really bothered me, but as I kept hearing it other places, I began to like it. Ever since then I have been interested in Battles. They also became quite the Bumbershoot Festival’s legends after they performed a deservedly still raved about set.
Making strange, yet divine music seems to be what Battles is all about. At times alarming, at other times mellow, Battles create a huge sound. Anticipation builds throughout their songs. That they had Gary Numan on album two, Gloss Drop‘s “My Machine,” means so much, and they’ve got supreme drummer John Stanier of Helmet and Tomahawk in the band (very cool). The third album, La Di Da Di, has real greatness to it, especially in “Summer Simmer” and “Dot Com.”
I bet there will be some pretty rad lighting to go along with the music on Wednesday at the Neptune. It’s all ages, and they’re joined by Buke and Gase. For more details & tickets head over here.
Indie singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens brought his tour emphasizing Carrie & Lowell, his 2015 release, to the Paramount. Carrie & Lowell, whose songs pay tribute to his late mother, Carrie, is his first album in five years! Stevens performed two sold-out shows in Seattle, proving he is always an in demand artist. Photographer Dana Pleasant covered the second date for Back Beat Seattle on June 11th.
Say Lou Lou – twin sisters Miranda Anna and Elektra June Kilbey-Jansson – recently played at Barboza during a stop of their 12-city North American tour. They are on the road in support of their debut album, Lucid Dreaming, released earlier this year. LA-based Phoebe Ryan opened.
The first of two installments of day two from Bumbershoot is a special all outdoors feature. That’s right, artists such as Nikki Lane, Faith No More and the Melvins were released into the wild. Other bands on the loose included Constant Lovers and Cave Singers. And Nikki Lane fans rejoice, Lane tours the States starting mid-October, with a date at Seattle’s Neumos on November 19th.