Show Review & Photos: Chain and the Gang/wimps/Pony Time & Listen Lady @ the Black Lodge

Chain and the Gang, Pony Time, wimps, Listen Lady @ Black Lodge, 1/10/15
Show Review & Photos by Victoria Holt

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Chain and the Gang

D.C.’s Chain and the Gang were the epitome of calculated cool at Black Lodge on January 10th, decked out in matching silvery suits, neutral button down shirts, and pointed black stomping boots. Singer Ian Svenonius (of such D.C. greats as Weird War, The Make-Up, and Nation of Ulysses) whipped around, shaking his mane of black hair and yelling various political and personal insights on the world and life in general. While he railed against the dangers of freedom and praised the use of censorship (perhaps ironically?), the band were stoic, unemotional, blank-stared. It added a measured control to the otherwise rowdy show, and gave the crowd something to hang onto while the singer shed his inhibitions. The music operated in the same way, through simple basslines and steady drumbeats. It was infectious, and each and every body had to move.

They opened with an extended, stripped down version of “Chain Gang Theme (I See Progress),” building momentum to get the crowd going. Another catchy number was “Certain Kinds of Trash,” with Svenonius layering over the female bassist’s clear voice with his gritty inspired mutterings. It had the perfect clanking garage groove, and the crowd broke into a mosh pit, always returning to that nodding backbone beat between the swells. The vocals in “Mum’s the Word” were frenetic and fast-paced, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Svenonius and the bassist traded off vocals, repeating lines, encouraging the crowd to sing along. During, “What is a Dollar?” he preached to the crowd about the danger of the dollar, pausing for effect, as the crowd spontaneously hummed along “ooohhhs.” It was super fun to be in the crowd during that moment, cooing along, responding as the singer imparted his wisdom. They destroyed Black Lodge, in the best way possible, and everyone left feeling thoroughly spent.

The rest of the bill featured three fantastic Seattle bands. Listen Lady opened up the night with their attitude-driven pop punk. A personal fave was their last song, “Hey Listen,” all about the perils of verbal harassment towards women. It ends with the question, “What makes you think you can talk to me like that?” It was great to see a bill with a good presence of powerful women, and this band started it off right.

Pony Time members Stacy Peck and Luke Beetham make low grumbling punk jams with danceable drum lines and blistering bass. Beetham sings clever lyrics with the occasional exhilarated “Woo!” and the crowd loves it. Opening track, “Tacocat Scraps,” pokes fun at the band’s humble beginnings taking Tacocat’s spot on bills they couldn’t play. They’ve since made a name for themselves, but the bands stay closely linked, with drummer Peck playing in the band Childbirth with Tacocat’s bassist Bree McKenna (and Chastity Belt’s Julia Shapiro). They’re fantastic performers who never finish a set without sweating like crazy, and the tiny Black Lodge at capacity was no exception.

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Pony Time

Always a fun time, wimps played high energy punk with catchy, bright lyrics. Songs like “Dog Pills,” “Old Food,” and “Distraction” offer questionable advice on warding off ennui with random hiijinks, like deciding to take your dog’s medication on a whim. The video for “Party at the Wrong Time” features wimps interrupting Pony Time’s practices and keeping them up late at night. Singer and guitarist Rachel Ratner rocks a penguin costume, while drummer Dave Ramm blows smoke into Beetham’s face. The song was great live, but alas, no attempts at revenge were made by Pony Time.

The members of wimps always have a great sense of humor. At one point, an unexplained piece of fried chicken landed on the stage. Ratner picked it up and held it in front of her face like she was going to eat it, deciding instead to hurl it back into the crowd. They closed with their album’s eponymous single, “Repeat,” which ends with Nyce singing a slow chorus line while Ratner speaks the repeating lyrics. She uses the live version to talk about something at the show, and this time said, “When you go to the show and you eat some fried chicken. . .” Ratner’s fun banter was a great precursor to Svenonius’s eccentric ranting.

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Chain and the Gang

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Listen Lady

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Show Review & Photos: Death Cab for Cutie & Say Hi @ the Crocodile

Death Cab for Cutie & Say Hi @ the Crocodile, 1/20/15
Show Review & Photos by Abby Williamson

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Death Cab for Cutie‘s Ben Gibbard

Of all the bands I’ve ever loved, the one that truly epitomizes my adolescence more than any other band is Death Cab for Cutie. Whether it’s because of Seth Cohen’s lovable indie sensibility on The O.C. or the late days of MTV2 playing late night music videos – almost everyone in their mid-twenties has a Death Cab memory. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels that way, judging by the crowd that filled up the Crocodile Tuesday night for Death Cab for Cutie’s last minute show that sold out in literally minutes.

This being their first live outing as a band since Chris Walla parted ways with the band back in August, I was anxious to see how they would carry on without him. Thankfully, they found great additions in Zac Rae on keys and Portland musician Dave Depper on guitar. With the new album Kintsugi out on March 31st, this was the mark of a new era for the band – and luckily we got a taste of what’s to come in the new album. Forthcoming tracks “Black Sun,” “Ghosts of Beverly Drive,” and “No Room in Frame” were among the 20-song set list that spanned throughout the band’s career (you can see the full set list below).

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Death Cab for Cutie

My favorite surprise was “Why You’d Want To Live Here,” an oldie from 2001’s The Photo Album. Holy cow, that album is 14 years old now. I can’t handle that right now. Too many feelings. Come to think of it – last night was another milestone for the band besides their first live outing with a new lineup. Barsuk Records recently re-released Death Cab’s first three albums on vinyl, all of which were available to buy last night. I, being too much of a mushy dork, picked up Transatlanticism for nothing more than nostalgic value. Also because I just got a turntable. Music really does sound better on vinyl!

Looking back on the show, the Crocodile was a special place to be. I’ve been a fan of Death Cab for Cutie and Ben as a songwriter for over a decade and the only venues I’ve ever gotten to see them play are arenas and festivals. You don’t often get a chance to see a huge band come back to the place they started and still have it feel just as hometown as any other local band. I have to admit, I got emotional. “Transatlanticism” already makes me sad whenever I hear it, but hearing it live in this little space that I’ve come to know and love made it even more meaningful.

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Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie

But the Crocodile was almost more special for the band. Towards the end of the show, Ben told a heartfelt story about the first time they played the Crocodile back in 1998. “The fact that our little band was playing the Crocodile Café and sold it out, it was almost too much for me to f*cking handle ‘cause it made me realize we were a real band. To this day, that is my most memorable show and my favorite show we’ve ever played.”

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Death Cab for Cutie

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Say Hi

Full Death Cab for Cutie setlist:

I Will Possess Your Heart
Crooked Teeth
Why You’d Want To Live Here
Photobooth
Doors Unlocked
Grapevine Fires
Black Sun *
Title and Registration
What Sarah Said
I Will Follow You Into the Dark
Ghosts of Beverly Drive *
No Sunlight
You Are A Tourist
New Year
Cath
Soul Meets Body
Marching Bands of Manhattan
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No Room in Frame *
A Movie Script Ending
Transatlanticism

* New songs

Photos: Deck the Hall Ball @ KeyArena

Deck the Hall Ball photos! Deck the Hall Ball photos! We’re pleased to display Abby Williamson‘s coverage of the event, which took place on December 8th, 2014. Deck the Hall Ball is an annual event presented by 107.7 The End; we love them for doing this (okay, we have other reasons to love them as well).

All in one place – at KeyArena – Imagine Dragons, Weezer, Cage the Elephant, Young the Giant, TV on the Radio, Kongos and Vance Joy performed. That’s some serious aligning of the stars. These bands are all hard at work, with Weezer and TV on the Radio promoting their October and November releases, Kongos touring the States this winter, Vance Joy opening for Taylor Swift, and oh, get yourselves ready for Imagine Dragons’ second album, Smoke + Mirrors, which will be released on February 17th.

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Photos: Sean Watkins @ the Triple Door

Sean Watkins headlined at the Triple Door last week during his first solo tour. Accompanied by Dominique Arciero (guitar, vocals) and Tyler Chester (bass, piano, Mellotron, vocals), they played a number of songs off Sean’s recent album, All I Do Is Lie. Sean was also in Seattle last May during Nickel Creek’s 25th anniversary tour. The venue is somewhat unique because it has 16 seats right up at the stage. At one point Sean took a few steps forward from the mic and commented that he felt like a sushi chef – and pretended to serve us dinner.

Nashville-based singer-songwriter and one of my favorites, Lauren Shera, opened. Lauren’s third album, Gold and Rust, was released last year.

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Photos: Bumbershoot – Day 3 w/Reverend Horton Heat, Bad Things & The Weather

Day 3 of Bumbershoot continued its festivities with sets by Reverend Horton Heat, Bad Things and the Weather. Bad Things includes snowboarder/skateboarder Shaun White – they’ll play the Rose Bowl in February (unnecessary plug: Shaun White lent his name/face to Stride, some of the best gum ever). Seattle’s the Weather will appear at Neumos on January 17th, and just released a video for “1983.” Reverend Horton Heat gets more festival action at Coachella this year! All photos by Abby Williamson:

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Reverend Horton Heat

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Bad Things

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The Weather