Les Claypool (of Primus fame) partnered up with Marc “Mirv” Haggard to perform at the Neptune on August 23rd as the bluegrass-inflected Duo de Twang. Sitting with a mock campfire between them on stage, the duo played an entertaining set of covers ranging from the Bee Gees to Alice in Chains along with Primus classics including “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver” and “Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver.” Musical comedy duo, Reformed Whores, opened the show.
Les Claypool’s Duo De Twang
Reformed Whores
Fiona Apple stopped in Seattle for the second night of the “Anything We Want” tour with Blake Mills, which kicked off in Portland the night before. Apple and the audience enjoyed a lot of playful banter between songs from her albums, as well as new material.
Fiona Apple
In support of their sixth album, Trouble Will Find Me, the National made a stop in Seattle to play the Paramount Theatre in late September. Drawing from a deep catalog of meticulous songcraft, Matt Berninger and company captivated the capacity crowd with an extended two hour set. The show came to a close with an acoustic performance of “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks,” which moved the entire audience to sing along and made for one of my favorite concert moments of 2013.
The National
Rising 16-year-old New Zealand singer Lorde (born Ella Yelich-O’Connor) headlined during the Decibel Festival at the Showbox at the Market in support of her debut album, Pure Heroine, which was released on September 30. “Royals,” the hit single, was recently #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. What a talented performer! I made the claim after her show that she’d never be back in Seattle at such a small venue. I proved myself right today when it was announced that she’d be back in town at the 17,450 seat KeyArena for the Deck The Hall Ball on December 3.
Lorde
As we move along in our 2013 Bumbershoot coverage, here are photos of Mates of State, Ramona Falls, Kithkin, Matt Pond and Katie Kate as they played various stages throughout the Seattle Center grounds. Mates of State return to Seattle for a show with Nada Surf on November 7th. That show will celebrate their record label Barsuk’s 15th anniversary.
Katie Kate – photo by Kirk Stauffer
Katie Kate – photo by Simon Krane
Mates of State – photo by Simon Krane
Matt Pond – photo by Simon Krane
Ramona Falls – photo by Simon Krane
Kithkin – photo by Simon Krane
Ramona Falls – photos by Simon Krane
Matt Pond – photos by Simon Krane
Mates of State – photos by Simon Krane
Kithkin – photos by Simon Krane
Katie Kate – photos by Simon Krane
Katie Kate – photos by Kirk Stauffer