Saturday night, Paula Boggs of the Paula Boggs Band invited me to join her at the Skylark Cafe in West Seattle. My wife and I had a great time and the band made us feel very welcome.
The Paula Boggs Band is a local Jazz/Blues band that’s beginning to make a splash on the national Jazz scene. Paula shared with us how she gets inspired by real people and real situations when she writes her heartfelt lyrics.
Paula spoke emotionally about “Edith’s Coming Home” and how “Edith” was a legal pioneer, becoming one of New York State’s first African American judges. In later life, Edith struggled with dementia and lost that precious something that helped her overcome obstacles and achieve such lofty goals.
Do yourself a favor and see Paula and her band at your local jazz club.
Britain’s – and this year’s winner of that country’s Mercury Prize – alt-J had their first headlining show in Seattle on December 17th, bringing with them Wildcat! Wildcat!. A quartet, alt-J is an unusual band and one I’d say is unique in music’s climate at the moment. Their debut LP, An Awesome Wave, often reminds me of a-ha’s later work – I’m talking about way past what you might know a-ha for. As an a-ha aficionado (I mean that) there’s not much higher a compliment I can give a band. They possess similar gentle, sweeping sounds with elegant guitars and singer/guitarist Joe Newman’s vocals at times recall a-ha vocalist Morten Harket’s strongest moments. The band includes various gorgeous sounds: sometimes the music will sound a bit Irish, sometimes it will sound Spanish, or Indian, and while watching alt-J I was struck by singer/guitarist Joe Newman’s and guitarist/bassist Gwil Sainsbury’s guitar playing. They plucked their guitars with their fingers, using a pizzicato style I have never seen in a “pop” band. It was a beautiful thing to hear and see. The way Newman and keyboardist Gus Unger-Hamilton combined their vocals, as in “Fitzpleasure,” was also really lovely. And I need to mention that drummer Thom Green is a mighty great drummer. The set list was familiar to and loved by the audience, and included “Something Good,” “Breezeblocks,” “Dissolve Me,” “Matilda,” “Taro” (my top alt-J song) and “Tessellate,” with the lyrics triangles are my favorite shape. Tessellation is an actual thing, by the way: Tessellation is the process of creating a two-dimensional plane using the repetition of a geometric shape with no overlaps and no gaps (thank you Wikipedia). They also covered Kylie Minogue’s mash up with Dr. Dre, “Slow Dre” in a sexily alternate way that took me midway through the song before I recognized it. And, a bonus: Newman wore a T-shirt from the nearby Mama’s Mexican Kitchen, one of my favorite restaurants.
alt-J
Wildcat! Wildcat!, a great trio from Los Angeles, opened the evening. I would be well- disposed towards any band with this name, but they actually have some sweet tunes, so even better! Their vocals were also strong, and their songs were alluring pieces for sure. I want to see them headline here for a longer set. I recommend you head over to the band’s music page, where you can download – for free – a couple Wildcat! Wildcat! tracks, “Mr. Quiche” and “The Chief.”
California’s Kreayshawn just released her debut album, Somethin’ ‘Bout Kreay, in September, and she’s already a headliner. And she should be. Any song with the lyrics I got all the syrup in the catchy, awesome “Breakfast (Syrup)” should be heard far and wide. That’s what we think. Kreayshawn brought her Group Hug Tour with Honey Cocaine and Chippy Nonstop to Neumos on 12/12/12, and photographer Josh Daniels captured some of the magic:
Dark Dark Dark and Emily Wells played the Crocodile’s stage right before Halloween on October 29th. Violinist and multi-instrumentalist Wells hits the Pacific Northwest again on December 27th with a date at Portland’s Doug Fir, while Dark Dark Dark released Who Need Who just this year. All photos by Lord Fotog:
