The British indie pop girl group, The Pipettes, played at the Croc last night (5/1) in support of their latest release, Earth vs. The Pipettes. Sisters Gwenno and Ani Saunders were backed by an all-male band, The Cassettes. Their last Seattle visit in November, 2007 was also at the Croc (version 1.0 at the time).
Forget jellybeans and chocolate bunnies – the best Easter treat in Seattle was found in Ballard on Sunday April 24th as Kurt Vile played two concerts that showed off the range of his substantial musical talents. The lanky Philadelphian with the voluminous long hair easily sold out the Sunset Tavern with his band, the Violators, and packed Sonic Boom Records (just around the corner from the Sunset) for a short acoustic set. Vile is an example of an artist who is able to integrate multiple musical genres and influences seamlessly; a sonic chef of sorts. In less talented hands, the mix would perhaps be jarring, but Vile is an excellent songwriter. This was particularly evident when hearing a song like “Jesus Fever,” his latest pull from his new album Smoke Ring For My Halo twice in the evening. Sung with only an acoustic guitar at Sonic Boom, it was easy to hear the fluidity of the melody, the clever turns in the arrangement, and the warmth of Vile’s voice; with the full band in a jammed club, the snap and shake of the drums chugged underneath, supporting the guitar, now electrified, grimy, and atmospheric. Both versions were superb, because it’s a good song, and a good song is a good song no matter the instrumentation. I think that’s from a Dr. Seuss book.
Kurt Vile @ Sonic Boom Records
It’s somewhat difficult to describe Vile’s music. There are elements of psych, folk, low-fi, shoegaze, ‘70s and ‘80s pop, dynamics ranging from intimate to sonic overload. There are repeating drones and traditional guitar solos, and even some electronica and a blurting sax spotlight (both heard in the encore’s “Freak Train”). I’ve read that Vile claims Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Bob Seger as influences, but I don’t hear it at all. Those three artists write MOR anthems, great and grand statements for the common man. Vile is simply too quirky for that, but that strangeness is good and helps to set him apart. The most accurate comparison I can come up with is to the ‘60s band Love. Love, too, had a psych-folk emphasis, but in a broad stylistic range (the desolate confessional “Signed, D.C.” to sunny hippie pop “Orange Skies” to top-speed garage rock “7 and 7 Is”) – beautifully crafted songs with an endearing humanity to them.
It all hung together perfectly at both Sonic Boom and the Sunset, and both sets had a pleasant, floating, deep droning vibe to them, enhanced by Vile’s quiet, friendly, and slightly-goofy stage manner. “He’s Alright,” “In My Time,” “Overnight Religion,” and “Hunchback” were live standouts. The Sunset’s stage was perhaps a bit too small for the Violators; one got the sense that the band and Vile felt a bit physically constrained at times. The crowd there was enthusiastic and polite, often completely silent during quieter numbers and while Vile and the other two guitarists were tuning up, very unusual at a bar, and enough for Vile to remark that the audience was very “chill.”
A different kind of crowd chill seemed to be in effect for openers EMA, who seemed a bit disheartened and discombobulated by the tepid response they received at the Sunset. Again, the stage seemed too small for focal-point Erika M. Anderson, whose dramatic lyrics and impassioned performance style seemed to call for a bigger place to prowl around, and perhaps a younger audience.
Show Review & Photos by Marianne Spellman
Kurt Vile @ the Sunset Tavern
Kurt Vile @ Sonic Boom Records
EMA @ the Sunset Tavern
Rapidly rising Seattle roots rock band Cody Beebe and the Crooks played their first hometown show in nearly two months, headlining the Crocodile on Saturday April 23rd. The show celebrated the end of an extensive Western/Southwestern US tour – while dropping hints of big things for the future. If the Crocodile wasn’t sold out it sure looked that way; the main floor was packed solid with enthusiastic fans. Cody and the Crooks had a hand in picking the openers for the night. This led to some great collaborations with Austin Jenckes, Daniel Kamas and River Giant.
Though billed as Austin Jenckes and the First Call, Jenckes took the stage solo. His smooth voice and expansive vocal range captured the crowd’s attention. His original songs were great but what really caught my ear was the diversity of the songs he covered. Early in the set he led the crowd in a sing along of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” Somewhere in the middle of the set he broke out just the chorus of the 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up?” He encouraged the guys in the audience to unleash their higher vocal register to attempt to sing the same pitch as Linda Perry. Towards the end of the set he unleashed his heavy, acoustic cover of the Smashing Pumpkins’ “Disarm.”
The second act was L.A.-based singer-songwriter Daniel Kamas. Formerly a Seattle resident and UW student, Kamas received a warm welcome from friends and fans throughout the venue. Cody Beebe and Crooks drummer Chris Green joined him on stage for a song. He played a mix of old and new material, mixing many musical styles into his own pop-folk sound.
River Giant was the most musically diverse opener of the night. Their sound can be described as Band of Horses meets the Moody Blues. They fluctuate between melodic indie-folk and psychedelic blues, traversing the space in between. Their live set was a little rough but enjoyable. “Little Hands” was the highlight of the set for me. It’s a slightly psychedelic slow burner with great vocal melodies throughout the chorus.
Cody Beebe and the Crooks – photo courtesy of codybeebeandthecrooks.com
Cody Beebe and the Crooks took the stage to a packed Crocodile ready to rock the house. They kick-started the set and gave the crowd a shot of musical adrenaline with the rave-up “Hurricane.” The melody of the radio-ready “Waiting On You” and the galloping rhythm of “The Aftermath” were highlights. A passionate, extended jam of the Pink Floyd influenced “War” showcased the musical talents of the band, especially those of guitarist Greg Floyd and keyboardist Aaron Myers.
Instead of playing set staple, the recession anthem “Nine to Chain,” Cody Beebe and the Crooks premiered the music video for the song. The video, depicting realistic scenes of recession struggles, was extremely professional, polished and moving. I honestly didn’t know what to expect but the band and production company, Fueled Creative, knocked it out of the park. The band expects to officially release the video later this spring or summer.
A touching point in the set came when multi-instrumentalist Tyler Paxton introduced his cousin and had him take the stage. His cousin enlisted in the Air Force and is scheduled to shortly ship out for basic training. He is an aspiring harmonica player. He joined the band on “Change of Pace” and nailed it. He stopped on a dime with the band at the end of the song.
The couple of new songs they performed were very strong with new layers and textures. The new songs prove that Cody Beebe and the Crooks isn’t a band content to churn out the same stuff over and over like an assembly line.
They brought Daniel Kamas onstage to perform a full band version of his tune “Wrecking Ball,” heard back in the day on 103.7 The Mountain. They closed the show with an extended jam version of Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)” showcasing Floyd’s guitar work and Beebe’s strong vocals. They returned for an encore to close out the night and left the audience cheering and wanting more.
After some well-deserved and much needed R&R, Cody Beebe and the Crooks play the Showbox with Eclectic Approach and others on June 10th. Then they set their sights on a summer tour that will crisscross the United States.
by Chris Senn
British musician Plan B was absolutely captivating on Saturday night at Chop Suey. He brought an entire band with him for the show – two guitarists, keyboard player, bassist, drummer and two backup singers. Plan B’s a gifted songwriter, and it turns out he’s a gifted performer as well, one who’s unafraid to do something completely different from what you might expect, all within the same show. He rocked, crooned, rapped and just charmed. The first part of his show was mostly songs from his second album, the Defamation of Strickland Banks, a set that exuded sexy R&B, including “Prayin’,” “Hard Times,” “The Recluse,” “She Said,” the filthy beauty that is “Love Goes Down,” and “Welcome to Hell,” which he prefaced by proposing, “Let’s get married.” Another strong point was his cover of Paolo Nutini’s “Coming Up Easy,” a song Plan B said he suspected was about smoking weed. For an encore he performed an excellent Motown medley plus a dubstep medley, and then closed out with “Pieces” (incredible live) and probably my favorite Plan B song, “Stay Too Long.” The rap bit in this one was especially spot-on, and I need to point out the guitarists as roaringly good. Plan B is a class act.
Plan B – review & photos by Dagmar
On March 29th the Triple Door had Zoë Keating, a cellist from Canada, on their stage. Keating has worked with a wide variety of artists including John Vanderslice, Amanda Palmer, Rasputina and Tarentel. Photographer Kirk Stauffer attended Keating’s show and got some lovely shots:
Zoë Keating