Showbox SoDo had Josh Ritter and Scott Hutchison on their stage last Tuesday. Ritter, who just released his eighth EP, To the Yet Unknowing World, has also made seven LPs. He’s a novelist as well – look for his debut this summer. Scott Hutchison of Scottish band Frightened Rabbit opened. Photographers Jason Tang and Suzi Pratt brought back some excellent shots:
Josh Ritter
Scott Hutchison
Guitarist Al Di Meola played Jazz Alley last Sunday evening. Di Meola plays a variety of guitar styles but is perhaps best-known for his Jazz work. Photographer Geoffrey Gribbin caught the prolific and expert Di Meola as the guitarist worked his magic:
Al Di Meola
If there’s a better way to spend part of President’s Day Weekend than rocking out with the always entertaining, always high energy the Presidents of the United States of America at Showbox at the Market I wouldn’t have the slightest idea what it would be. Kitties, chickies, froggies and fans of all ages packed the sold-out Showbox for the second night of PUSAFEST 11.
Quickly rising Seattle group, The Young Evils, opened. They have a similar dynamic to The Vaselines and routinely churn out muscular pop rock. “This Rock and Roll City is Done” is a direct, guitar heavy number while “A Just Built Beaming Light” showcases the vocal harmonies of Mackenzie Mercer and Troy Nelson. The sound mix at the Showbox was as close to perfect as I’ve ever heard it, allowing their melodies to shine.
The second act was self-described “geek famous” singer-songwriter Jonathan Coulton. This former computer programmer’s tongue-in-cheek lyrics were a perfect fit for PUSAFEST. He took the stage with his acoustic guitar to sing stories of IKEA, Tom Cruise, the first baseball commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis and, of course, zombies.
Chris Ballew, Andrew McKeag and Jason Finn took the stage ready to blow the roof off the joint. As the set went on it became more and more apparent that a 5-year-old hyperactive child is trapped inside Ballew’s body. Bounding around the stage, he treated the audience to jumping karate kicks and windmill power chords galore. While their set covered their entire career, it was heavily tilted towards their earlier material.
They kicked off the set with a fast and heavy “Lunatic to Love” and followed it up with “Dune Buggy.” They played almost everything a Presidents fan would want to hear. Judging by crowd response the favorites were “Kitty,” a fast and furious version of “Lump,” “Kick Out the Jams,” “Peaches” and a spirited cover of “Video Killed the Radio Star.” They also covered half the chorus of Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades” and The Isley Brothers’ “Shout,” guiding the audience down to the floor to do the “turtle dance” from Animal House. They put on one of the most enjoyable shows I have ever attended. The songs sounded great and crowd interaction was through the roof.
They closed the show with the now ironic “We Are Not Going to Make It.” Since the Presidents are selling out shows at Showbox at the Market sixteen years after the release of their debut, I’m going out on a limb and declaring that they have made it. Congratulations guys! See you at PUSAFEST 12.
Review by Chris Senn
Photos by Xander Deccio
Despite the weatherman’s threat of heavy snow in the Seattle metro area, John Popper and the Duskray Troubadours attracted a good-sized audience at Neumos last night. As the first stop on an extensive U.S. tour, they played numerous songs from their forthcoming self-titled album to be released next Tuesday (3/1), as well as several Blues Traveler favorites. Also on Tuesday, watch for them on the George Lopez Show.
California natives Young the Giant played a sold out show at The Tractor Tavern in Ballard on Friday. All benefits went to YouthCare Seattle, an organization that works to end youth homelessness. For the excited audience members $10.77 was a small price to pay for the amazing show the band put on. The audience danced along, no doubt trying to catch up to the wild stage presence the band brought. Of course they saved their radio hit “My Body” for last! Check out some photos below!
To see the rest of the photos from that night click here.