Kevin N. Murphy got some beautiful photo subjects in and beautiful photos of School of Seven Bells and Active Child, who played Neumos earlier this week. This is another great pairing of bands Neumos has brought to Seattle recently and I’m thrilled to share Murphy’s photos:
School of Seven Bells
Active Child
I was fortunate enough to be a part of the private Hole End Session held at Bumbershoot (that sounds a lot more dirty than it actually is). It was definitely an experience and we all learned a lot, probably too much, about Miss Courtney Love. Over-sharing aside, it was fun to see her live and in such an intimate setting. She held herself as much less of a crazy crackhead than we are all led to believe she is. On the other hand Lonely H had a great showing at the EMP Sky Church. Not only are they cute, but they’re great musicians. Looking forward to hearing more from them. LMFAO, as no surprise to anyone, had a packed “house” at their outdoor performance late on Sunday. Their music is a ton of fun and their stage show goes right along with it as a very tall robot-man made obscene gestures to the audience in time with the rest of the singers. No wonder the kids have been talking about them. Head to the flickr collection for more photos from Bumbershoot.
Eldrige Gravy and The Court Supreme
This band is always a smooth mix of funky music that will rock you down until you just can’t boogie any more (possibly because your ass is sore from shakin’ your booty for so long). These folks have Mr. and Lady Gravy up front, but one of the things that I love about them is that it’s not just about the Gravies being the center of attention. They make a point to include the whole band and really turn it in to a family affair, show casing each band members talent. The brass section is unbelievably talented and the “back up singers” are more like extensions of awesomeness from all sides. I do have to say that Mr. and Lady Gravy have intense and soothing voices that will make you wail for more of them. Thanks to a great bass player, a keyboard that seems to boogie on its own, a rippin’ electric guitar and a badass brass section these folks just burn it down!
Black Cherry Crush
Imagine Tina Turner meets funkadelic jam. These kids got style. The singer with a lovely black cocktail dress was lovely. Fysah Thomas with a wild leotard, full on leg warmers and a bangin’ voice really set the tone for a great set. Their “back up singer” is full of real love and spunk. Her voice is a force to be reckoned with for sure!
Yeager
Eldrige Gravy and The Court Supreme
Mr. Gravy
Lady Gravy
Yeager
The Colonel
The Court Supreme
The Court Supreme
Set List
Black Cherry Crush
Black Cherry Crush
Black Cherry Crush
Arcade Fire‘s latest CD, the Suburbs debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. On Wednesday night they played KeyArena, the largest venue in Seattle. It’s not every day that a band often described as indie sees this type of success, perhaps this indicates a swing in popular tastes. Tucson’s Calexico opened the show – by the way, I want this shirt.
Please enjoy some photos from the evening by Alex Crick:
Arcade Fire
Calexico
I wish I had a bear on whose shoulders I could rest at shows. The Flaming Lips‘ Wayne Coyne does have this bear I speak of and I am just a little jealous – well okay it’s someone in a bear suit – but I won’t let that ruin my joy over these photos. Coyne’s also got a giant hamster ball to roll around in, and that looks pretty awesome too. Here’s some magical photographic evidence by Alex Crick of the Flaming Lips’ Paramount show:
