My stars shine darkly over me; the malignancy of my fate might, perhaps, distemper yours; therefore I shall crave of you your leave that I may bear my evils alone. It were a bad recompense for your love, to lay any of them on you. - Twelfth Night
Hey Monday!
The ShowBox at the Market got rocker last night. Hard.
It was a really fun line-up of bands that seemed to gel smoothly to create a mosh-fest that was much appreciated. The booker for ShowBox needs a bonus for this one. First up were the Friday Night Boys who got everyone moving and jumping and generally in the spirit. Afterwards, the band I was most excited for, Hey Monday came out and I had to wade into the pit for dancing and mayhem. They delivered a solid set of anthems, lively stage presence and all-around an excellent show. In my mind it was the next band, We The Kings, that stole the show. Even over All Time Low who headlined. Don't get me wrong I'm an ATL fan, but the marked improvement I've noticed over the last time I saw WTK blew my mind! A special treat in the middle was a cover of Jimmy Eat World, The Middle. I couldn't stop jumping and pumping my fist. Along with 1000 of my closest mosh-friends. On a seperate note, the crew of the Box and the various bands were really on it last night in a big way. They set everything up and tore it down with smooth and seamless precision that was Swiss-watch worthy. Hats off to them! I'll get some pictures up when I can, but if you have a chance to see them (hint, hint, Jingle Bell Bash) do the needful to be there because they are worth it. And since I'll be in India, first confirmed request will get my two tickets to JBB on the 19th. It's good to have friends in the business.
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Take It Away
Even when the crowd in Seattle is dark and attempting to be alternative, they're still fragile and almost cute.
Tonight at the ShowBox SoDo I got to see The Almost and The Used do their respective things. It was mostly unremarkable. The hilight was being in the John while some kid was dragged out of a stall and arrested for dealing. Which should tell you about the quality of musical performances. It was actually refreshing to hear The Almost announce that they were Christian and invite others to accept Him. Not what you'd expect in between two other bands who encouraged the crowd to shout the F word. So chalk that one up to experience and rounding out my musical open- mindedness.
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Shaimus @ Nectar
After an extended absence Seattle finally was blessed with an appearance from the boys of Shaimus at Nectar.
They pulled a great crowd, doubling up as an MI reunion. I'd be lying if I said seeing the old gang didn't leave me nostalgic. The performance of Left To Dry was a favorite of mine. Glad I got the chance to bask with them for a season.
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Vacation Tip #42
When you travel, arrange to lodge with a cool gal who is staying in an all-inclusive resort. It makes buying drink rounds a lot easier and cuts your travel budget immensely.
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Halloween in Puerto Vallarta
Headed to Mexico to help some friends celebrate their nuptials. We're staying at an excellent resort that's perfect for the size of this party. It's low season so not many tourists but plenty of locals.
Yesterday we took a boat tour and did some snorkelling and zip-lines. I wasn't a fan of the ropes course, but loved zipping around on the lines. And all this time amongst the locals is really helping my Spanish. We went out last night and had dinner at a distillery that overlooked the main strip. Everywhere were people in costumes begging candy from shopkeepers and cars cruising. They closed the road and there was a candy parade with thousands of people mobbing the buses and trucks throwing out goodies. The food and the tequila was amazing but the balcony view for the festivities was outstanding. We decided to take the day off and chill by the pool. Tomorrow is the wedding and then we have some ATVing and stuff. It's good to go with a big group for the activities. I'll let you know if we get around to parasailing.
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Snow Patrol and Plain White T's
Last night Seattle got rocked by two great bands.
The Plain White T's started things off right, engaging the crowd with favorites. They played some new stuff which was exciting to hear. Their sound has gotten a lot smoother and more accessible which was evidenced by all the people singing along. After a longer than expected break, Snow Patrol woke everyone up with some rowdy renditions of popular singles. Some of the lesser listened to music took on new life with passionate and powerful stage performance. The Paramount in GA mode remains a great venue, especially for smooth rocking bands who feel intimate but have a full presence on stage and a diverse audience who aren't necessarily used to rubbing shoulders. Snow Patrol captured my ear again and the chance to hear the accent live and watch the guitars rip in real-time was a treat I'll always be down to catch. If you have half an ear you'll want to find a performance to watch for yourself.
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Secondhand Serenade
The first time I saw Secondhand Serenade was at the House of Blues in Anaheim. It was a one-man acoustic show and his passion and powerful lyrics got to me.
It's hard to compare this show, as he was headlining with a band, and the Showbox SoDo was in it's more intimate arrangement. But having Evan Taubenfield open was a flash-back that made me smile. Usually I'd be seeing gigs like this at El Corazon or Chop Suey, so it's nice to see the artists upscaling to the likes of the Showbox and the venues expanding their audiences. Watching acoustic songwriters transition from carrying a show to performing in front of a band isn't always the easiest. They can over- reach and end up sounding formulaic and repetitive. Take Matt Nathanson for example. I'd quit a job, lie to my mom, stand-up a date with Mrs. Draper, or mug an old lady for tickets just to watch him play a 5 song solo set. But tell me he's headlining his band again and I'll have to check the calendar to see if there aren't any good movies playing first. The difference is that significant. All in, the bands were engaging and lively, while the crowd was festive and typical for Seattle. I'll definitely head back to SoDo whenever it's in small setting though, because that was well done.
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