Music
Most of my friends have become relatively settled people, growing out of endless partying and incredibly long nights - I know I have. It's just a natural process of getting just the right amount of restlessness out of your system as you age into your late ‘20s. But, there were
Music
One of my favorite musical discoveries of the past decade remains the seven-song debut of That Handsome Devil from 2006. While the band would get more attention later from their modest indie hit, "Rob the Prez-O-Dent," that initial, self-titled album is still a high point for That Handsome Devil -
Music
Before we talk about some bands this week, it must be acknowledged what an amazing job Obsidian has been doing, as of late. The relatively new cafe/bar/venue has been absolutely killing it with their shows, quickly rising through the ranks of music spots in Olympia with at least one surefire
Stage
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is an odd little number, a simultaneously zany comedy with references and themes, and a steadfastly old-fashioned play about clashing personalities briefly coming together. There are stretches of reality-breaking whimsy surrounded by cynical allusions to shallow pop culture (a fictional Entourage 2 becomes
Music
There are moments in everybody's lives where shepherds emerge to usher you into new musical territories. I often write about how my parents shaped my appreciation of music through their joint effort to get me listening to oldies, and then my father's solo effort to corrupt me with Frank Zappa,
Music
There's an oddly storied history of bands that are made up of cartoon characters. Starting with Alvin and the Chipmunks, the notion of creating a virtual band gained a foothold on the fringes of pop music. Notably, Archie and his friends leapt off of the page to release the shamefully
Music
While I live in Tacoma, I love my time that I get to spend in Olympia, which doesn't happen frequently enough for my taste. Whereas Tacoma is relatively spread out, Olympia has most of its main attractions conveniently located in a dense cluster of downtown awesomeness. Olympia has been known
Music
It used to be that singers would credit themselves by their own names, simply because they were the face and the voice given life by a seasoned songwriter. Annette Funicello was a pop darling, and her image was all the selling that was needed. It didn't matter what studio musicians
Stage
I began playing Dungeons & Dragons when I was around 10 years old. My first Dungeon Master was my dad, who himself started playing the game near its inception in the late ‘70s. My fellow campaign members were my brother and our friends, and we enjoyed low-level escapism in a
Music
There's a scene in the film version of High Fidelity where John Cusack's character gets dragged out to a show. Upon approaching the door, he hears "Baby I Love Your Way," and turns to the doorman to say, "Is that Peter f@#&*!$ Frampton?" After going inside and seeing that it's
Music
Roller rinks hold a place of power in the minds of people of a certain age. The further away we get from our childhoods, the more mythical the stature of roller rinks becomes. For me, the vibe of roller rinks combined my two least favorite adolescent experiences: going to a
Music
When I first discovered The Soft Bulletin by the Flaming Lips, it was an eye-opening experience. I had only recently begun digging into music in earnest, and so I was floored to be confronted with this candy-coated pop opera fronted by what I assumed was a madman (recent events have
Music
A few years ago, I saw a show at the New Frontier where multiple bands got together to cover the entirety of the late Jeff Buckley's classic album, Grace. What that night illuminated to me was that, no matter how iconoclastic and indelible the music of Jeff Buckley was, those
Stage
For two days, after which I was fired, I was a door-to-door salesman for a company that sold home security systems. It remains the worst job I've ever done. From house to house, I peddled fear - that someone would inevitably break into these nice homes and abuse the occupants
Stage
There's nothing quite like attending a standup comedy open mic. Part of the charm is that it's such a mixed bag: completely new comedians, some others with more experience, comics who've been in the game for a while just swinging through to test out new material. You never know what
Music
Years ago, I sat in People's Park to attend an intimate, outdoor show featuring Kimya Dawson. Earlier in the show, one of the opening bands played a cover of "What's Up" by 4 Non Blondes. Later, when Kimya Dawson sat down to play, and confessed that she had to leave
Music
Every great band deserves a killer breakup album. Beck had his with the lush Sea Change, Chris Isaak had the stone-cold classic Forever Blue, Kanye West had the claustrophobic oversharing of 808s & Heartbreak, and Bob Dylan gave us the anger and sense of betrayal on Blood on the Tracks.
Music
I've spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about a trend among bands that emulate the sounds of ‘60s and ‘70s garage-pop: for whatever reason, a relatively significant number of these bands end up covering "Hang On Sloopy" by the McCoys at some point in their careers. If I were
Music
Last year, Matt Berninger of the National and Brent Knopf of Menomena teamed up for an unlikely side project called El Vy. While the National's stately, mature indie rock might not seem like it would mix easily with Menomena's fractured experimentalism, the resultant product brought out new sides to each
Music
Some bands are so distinctive and influential that to describe them would be redundant. These are artists who've risen to such a level that their names are used to describe other artists. Chuck Berry, the Beatles, the Sex Pistols, the Talking Heads - these are not simply musical acts, but