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When Sallie Ford came to the New Frontier for Squeak & Squawk earlier this year, I think the audience collectively fell in love with her. In addition to being just about the sweetest person in the world, Sallie Ford is an amazingly capable vocalist. Referring to herself as a "belter,"
Music
Since Nov. 10, every time I've adjusted my radio dial to 104.9FM, instead of having my ears rattled by some new metal, I'm greeted by a band like Pearl Jam or Soul Asylum - something hilariously on point for a station that now identifies itself as GenX 104.9FM. Everyone knows what
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Atlanta punks Carnivores revel in that kind of lo-fi rumbling that seems so ever-present now, but they bring a vinyl-collector's knowledge and fervor to it. The band has an awareness of and respect for all manner of lost treasures. Led by keyboardist Caitlin Lang, "Salts to Mines" sounds like a
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Built to Spill are kind of indie rock royalty. Making a name for themselves in the mid-to-late '90s, the band distinguished itself by performing high atop a rigid foundation of complex chord structures and no a small amount of jamming (hoping now that I am not
Music
"I had been into Built to Spill for a little while," says Casey Deligeannis, as we speak over the phone. "I went to one of their shows - I mean, it's been about a year ago. The last time they played at the Showbox. And you always see (guitarist) Doug
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The demise of the Black Water Café undeniably left a hole in the hip downtown coffee scene. For a long time, one could count on finding some of the cooler people around town hanging out in the sequestered comfort of Black Water, laptops or sketchbooks open. Once
Music
The demise of the Black Water Café undeniably left a hole in the hip downtown coffee scene. For a long time, one could count on finding some of the cooler people around town hanging out in the sequestered comfort of Black Water, laptops or sketchbooks open. Once it left ...
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Do you ever get the sensation a band is manipulating you? Do you ever care? The Art of Shooting is an abundantly melodramatic band from Brooklyn; they want very badly for me to feel something when I listen to them. And I do. When those sweeping guitars come in at
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The early years of this millennium's musical landscape were confusing. As is the case with the beginnings of any decade, bands began to shake loose the musical bloat of the mainstream and reach back into the past for influences, all while introducing new inspiration. Born out of this confusion was
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Mono in VCF towered over all others in the Tacoma music scene. As influenced by the '60s as other Tacoma mainstays, Mono in VCF careened into a wholly other dark territory. Slick and hypnotic, the band represented all of the music that seemed to never grow out of Tacoma's alcohol-infused
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In the relatively fresh wake of Mono in VCF, Hunter Lea has started recording as a solo artist. Freed from the dark, melancholy restrictions of his former band, Lea has settled into a gauzy, psychedelia-inspired mode. His music sounds like a distant memory of the '60s -
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The music of Elbow Coulee is inarguably influenced by the kind of power pop that ran so rampant in the mid- to late-1990s, but it is delivered in a deceptively prickly package. In every song there is a huge chorus, delivered in that particularly bratty, California punk style by lead
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Over the years, garage rock has become a staple in the Tacoma music scene, which is partially the result of having a lineage that dates back to the Sonics, those almighty, amp-stabbing garage grandfathers. Talking about "Tacoma grit," the music that pops into one's head is the likely the dirty,
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Hurtbird nimbly avoids classification. In form, perhaps they most closely resemble hip-hop but, similar to Revengers, they eschew classic hip-hop instrumentation in favor of rock ‘n' roll. That's where the similarities end, though, as Hurtbird brings a mellower, more experimental edge to the table. Accompanied largely by spoken word samples
Features
Over the years, garage rock has become a staple in the Tacoma music scene. I suppose it's partially the result of having a lineage that dates back to the Sonics, those almighty, amp-stabbing garage grandfathers. Their echoing influence may be unavoidable for many true-blue Tacoma rockers. Talking about "Tacoma grit,"
Music
There's something strangely nostalgic about the music of Twig Palace. I don't mean that it evokes the ‘60s or that they remind me of any one band in particular, but rather they make me feel like I wa young again - back when I was just discovering music and the
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Twig Palace started out as a recording project between Olympia regulars Colleen Johnson and Evan Hashi, resulting in their debut self-titled LP. Music-wise, it may best be described as rhythmic folk-pop. The worst sleepy nature of folk is staved off by an active percussion section and
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DEAD MAN'S FEAST >>>Saturday, Oct. 30 Alright, alright, I admit it: I know basically nothing about house music. Looking at the poster for Dead Man's Feast, the New Frontier's house music-filled Halloween show, I ticked down the list of genres on tap for the evening. Drum and Bass, sure. Dubstep, OK. Wait,
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THE SPRINGBOARDS >>>Saturday, Oct. 30 Is it ever safe to assume that a band is messing around? This is not to say the music isn't good or valid, but just that it's delivered in a sort of tossed-off, casual manner that seems to say, "Hey, we're having fun." The Springboards seem to
Archives
It used to be that my grandfather, Jim Dickson, had intimate knowledge of many homes in Tacoma. As the owner and proprietor of Dickson TV & Electronics Company Inc., he found himself inside these houses installing state-of-the-art television sets and fixing them when the complicated series of tubes would inevitably