Hey music blog reader…back in Vancouver after an adventure around the Pacific Northwest. Our original plans had to be scaled back but we still managed 7 days tooling around between Seattle and Portland and even Cannon Beach!
Both cities are fantastic. I hadn’t been to Portland in years and it great getting a few days to stroll, eat, and see the sights. The picture above was from our picnic in Laurelhurst Park. We found this little light meals place called Cheese and Crack. They made up some yummy cheese and cracker plates and salami sandwiches, a couple iced coffees and radlers, and we wandered the lovely park in the 30 degree plus heat. Stumptown was magical. Do I love it even more than Seattle or San Francisco?
Back in Seattle we got up to all sorts of stuff. Parades, parks, restaurants, a Mariners game (they got dismantled by the Angels, but it was fun and my Dad’s 59th birthday.), and I even hit a show!
Appleseed Cast performed at the Sunset Tavern in Ballard. The band is on a 15th anniversary tour. When I met my wife Coral, she listened to these guys and got me into them. To be honest, we hadn’t listened much to their music lately…but seeing as they were on tour I thought, “I should check this out.”
I punched “Ballard” into my computer car and it took me 30 minutes west to a groovy neighbourhood that was hopping on a Saturday summer night. It was Ballard Seafood Fest and people were everywhere. Stumbling around drunk with bellies full of seafood.
The Sunset was a great little tavern on one of the main strips. One of those roads where it seemed every other business was a public house or restropub.
The back room was a small, square space with a stage crammed in a corner. It made me nostalgic for being 20 again and checking out bands and getting drunk.
The support bands were both great. Coaster are from Chicago. They said chill a lot. They had the quiet, loud, quiet, then loud again thing down. I like that. I *think* they played this song first? And it was my favourite of the set.
Adjy are from Florida or maybe North Carolina? They had an interesting thing going on. Xylophones, group drumming, REM-esque jangly guitars, song subject matter that was too deep for me.
Adjy means a person who disturbs, causes trouble. The lead singer guy kept trying to explain all his songs, there was something happening behind each cut. At one point he asked the audience to just start talking during a song and the band pulled out books and all started reading aloud!
These guys ended up being highly entertaining.
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This is neat. David Sitek plays in TV on the Radio. He also records music as Maximum Balloon. He released his first new song since 2010 the other day. Features Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Tunde Adebimpe of TVOTR. Sounds rad.
While on holiday I got an email alerting me to this fine cover form Surfer Blood. They take on Outkast’s all-time party jammer “Hey Ya.”
I still have some more music I need to sift through, a few bands I think I promised to get up…so I’ll try to hammer those out in the next few….but here’s the thing, still on holiday till Monday…we’ll see.
Happy Thursday to you. A few more adventures to get after this week! Go with yourself.
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The Morning After 