Recent Shows

The recent shows in this blog post were recent at the start of 2011, and go back to 2009. In other words they aren't that recent. Trying to remember what I saw and do it justice - and mostly failing - was what inspired me to start a new blog and get most of the shows I make it to recorded on video, photographed, and blogged. For posterity, here's the original "Recent Shows" blog post: I thought back to memorable shows that resonated, and I end up highlighting two from 2009 Don McLean and Roger McGuinn. First Aid Kit played a memorable show at the Vera and I saw nearly 50 bands at 15 or so shows there. Vera highlights:
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - hammered out solid rock and roll for a long set. Best rock show of the year? I'll have to review BShoot & CHBP.
Hooks and Beaks - local woman who plays harp and sings. Interesting variety of material, covers and originals. Great range of sounds, talented local performer.
Veracity shows at the Vera: I volunteer & make the food at these. My first one had 3 punk bands with female vocalists, some were all woman others were mixed, I think this had Cooz Bane. Fun show, punk is high energy, often somewhat weak musically. Beats and stridency, fun and bombast. Most recent one had Nordus and I know their guitarist. Another fun show, mild to low turn out.

Bumbershoot! - a feast of music. Kicked it off Saturday with Becky Sue and Her Big Rocking Daddies. The new stage outside the EMP was nice. Local acts ruled! From Becky Sue to the Maldives, Star Anna, Born Anchors, Feral Children, The Decembrists out of Portland, Wheedle's Groove and that's just Saturday. I left out some locals I missed on Saturday like Grynch, Idiot Pilot (seen at Sound Off years ago) and the Cute Lepers.
Not local Saturday: Health, Balkan Beat Box (best of show?), Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros, Bob Dylan, Ozomatli.

Sunday highlights: local outfits Sweetwater, Unnatural Helpers, the Lonely H, David Bazan, the Redwood Plan, Slender Means, Fences, the Physics, Fresh Espresso and Hey Marseilles - their version of Love Insurgent may have been the best song of Bumbershoot.
Good non-local acts included Crash Test Kings (fun song choices), the Bouncing Souls, Rah Rah Riot, Aterciopelados, Delorean, LMFAO and Billy Bragg.

Closed out Bumbershoot on Monday with local bands Brent Amaker and the Rodeo, People Eating People, Victor Shade, BOAT, Helladope, THEESatisfaction, the Moondoggies, Japandroids (Vancouver BC), Lisa Dank, Laura Viers, The Thermals (Portland).
Non-local highlights were Baroness, Bomba Estero, Surfer Blood, and closed out Bumershoot for 2010 with the English Beat in the fog and cold with the Space Needle looming above, half shrouded in mist. Luckily they kept the audience on it's feet and moving.

Made it to Folk Life Festival but didn't do it justice.
CHBP volunteered one day, saw lots of good bands at several venues, sucked down many $3 22 Oz Mexican beers.
Veracity - watched a couple with Ben, he really enjoyed Sea Cats, didn't much like solo performers. I ended up working the last 3 or 4, making vegan tacos. I'm on the Veracity Committee now.
Steel Tigers of Death

Don McLean at the Edmonds Perfiming Arts Center was early in 2009. I had to look it up. Roger McGuinn was there in October 2009. Their performances have stuck with me, McLean doing Starry Starry Night (Vincent) was heartbreaking, Miss American Pie may be the best pop/rock song ever written, wonderful song writing and amusing moderately informative patter, McLean had stories about folk singers and musicians that were priceless, and McGuinn was a seminal guitar sound developer in the early days of electric rock radio with many innovations to his credit - that jangly guitar sound in "Mr. Tambourine Man" not to mention a great vocal, the bible inspired "Turn Turn Turn", his early ties to Dylan, he was quite effective as a solo performer carrying songs that had huge vocal harmonies in the original quite well, I expected them to suffer more from the solo treatment. Those two shows hae stayed with me.
Missed Sasquatch Fest, so I mostly saw shows at the Vera project through the spring.