independent thoughts on indie rock, alternative, and indie pop music
It was a sultry night last Saturday, as the temps climbed into the upper 90s, unusual for those of us here in Portland, Oregon--but unbeknownst to the passersby, the Doug Fir Lounge was hot inside as well – not for lack of A/C, but because Seattle’s Pickwick played a show that set us all on... Continue Reading →
I’ll never forget when I first heard “Hacienda Motel,” the breakout hit from Can’t Talk Medicine, the debut album from Seattle-based Pickwick back in 2013; frontman Galen Disston’s soulful vocals carried on a retro-infused layer of reverb-y goodness made that track virtually strut right out of the speakers. I was hooked. Since then, we Pickwick... Continue Reading →
The moment you become enthralled with someone’s music and relegate yourself to fandom is a moment that is hard to forget—like a jolt of emotional lightning that surges through your being and creates intense joy, inspiring admiration and worship of an artist and his or her music. It’s not always easily explained, but it is... Continue Reading →
There’s definitely something in the water around Seattle; whatever your musical persuasion, there has been a steady stream of outstanding artists from the area for decades. Sometimes, those musically fertile grounds produce an artist whose talent is undefinable. With her new EP, Stone, out January 16th, Whitney Mongé is one such artist whose work summons viscerally... Continue Reading →
Veteran alt-rockers Minus the Bear are planning to release their sixth full-length album and their first in half a decade, VOIDS, on March 3rd via Suicide Squeeze Records, a bastion of the Emerald City’s vaunted indie rock scene. For the past 15 years, the innovative band has defied classification, selling over 500,000 records and performing for countless sold out crowds... Continue Reading →
"I had always wanted to work with him; in high school I remember seeing his name in the liner notes of all these hardcore and post-punk records I listened to and thinking, 'How the hell do I get this guy to record MY songs?!' recalls Chris Cunningham of Seattle-based alt-rock outfit Ravenna Woods of Matt... Continue Reading →
If I thought I was escaping the dog days of summer in the South by taking East of 8th on the road to Seattle, I was sadly mistaken—I clearly brought the heat with me, as the Pacific Northwest was in the in the midst of an intense heat wave last week. Even so, the typically... Continue Reading →
Being a child of the 90s, I came of age wearing combat boots and flannel while wielding a 5-disc CD changer brimming with Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, and Dinosaur, Jr.; there was a special place in my musical heart reserved for those dark and emotive female-fronted grunge bands like Garbage and Veruca Salt, and the... Continue Reading →
Seattle indie rock septet Hey Marseilles have unleashed their music video for “Eyes On You”, the third track from their self-titled third studio LP set for release on February 5th! Directed by renowned Pacific Northwest photographer/director Charlie Schuck who founded the influential Object design space in Seattle and starring Corina Bakker of the band The Tempers,... Continue Reading →
Seattle's Ivan & Alyosha (and no, there is no one in the band named Ivan OR Alyosha) delighted and dazzled at The High Watt recently, with fellow Seattle-er/Seattle-ite (you get the drift) Kris Orlowski providing opening support. Orlowski, accompanied only by his soothingly smokey voice and his trusty guitar, gifted us with an unbelievably honest... Continue Reading →
