KEXP BBQ - Common Market

Chona Kasinger

review by Eric Mahollitz

Seattle’s Common Market had the unfortunate duty of playing right when the rain came. Fortunately, MC RA Scion was upbeat and handled the foul weather with a grain of salt, leading the audience through an amazing transition from The Saturday Knights to The Helio Sequence. With the rain coming down, much harder than the typical Northwest drizzle, Scion dropped the timely and ironic line about summer in the Northwest and was able to laugh it off afterwards.

Because the BBQ got behind from the get-go, Common Market decided to rifle through as many songs as they could, taking the majority from their upcoming Tobacco Road LP. In all, they tackled approximately a dozen tracks, giving the loyal, rain-soaked crowd something to stick around for. Despite the weather, the crowd gobbled up the set, new songs and old, giving a great hometown reception to one of Seattle’s hardest working groups. In between songs, Scion continually hyped the upcoming record release party, an all-ages show taking place at Neumo’s and featuring guest musicians The Experience Gospel Choir. It seemed like everyone, from the smallest toddlers dancing in the mud to the oldest music lover soaking it in, focused on the performance and forgot about the weather. You know at Common Market has become a force to be reckoned with when they can overpower the rain.

For those not in attendance and unfamiliar with Common Market, now is the time to get in the game. Scion and Sabzi (also of Blue Scholars) are currently running on all cylinders, representing the Northwest well and sure to hit the national stage soon.

Dan Muller

Ron Henry

Dan Muller

Ron Henry

Ron Henry

Dan Muller

Dan Muller

Dan Muller

Ron Henry