I pulled this record off the KEXP shelves not quite sure why the name meant something to me. Were they an old Seattle band? Had they spawned another, more famous band? Well, not really, but when I looked at their website (and I wish all the defunct bands I covered here had such thorough, informative web presences), it clicked. Vomit Launch’s drummer, Larry Crane, later went on to found Tape Op Magazine, which is really the periodical for the home- and creative-recording community, and Jackpot! Recording Studio in Portland. I even met Larry once, several years ago, when I went down to Jackpot! for an informative and edifying recording workshop. So I must have come across some mention of Vomit Launch in the pages of Tape Op. But somehow I’ve never gotten around to listening to them (oh, hello there…).
Vomit Launch may have been from Chico rather than Seattle, but it seems there was plenty of gossip to go around about them among the DJs at KCMU. Names have been redacted to protect the probably not-at-all innocent.
“Not bad really. Some more loud guitar pop from California. Apparently our very own_____ _____ knows these folks and rumor has it he slept w/one of the band members whom he described as ‘loose’ or something to that effect. So, . . . play it!”
“That’s gotta be the case. Or he was just ‘lucky’ or something to that effect. So, you should play this — ’cause it’s lucky.”
“Really! All I heard was stories from Downsider _____ _____! But I did give Lyndsey a ride home once and got drunk with Trish a few times at Hey Juan’s plus I have a copy of Lawrence’s pre-Launch recordings. Holy shit what memories.”
“_____ ‒ you crazy tripster. Those Chico days!”
“Hey, I liked ‘Scraping Windows’… play it!”
“Try ‘Bad Acid’ — it’s great!!”
“The Walkaboutsa are thanked on the inner sleeve-thang. They toured together last fall.”
“Let’s explore our feelings,” bassist Chris Cain sagely and deliberately intones into the mic as the three-piece high energy rock ‘n’ roll funsters We Are Scientists take to the stage and launch into ‘Nice Guys’ — the second single from their recently released fourth studio album, Barbara.
all photos by Jeff Gough
Taking their name from the song “We Are Scientists” by the recently reformed 90s emo band Cap’n Jazz, the New York-based group have enjoyed stellar success in the UK, where they regularly play to 80,000-strong summer festival crowds, and earlier this year they performed a completely sold-out show at London’s uber-trendy live music venue Hoxton Bar & Grill.
Tonight at Neumo’s, however, the audience, while not quite in the festival field-filling numbers, is equally excited and enthralled as the animated trio bounce along to their highly addictive brand of driving, riff-heavy, angular rock with their quirky, frantically romantic songs all delivered with a knowing wink and a cheeky smile.
Robin Pecknold from Fleet Foxes has released a 14 minutes black and white documentary of his current tour as the opening act for Joanna Newsom.The video is available for viewing on the Fleet Foxes web site.
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Each and every Friday we offer songs by local artists. Today’s selection, featured on the Morning Show with John Richards, is Lindstrøm & Christabelle with “Lovesick” from the 2010 album Real Life Is No Cool on Smalltown Supersound.
Live from the Caffe Vita Bean Room during the 2010 Capitol Hill Block Party, Seattle’s preeminent hip hop duo Blue Scholars joined host Larry Mizell Jr. on KEXP’s Streets Sounds last Sunday night. DJ/producer Sabzi and MC Geologic brought four brand new songs and announced for the first time publicly the name of their new album: Cinemetropolis. Check out these new joints now!
Seattle hip-hop trio Dyme Def has been working together since they were in middle school in the early 90′s. In 2006, they hooked up with Bean One, an experienced producer whose aggressive, sophisticated style fit the trio like a glove. This team’s 2006 debut, Space Music, became a cult favorite, and sold over 50,000 copies without the backing of a major label.
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Each and every Friday we offer songs by local artists. Today’s selection, featured on the Morning Show with John Richards, is “I Was Thinking…” by Gauntlet Hair from the 2010 self-released single.
While you’re putting together your mid-summer soundtrack, you might want to consider a selection of the releases hitting store shelves this week. Sure, it’s now the calm before the storm that is next Tuesday’s release of the next Arcade Fire album, but that shouldn’t keep you from going to a record store today to pick up what many consider to be the best album yet from Portland’s Menomena, who will be LIVE ON KEXP tomorrow at noon to celebrate the album’s release.
There was no band at Block Party my friends and I were more excited to see than The Dead Weather and we were determined to get up close to see Jack White and Alison Mosshart in person. The Main Stage was a little crowded, but we had to go for it and after close to an hour of squirming, shuffling, and biding our time, we ended up more or less at the front.
Packed in tight and waiting for the Dead Weather to come out, I couldn’t help but notice the absolutely gorgeous collection of instruments on stage. There seemed to be five or six different kinds of pristine pearl on white Gretsch guitars, all matching, all with gold trim, and all glimmering as the well-dressed roadies tuned them and moved them about. Included were a rectangle-bodied Bo Diddley-style guitar, and a butterfly-bodied one a la an electric Muddy Waters. I wouldn’t have been surprised if there were fifty thousand dollars worth of guitars on stage.
Kevin Russell, co-leader of Austin band The Gourds, just seems to write too many songs for any one project. Under his solo moniker Shinyribs, Russell delivers more of the same soulful blend of roots rock, folk, country, zydeco and swamp pop he’s known for. Recently, Shinyribs joined Don Slack and Swingin’ Doors live in the KEXP studio, backed by Gourds drummer Keith Langford and bass player Jeff Brown, to perform songs from his excellent debut album. Check ‘em out and share ‘em with your friends! As Russell says, help “spread the musical mustard”:
You can now find KEXP under "Eclectic" in iTunes after the demise of the "Public" category, to better represent the diversity of our daytime variety shows and numerous specialty programs.
