Jim Bennett

by Chris Estey

Rock festivals can be an awesome, appalling joussaince — an embarrassment of riches in which most of its value is suffering. The 2009 Capitol Hill Block Party was a perfectly organic construct of balancing personal pleasures and community celebration within the city, without too much pain. In other words, it was a ton of fun — and it was cheap enough you didn’t feel too guilty, diverse and culturally ambitious so that it inspired joyful, music-inspired engagement, and you probably didn’t have to travel too far to get there. If you got too hot or moist there was hydration and libations everywhere to be found, and in the back of Caffe Vita, behind a massive pizza oven within walls of bags full of coffee beans, KEXP presented a sampling of just about everything presented throughout the multi-band, stacked tight with music fandom fest.

Friday July 24, 2009:

The line-up for the weekend was an expected indie rock buffet, with some glitch-streaked percussive punk edges and a healthy dose of exciting hip-hop poking into the spread. I could write an essay about how cool it was to often stand in the middle of it, and hear something operatic from the Main Stage bleeding into some chunka metal riffs at Neumos as you walked to hear noise-pop garble ahead at the Vera. (And that was actually a description of one of my actual moments there.)

The big names dominated the feedback I heard and the action I saw/heard such as The Jesus Lizard reviving the subculture of crowd surfing at the Main Stage’s first night apex with its leader David Yow inspiring droves to follow him upon a sea of upraised hands over and over again. His performance seemed often like an act of self-destruction, as if he knew why people loved the dangerous overplus of excitement at Block Party, while his bass player looked like a settled down married guy rattling away in a secret world, and the drummer kept up with his harassing lead singer.

They Live had the whole festival buzzing with love after their 10:45 PM set at Neumos (and the next day when they appeared for a anthem with Truckasaurus, who also street terrorized the Vita peeps with binary-fried busking just before in the afternoon as well), and since I’ve done PR for Gatsby and blesone, I’ll keep this tight: Read Charles Mudede’s excellent assessment of current Seattle-area hip-hop in a recent Stranger, and know that TL’s transmutation of rock damage and rap art will probably be the next retro-futurist aesthetic. That’s why I helped them out for awhile and will always support them.

Beloved hard edged pop art bands like Deerhunter at the MS and the Flexions at the Vera Stage didn’t disappoint, blending muscle with weird charm, and speaking of the awesome line-up of the Vera artists this year, special note must be made of how ferocious Past Lives got Friday night, according to several people I spoke with — keeping it strange, but still very strong. Wish I’d seen Wild Orchid Children; I’d heard great things about them (and some pissed off sound guys on Fullerton-based punk pop Audacity’s friends, one of whom puked in the hallway near their schmancy new gear set up for Vera — at 4:30 PM in the afternoon!).

The festival opened with The Duchess & The Duke on the Main Stage, and reports of their sweet rag-tag approach to simple song playing with touchstones in skewed memory genres like skiffle or doo-wop floated in mix. It was a gentle way to begin a day that ended with The Jesus Lizard trying to bring the world to an end.

photos from Friday by Katy McCourt-Basham:

Saturday, July 25, 2009:

Sonic Youth probably wisely mostly focused on recent material; this pinnacle of the evening was one no one should have missed, and yet I found myself pining for a big jam from their SST days (they went out with “Death Valley” and it felt like when the Sex Pistols did “Anarchy in the UK” as the last song at Bumbershoot back in the 90s — would have been nice before I was cab searching). I know, I’ll STFU and check out their new album, The Eternal.

Main Stage memories for life: I thought nothing would ever beat my first witnessing of The Gossip a few years back at the CHBP, on a steaming hot afternoon when some of us even started dancing a little (completely verboten back then). They may not have conquered that sexy, commanding performance last night with the more soulful pop elements brought up, but I’d be lying if I say they didn’t maintain my adoration either. I wish they had more songs to qualify this statement, but live for sure The Gossip take the wind out of me like The Clash once did.

Earlier in the afternoon, I wasn’t that much into The Thermals; they too played a lot of new songs, and maybe I needed that new album too to have more affinity. There’s a certain rage that’s been replaced by improved playing, it seemed — it was rock and roll all right though.

So I left before they finished for a taste of the Sportin’ Life Showcase at the comfy Vita backroom club, and heard three outstanding performances from their three should-be stars D. Black (can’t wait to hear the new album), Fatal Luciano, and Spaceman. Sportin’ Life then went a little up the hill and took over Chop Suey and I damn sure wish I could have been there.

I think the freshest set for me was The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, which was like about a thousand albums in my UK pop collection blended smoothly but with a very nice kick. “We Will Never Die” ended their set very powerfully; it’s not a cover of the Flesheaters’ song, but there’s something kind of hardcore about the band’s affection for wicked Scottish pop bliss. Their fine songcraft seemed a little stretched by the heat and noise of the crowd itself; not their fault, just make sure to seem that live at a less eventful-in-itself milieu.

This day’s line-up opened with an expanded version of Hey Marseilles, a band I think really benefit from its extension to nine players (including Thomas from Champagne Champagne and Kyle Bradford). Occasionally ostentatious with the boo-ba, that was actually in good fun, because those winding strings and melodic vocals bring you hack to the heart. Would love to hear this group variation recorded for posterity.

Near dinnertime in the open Vera area, The Lonely Forest played a beautiful sonic rainbow of sound and emotion; it was nice how the rain kicked in while they played, their colorful notes bending around us with the wet heat. Kids and older folks alike enjoyed this nook of just-hard-enough slightly psychedelic pop.

The crowd went nuts for both the Maldives and the Moondoggies, roots bands with slick, stick-to-your-ribs songs and slobbering followings.

Thanks to David Meinert, the amazing security staff, and especially the bands for an inner-city festival that often just felt like a country fair with a lot of fuzzy grooves going on all around you — till Truckaurus blew something up, someone very occasionally threw up, and The Gossip proved we can all still slam it out and still grow up. Bravo!

photos from Saturday by Jim Bennett:

Check out more photos from Katy McCourt-Basham and Jim Bennett

Along with The Stranger and Caffe Vita, KEXP 90.3 FM is proud to present The 2009 Capitol Hill Block Party, Seattle’s Premiere Celebration of Independent Music on July 24 & July 25th.

The first part of the lineup has just been announced:

Get daily updates, videos, special promotions and more on their new website

Tomorrow, Tuesday April 28th, 10:00am, through April 30, is a special pre-sale (promo code is BLOCKPARTY)

After that, early bird tickets are available from May 1 through May 15: 2 day passes - $40 / single day tickets - $22

Hilary Harris

One of the must-haves from this week’s list of new releases (courtesy of our friend Largehearted Boy) is the latest from Elvis Perkins, who just performed songs from the new album, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, live in-studio yesterday at KEXP>. Also on the list, you’ll find a lot of bands heading down to SXSW next week: Bishop Allen, BLK JKS, Balmorhea, Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, Cursive, among others. Seattle bands and Northwest labels represent this week:Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band with a strong debut, a great new EP from Sleepy Eyes Of Death, plus the anticipated new releases from Handsome Furs (Sub Pop) and Mirah (K Records). One time Seattle resident Chris Cornell is putting out his Timbaland produced solo effort Scream. Also worth checking out are the latest from Extra Golden, Arboretum, Tim Heckner, Julie Doiron, Chin Chin, Madeline, Buddy and Julie Miller, Razorlight ,Madeleine Peyroux and the first release in nearly ten years from Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. Also, Merge is making available three out-of-print albums from KEXP regular Richard Buckner. There’s plenty to choose from, so get out there and support your local record shops!

Beirut/Realpeople - March of the Zapotec/Holland

Beirut’s Zach Condon never ceases to outdo himself. His new EP (out February 17th on his own label, Pompeii Records) demonstrates his versatility and talent as a musician. The EP is split into two parts: March of the Zapotec, which is credited to Beirut, and Holland, which is credited to one of Condon’s pre-Beirut projects, Realpeople.

For March of the Zapotec, Condon traveled to a remote part of Oaxaca, Mexico, with a translator to find a band to play on his new album. What he found was The Jiminez Band, a 19-man funeral band just outside of the tiny weaver village of Teotitlan del Valle. Though he made a point of playing with a Mexican band, and many of these songs, such as “La Llorona,” are based on Mexican themes and legends, March of the Zapotec doesn’t really seem to depart from older Beirut works. The Balkan influence still comes through loud and clear, though occasionally you’ll hear Mexican-influenced horns thrown in for good measure. The songs are beautiful, but the whole process seems a little superfluous.

Holland is something different altogether. Some of the songs are new, and others, like “My Night With the Prostitute from Marseille” and “Venice”, were previously released on compilations. The Realpeople songs are more digitally driven, sounding more like Condon’s work with Alaska In Winter than anything released by Beirut (though this does not mean the he abandons completely his trademark horns or accordion). I was a little skeptical at first, but this is definitely my favorite “half” of the EP. Condon arranged the music beautifully to fit his distinctive voice. My favorite is “My Wife, Lost In The Wild”. The melodies are simple, but the sound layering is masterful, and the harmonies complex and intriguing. Holland is an almost complete departure from most of Condon’s better-known music, but his personal touch is definitely there. The EP is unmistakably good, and unmistakably a Zach Condon original.

Sleepy Eyes Of Death - Dark Signals

Seattle shoegaze darlings Sleepy Eyes of Death have received a lot of attention over the last two years for their unusual blend of shoegaze and dance-driven electronica. In their 2007 release, Street Lights for a Ribcage, they seemed to find a comfortable balance between the two genres, but gave priority to blanketing their viewers with very dense shoegazey sound. In their latest release, Dark Signals (released January 20th), they take their sound to a whole new level.

Though they do not abandon their dense sound in Dark Signals, Sleepy Eyes of Death move things in the direction of the very electronic, making use of their arsenal of instruments, including half a dozen keyboards and a drum machine (not to mention live drums, guitars, etc.). These mostly-instrumental songs are all beautifully composed, and seem to air on a lighter side than Street Lights – some, like “Pierce the Air” are even borderline house music dancey.

Sleepy Eyes of Death’s mastery of dense shoegazey sound shines through beautifully in Dark Signals, especially in the second half of the EP, where heavy drums and heavy distortion get their fair share of the limelight in “Pulse from Breath” and “Crushed by Stars”.

This second release from Sleepy Eyes of Death is very impressive. Their command of their instruments and sound are masterful, and I really look forward to seeing what they release in the future.

Sleepy Eyes of Death will be playing at the KEXP Audioasis benefit on March 7th at Sunset Tavern with The Hands and The Beats, Man.

Mike Wilson

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. Every Friday the Song of the Day podcast spotlights local musicians. Today’s featured selection, chosen by Morning Show host John Richards, is “Final Heart Beats Black” by Sleepy Eyes of Death on their recently released album Dark Signals from Sleep Capsule/Mass Mvmnt.

Beware when you hit play for the first time on this song. If you are like me, stuck in a cubicle, turn your computer sound way down… but as soon as you get home crank it up so you can get the true experience of this song. Seattle’s Sleepy Eyes of Death create an intense wall-of-sound that makes use of various vintage instruments(keyboards & synthesizers), sequenced loops, drum machines, vocoded vocals, and powerful guitars that blur the line between ambient shoegazer and electronic rock. Their music is mostly instrumental, but a few songs like today’s song, “Final Heart Beats Black,” have vocals that seem more like another layer of instrument rather than actual lyrics. Overall, their music is cinematic, which stems from the band’s fixation on 80’s sci-fi soundtracks and Italian horror scores and explains why they have been getting a lot of attention around town for their live show. From the smoke machines and industrial strobe lights to sheer number of instruments and gear, each appearance is as epic as their music. Thankfully they usually provide free earplugs. You can catch Sleepy Eyes of Death live when they are part of the March 7th Audioasis showcase at The Sunset Tavern. Or if you can’t wait for that, they are playing an all-ages show at Holy Mountain on February 7th. Check out their MySpace page to get more info. For now, here’s a video of them performing at Neumo’s earlier this month: