Superdope

Seattle's Mad Rad (who recently graced the cover of the Seattle Weekly) brings their electro hip hop 'float music' to Spokane on Friday. It will be a show not to be missed.

Mad Rad - Crack the Blunt



Friday July 26: Mad Rad, Pegasus Dream, Jiggywatts, Please Draw in Me, Girlfriends at the BLVD for ages 18 and up.

The Best Hip Hop Show That's Ever Hit Spokane (part 1)

Here's my contention: that this upcoming Sunday's hip hop show is the strongest Spokane (hip hop) show from start to finish that I can think of (please correct me if I'm wrong). This will be a multiple entry post because there is so much ground to cover. So let's start it off with the opener:

Rashaan Ahmad: We've talked about him a few times before. One of the nicest, most down to earth, dopest emcees around from Oakland, California. Here's the new single from Raashan and his crew the Crown City Rockers:

Crown City Rockers: Body Rock

Sunday May 10: Aceyalone, Abstract Rude, Myka 9, NoCanDo, DJ Drez and Raashan Ahmad at the BLVD for ages 18 and up.

He Really Looks Like This

Representing the Chicago super duper handsome dance master production crew Prepschool, DJ Naj is coming to blaze the Spokane dancefloors tomorrow. Naj is a technically skilled scratch DJ as well as a sure-shot producer. It's gonna be bonkers!

Prepschool - Faberware

Friday May 1 at the BLVD: DJ Naj at Awesome Nice! 21+

OMGDUBSTYLE

This just in! Velella Velella is bringing their ass-shaking treats to Spokane for a FREEEE show tonight at Whitworth. This will be one of the funnest free treats you ever get to dance along to. Feel the vibration:

Velella Velella - Alex Boom Selector

Friday April 10: United States of Electronica and Velella Velella. FREE at the Whitworth HUB. V.V. plays at 8:15.

Good

What a voice! Karli Fairbanks has her CD release show tonight. I first caught onto Karli when I heard Whiskey Flowers - which is quite lovely.

I got a few tastes of her new CD, and woo-whee, it sure is nice. Karli has made the transition from a blooming singer-songwriter to one of the best artists in the Spokane area.

Karli Fairbanks - Some Other Plan

Wednesday April 8: Karli Fairbanks at the Bing Crosby (the Met). 7pm

Mashed

Paper Mache is from Spokane, sort of. They've been touring pretty hard for the past 2 or so years and are stopping through their 'hometown' on Saturday. Peep this song from their new record Easier to Lose:

Paper Mache: Limelight

Saturday April 4 at Caterina Winery: Paper Mache, Kaylee Cole, Noah Gunderson. All ages welcome.

Valor Time

Truckasauras is making their way from Seattle for the 2nd annual Wig Bash. These guys use the Nintendo Game Boy as the main voice of the group, and back it up with a Korg MS-20 and other assorted analog gear to create an electronic/hip hop sound unlike anything you've ever experienced. Rocking trucker hats, swigging Makers and wrapped in the America flag - these guys know how to party.

Truckasauras: Angels Sound Like Bottle Rockets

Saturday March 28: Wig Bash with Shim, Truckasauras, Cyrus Fell Down and See Me River at the BLVD for ages 18 and up!

Sunrifle

Spokane hip hoppers Gun of the Sun play the Knitting Factory tomorrow. They're some of the best emcees in town, don't sleep

Quiz 10 is a pretty prolific dude. Besides GOTS and his solo tracks, he is a part of the groups ESP, Werd Slingers, and the newly christened Cheap Meat Suits (formerly Demons in Disguise). Here's one of their new tracks:

Cheap Meat Suits: Dead Meadow Master

Knothead, Gun of the Sun, Debutante Savant, Livid Undead, Sic Boy and the SpoKings, Mindclicc, Emperical Dynamics at the Knitting Factory Thursday March 19. All ages.

Repeat!

Dave Bazan from Pedro the Lion is coming back on Sunday to make up for his cancellation a few weeks back. Here's another great Pedro the Lion tune:

Pedro the Lion: Big Trucks

March 1 at the Empyrean: David Bazan, Karli Fairbanks, Kaylee Cole. 7pm $10 pre $13 door all ages.

A Mouthful

The Appleseed Cast bring their emo turned epic indie post rock to Spokane tomorrow.

I don't really know much about these guys, 'cept they've been playing emo for quite some time, before skinny jean clad teenagers became the norm. Nowadays they're more on this instrumental post rock thing, a la Explosions in the Sky.

Here's a song from their new album Sagarmatha:

The Appleseed Cast: As The Little Things Go

Thursday February 19: The Appleseed Cast, Portrait of a Gentleman, Paper Astronomer at the Empyrean.

Best of Vapor

If you haven't seen Belt of Vapor before, tonight you've got a chance to see the best band in Spokane for free.

I'm not sure why BoV is so damned good. Complex, loud, intricate, fantastic. Here's a song off their new record:

Belt of Vapor: Shy/Asshole Confusion

Belt of Vapor plays the Sommies tonight with Oil of Angels and Mon Cheri. FREE for ages 18 and up at the BLVD.

Indian Winter - Cancelled?

According to Dave Bazan's website, the show is cancelled. Bummer dude.

Dave Bazan of Pedro the Lion (and Headphones) is coming back to town. I really wanted to hate Pedro the Lion for a long time, I thought that it was all sad bastard pappy nonsense. Maybe I wasn't really too far off. Maybe I just realized that I like sad bastard pap.

Here's probably my favorite Pedro the Lion song, from the undeniably amazing album Control:

Pedro the Lion: Indian Summer

Friday January 13 at the Empyrean: Pedro the Lion, Yarn Owl, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. 7pm. All Ages.

True Livin'

Portland's Lifesavas make their way to the Casbah tonight. They've crushed Spokane several times before, you may remember Vursatyl's insane rhymes over Jumbo's fire production one a few wonderful occasions at the B-Side. Normally backed by DJ Rev Shines, tonight they'll be backed by Blackalicious' own Chief Xcel.

Here's a track from their first record Spirit in Stone. Note Vurs completely tearing the first verse apart by the letter.

Lifesavas: It's Over

Lifesavas, Jiggywatts, and Som at the Casbah on Friday January 30. 9:30 pm. 21+

Ahhhh, Metal!

There's something about the Sword that makes me really happy. Maybe its the ridiculousness of metal, maybe the long hair, maybe its just the wicked riffs.

I really can't keep a straight face listening to this stuff, it makes me smile as I strum some air guitar and wish I played in a metal band.

Anyway, the Sword plays tomorrow night with Lamb of God (yikes) at the Knitting Factory.

These guys rule.

The Sword: Barael's Blade

Connect For

Common Market's pretty damn dope. With hot hot rhymes from RA Scion and super duper fire beats from Sabzi (of Blue Scholars), you can't really go wrong.

Their new album Tobacco Road is chocked full of classic throwback production and RA Scion's whole hearted take on religion, the south, hip hop and good ole fashioned farmers rebelling.

Here's an oldie but goodie, that solidified my love for the group.

Common Market: Every Last One [cornerstone remix - radio edit]

Common Market plays Friday December 12 at the BLVD with Blue Scholars and Jiggywatts.

Oh Baby

Not sure if many people know that the mighty funky Velella Velella is coming to town this weekend. What a show they put on, don't miss it.

Friday night at Whitworth with Point Juncture, WA.

Saturday night with James Pants at the Casbah.

Here's the first track I heard from the boys, back when they were a humble Spokane two piece, that really caught my ear.

Velella Velella: Nothin But A Bunch Of Empty Sunglasses Cases

Printing

If you hung around Wednesday nights at the B-Side in its hayday, you probably saw Cursive Adonis on the mic. Laid back, pitcher in hand, Cursive had a voice resembling Del and the cadence to match. He played a bunch of shows around town and the northwest, tracked a bunch of songs, then moved to Seattle. Musically speaking, Cursive hasn't really been heard of since.

About once a year, Cursive's name shows up on a handbill - but he has a propinsety of not quite showing up.

On Saturday 11/29, Cursive is set to play Caterina at the Bad Penmanship 5th annual hip hop showcase with Terms, Synthetic, Drew Slums, Quiz, Jaeda and a bunch more. Hope he shows up!

Here's a few tracks:

Terms None featuring Cursive Adonis: Reality Doses

Sentence featuring Locke and Cursive Adonis: Above Water

Sunny Days

Jeremy Enigk. Sunny Day Real Estate. I wasn't ever blown away by the importance of Diary, the proclaimed "first emo record." But I did happen to get into their final record the Rising Tide, which I still think is a beautiful rock and roll album, with Jeremy's lovely falsetto and crunchy guitar riffs blaring in my Ford Tempo on the way out to Cheney.

His new solo record moves into a lighter direction than my experience with his projects. I first heard the song Cannons on KEXP, and instantly recognized Enik's voice. A few days later I picked up the record World Waits, again full of falsetto, lush textures and tales of love.

Here's the mp3:
Jeremy Enigk - Cannons

Jeremy Enigk plays at the BLVD on Monday November 17.

Pants continues to smoke!

I was glad to hear that James Pants was putting together a live band, but I was even more glad to hear that Justin Walter (Belt of Vapor) would be drumming. He is one of the best drummers in town period. They hit Europe in a few weeks.

His new single just dropped, and includes a remix from the ultra hipster team of XXXChange and A-Trak! Holy electro madness!

Rumor has it he's been cooking up remixes for Beck, Dam Funk, and a handful of other folks I'm not savvy enough to know about.

Here's a Pants mix he did over for the folks at Brooklyn Radio.

And here's a remix of KA$H!!!!

HOLY HELL!

Your Name Here

I had a hard time finding a picture of Velella Velella that did their live show justice. I mean, how do you capture the essence of such fun a show that even a sloth like me gets dancing? Its tricky, apparently.

But this is a given. Velella Velella will make you dance. Even you. Even me.

They've got roots in Spokane, as Andrew Means and Michael Burton strayed from the indie rock that they'd been playing and started working on a downtempoy experimentaly type of project with live instrumentation with analog gear (vibes, synths, wurly, among others) over sampled drum loops. As they moved to Seattle, a few members were added, and V.V. started incorporating vocals into their songs, which kept getting funkier, bouncier, dancier (danceyer?), hotter, funner, awesomer.

Their newer EP Flight Cub is five songs of soulful glory. Here's an MP3 of one of my favorites:

Velella Velella - Your Name Here

Velella Velella plays Thursday September 11 at the BLVD with Point Juncture, WA and La Cha Cha. Don't miss it.