#seattle music

[thegrungelegends]

Here’s a NEW UNRELEASED photo of Layne!!

Here is one camping photo I've never shared on media .

Everyone meet Doc !

Who Jerry dubbed man in the box!

But Doc was also our lighting guy for Aic and other bands

Here he is camping w AiC and other bands on second band camp out

In this photo Demri is shooting the photo, asking Layne and Doc to strike a silly pose.

So Layne decided to feed Doc some shampoo and conditioner

I have quite a few photos I've never shared,stay tuned for more!!

✍🏻 Chay Wilkerson Moore (shared w/permission) Thank you so much for allowing us to share your memories

📸©️Demri Parrott

For more content check us out on Facebook and Instagram

#TheGrungeLegends #laynestaley #GenX #aliceinchains #90s #90snostalgia #90smusic #seattlemusic #seattlemusicscene #GenX

[twolips-indifferentred]

Tina Bell (1957 – 2012), the front woman of 80s grunge band Bam Bam.

Although Bell was a contemporary and predecessor of many big rock names like Kurt Cobain and Matt Cameron (who played drums for Bam Bam before Soundgarden and Pearl Jam), she is nowhere near as well remembered.

[necr0nobody]

Nirvana playing at The Point Theatre ,OTD June 21, 1992 in Dublin, Ireland.

📷 Kyran O'Brien

[amgerychair]

Jerry Cantrell with Duke Erikson and Craig Wells from the band Metal Church and 99.9 KISW Rob Oxford Rockfish at Rock Candy | 1994 | 📸photographer unknown

[cavedwellermusic]

Essential Listening: The Blood Brothers – Young Machetes (2006)

James looks back at one of his favourite albums of all time, a release that he believes is horribly underappreciated in the underground music scene. He makes his case for why Young Machetes by Seattle experimental post-hardcore act The Blood Brothers should be considered essential listening.

The Blood Brothers redefined the limits of post-hardcore with their final album Young Machetes, working in elements of mathcore, punk, noise rock, pop and more. The bands style frequently featured dueling vocals with vastly different delivery, presented over the top of rapidly changing instrumental styles. What makes this particular album special in my opinion, is the perfect balance that the band managed to strike between unbelievable catchiness on one side and harsh, experimental chaos and raw energy on the other. Young Machetes is such a unique piece of music that it belongs on any good essential listening list.

Read James' full review and listen to the full album at the link below:

[burninleather]

day 1.

it's gonna have to be AIC, sorry quorthon 😓

[mywifeleftme]

196: Earth // The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull

The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull Earth 2008, Southern Lord (Bandcamp)

The most money I’ve ever spent on a vinyl record is on the stupid fucking quadruple LP Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness boxed set, but that was only because I allegedly scuffed the first track on the first side of LP1 of my friend’s copy while putting it away at a party, so I had to buy him a replacement and got his old dinged one—but I’ll write about that another time. The most money I’ve ever spent on a vinyl record I wanted was on Earth’s The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull, and specifically on one of the editions bound in faux Bible leather that Southern Lord reissues from time to time. From the first time I heard the record back in 2008, from the first time I read the title really, Bees has held a strange fascination for me. Despite being a broke college kid, I ordered a Bees Made Honey hoodie using my first credit card and hemmed and hawed over whether to snag the leather record, though I didn’t even know how to use a turntable. I didn’t end up actually scoring a copy till more than a decade later, by which time I’d already pretty well carved the thing’s grooves so deep in my brain I didn’t need to listen anymore to hear its contents.

The inner sleeve.

Still, there’s the pleasure of handling it, opening up the gatefold and reading the hoary language in elaborately-filigreed gold text:

“from strength sweetness from darkness light the bees made honey in the lion’s skull”

A1. Omens and Portents 1: The Driver A2: Rise to Glory B3: Miami Morning Coming Down II (Shine) B4. Engine of Ruin C5: Omens and Portents II: Carrion Crow C6: Hung from the Moon D7: The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull D8: Junkyard Priest

I grew up just religious enough to really fear God and love His language, especially as filtered through all the fantastical art that’s borrowed the diction of the King James Version to command a sense of gravitas. It’s a tone of voice that still compels me, and it’s the perfect dressing for this era of Earth’s looming, desertified music. Starting with 2005’s comeback Hex; or Printing in the Infernal Method, Earth has been working on a form of Western-inspired instrumental post-rock that looks to the Bible and fire-and-brimstone writers like Cormac McCarthy for words to match the weathered lurch of Dylan Carlson’s lithic guitar. Bees continues this direction, and it’s broadly considered the best of the band’s later efforts: something elemental captured in the songs; extra pristine production; sterling contributions from Steve Moore on a variety of pianos and organs, plus famed jazz guitarist Bill Frisell; and above all the languid pulse of drummer Adrienne Davies, the sheer weight of her pauses (best exemplified on the title track).

When Davies joined the band in 2002, she became the long-term musical partner Carlson had never really had, and her playing has become as distinctive a signature of Earth’s sound as his. In the exhaustive 2023 documentary Even Hell Has Its Heroes, her interview is the most enlightening from a musical perspective. An amateur when she began casually jamming with Carlson, she soon found that all of the drumming instructors and guides she consulted emphasized focusing on how to refine the angles of her playing, minimizing the time and effort required to play a beat. But for Davies, playing in a band whose rhythm swells and resides like the breathing of a massive steer, this advice ran counter: her arms wave in slow, swooping arcs, drawing out the tempo in the air before falling into the drums, letting gravity provide the consequential force.

Despite the band’s mugshot stares and stupendous volume, that signal phrase holds: “from strength sweetness / from darkness light.” There’s no violence in this songs, only some obdurate quality of endurance; no aggression, only flickers of the transcendent among the amps. That’s the notion embedded in its title, a nourishing work transpiring within sinister ruins.

196/365

[stuffydollband]

Talkin about my upcoming album, "Ganymede Gives Up The Ghost" day 7!

Today's song is "Seattle Chic".

You may have guessed from the illustration, if you've been following along, that this song is the sister-song of "Tampa Avant-Garde" and I went pretty hard on that concept. These two songs are exactly the same length, same structure, but with inverted keys and very different melodies. A sort of strange take on a reprise.

In that vein, this song is about being queer in a place where everyone is fine with queerness. The contradictive experience of being reduced to your queerness while also being stripped of your uniqueness. The pressure to perform your identity, to be the "right kind" of queer, to be interesting outside of your queerness but to always be brought to the table because of your queerness. Don't get me wrong, Washington is my favorite place in the world, but it is a very strange feeling.

I guess to condense that thought: In oppressive places, individuality thrives. In accepting places, you become a featureless component of a greater whole. Security versus freedom. I guess that's always the question, ain't it?

A sample of the lyrics:

"Nobody really wants me, just the controversy

I'm a figment of fame, twisted filigree

I give my identity out for free

It always seemed unfair to me"

Have you experienced this? Do I sound crazy? Let me hear about it!

[metalsongoftheday]

Monday, August 28: Metal Church, "The Black Things"

R.I.P. Mike Howe (1965-2021)

Damned If You Do wasn’t a very good album, but “The Black Things” showed that Mike Howe and Kurdt Vanderhoof’s chemistry remained potent and made Metal Church at least a semi-viable proposition to the end.  The track was on the faster end of mid-tempo, with a nice lead in the beginning and Howe’s seething remarkably ageless.  There was a natural flow to the tune that spotlighted how locked in the band was, especially Howe and Vanderhoof.  “The Black Things” was not especially unique itself but the hooks and energy were seamless, and illustrated why Metal Church, even a couple decades past its prime, was still worth checking out.

[secretmeaningofthings]

Get ready to dance away the night at the Strict Tempo presents Body Heat: New Years Eve-Eve Italo Disco Party on Saturday December 30th, 2023 @ Underbelly Seattle (Pioneer Square)

Strict Tempo's 4th Annual Italo Disco end-of-year party!

ITALO DISCO, 80s NEW WAVE, SYNTH-POP & ITALO BODY MUSIC ALL NIGHT

$12 adv/$15 door

8:30 PM doors 9:00 PM music starts

Tickets - https://bodyheat2023.eventbrite.com/ RSVP - https://www.facebook.com/events/1109555546883944

sounds selected by DJ Vox Sinistra Vox Sinistra is a Seattle-based DJ exploring the synthesis of dark underground electronic sounds with retro and modern inspiration, ranging from old-school EBM, industrial and New Beat to minimal and cold waves, forward-thinking electro and techno, and '80s synth music such as Italo disco, acid house, synth-pop, new wave and more. With a background in post-punk, no wave and related '80s alternative and DIY punk movements, she combines sounds with rebellious spirit, nostalgic melodies, and avant-garde genre-mashing that stimulates bodies into movement.She is currently host of dark dance club night Strict Tempo, where she books an international selection of dark electronic artists, and is also known for her post-punk/obscure '80s wave radio show Secret Meaning of Things at KHUH 104.9 FM since 2011, shortlisted for Best Music Show - Alternative in the 2018 Mixcloud Online Radio Awards. She has also been featured in Mixcloud's 'One to Watch' series as a "post-punk extraordinaire" with chart-topping mixes in over 20 genres. https://linktr.ee/VoxSinistra https://linktr.ee/StrictTempo

[juliesandothings]

Three from Screaming Life - Photography of Charles Peterson, A Chronicle of the Seattle Music Scene, Harper Collins, 1995

Top: Mark Lanegan of the Screaming Trees, 1993

Centre: Calvin Johnson of Beat Happenings, 1992

Bottom: Courtney Love of Hole, 1994

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/135699.Screaming_Life

[nakedgiantsband]

Fishermans Village Festival in Everett, WA. 

[pardonmyteeth]

kay kay for the soul

[ohwaitwhatdamn]

File under songs I sing in my car loudly more than once

[cavedwellermusic]

Black Agent - Dehumanized (2023)

For our latest Sounds and Shadows republication, Jaret S. Young looks at Dehumanized, the new album by Seattle, Washington industrial act Black Agent, released July 4th on Re:Mission Entertainment.

Seattle’s Black Agent follows up last year’s Industrial Ruination with another strong outing in Dehumanized. And, like before, the band shares its views of the world backed by a sonic potpourri of electronics. The music itself, grinds and pulsates in ways that really fuel the dark tone of Black Agent’s sound. Saying an industrial band has a classic, old-school sound seems funny to me. But fans of such industrial legends as Skinny Puppy will find what they’re looking for in these nine songs.

Read Jaret's full review and listen to and order the album at the link below or on Sounds and Shadows' website:

[greensparty]

Documentary Reviews: Nothin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored Story of 80s Hair Metal / BOOM! A Film About The Sonics

This week I got to review 2 different types of documentaries: a doc mini-series and an indie doc that is finally getting released a few years after it's festival premiere:

Nothin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored Story of 80s Hair Metal

I have to say, I've been digging the recent music documentaries on Paramount+. Notably, the recent doc mini-series Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza looked back at the alt-rock music festival. Best of all is that Paramount+ is able to pull footage from MTV News since MTV is a part of Paramount. So now a new 3-part music documentary mini-series has dropped this week, Nothin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored Story of 80s Hair Metal. Based on the 2021 book of the same name written by Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock (he co-wrote the companion book Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, which I'm a fan of), this doc is a deep dive into 1980s hair metal. The main emphasis is on L.A. and the Sunset Strip scene, but there is a few bands from outside L.A. featured as well. The give a segment to each band and then there is intersecting of bands at various points thereafter. Just some of the bands covered include Motley Crue, Poison, Ratt, Guns N' Roses, Def Leppard, Extreme, Skid Row, Vixen, and Trixter among others. There are a lot of talking head interviewees and some of the anecdotes get animated sequences to emphasize the absurdity of some of the stories.

doc poster

When I was a kid I got into metal and as a teen I was a metalhead for a while. Early tapes I owned included Twister Sister and Motley Crue. As I got older, my musical tastes evolved and some of the hair metal I was into earlier seemed ridiculous in contrast with alt rock, which seemed to have something more meaningful to say. Now as a grown up, I can look back at hair metal and realize some of it, even if it was completely over the stop, was fun and some of their songs were melodic and catchy. I've always had a special place for some of these bands. In the case of Boston's Extreme I was a big fan after discovering them on V66 as a kid I was thrilled to interview some of the members for my documentary Life on the V: The Story of V66. This doc features their guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, recounting many tales. Some of these bands didn't look at themselves as hair metal, they actually wanted to be long lasting and alas then metal got wiped out by grunge and many of the bands were dropped, broke up, or imploded. I thought it was cool they had other interviewees like director Penelope Spheeris, Steve-O, and Riki Rachtman too. As a fan who remembered that scene and was fond of the scene, I dug this doc series. But it could be that I'm too close to it to be able to judge this as a documentary and clearly say how good or comprehensive it was. They definitely hit a lot of the bands and touchstone moments of that era, but I do wish they had maybe discussed MTV's Headbanger's Ball, metal press (RIP, Circus, Hit Parader, or Metal Edge) and some of the tragedies of the scene (Steve Clark of Def Leppard comes to mind). They briefly touched upon female artists like Vixen, but I think there was room to dig deeper since there was a lot of misogyny in the music and the industry at the time. Bottom line: this is good as an overview, but with so much ground to cover it only scratched the surface at times.

For info on Nothin' But a Good Time

3.5 out of 5 stars

BOOM: A Film About The Sonics

Documentaries about the "band that time forgot" is a fascinating sub-genre within the music documentary sub-genre (a sub sub genre!?!). The idea that a band never got super famous, but made just enough of a splash to influence others and amass a cult following has become quite a popular theme in the last 10-15 years. Case in point is the Tacoma, WA garage band The Sonics, who began in 1960. I didn't know them too well, but I had been hearing a lot about the documentary BOOM: A Film About The Sonics since it had it's festival premiere in 2018. It is now being distributed by the Forge with a number of indie cinema screenings including The Regent Theatre in Arlington, MA this past week.

doc poster

Formed in 1960, the quintet had a raw garage rock sound that influenced the likes of The Stooges, Nirvana, The White Stripes, LCD Soundsystem, The Hives, and more. They released two albums in the 1960s on Etiquette Records. There is a line drawn between this band and the Seattle music scene that everyone knew in the 80s and 90s. Among the featured interviewees in addition to the Sonic members are Nancy Wilson of Heart, Kim Thayil of Soundgarden, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, Mark Arm of Mudhoney, and Chris Ballew of Presidents of the United States of America. Ballew sums it up best when he pointed out that were was fun party music like The Sonics from Seattle and it wasn't all gloomy grunge.

I didn't know too much about The Sonics beforehand, but I was attracted to this mainly because of the interviewees and my love of Seattle music. As someone who didn't know them, I kind of wished they had spent a little more time on the music itself and not just on the band history. It does show some of the band's many reunions since the 60s and how many Seattle luminaries hold them in high regard (I spotted Nirvana's Krist Novoselic in a clip of their reunion show). The director did a move that can go either way, which is injecting himself into the doc with his intro and outro. There's a joke that some documentarians set out to make a film about a subject and then they just end up making a doc about themselves and their interest in the subject. Director Jordan Albertsen managed to do it effectively by not overtaking the doc but just giving a brief anecdote about discovering them through his father. Bottom line: the doc is interesting and more than anything I wanted to go out and listen to this band more after watching the doc.

For info on BOOM

3 out of 5 stars