If you happen to live in Tuscon, Arizona, did you know that you have a little slice of the PNW in your backyard? A sister space to our friends at Cairo, Topaz Tundra recently opened as an arts space that hosts shows for local Arizona bands as well as roving ones on tour, including many from the PNW. They just released this rad mixtape featuring an all-star cast of artists from Olympia, including some of our favorites (Gun Outfit, Milk Music, The Family Stoned, Bikini Kill, Naomi Punk, and Pleasure Beauties to name a few). Be sure to grip this while you can and see Gun Outfit, Womb Tomb, and Secret Highway Secrets this Tuesday (657 S. St Marys Rd, Unit C1A, Tuscon, AZ / all-ages / $3-5 / 8pm).
MIXTAPE TRACKLIST
Gun Outfit – Phaedra Milk Music – Beyond Living Beat Happening – Indian Summer The Family Stoned – Rituals (playing at La Cocina June 20th, 2012) Lync – Turtle Nirvana – D-7 (Wipers cover, Live BBC) Godheadsilo – In the Air Tonight (Peter Gabriel) Behead The Prophet – Cyrpted Control Bikini Kill – Tell Me So The Halo Benders – On A Trip Naomi Punk – Burned Body Karp – Get No Toys Pleasure Beauties – I Wanna Feel Dark Unwound – Valentine Card/Kantina/Were, Are And Was Or Is.
If you live somewhere between Seattle and San Francisco, now is the time to see our favorite band summon demons with brand new songs from The Feeling (plus an Untitled one that’ll blow your mind), right in your hometown - tour dates below. If you live in the greater Seattle area, be sure to check out the June 1st show at Ground Zero (257 100th Ave NE in Bellevue) featuring Naomi Punk, M. Women, Ocean Dinosaur, Footwork, and Fever Teeth; it’s a benefit for the teen center that has served as a steppingstone for many artists and musicians in the PNW, but is facing funding cuts and a change in location. Info via What’s Up Seattle:
Ground Zero is moving locations because the Bellevue Boys and Girls Club does not recognize Ground Zero’s current facility/location/programming as a culturally significant institution for eastside youth. In many ways Ground Zero is neglected by the Bellevue Boys And Girl’s Club, and they need to understand that Ground Zero is an important part of many people’s lives.
At [this] show, there will be an opportunity to write hand-written letters to Kathy Haggart, President/CEO of Bellevue Boys and Girls Club, and Helena Stephens, Bellevue Family, Youth & Teen Services Manager. It is an opportunity to make it clear to these decision-makers that all ages music, and Ground Zero are an important part of the community, and should not face upheaval in downtown Bellevue.
If Ground Zero shaped you in any way, or if an all ages music venue played a positive role in your life, please express that sentiment to the Belleuve Boys and Girls Club and the City of Bellevue.
- khaggart@bgcbellevue.org Kathy Haggart, President/CEO of Bellevue Boys and Girls Club - hstephens@bellevuewa.gov Helena Stephens, Bellevue Family, Youth & Teen Services Manager
NAOMI PUNK JUNE TOUR DATES
june 01 bellevue wa @ ground zero w/ m women june 09 tacoma wa @ the space june 13 seattle wa @ black lodge w/ nu sensae, broken water june 17 olympia wa @ graveyard house w/ dreamdecay june 23 oakland ca @ sugar mountain warehouse june 24 san francisco ca @ 72 tehoma gallery w/ wild moth june 29 portland or @ cuddlehaus july 06 seattle wa @ chop suey w/ dent may
Our favorite Seattle goth/r&b/twee-poppers, Witch Gardens, just released this aesthetically-pleasing video for “Aunt Shae/Mean Colleen”, off of their recent R-I-P 7”, which features cameos by many involved in Seattle’s vibrant DIY scene (including members of M. Women, Stephanie, and Zephyrs, to name a few). The video highlights a typical day with friends in the Pacific Northwest - planning your trip, biking, going to the beach, playing the recorder on a sailboat, reading tarot, weeping mimes and a banquet, all topped off with a surprise party. As the band proclaims, “it’s not a costume / it’s a lifestyle”.
If you have the remotest interest in Seattle’s live music scene, chances are you’ve seen Pony Time at least once. Known for playing killer shows on an almost weekly basis, this drums ‘n bass (and occasionally guitar) duo released an LP last fall on Per Se Records that highlighted their infectious, disco-y brand of garage rock. We sat down and chatted with bandmates Stacy Peck (drums) and Luke Beetham (bass/vocals) recently, before they played a benefit show at a house in Capitol Hill. We discussed their inability to say no to playing shows, disparate music tastes, upcoming plans, their love affair with Stickers, plus a free download of their jam “Tacocat Scraps”.
How did you guys meet and start making music together?
Stacy: Luke and I started working together - Luke’s an electrician, and I was his apprentice - and we did that for about a year. And then I quit, and we became buds, and we moved into a house together. I quit my band, Telepathic Liberation Army, around that time, so we started playing music together in the basement and it worked out pretty good even though we do not like any of the same music.
How are your music tastes different?
Stacy: It’s like if I like something, Luke REALLY doesn’t like it, and if he really likes something I hate it, basically. I’d say we have like 10% overlap. It’s kind of like a joke now though. Luke: We do make music though… Stacy: Well yeah, there’s that. Luke: You do like it, right? It’s not just occupying your time, just something to do… Stacy: No, no, I do.
Why did you guys decide to do bass and drums as opposed to guitar and drums? Is there a reason, or is that how it just ended up?
Luke: What I recall is that we were going to have a three-piece, where I was going to play guitar, Stacy on drums and somebody else on bass. But I had these songs kind of written with bass parts, which seemed kind of essential to the songs, so I just decided to play bass until we could find someone to fill in with the guitar because I can’t play bass and sing at the same time. But we never found anyone else and I learned to sing and play the bass. Stacy: It sounded fine how it was, and people liked that we were a two-piece, and it’s really easy to do stuff that way. Too easy, which is why we end up playing so many shows all the time. It’s just like, “Can you play this?” “Yes”, and then we have twelve shows in two months. It’s cool because at this point, like two years later, almost everyone has heard of us or seen us at some point just because we play everything. “Oh yeah, you played in my house!” is something we hear a lot.
You guys have been playing a lot of new songs recently - any plans to release them?
Stacy: Yeah, we recorded seven new songs and we like five of them. We have a few more that we need to record to get to twelve for a full-length, hopefully coming out soon. All that stuff takes forever.
So tell me about your relationship with the band Stickers - it seems like you guys are really tight. Stacy, you’re in another band with members of Stickers now and you’re going on tour with them.
Stacy: We just are basically in love with each other. Luke: That’s one of our overlaps in common musical taste. Stacy: We started playing at exactly the same time, and we ended up playing together, and now we only want to play with each other. Like when we’re playing on the same night, like is happening tonight, we get so bummed. Luke: We actually have a new song called “Stickers”. Stacy: And we have another song that we wrote for Gabi from Stickers for her birthday, that’s just about how much we love her. Hopefully we’ll do a split 7” with Stickers and they can write a song about how much they love us. No pressure. We’re really excited to go on tour with them.
Is “Ex-Girlfriend Beach” a real place, or a metaphorical hellhole? Stacy: It’s Denny-Blaine Beach, also known as Dykiki. I feel the song is a very accurate representation of the experience. It’s absolutely the most awkward experience for a lesbian. It’s very intense. Luke:
Do you have any plans to make more music videos? You have been releasing quite a few recently.
Stacy: We’re planning to for one of the songs we just recorded, the Stickers one. When we’re on tour with them, we have a free day, and I think we’ll stay at a hotel with a pool and do a poolside shoot. Emily [of Stickers] is a real genius when it comes to making those videos. She does them in like an hour. It’s insane.
Luke, you have a really distinct style and you always dress so well. What’s your inspiration?
Luke: Why thank you. I think I try to dress well normally, but when I was playing in this other band Armitage Shanks, you’d have to wear a white shirt and a tie - not like a goofy fucking tie, like if it’s a wrong color you’re going to get grief - because they said they wanted to be professional about it so I got used to that.
What other bands have you guys been involved with?
Stacy: I was in Telepathic Liberation Army, and right now I’m also in Redbook, and I started recently playing bass in The Creakies. Luke: Armitage Shanks and Tax & Leisure Corporation. I was in another band, when I was like 21, but they kicked me out for being shitty at the bass.
Are there any other bands, besides Stickers, that you both agree on?
Stacy: Ummmmmmmmm… Luke: What other bands do we both like? That’s about it… Stacy:Haunted Horses, and White Coward!
What do you listen to when you’re stuck in the tour van?
Stacy: The radio mostly, since neither of us is actually choosing anything. We both like disco music though, the funky stuff. Luke: I will always be down with James Brown Stacy: I kind of just like the hits. Luke doesn’t like hits. Luke: I like B-sides.
What other exciting plans do you have for this summer? Stacy: We’re playing Capitol Hill Block Party this year, at the Cha Cha. Luke: I’m not sure we get passes… Even if we got passes I’m not sure I’d go. That’s a hell of a lot of people. I’m not sure if I can handle that. I mean I’ll do it because we’re playing. Stacy: We’re playing with Psychic Feline next week at the Rendezvous. Luke: We’ve played with them before, haven’t we? No? Well then another cat band… not TacocaT. Stacy: There are so many cat bands. And so many pony bands! A pony explosion! I wanna have a show where we play with all the other pony bands and be like, bring it. Luke: A showdown.
What other pony bands are there?
Stacy: Seapony, Pony Homie, Ponytail, Side Pony, Motopony… I feel like they all started after us. Luke: I hope people think they’re booking us but they get them, well maybe I shouldn’t say that. Stacy: We’re also really excited for our tour - the last two were tough. Luke: The first one was a total success. We MADE money, after we paid for all the expenses. We had money left over, so we treated ourselves to a motel room, and Sizzler, and beer, and candy - we had everything. What was on TV? The Rocky marathon! It was the fucking best night. Stacy: Our song “Skate Witch” from our tape is going to be in a movie called “Skate Bitches”, a tribute to “Skate Witches” - a bunch of ladies in the eighties skating with their rats, and now there’s another groups of skating babes in England and this movie’s about them. Luke: And those women were so hot, too! __
Pony Time play tonight with Don’t Talk to the Cops, Strong Killings, and The Wimps at the Greenhouse (25th & Dearborn, Seattle / 9pm / all-ages)
West Coast tour with Stickers 6/5 @ Pony (Seattle) - tour kickoff 6/6 Portland @ the Record Room w/Landlines 6/7 Eureka @ the Shanty Tavern w/Monster Women 6/8 Oakland @ houseparty w/Twin Steps 6/9 LA @ the Smell w/Take Pictures, Cartaud, Bobtail 6/10 Reno w/Nu Sensae 6/11 San Francisco @Hemlock (6pm) 6/12 POOL PARTY 6/13 Boise @ Red Room 6/14 Missoula @ Zoo Clothing w/Shark Pact, Skin Flowers 6/15 Spokane @ the Checkerboard w/ Mirror Mirror, 66beat
As a band that is more about living rooms and dive bars, and much less about press, fame, and world tours, Nice Purse have solidified their name in the Minneapolis scene. With an eccentric, often times dangerous live show (picture flying guitars, amp heads catching fire, poorly timed stage dives,) and an equally flamboyant, drag-wearing frontman to match, NP refuses to put on a bad show. Following the release of their sophomore record Slumber Girls earlier this year, the band has seen a steady garnering of underground popularity.
Slumber Girls, which was released on cassette in January, is magnificent and worthy of repeated listening. Compared to the twee pop cuteness of their debut LP Blackmedal, Slumber Girls finds the band entering a new, chaotic punk sound. With songs like “Broken Filthy Arrows” and “Radical Roses,” it’s difficult to refrain from dancing. Despite the chaos, the band really shines when they strip away their usual insane antics for a reserved approach. The highlight of Slumber Girls comes 5 tracks in, with the piano driven “Run Tun Tun”, easily the slowest and most beautiful song the band has ever recorded. Though the album regains it’s momentum, I can’t help but think that Nice Purse could get away with writing an entire album of epic slow jams.
In addition to the release of Slumber Girls, the band recently performed an unreleased track in the Radio K studios entitled “747”. The song recalls the best of 90’s alternative songwriting, with guitarist Ian Nygaard taking over for France Camp on vocals. An additional array of catchy, whirling harmonies sung by lone female member Elise Pfau is sure to make the track a hit when released. If nothing more, the tell-tale lyrics of stoned boredom and chilling on couches are certainly applicable to the lives of most of the band’s primary demographic. It’s clear that Nice Purse will continue to experiment with their sound, and this is only a good thing. Though the band has had to scale back their live performance schedule due to Nygaard and France Camp performing with always-touring NME bros “Howler”, Nice Purse has hinted that they will be back and destroying stages within the coming months. Stream Slumber Girls on bandcamp, and whatever you do, don’t miss their next show.
the entire naomi punk album we’ve been raving about is now available for streaming on their bandcamp. above is one of our favorite tracks, “trashworld” (the other being “burned body”). the band has also announced a few upcoming shows in the pnw, and we’ve heard rumors of a west coast tour in late june and a national tour late august thru late september…
may 03 / dynamo (vancouver) with weed & aaron read may 19 / cairo (seattle) with stephanie, half gift, john o. and the millennials (chris from talbot tagora) may 24 / tba (seattle) with half gift and psychic feline june 01 / ground zero (bellevue, wa) with m. women june 13 / black lodge (seattle) with nu sensae and broken water
Please welcome our friend Gunnar, who will be contributing pieces about the Minneapolis/St. Paul scene and other cool shit. —
Besides the fact that a name-related lawsuit could occur with a rise in popularity, it seems that the folks in The Miami Dolphins tend to intentionally refrain from the public eye. With a sparsely available cassette, and only the occasional “official” show, not many opportunities have arisen for the Dolphins to receive press coverage. Luckily, many music fans outside of the Minneapolis basement scene appear to be catching on. With chaotic, mathy riffs and sheer punk rock intensity, the Dolphins have created something magical with their latest release, “Neon and Foam.” I was first drawn in to their sound when I discovered the above track, “Burnt” on the Dolphins bandcamp. “Burnt” showcases vocalist Beth Bamberry’s turbulent, disorganized shrieking, and the band’s signature whirling, off-kilter melodies. The album, which was self released on cassette and in “pay what you want” digital format, has garnered plenty of attention since it’s release last year, including a feature on Radio K’s Off The Record, where the band performed this amazing in-studio. Keep on the lookout for more releases, just remember it will take some digging.
as you may have noticed, we areobsessed with seattle/olympia natives naomi punk. their new lp, the feeling, drops today on couple skate records. having had a sneak preview and the privilege of speaking with the artists about its creation, the feeling is undoubtedly these bloggers’ record of the year. from the gut-wrenching distortion in “voodoo trust” to “the spell”’s sexy incantation, an eerie haze shrouds the entire album and makes it a cohesive narrative, even though the lyrics only come in brief bursts when the fog lifts for a moment. instrumental tracks like “cls + death junket”, “gentle movement toward sensual liberation”, and “eon of love” provide melodic interludes between bangers like “trashworld”, “burned body”, emotive title track “the feeling”, and closer “the buzz”. though the musicians behind naomi punk remain purposefully at a distance, their musical prowess, dedication, and raw talent shines through the reverb and scuzz. be sure to order your copy from local label couple skate records and support artists like naomi punk who are, in our opinion, the best hope for the future of music.
check out this video from excellent dream-poppers/dream-shredders the creakies for “arnold’s song”, from their recently released redwood ep. tori and lily are making noise pop of the highest caliber, combining sweet lyrics with pounding drums and the guitar tone of our dreams.
we’ve been waiting to have “ben’s tour” on our ipods for months, and luckily for us weed just released their gun control ep for free download on their bandcamp. we also suggest you pick up a physical copy when it’s released may 19 on cruising usa.
