photos by Shawn Brackbill

"Although the band never officially split there has been little Beachwood Sparks activity since 2002" [Wikipedia]

Beachwood Sparks @ SP20, Seattle, WA - July 13, 2008

As [Beachwood Sparks] explained in their timid hippie drawl, they weren't sure how this [Sub Pop 20th Anniversary Festival] show was going to go. But aside from a little flat harmonizing at the beginning, they sounded note-for-note like they had never broken up. With the sun shining, a little breeze blowing, and a great big sky overhead, their mix of hippie twang, Byrds-ish tremolo, and hazy dream pop, made it seem like they were serenading the elements like the nature fruitcups they are. They performed "You Take The Gold", "Confusion Is Nothing New", "Desert Skies" and "Silver Morning After". It was like a greatest hits review with no filler. The only other thing I could have asked to hear is their Band-like cover of Sade's "By Your Side". But when I heard they have a new album on the way, that filled me with more joy than any song I could have heard that night.

Then came the much-anticipated Green River reunion....
[Seattle Weekly]

Tickets are on sale for a September 13th Beachwood Sparks show at Bowery Ballroom in NYC, and for a show a day earlier at Maxwell's in Hoboken. More SP20 pics, videos, and all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Beachwood Sparks - SP20 pics, new album, 2008 Tour Dates"

words by Klaus Kinski, photos by Shawn Brackbill

Right off the bat, I want to bring something to your attention that's been making it's way around the internet recently. Back in June, comedian Patton Oswalt delivered a graduation speech at his old high school. Anyone familiar with Patton's comedy, his blogs, and his interests in life will realize rather quickly that, in addition to being one of the funniest people alive, Patton is a sharp, thoughtful individual. Anyhow, read the damn speech.

Another one of my favorite comedians is putting out an album. LA-based comedian Doug Benson will unleash his debut CD DOUG BENSON: PROFESSIONAL HUMOREDIAN on July 15th via AST Records.

Whether you know him from VH1's "Best Week Ever," NBC's "Last Comic Standing" or his documentary "Super High Me," chances are Doug Benson has made you laugh before. Now he will make you laugh again, repeatedly, with his first full-length solo comedy album, "Doug Benson: Professional Humoredian." Recorded live at the world-famous Hollywood Improv, "Professional Humoredian" catches Doug at his loosest, silliest and most hilarious. Playing to a rowdy sold-out house on 4/20, Doug tears through his set with wild abandon, delivering material on such wide-ranging topics as movies, politics, relationships, anti-drug campaigns and the miracle of modern science known as McGriddles. A perennial favorite among comedy aficionados, Doug placed sixth on Season Five of "Last Comic Standing" and was named "Stoner of the Year" by High Times Magazine in 2006. Patton Oswalt calls him "prolific ... a resin-scented miracle." One listen and you'll understand why Doug has won such acclaim: witty, charming, relentless and irrepressible, Doug Benson is a Professional Humoredian.

This CD is only 10 bucks and will be worth every penny. If you aren't familiar with Doug, I HIGHLY suggest attending The Doug Benson Interruption on August 7th at 9:30pm at the UCB Theater. The Interruption is for me the funnest, loosest comedy event on the planet. These shows ALWAYS sell out and feature line-ups so majestic and stupefying that many comedy fans fall to their knees and weep. Maybe you'll be able to buy the CD at the show.

As I write this, tickets are still available for all three Ricky Gervais shows happening at the WaMu Theater at MSG on July 14, 15, and 16. And I couldn't be more excited that Todd Barry will be the opener for the 15th and 16th shows. Todd had no problem winning over the sold out crowds at the Flight of the Conchords shows at Town Hall in May so I look forward to his domination of WaMu.

Speaking of Todd Barry, he and several other comedians were part of Sub Pop's 20th Anniversary Festival. The comedy portion of the Festival took place on Friday, July 11th The Moore Theatre and featured David Cross, Patton Oswalt, Kristen Schaal, and Eugene Mirman. I so with I was there. That's where the pictures in this post came from.

More pictures, news, vidoes and upcoming shows, below...

Continue reading "Klaus Kinski's Comedy Canon & comedy pics from SP20"

photos by Shawn Brackbill

It was the birthday present everybody wanted from the start. Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam and Mother Love Bone. Mudhoney's Mark Arm and Steve Turner. Mother Love Bone/Love Battery guitarist Bruce Fairweather. Drummer Alex Shumway. Every member of original grunge band Green River, joined together for the first time in two decades. [Billboard]

More pictures from their set at this past weekend's Sub Pop Festival, below...

Continue reading "Green River @ SP20, Seattle, WA - pics"

Michael Showalter & Janeane Garofalo @ Union Hall -July 2007 (Bryan Bruchman)

Last year David Cross, Janeane Garofalo and Land of Talk performed at Eugene Mirman and Michael Showalter's anniversary party. This year anything can happen. $10 tickets to the July 20th Union Hall show are on sale.

In related news, Tearing the Veil of Maya will return as a weekly show at Union Hall after Labor Day. Mike Birbiglia is playing Union Hall again this Tuesday (July 15), but not before performing at UCB on Monday. Dave Hill is playing the Union Hall party at the Brooklyn Bridge in August. Dave Hill is also performing at UCB on Thursday July 17th WITH Martha Plimpton and Lucy Wainwright Roche (who recently played Southpaw with Neko Case and Eugene Mirman and Michael Showalter).

ALSO: The Del Close Marathon is coming to UCB

RECENTLY: Michael Showalter performed at McCarren Pool

AND: Fleet Foxes are playing Union Hall in Park Slope tonight. The Vaselines are playing right down the street at Southpaw in Park Slope tonight. Both Fleet Foxes and The Vaselines are then heading to Seattle to play the Sub Pop Festival this weekend along with Park Slope's Eugene Mirman (and David Cross, Patton Oswalt, Todd Barry, Flight of the Conchords and Kristen Schaal) and No Age (who are playing South Street Seaport tomorrow) and Low (who are playing Union Hall in Park Slope on September 23rd).

DOWNLOAD: Grand Archives - Torn Blue Foam Couch (MP3)

Sera Cahoone @ Sub Pop SXSW 2008 (more by Ryan Muir)

"How far will this thing go? And what the heck do we call it?

To answer the first question we need to look at the scene's origins. In the beginning, there were two bands.

The first is Carissa's Wierd, a Seattle "sadcore" band whose members included Sera Cahoone, Mat Brooke and Ben Bridwell. (Brooke and Bridwell went on to form Band of Horses, from which sprung Grand Archives). They were true originals, quiet, mournful and eerie; were briefly signed to Sub Pop; and were local favorites from the mid-'90s until their 2003 demise.

The second is Beachwood Sparks, a Los Angeles collective whose music was a clear and proud homage to the Byrds, Neil Young and Buffalo Springfield, the very same godfathers of the Moondoggies, Fleet Foxes and Grand Archives. Beachwood Sparks was also signed to Sub Pop, somewhere around 1999 until the band's dissolution in 2002."
[The new Seattle sound is pretty, pastoral and mellow]

Grand Archives @ Sasquatch 2008 (more by Chris Graham)

Grand Archives is an American indie rock band, formed in Seattle. The band, originally called Archives, is composed of several noted musicians from that city, led by Mat Brooke, former guitarist and vocalist for Carissa's Wierd and former guitarist for Band of Horses.

The band emerged, under their previous moniker, to little fanfare in March 2007.... [Wikipedia]

Grand Archives are on tour with Sera Cahoone. That's a lot of Carissa's Wierd. This Friday the 13th they'll be at Bowery Ballroom in NYC - part of a four band bill that also includes The M's and Centro-Matic. Then the next day you can catch both of them again at Union Hall in Brooklyn. All tour dates and some videos below....

Continue reading "Grand Archives & Sera Cahoone (a Sub Pop Seattle mellow double bill) - 2008 Tour Dates (Bowery & Union Hall)"

The Vaselines were a indie rock band from Bellshill, Scotland. Formed in 1986, the band was originally made up of only Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee, but later added James Seenan and Eugene's brother Charlie Kelly on bass and drums respectively from the band Secession.[1] McKee had formerly been a member of a band named The Pretty Flowers with Duglas T. Stewart, Norman Blake and Sean Dickson.

Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain once described Kelly and McKee as his "most favorite songwriters in the whole world". [Wikipedia]

The Vaselines (first-ever US performance) (Saturday), Les Thugs (they're from France) (Sunday), and Eric's Trip (they broke up in '96) (Saturday) have been added to the Sub Pop 20th Anniversary Festival happening in (or maybe near) Seattle in July.

DeVotchka, Grand Ole Party, Thee Emergency, and Voyager One were added to the Capitol Hill Block Party - another two day festival happening in Seattle in July.

One day and two day tickets are on sale for the Sub Pop 20th Anniversary Festival happening in Washington in July. The whole lineip hasn't been announced yet, but what has is below....

Continue reading "'Sub Pop 20' - daily lineup breakdown & tickets on sale "

Sub Pop is now confirming a lot of the rumors and then some.....

Continue reading "Sub Pop Anniversary Festival - SP20 initial lineup announced"

Fluid

As previously reported, Sub Pop is celebrating their 20th birthday and there will be a party.....

Continue reading "Sub Pop's 20th Anniversary Festival (more details) (Fluid)"