Running behind again, but I didn’t want to miss mentioning the City Arts Festival show I went to at The Crocodile on October 23. Zera Marvel, Star Anna and and Sera Cahoone for a night of Americana from three women with very different styles.
Zera Marvel, better known for being part of Head Like a Kite, has a very glamorous, Golden Age of Radio look. Yet her songs were the darkest, a kind of noir Americana. As she says she reassured her mother, her songs aren’t all about sex, many of them are about murder.
This is a new one (which I didn’t get the name to), about her father who recently passed away:
Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs really rock it out these days, still with a strong Americana influence and Star’s impassioned lyrics and vocals.
Here they are from The Crocodile show with Spinning My Wheels:
. . .and Wolves in Disquise:
They are an awesome band. I actually overheard a woman in the audience tell her friend she was planning on playing lead guitarist Justin Davis when they come out on Guitar Hero!
Listen to more of Star Anna’s music and see when they’re playing next at: http://www.staranna.com
Sera Cahoone and her band were by far the most traditional Americana, with a great country sound, but loud. Actually, a bit too loud for me, but I could be getting old, and I was closer to the speakers this time, after a brief rest room and water break.
Here they are with Last Time:
Another great evening of music on a rainy Seattle night!
OK – I’m way behind again, but there was too much good music at Bumbershoot not to get around to it. I had an incredible amount of fun on my $22 economy ticket. Yeah, I do wonder what it would have been like if I sprung for the full ticket and caught some Bob Dylan as well as Solomon Burke and Ozomatli. That was just it though. They scheduled some great music at the same time, and I wasn’t sure if I would have made it anyways, and it would have been $18 more, on my very small budget.
Bumbershoot Banner
So, I didn’t decide for sure which ticket to get until a few days before (and actually just before they announced the full tickets for the mainstage that day were sold out). I figured it would be easier if I bought in advance and they held it at will call. Wow was I wrong!
I built a little time in, and even with the bus being late, I as there an hour before Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs were due to take the stage at the Mural Amphitheater early Saturday afternoon. The sun was now shining, while earlier it was raining. . .and. . . the Will Call line was a couple blocks long and slowly moving on the Mercer Street side of Seattle Center. As a half hour, 45 minutes went by it was starting to look rather grim.
Did I mention that Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs were one of the main reasons I bought a Saturday ticket and I was eagerly looking forward to hearing them play with the new line up, even before the rumors that Mike McCready of Pearl Jam would be joining them for a few songs? Oh, yes, I even blogged a rave about that, and in a timely manner (which, as you know, is relatively rare for me).
I finally got to up the will call window and got my ticket less than 10 minutes before they were due to hit the stage, and while I was trying to dash back to the entrance near the EMP (OK, I am not in dashable shape), I did not think I would make it in time. I got there, though, just before they started!
OK, now I know Bumbershoot has apologized and hopefully got Will Call right for the next two days of the festival, but. . .as I rushed by the ticket sales at the gate near EMP, I realized I would have had no line to wait in if I had waited and bought my ticket there. . .
Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs were awesome! Even before first Carrie Akre, then Mike McCready joined them.
Here they are with Mike for Wolves in Disguise, the first of two videos I took:
and All Alone in This Together, their closing number:
Beautiful!
I wandered around some before heading back to the Mural for The Maldives, finally finding the traveling hot shop from the Museum of Glass, but without enough time to check it out, yet. Also ran into Amnesty friends, with their children. I do want to give Bumbershoot praise on this one – letting children in free with their parents on the economy ticket! Great idea.
Mayor Mike McGinn introduced The Maldives (which was kind of cool). Here they are with Blood on the Highway at Bumbershoot, video from Tacoma Rock City:
Then it was time for some old time soul and funk with Wheedle’s Groove a super band composed of members of at least 6 or 7 of Seattle’s biggest soul band from the 1960s & 70s. They came together for a documentary, which will be showing soon on PBS, and are still playing gigs around Seattle. It was great seeing an all generation audience grooving on them at Bumbershoot!
Here’s my video of (Stop) Losing Your Chances (and the audio is better than the video on this one):
With no break again, it was back to the Mural Amphiteater for Justin Townes Earle.
Justin Townes Earle
Justin and his band were in fine form! I had not seen Justin before, and what surpised me was that he went in the opposite direction from his famous dad, Steve Earle, than I expected. I figured he’d throw in something “young” like indie music or hip hop; but instead he went back to the country roots with a depression era sound (which seems to be coming back in style these days).
Here’s Justin Townes Earle with Mama’s Eyesfrom KEXP‘s Music Lounge broadcast earlier that day:
It’s a beautiful song, and I don’t mean any disloyalty to his father, who I’m also a fan of. I know it’s also an ironic song, in light of Justin’s own recent struggles with addiction, but he’s the first to admit, and in the song itself, that he’s following too closely in his dad’s footsteps that he’s so critical of.
On the other hand, at my age, I’m starting to have a different perspective. First, you start realizing your parents did the best they could , based on their own parenting and childhood, as well as whatever else was going on in their lives and causing stress. Often trying to do better. Then you look at their parents and their lives. . . Then you start realizing your children, or the children of your contemporaries (for those of us who have none of their own), are complaining about their parents; while already starting to make some of the same or different mistakes themselves, with their kids. . .
Museum of Glass Mobile Hot Shop
After that, it was time for some wandering, and I finally searched out the mobile Museum of Glass hot shop that was happening throughout the weekend. Of course, they lacked the groovy giant cooling tower of the actual hot shop down in Tacoma, but just like there, you get to watch the glass artists create their pieces from start to finish.
Museum of Glass Mobile Hot Shop
I wasn’t sure which band I wanted to see next, but had several possibilities. I decided to head over to the EMP and start there. On the way, and nearby, I caught some of This Providence. They were good, and verrry young.
Here they are at Bumbershoot with Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, video by shutterbugTrin:
I headed over to the EMP’s Sky Church to check out See Me River.
See Me River
They sounded really good, and were really intense.
Here they are with their song Ed Jackson at The Tractor Tavern last year:
As I left the EMP, I caught the Circus Una Motorcycle Thrill Show right outside:
Circus Una Motorcycle Thrill Show
Then I headed back to the Mural Amphitheater to see Solomon Burke, in what I just realized was his last U.S. performance. He died October 10, while on tour in Amsterdam.
Solomon Burke
They darkened the stage lights to bring him on stage in his wheelchair, and he performed on a throne, the man and his voice still majestic. He had a bucket of roses he had assistants pass out to women in the audience.
Here’s a clip toward the end of his set by SMI TV, ending, appropriately enough, with When the Saints Come Marching In:
Wow!
I ended the evening with Ozomatli, the band that made Seattle dance! I was realizing I’m terribly out of shape and was having a hard time keeping up.
Here they are with Malagasy Shock, video by satherp5 (and the band itself has such tremendous energy!):
They brought children up toward the end as well, who were dancing all around the stage with them.
Ozomatli
I headed home, having really gotten my money’s worth out of my economy ticket (and hearing mixed reviews about Bob Dylan, who I’m not sure if I would have caught even with the full price ticket, between Solomon Burke and Ozomatli).
September started out the Hootenanny for a Healthy Gulf, another sing-a-long with some of Seattle’s greatest musicians, this time at the Moore Theater. No cameras were allowed, so I didn’t bring mine, not that I’m not tracking down what bootleg video exists. OK, questionable on the goodie-two shoes award here. . . It probably was a good thing for me to just enjoy a show for a change instead of taking too many (maybe not so great) photos, and sometimes a decent video or two.
Hootenanny for a Healthy Gulf 9.2.10 by Pearl Jam Official, on Flickr
Once again, Pearl Jam‘s Mike McCready and his wife Ashley O’Connor headed up the effort, pulling together some of Seattle’s best talent, sponsors and all the other logistics needed to put on a successful benefit.
I won’t even pretend to remember the order of the songs this far after the event (and while there’s a lot of video, there are a lot of good moments missing as well).
Duff McKagan– Wild Horses, video by Outlaw Digital Media
Guns N’ Roses dude Duff once again headed up the line up with Mike as the big name draws, also promoting the show in his Reverb blog for Seattle Weekly. In reality, Duff and Mike shared the stage equally with all the other musicians, letting them shine.
There weren’t really any moments like this:
Saw that one coming!
Here’s how Patience went at the real Hoot, with Jeff Rouse (who is in Duff McKagan’s Loaded), Star Anna& Shawn Smith leading up vocals:
While My Guitar Gently Weeps – Mark Pickerel& Star Anna on vocals, Tim DiJulio (aka Rock Tim) on lead guitar, and Ty Bailie on keyboards (video by ShastaLoup):
Blue Bayou – Rachel Flotard of Visqueen, with Rusty Willoughby on guitar:
Instant Karma -Star Anna – awesome, with a little help from her friends (video by rb1229):
Purple Rain– Shawn Smith (with Tim DiJulio once again stealing the show on lead guitar):
You can see the great thing about Seattle’s music scene in the video – all the musicians are supportive of each other and love jamming together. The not so great thing is the audiences’ tendency to just sit or stand there. I don’t think it’s really that they, or rather, we, don’t love the music. I don’t know . . . is it that we’re a city of introverts -people who read, spend a lot of time online or hike alone in the woods? . . . or that we’re so polite? The latter was part of my problem that night, as I wanted to get up during Star Anna’s last number (which I think was Instant Karma), but everyone was sitting. . .except a few people and the guy in front of me was apologetic. . . and I told him he shouldn’t be. I finally did get up during Shawn Smith’s Purple Rain finale, only to be glared at by at least one woman (who I wasn’t even standing in front of).
One of my favorite moments of the night (which I wish there was a video clip of), was when Rick Friel, after running the raffle and auctioning off a dinner with the two Deadly Catch guys, opened the second half of the show with The Monkees‘ I’m a Believer, hamming it up and getting everyone out of their seats first, and dancing! Alas, they all sat down again after that, instead of rocking out the rest of the night. . .
Other musicians playing that night included Pete Droge (Crimson and Clover – another blast from the past!), Kristen Ward, Gary Westlake, Kim Virant, Chris Friel, Rebeqa Rivers and Justin Davis.
I know. I’m 4 concerts behind on this blog (and need to get back to mixing in some human rights issues), and yet here I am writing about one of the great ones that got away, with both the Columbia City Theater being a little too challenging to get back from by public transit after midnight, and being so broke at the time I really didn’t have the $12, I think it was (unless I skipped food until payday, and yes, I probably should have).
Fortunately there is video of the show up on YouTube, and I’ll start with this one of Space Beneath the Door by Outlaw Digital Media:
I knew I was missing something special, as she hinted there was going to be a fourth Laughing Dog, and that it was keyboardist Ty Bailie (who plays all those benefit concerts with Mike McCready & friends, including last night’s Hootenanny). Of course, it wasn’t just Ty Bailie, everyone else’s intensity level increased, and this was already an awesome band.
Here they are on a slower, and very beautiful, new song, For When I Go:
Wow! Star’s voice. . .The band, too, though: that’s Justin Davis (lead guitar & back up vocals), Travis Yost (drums), Keith Ash (bass), along with now, and hopefully a permanent addition, Ty Bailie (keyboard), and, of course, Star Anna.
What comes to mind with Ty joining the Laughing Dogs is a discussion I had with my friend Merri Ann when we saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band their last time though. She wanted to know what Tenth Avenue Freeze-Outwas all about: “When the change was made uptown and the Big Man joined the band. . .” Well, of course that part of the song is about the E Street Band coming together. I hadn’t really given that line much thought before or since, until now. I hadn’t really realized what a wonderous thing a band coming together is. Of course, The E Street Band was already fully together by the time I heard of them. This is the first time I’m aware of seeing it happen.
. . . and tomorrow (or, rather, tonight – it’s after midnight). . .Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs are playing with Mike McCready! Once again, it’s not going to be just Mike that makes it so great. See this clip of Star Anna and the rest of the Laughing Dogs when Mike joined them for Wolves in Disguise at Spaceland in Silver Lake, CA (from the band’s YouTube page):
Check out Star Anna dueling on guitar with Mike McCready toward the end. I had no idea she could play like that. Then it’s a three-way, with Justin, and the rest of the band is really going full tilt as well.
I know this is posted way too late. It’s less than 13 hours to showtime (1:15 – 2:15 at the Mural Amphitheater, Saturday). If you don’t catch Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs there, check their schedule to see them somewhere down the road.
So, in between all the music at the U District Street Fair, I went to catch some more music at the Fremont Abbey. Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs were playing an acoustic set there, and I wanted to check out the opening acts as well.
It was my first time at the Fremont Abbey, which is in, of course, an old church, and a real intimate space for a show.
Sadie Avaopened, with her band, The Crooked Road. Their music was good, kind of old-time folk.
Here’s Peaches from earlier this year recorded by autumdiver:
Kasey Anderson was next, and he was impressive. Very strong writing and singing (which reminds me a little of Steve Earle).
I Was a Photograph is a powerful song about the young soldier in the photograph from early in the Iraq War. You probably remember the photo even before they show it in the video below. I remember the follow up articles about how he was doing when he got back, which Kasey captures so eloquently and painfully in the song.
Here’s the official video of the song:
You know my face. I was a photograph,
On the front page beneath a headline of war.
I was numb back then, boy. I ain’t even numb no more. . .
Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs were, as always, awesome. It worked really great having the full band do an an acoustic set, and made for a more intimate and different kind of show than a all out rocker at The Tractor.
Here’s their closer, All Alone in This Together, from The Fremont Abbey show:
Check out more of Star Anna’s music and where she’s playing next at:
I have seen a lot of shows in Seattle just since coming back from New Orleans, and Star Anna played in almost all of them; but it was time for a full show, with the full band – The Laughing Dogs. . .
I love that poster, and the band! I think I saw all those dogs out for a walk together, with two old guys, on Capitol Hill last weekend. . .
Opening that night at The Tractor was a young band, The Legendary Oaks, and they and their songs sounded good, even if their presentation needed a little work.
They did a funny song about Ted Nugent and his love of guns. . . Something about – so patriotic and so psychotic. . .
Couldn’t find videos for either of the opening bands.
Holy . . .! I don’t think I’ve ever seen The Tractor as packed as it was by this point. Hootenanny for Haiti really raised her profile, and especially Duff McKagen’s rave reviews, both on stage and in the Seattle Weekly.
A rising star, and that’s no lie.
No, really, I saw her back when she was playing The Tractor. . .
Star really rose to the occasion, opening with Spinning My Wheels (and I really wish I had some video from that night).
Here’s Spinning My Wheels at the High Dive back in January (video by jpseawa):
Very intense, and very good. . . and the crowd. . .
Here’s one more of the songs she sang, Where I Come From, about her hometown of Ellensburg, Washington. Video from the Joshua Tree Festival by motnovak:
Another great night, ending, as I recall, on Otis Redding’s That’s How Strong My Love Is!
So, I was starting to get back into the Seattle music after my wayward adventures in New Orleans. Now it was time to come totally home with another Flight to Mars!
Yes, that’s right! Time for the annual Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation fundraiser, with Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready and friends and their UFO tribute band, Flight to Mars. Our Captain, Paul Passereli, above.
Seriously, they really should have a sci-fi series based on Paulie and his crew!
On with the Flight to Mars show, though!
As usual, we had some acoustic sets opening, including one by Mike McCready. One of the songs he did was Neil Young’s Too Far Gone. Here’s a clip (by stefferzz1970) from a previous show at Fuel Sports:
Jeff Rouse (from Duff McKagen’s Loaded) came out and joined Mike to sing River of Deceit, by Mad Season (a Seattle super-group that included Mike McCready and Alice in Chains’Layne Staley on lead vocals) as he did for the Hootenanny for Haiti show. A clip, also by stefferzz1970, from the same Fuel Sports show:
Star Anna and Justin Davis, from her group the Laughing Dogs, also came out to do a set.
Devil Don’t Remember was an intense opener, but then again, when you’ve got a short acoustic in a totally packed Showbox at the Market. . .
Here’s Star Anna the full band with Devil Don’t Remember at the Mississippi Pizza’s Atlantis Lounge in Portland last year (video by humanclock):
More from Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs soon. I caught them at a totally packed Tractor Tavern show last week.
Intensely rocking! They were all over the stage and they have the rock moves. . . Got to love their bio on their website:
Rising from the ashes of 80s Seattle punk bands SGM, Skank Puppies, and The Experience, Sweet Water (Adam, Cole, Paul, and Credo) shot to near-stardom in the early 90s Seattle explosion. Propelled by keen pop-punk sensibilities, spacey glam songwriting, and fueled by a roaring wall of guitar, Sweet Water delivered on the promises of rock and roll.
Sweet Water’s live performances back then were hot, sweaty, screaming, smoky, passionate, substance-fueled affairs that permanently burned memories into their fans’ brains.
Singer Adam Czeisler shined like the bastard child of Freddie Mercury and Mick Jagger – a real frontman in an era of shoegazers.
Here’s a clip of Head Down from a show at Neumos last year (video by BlackTemplar73):
Autographed posters, Pearl Jam cds, Mike & his wife’s tickets to the Mariners for a night. . . All kinds of good stuff, for a worthy cause!
Now it was time to blast off!
This is just an awesome band and show, with some of Seattle’s best rock musicians – Mike McCready, Gary Westlake, Paul Passereli, Kelly Van Camp, Ty Bailie and Tim DiJulio.
I got some video this time. Here they are with Natural Thing:
“Don’t you think the band’s real tight?. . .”
Mike’s solo at the end sounds like it’s from outerspace, too!
Got to love these club shows! Mike McCready up close and personal all night.
And the whole band playing so well off each other, sometimes literally. . .
My second video was too long for YouTube’s 10 minutes max rule, so I set up an account on Vimeo. You really can’t edit Rock Bottom! Especially with an extended Mike McCready solo in the middle of it. . .
Epic, and just when you think it’s over, they start in again!
“Where do we go from here?”
Well, they brought out the guy who won the charity bid to play with Mike and the band.
Sweet! He isn’t going to forget that night. . .
This was on Iggy Pop’s I Wanna Be Your Dog. This guy came out to sing:
. . . and I know I probably should know who it is. He came out and did this song for at least one other Flight to Mars show.
Let there be light! Someone else got video other than me! Here’s the start of their cover of Let There Be Rock by AC/DC, by rsavillo21. His memory card became full. I’ve been there (in fact, mine did that night, too; but I was just shooting photos and switched it out).
Are those the infamous Pearl Jam super balls Mike’s handing out at the other side of the stage? The ones with Tom Tomorrow’s artwork? Hey, I wouldn’t have sold mine on e-Bay! Mike was throwing out guitar picks all night, too. Too bad Seattle crowds aren’t as jaded with Pearl Jam memorabilia as the New Orleans crowd is with Mardi-Gras beads. I didn’t find any just laying around.
OK! I’m back in Seattle. Safely landed with the Flight to Mars crew!
. . .and. . . still over two weeks behind!
A couple more shows and a couple human rights events coming!
Oh, yeah, and my birthday! It was a big one. Let’s just say I haven’t trusted myself in over 20 years. . . OK, I never trusted myself. That’s beside the point!
It didn’t take me long after flying back from New Orleans to get back into Seattle’s music scene. Star Anna was playing a free gig at Mark Pickerel’s Damaged Goods Records in Belltown in honor of Record Store Day, according to her Facebook fan page.
I was eager to hear some more music, so I headed on down. It’s kind of cool living in a city where a rock star owns a record store. Damaged Goods is very retro. Well, I think I officially become retro in a couple days, but that’s beside the point! Lots of records (& ones I remember), and a good mix of cds (especially of local music) at a good price; with lots of retro clothing, at a considerably higher price (hey, he has to be making money somewhere), posters and other memorabilia.
Playing first was Exene Cerevenka, of the punk band, X. Here she is playing Alone In Arizona, a song she played that day:
In between her set and Mark Pickerel’s I checked out the art in the art gallery. It was. . . rather. . .disturbing. . .
Here’s a the gallery’s blog entry on the show (which closes May 7), with photos of some of the pieces. I think Lady Clown might be the most creepy. . .
But what do I know about art? Probably less than music. . ., but I know what I like. . .
Mark Pickerel was the drummer for Screaming Trees. I don’t think everyone is familiar with his Americana albums. That, combined with the fact most of the fans seemed to be there for Exene or Star Anna, explains why it wasn’t until he did a cover of One More Cup of Coffee that most of the crowd started gathering to hear his songs.
Star Anna and Justin Davis, from her band the Laughing Dogs, played their set next.
They played a short and sweet set, just enough to wet my appetite for their show that was coming in a couple weeks. Maybe 6 songs, including a Beatle’s cover (Run for Your Life), and one they said they said they hadn’t done in awhile, that they opened with the next week before Flight to Mars.
Here’s a clip of Sleep My Darlin’ from YouTube at the Tractor a couple years ago (and I have to be honest, with 3 shows in 3 weeks, I’m not certain which was done where):
I went to the Hootenanny for Haiti with Mike McCready, Duff McKagan and friends last Sunday night and it was a blast!
It was kind of like singing around the campfire with 1,100 of your closest friends, who happen to include some of the best musicians in Seattle, and a song list that includes The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Tom Petty and a couple surprises from the deepest vaults of Seattle rock history.
They started the show off, to a sold out and capacity crowd at the Showbox at the Market (the original Showbox), with Wild Horses. Here’s the preview before the show from KISWradio.
Maybe it says something about the crowd (including me), that the first good sing along got going with Tom Petty’s Even the Losers (Mark Pickerel taking the lead on this one):
Some of the songs were a real hoot (and totally unexpected)! Jeff Rouse covering Prince’s I Can Never Take the Place of Your Man? Kim Warnick (The Fastbacks) taking the lead on Belinda Carlisle’s Heaven is a Place on Earth? Actually, Duff warned us this one was coming a couple weeks before on his Reverb blog on The Seattle Weekly site. Still, that he had so much fun playing it. . .
Johnny Thunder’s Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory was another one Duff told us was coming:
Star Anna really stole the show with her version of Otis Redding’s That’s How Strong My Love Is (version below not from the Hootenanny). I’ve said it before, but her voice is just incredible. The amount of emotion that just breaks your heart (but in a good way).
Kim Virant took up the challenge of following Star with Stevie Nicks’Stop Dragging My Heart Around (doesn’t seem to be any video of that up). I’m not sure which of the guys was singing the dead on Tom Petty part of the duet.
Kristen Ward really held her own, taking the stage early with Hank Williams’ I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry amidst wolf whistles. Here she is with Gary Westlake singing Dolly Parton’s Jolene (and, yes, the drunk guys shouting at the start see Pearl Jam’s Matt Cameron. . .). Some people need to get out more, or maybe not. . .
Now for some pure Seattle moments. River of Deceit, from Mad Season, the super group Mike played in with the late Layne Staley (Alice in Chains), among others. Jeff Rouse takes Layne’s part:
There was also a mini-reunion of one of Pearl Jam member Stone Gossard’s side projects, Brad, after the raffle. Brad is playing at the Showbox on April 14, and that show is already sold out.
Then, back deeper into Seattle’s past – Crown of Thorns, from Mother Love Bone (a band before Pearl Jam that Stone and Jeff Ament were part of before their lead singer, Andrew Wood, ODed when they were on the brink of fame). Shawn Smith, from Brad, took the lead vocals. Holy Cow!
Then Duff and Star Anna did a duet of Bob Dylan’s Knocking on Heavens Door. Even Duff was in awe of her Otis Redding cover, and really embarrasses her (but in a good way) going on about it.
Sweet!
Closing out, Duff taking the lead on Iggy Pop’s I Wanna Be Your Dog, followed by the ladies taking the lead on I’ll Fly Away.
Awesome show for a great cause!
With the packed house and raffle tickets ($5 for one, $20 for 5), they must have raised a lot for Partners in Health and their work for Haiti. There is still supposed to be an autographed guitar that was played by Mike and Duff at the Hootenanny coming up on Charity Buzz. If you have $1000 or so lying around, it should be coming up this week at: http://www.charitybuzz.com/auctions . Search for Hootenanny for Haiti.
Obligatory late night transit story for this concert:
They’ve got police posted at the Westlake tunnel late nights. A cop was dragging a guy away in handcuffs for. . .(cue Dragnet theme). . .smoking a cigarette? OK, I’m not a big fan of second hand smoke, but . . . “You’re busted!”? I can see a ticket. He deserves a ticket (the officer helpfully pointed out the sign on the way out when the guy claimed he didn’t see any rule about it).
At least with the cops there, people aren’t getting the crap beaten out of them and getting robbed with everyone including the security guards standing around. Looks like the police are looking for something to do, though; so I’d suggest not lighting that cigarette and throw away your trash properly! Granted, a good idea anyways. . .
I finally decided yesterday afternoon to go hear Star Anna and Kristen Ward at the Tractor last night, and was glad I did. I knew it would be a good show. I first heard both Star Anna and Kristen opening for Mike McCready’s side bands, and both play and write passionate Americana.
Pufferfish
Pufferfish opened – a young, indie band who have been getting some exposure on KEXP. Yes, accordion music! Someone said to turn up the accordion. I wasn’t so sure about the squeaky, small, stuffed birds the drummer was playing; but the band was pretty good.
After the set change, before Kristen’s set, we had a surprise guest:
Mike McCready
Yes, Mike McCready from Pearl Jam came out and played an acoustic set, most of them with his old friend Gary Westlake, who’s also Kristen’s lead guitarist.
Mike McCready & Gary Westlake
Mike opened with a song about his daughter, followed by one about his son, then a number of covers, with a Happy Birthday sing-along to Kristen thrown in. Mike and Gary closed the set with the Rolling Stones’sWild Horses, a request from Kristen. Here’s where I start feeling old – there were a couple of the indie kids behind me who had no idea what the song was or who it was by. A little more reassuring were the trio of 20 something girls who pushed their way through the crowd with one of the girls saying it was her favorite song. They had no idea who Mike was, though, and asked if he was Kristen Ward. . .
To avoid any confusion, this is Kristen Ward (I don’t think many guys would confuse her with Mike):
Kristen Ward
Kristen keeps improving her stage presence, and add that to her voice, guitar playing and song writing. She did a number of new ones from her upcoming album, including “the one about Spokane” someone from the audience requested. My Last Night on Division, if I remember right (which I see is the title of upcoming album). “My home town it brings me down. . .” Reminds me a lot of St. Helens, Oregon, where I went to high school.
Someone finally YouTubed Kristen at Bumpershoot this summer! Here she is with Good Time Man, off her current album, Drive Away:
Kristen asked if everyone was all right at one point. I don’t know, I keep seeing all these guys clutching their hearts when Kristen’s on stage, some of them only in their 20s. I think they’ll survive, though. . .
Finally, Star Anna. I’ve heard her before, but Star Anna really blew me away last night. Like Kristen, she writes and plays some incredible songs. It’s the passion in her voice, hearing her live, reminiscent of Janis Joplin, that really got me.
Here she is with her band, the Laughing Dogs, with Space Beneath the Door at the Triple Doorin August:
Here they are with Through the Winter at The Tractor in 2007:
Check out more music from Star Anna & the Laughing Dogs at:
Java Colleen's Jitters 