Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears brought the brass and blues to the Tractor Friday night. Opening for alt-country rockers Lucero (basically a country version of Nickelback), BJL definitely out-shined the headliners. I was surprised when I arrived at the Tractor that the bands would be playing to a sold-out crowd, and I was also thankful that I had decided to purchase tickets in advance.
Before BJL took the stage, I was very curious how they were going to fit eight band members onto the Tractor's tiny stage. Last time I saw their live act was at the Showbox in '07, and even then they had a hard time eluding each other while the blues took hold of their movements. However, at 9:30pm, the band took the stage and seemed very comfortable in their tight arrangement (I feel like they're used to playing small stages). We were quickly greeted by Black Joe Lewis, at which point he informed us that they were going to play some music for us in an attempt to convince us to buy some of their music. Judging from their set, I think they definitely boosted album sales. Playing mainly off their latest LP Tell 'Em What Your Name Is!, the band kicked off the night with an explosive rendition of "Gunpowder." They immediately followed with "Big Booty Woman," which sent shivers down my spine. This was by far the best song of the night, especially with the baritone sax kicking into full gear. The greatest thing about seeing BJL live (well, any band with a brass/sax section for that matter) is actually feeling the music. Simply playing a record cannot replicate that experience. Feeling the baritone sax's sound waves brings on a whole different experience. Other highlights from the night included "Sugarfoot," "I'm Broke," and some really funny improvisation during "Get Yo Shit." After experiencing such a wonderful set, I'm now confident that these guys must have had an off-night last time they played Seattle. These dudes really rocked the Tractor, and gave us a way better show compared to their headlining counterparts. As for Lucero, I was very unimpressed and bored during their whole set. Apparently I was the minority that night since everyone around me knew the words to every song. If you get a chance to catch Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, you'd be a fool to pass it up.
Head over to Molly Moon's to try their newest musically themed flavor. In lieu of Memorial Day's three-day music festival at the Gorge, the new flavor "Sasquatch!" is a blend of chocolate ice cream made from happy, healthy, hormone free Western Washington cows with sweet local ingredients: chocolate chunks, caramel swirl, and granola! For a limited time, you can treat yourself to this delicious dish at either of the two Molly Moon's locations (Wallingford and Capitol Hill). I'm sure the lines are going to be crazy-long with the weather we're experiencing.
Robin Pecknold's ever-changing solo project White Antelope (aka Monte Cristo, aka Carthage) has just added two more songs to its MySpace page. "Silver Dagger" and "Wild Mountain Thyme" join the already posted "False Knight on the Road" and "Guitar Duet." Head over and give them a listen. Also, speaking of Fleet Foxes, there was a great interview by The Stranger (read here) with Pecknold summing up the last crazy year, while touching on the progress of the new album.
Fleet Foxes will be playing Sasquatch this Monday.
The White Rabbits' newest album, It's Frightening, just hit shelves Tuesday. To sample it, the band is streaming the entire album over at their website (here). Also, a video for the first single off their second long player can be viewed above. The song, "Percussion Gun," is a powerfully drum-driven jammer that sets the tempo for the rest of the record. For those expecting to hear Fort Nightly Pt. II, you may be slightly disappointed. The band is clearly traveling in a new direction, and with Britt Daniel as their guide, the destination is anything but frightening for fans. The White Rabbits should take solace in the fact that they've successfully overcome the sophomore slump, producing a second album that exemplifies maturity and creativity, and shows promise in the potential for band survival. I hate to subject this new album to the comparison to Spoon, but it's hard not to. Frightening is extremely stripped down compared to the bloated, fully orchestrated hits off of Fort Nightly. Many songs on Frightening are minimalist approaches with simple drums-piano-vocal elements - very Spoon-like - however, that's where the comparison ends. I think the White Rabbits have struck gold on this album, and I look forward to their live show this June at the Crocodile. The arsenal of hits they've amassed on these two albums is enough to entertain all night long. The White Rabbits will commence their North American tour at the end of this month, starting in Cleveland. Check them out in a city near you.
Black Joe Lewis & gang will be playing the Tractor Tavern tonight as the opener for Memphis alt-country rockers Lucero. Tickets are still available, and only 15 bucks at the door. Check out Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears during their Daytrotter Session (here).
For those of you who pre-ordered Sunset Rubdown's upcoming album Dragonslayer through either Jagjaguwar or Insound, you should have received a digital copy of the album today! If you didn't pre-order, you still can. If you don't, you'll have to wait until June 22. After a few listens, I'd have to say that I'm most happy with the tracks "Idiot Heart," "Apollo And The Buffalo And Anna Anna Anna Oh!" (slower than the live versions I'd heard), and "Nightingale / December Song" (this song is sweeet).