All Photos by Holly Homan On Saturday April 5 I participated in one of 1300 protests across the US against the policies of one Donald Trump. I attended Seattle’s rally at Seattle’s Peace Fountain. This fountain has a concrete seat surrounding its 220 feet and people surrounded it ten deep it approximately ten deep. There …
Behold this exclusive premiere live video of Royal Blunder raising $2738 for Doney Coe! It was skillfully and intimately shot by bassist Bruce Watermann’s wife Linda Burnett. Royal Blunder is the Pacific NW’s latest Uber-catchy punky power pop party, filled with incredible hooks and songs ablaze with joy and insights about love and truth. Their debut …
All photos by Holly Homan On the evening of March 7 I ventured to downtown Seattle to Madam Lou’s. Boston ska band Big D & the Kid’s Table were playing. I arrived just after they hit the stage. Their charismatic singer, David McWade now has grey replacing his blond hair, but his boyish charm and …
Robert Deeble is a supercool American aesthete working in Seattle. His recordings have been noted for their orchestrated arrangements and lyrical content. His seventh and latest endeavor The Space Between Us reflects on the relationships that become frayed in a partisan era with a deeper longing for connection. The album is the result of a four year partnership …
Caspian Coberly + Star Anna play March 5th at Barboza in Seattle bringing crackling new music and full band energy for a damn good cause. Caspian’s got fresh tracks from his upcoming album… you’ll wanna hear this live. Star’s rolling in with her full band and playing songs from her new record. → Bring pet …
Photo credit to Aaron Coberly Please rock seriously with “Shepherd’s delight”, the new single from Caspian Coberly’s forthcoming album, Starlight, set for release on April 11, 2025. Starlight is a collection of timeless songs, reminiscent of late-60s and early-70s masterpieces like T. Rex’s The Slider, John Lennon’s Imagine, and Derek & The Dominoes’ Layla. Caspian wrote, produced and played all instruments. Coberly is a Seattle native that …
Saturday January 18th was a day people marched for justice all over the country. I attended the Seattle People’s March. I arrived at the rally at Cal Anderson Park in time to hear chants of, abortion is health care before governor elect Bob Ferguson spoke. Bob Ferguson was Washington’s attorney general prior to being elected …
Trump Tower in Chicago, IL (by M.E.) When America elected Donald Trump in November 2016, I thought about suitable music to describe my weariness toward the candidate who lies, bloviates, and blathers on a daily basis. I selected “Maggot Brain” by Funkadelic. https://www.eastportlandblog.com/2017/01/31/funkadelic-maggot-brain-a-song-which-captures-the-trump-era-by-mark-erickson/ Now that he has been re-elected, I am compelled to make another …
Photo Credit: Adam Whitmore If you’re still trying to figure out what The Bug Club are all about, imagine Jonathan Richman bought a really big amp & a time machine and found himself somewhere on a Nuggets compilation. Or perhaps Ray Davis buddied up with Sterling Morrison, got really into The Minutemen and agreed that songs …
Two of my former editors have died in 2024. Dawn Anderson, publisher and editor of Seattle’s Backlash and Backfire magazines, had recently been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. Dawn published the first interview with Kurt Cobain, in 1988. For many fans, that alone is qualification for “legend” status. And she was a fucking legend, someone …
It’s Saturday night November 9 and I trekked to Everett, WA to a friendly but cozy club called the Black lab Gallery. The Skablins were headlining. It’s been about five years since I last saw them. They came on stage and immediately caught fire. Sax player Heather Beck admitted she was down over the results …
Pexels. CCO Licensed. Holiday season is fast approaching and many of us will be thinking of gifts for our friends and family. If you’ve got a loved one who is a baseball fan, a baseball-related gift could prove to be a hit. However, it’s possible that they may already have received their fair share of …
Penguin Books, 1997Design by Jesse Marinoff ReyesPhotograph by Roberta Bayley Probably the only cover that I’ve done that came to approach (minor?) iconic status as far as I know. There was a time when young art school students would approach me asking if I was “THE Jesse Marinoff Reyes” who designed it. The first edition …
This track has evolved into an anthem for composer and guitarist Ari Joshua, who has performed and recorded it with over a dozen lineups. The latest version offers a stripped-down, boogaloo organ trio setup, featuring the talented Skerik on saxophone, Delvon Lamarr on Hammond organ, and Grant Schroff on drums. This iteration contrasts with the psychedelic, version released by Ari’s RAaR Trio. The …
Peter Hook stands front and center on the Showbox stage, shouting out the lyrics of “Love Will Tear Us Apart” as the audience sings along. He points at the crowd, almost blessing them as he delivers the grim chorus from Joy Division’s biggest hit in a commanding monotone. This was the only way the two-hour …
On the warm evening of September 20 I ventured to the south part of Seattle to an intimate little club called Clock-Out Lounge. The headliner was a Phoenix band called Playboy Manbaby. I saw PBM at Punk Rock Bowling last year and was very impressed so when I learned they were playing in Seattle I …
Seattle’s emerging rap artist Highway has unveiled his latest single and video for “Dream Soda” directed by Noahsocold under Victor Victor Worldwide/Geffen Records, accompanied by a captivating music video. Building on the success of his previous hits like “Self Love” and “freestyle 2 (Ganger Flo),” this new release adds another standout track to his impressive …
I once went on a date with Charles R. Cross – often known as “Charley.” It was the first time we’d formally met – though he’d said hello to me in passing, maybe once. I was a regular contributor to The Rocket, coming by once a week or two to pitch assignments or drop some …
[Seattle, WA] August 12th, 2024 Pearl Jam has released a new live music video for their current single “Wreckage”, filmed at their May 16th Las Vegas show. The single, along with the first release and title track “Dark Matter” went #1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, marking the first time Pearl Jam has accomplished consecutive #1’s on the …
Tacoma’s Jerry Miller, who made his mark in music history as one of rock’s greatest guitarists almost 60 years ago, is dead at 81. Miller was one of the guitarists in Moby Grape, a band with an incredibly vivid, unusual and brief career that began in the mid-late 1960s. A wiki read is advisable if …
FFO: Dinosaur Jr., Hüsker Dü, Doug Martsch Hayes Noble is a 19 year-old artist / guitarist currently based in Spokane, WA who plays in the style of some true indie / punk legends like J Mascis, Doug Martsch or Bob Mould. Today he’s announcing his sophomore LP, As It Was, As We Were (out June 21 on 2-2-1 Press) and has shared the …
Famed air pirate Dan Cooper (that’s the name he used when he purchased his ticket at Portland Airport from Northwest Orient Airlines 53 years ago) is believed by some true crime mavens to have died somewhere in southwestern Washington state after parachuting out of a hijacked jet November 24, 1971. Not everyone believes this semi-official …
TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG: THE 2 TONE RECORDS STORY –RUDE BOYS, RACISM AND THE SOUNDTRACK OF A GENERATIONBY DANIEL RACHEL WITH INTRODUCTIONBY PAULINE BLACK (THE SELECTER) CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED NEW BOOK CHRONICLES REMARKABLE HISTORY OF CROSS-CULTURAL BRITISH YOUTH MOVEMENT AND SUCH BANDS AS THE SPECIALS, THE SELECTER, MADNESS, AND THE BEAT BEST-SELLING AUTHOR DANIEL RACHELSET FOR …
An Ideal For Living Cover Art, credit: Joan LeMay Pre-Order Available Here First Book To Highlight The Format Features Contributions By Nearly 50 Music-Industry Veterans Including Britt Daniel (Spoon), Molly Neuman (Bratmobile), Chris Slusarenko (Guided By Voices, Eyelids), And Many More Today, author and veteran music writer and editor Corey duBrowa announces his first book, An Ideal For Living – A Celebration of …
LA-based singer songwriter Whitney Lyman has announced exciting new ‘Floating’ single which will be released on the 29th of March 2024. The release of ‘Floating’ coincides with numerous featured performances that Whitney will be showcasing at this year’s FOCUS Wales Festival that’s happening in Wrexham, North Wales, at the start of May 2024. Whitney will be showcasing her new band consisting of Welsh musicians, so if your …
Behold ‘Big in Bangladesh,’ the Latest Trip from Seattle’s Psychedelic Kaleidoscope, Goodtime Hustle
Goodtime Hustle is back and ready to take the world by storm with their highly anticipated sophomore album, Big in Bangladesh. Building on the success of their critically acclaimed debut album, “Goodtime Hustle,” the band has created a genre-bending masterpiece that showcases their diverse influences and unique sound. Recorded at Seattle’s legendary Birdhouse Studios with …
Filmed live at The Wild Buffalo in Bellingham, Washington at the finale of the “If This Is The End” tour, November 18, 2023. Video by MURAL Band is Andrew Butler, Dave Dawda, Brad Gibson, Dave Dalton, and Noah Gundersen Facebook: / noahgundersenmusic Twitter: / noahgundersen Instagram: / noahgundersen
After nearly five years I finally had the opportunity to see the Koffin Kats again. This time they played not in Seattle, but in Tacoma at cozy little dive called Jazzbones. This concert brought the triumphant return of Tommy Koffin on guitar. They ignited the stage playing many favorites like Six Feet Under and my …
Rich Arithmetic is back with another era-defying pop masterwork, PUSHBUTTON ROMANCE, which will be released on February 23. For more information, head over to his website, or downloads of the album can be purchased from Bandcamp here, or for those who prefer a physical product– the disc packaging and presentation is AMAZING, GRADE A, SUPERDELUXE, …