One of the many things I am thankful for is that I get to genuinely lend a hand to young bands like Brotha’ Groove, that represent the next 15 years of the scene. I am going to be a special guest like a dashing Uncle from another planet, at their show at The Vera Project …
This is the only good Blair Walsh story of 2017: my friend’s 7 year old son Max is a huge fan of The Seahawks and the Cougars. Last night my buddy looked worried at Leny’s Place as the Cougs were struggling through the Apple Cup, and I asked why a guy from Detroit was taking …
The Golden 1 Arena is still a gorgeous building, but unfortunately for Sacramento’s NBA fans, the Kings are still the Kings, and last night they lost in mostly the same way they did on the two occasions I saw them last year. They built a lead in the first half, coughed it up in the …
On the eve of Thanksgiving Eve, I headed down to the Showbox to see Newfound Glory. This tour celebrated the 20th anniversary of the band’s origins. Singer Jordan Pundik was all energy. He ran from one end of the stage to the other non-stop. Drummer Cyrus Bolooki slammed with such fury I kept expecting his …
Prediction: these driverless long haul trucks are going to get robbed and destroyed in sparsely populated areas. What are the companies going to do? Man them with security that makes less than the driver? Killer robots are going to be hopefully banned in the battlefield, so I don’t know if Walmart will be able employ …
On the eve of when we celebrate a national holiday, I would like to pass along a poem by William Burroughs called “Thanksgiving Prayer” that Ministry included during the first part of “Thankx but no Thanx” on 2013’s From Beer to Eternity. Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!
Just listen. It’s luscious, spirited, sui generis and fantastical. The Shanghai Restoration Project (SRP) is the Brooklyn based electronic duo of Dave Liang and Sun Yunfan. Initially a solo project of Dave Liang, SRP was inspired by the 1930s Shanghai jazz scene. Having cut his teeth as a producer within the Bad Boy Records system, …
For those who love seeing their literary heroes in the flesh and obtaining their signatures on the title pages of newly purchased books, Wordstock is a paradise rivaling any other such event in these United States. This year’s festival took place the Saturday before last over a three-block area of downtown Portland, and while it …
The greatest scam of this generation is that the mega-rich are clearly hoarding resources because they know the scientists are right about Climate Change. But the hustle is that these same people have bought off the Republican Party to create a rule of law that signals this is not the case, while duplicitously deregulating our …
“This looks like a trap” – Captain Obvious Let’s talk PURE STRATEGY. Let’s concede Al Franken is guilty as charged, because he admitted it, apologized, and called for an Ethics probe into himself, where we will be shocked to find out that Al is an otherwise stand up guy and a big supporter of Woman’s …
The Left is smarter than The Right in this country, but that advantage is nullified by our inability to the recognize the most basic tools of misdirection. It makes those that recognize these tricks feel hopeless, which is very much the point. The granddaddy of them all is watching the Right play the ‘Enemy of …
Like the next generation of replicants, “Blade Runner 2049” has some new gadgets, but it doesn’t measure up to the previous model. It’s dialed up the dystopia and alienation to epic levels, but the heart that pounded in the original “Blade Runner” is hard to find. Brace yourself for the third movie in the trilogy. …
This says it all, applicable to so many realms. Iconic, and always my favorite AC/DC song. It’s been in my head all day. I’m still amazed by the quality of this video, as well. Malcolm had this stereotypical 70s “longhair” look to him… like every other young guy of the time who wasn’t going to …
I am so happy to be one of those bands you just might catch at Sea Monster Lounge. Catch me this Saturday with The Staxx Brothers and my 12th Street Horns. Andrew Nunez has built an Empire of funk, based on a Constitution of Jazz; founded upon on a deeply authentic Declaration of Soul, amended …
My perennial problem with any sport’s Most Valuable Player award is trying to guess how sportswriters will measure how “valuable” someone is. In baseball, I always wonder how they determine that a guy who hit 40 home runs but missed a lot of fly balls in the outfield is more valuable than the shortstop with …
Wouldn’t it be a fairy tale, if Mr. Jeff sessions could get to live for FREE in some of the beautiful public housing he spent his career building? Retirement is so expensive, he deserves to take a load off and relax amongst his peers playing all kinds of games and activities. He will meet so …
Baseball thoughts: — No surprise that Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger were unanimously chosen as the Rookies of the Year. No one else came close to their performances. — I predict the Indians’ Corey Kluber will win the AL Cy Young Award, to be announced tomorrow night. While the Red Sox ace Chris Sale was …
I had a moment tonight remembering what real journalism feels like. A United States can’t elect a Donald Trump unless they have been inoculated by a critical mass of Opioids and click bait. Yes, The New York Times has a slant. All papers have an audience and a point of view. I am not in …
For those of you who didn’t follow the Portland Trail Blazers last season, their biggest story was their February trade for Jusuf Nurkic, the Bosnian Beast and the West Coast’s answer to New York Knick sensation Kristaps Porzingis. With his shooting and rebounding, Nurkic turned around the Blazers’ season, helping them to an 18-8 record …
After a gambler saw his losing streak continue, he then used multiple, modified assault weapons to kill 58 people and wound 546 in Las Vegas on October 1st. The Orange President of the United States of America (OPOTUS) president reacted by saying the issue should not be framed in political terms. I do not recall …
When it comes to White Terrorism and machine guns, Trump is a real turn the other cheek guy. If ISIS claims just one of these upcoming White Terrorist attacks just for the sake of trolling our troll President, Trump might go permanently cross eyed. Guns don’t kill people, people that do nothing about people killing …
My friend in Lagos, Nigeria Mtrill Teria is going to be doing a TED talk November 11th. On the bright side of social media I have been able to have a consistent glimpse into the lives of many Nigerian innovators in music, business, and technology. I have also got a 3rd row seat into the …
Tadej Tadiman Tratnik is one of the more intriguing reggae artists I met in Kingston, Jamaica. He definitely stood out Inna di Yard at Chinna’s place. Though this world had signs of diversity, from a Japanese Rasta that smoked but never spoke to an esteemed professor from Berkeley, Tadej found a way to blend in …
On Halloween night I ventured to the Funhouse to see a new ska band I’d recently discovered called Joystick. This seven-piece hails from New Orleans and not only was this my first time seeing them, it was their first time in Seattle. Though they self-identify as a ska band, they seemed half ska and half …
HELP, IS THIS ALREADY A SCI-FI STORY? In the year 20xx, a super computer at Cambridge finally becomes self aware. Our worst fears that such a computer will destroy our civilization comes to pass, but in a twist humanity itself is spared. The computer gains consciousness and becomes immediately aware of the evil, manipulation, and …
When I go back to Jamaica, one of my goals I am sending the mysterious German manager Lennart Tacke, is filming myself playing my Bond song at Goldeneye. Of course I haven’t written my Bond song yet. But I told Scott Rowe I would pen such a tune for our Brighton band Sherlock Soul. It’s …
Let me tell you something that Putin understands, that his Soviet predecessors were blind to in their circle jerking Marxist cult: America was never going to be over thrown by Leftist labor leaders, or beatniks, or hippies, or Black Panthers that took night classes and found out they had the right to bear arms. The …
On the balmy Sunday night of October 22 I ventured to the Funhouse to see the Creepshow. This punk quartet hails from Montreal and combines sweat, grit and charm into one tight package. Singer and guitarist, Kenda oozes so much charm, I left feeling like I’d had a major sugar overdose, but I overdosed on …
I came across this passage last night while reading Tim Weiner’s book, One Man Against the World: The Tragedy of Richard Nixon. The next paragraph is verbatim (page 68). “We tried every operational approach in the book, and committed our most experienced field operatives to the effort to get inside the government in Hanoi,” CIA …
October has been a prolific month for concerts but the one I’ve looked forward to t most happened Thursday October 19 at the Showbox where the Aquabats headlined. Promoting their brand new album High Five Soup, the Aquabats, led by Mc Bat Commander were pure entertainment. This show was also a family affair. Spearheaded by …