On Friday, February 21, I had the utmost pleasure of watching ska legends The English Beat perform two shows. One was an intimate performance at The Guitar Store in Seattle’s Green Lake neighborhood and the other was a sold-out performance at the Showbox downtown. The performance at the Guitar Store attracted about 60 to 75 …
Search Results for: Holly Homan
Thursday February 13th, Valentine’s Day Eve, was a day I looked forward to for a long time. The Mad Caddies, one of my favorite ska bands was making a triumphant return to Seattle. If memory serves correct, it’s been about eight years since Mad Caddies played Seattle — way too long. They did not disappoint. …
Monday night was a night of action all over the country to protest the newly released environmental analysis that the proposed Keystone Pipeline will not increase global warming. What hasn’t been mentioned is that said analysis was written by a company with deep ties to the oil industry and the company that wants to build …
It’s a Tuesday night and four great ska bands play to a sparse but energetic crowd at El Corazon. The night was headlined by the legendary NYC band, The Toasters. I first saw The Toasters in 1996 at the Bumbershoot festival, but spent much of the time chasing my then six-year-old son around. I have …
My second concert of 2014 brought me back to Showbox Market to experience the utmost pleasure of seeing Reel Big Fish for about the sixth time and Suburban Legends for the second time. This double bill was not to be missed. Reel Big Fish are tight musically. They’re excellent musicians with a top rate horn …
My first concert of 2014 and I’m at the Showbox Market to take in some psychobilly. The now legendary Reverend Horton Heat headlined with Nekromantix and Old Man Markley opening. >Hailing from Dallas, TX, The Reverend (real name James Heath) played a mean Gretsch guitar while Jimbo Wallace slapped viciously away at his upright bass, …
Another Saturday night in Seattle and another stellar punk show is staged at El Corazon. This time legendary punk band X were headlining. Opening the show were the equally legendary Blasters and legendary (in the Pacific NW) Girl Trouble. Does it get much better? All three bands lived up to their legendary status. X is …
Last Saturday night November 30, Seattle’s foremost punk club, El Corazon, hosted the legendary Dickies. Although I’ve been a Dickies fan since 1979, I never saw them live until two years ago. I was so impressed I went back for seconds last Saturday. The Dickies play so fast live that it made it difficult at …
On Tuesday night two days before Thanks Giving, pop-ska band Less Than Jake headlined a show at The Showbox Market. LTJ are the only ska band of notoriety from Gainesville, Florida. Florida is not known for its ska by any stretch of the imagination. But Less Than Jake would be a hard act to follow, …
Last Saturday November 23, I had the utmost pleasure of heading out to Chop Suey to see Seattle legends Girl Trouble play their 25th anniversary show. 25th anniversary re-release of the Hit It Or Quit It album on Saturday in Seattle at Chop Suey. Front man, Kurt (K.P.) Kendall wastes no time in emoting the …
On Saturday night November 16, I received a Facebook message that Natalie Wouldn’t were playing a show at Darrell’s with Nigel Mustafa opening. I received this message about two or three hours before it was supposed to happen. Obviously I was going out that night after all. It had been awhile since I’d seen Nigel …
Tuesday was voting day here in the US, but it was also a day of action all over the world. Sponsored by the Group calling themselves Anonymous, The Million Mask March took over major cities worldwide to protest the power grab by the very wealthy and to defend democracy. I attended a small gathering of …
Seattle’s Studio Seven Hosts All Things Macabre with Koffin Kats and Stellar Openers, by Holly Homan
It’s a chilly Saturday night in Seattle and I’ve headed south of downtown (SODO) to Studio Seven to catch a night of five northwest acts plus the legendary Koffin Kats from Detroit as headliners. I arrived to find two dudes on stage. One was front man for Hard Money Saints, Jack Rainwater, and some other …
A Thursday night in the waning days of September isn’t a night you would expect a packed crowd at Seattle’s El Corazon, but The Queers were opening for Teenage Bottle Rocket and once again Seattle shows its adoration of pure punk rock. Teenage Bottle Rocket was formed by twin brothers Ray (vocals/guitar) and Brandon (drums) …
It’s Saturday night in Seattle and El Corazon is hosting the Easy Big Fella reunion show in their tiny lounge room. The stage is not much bigger than two large dining room tables shoved together and it’s going to be hosting ska bands of seven to eight members each. By the time Easy Big Fella …
Saturday night, September 7th, brought the long anticipated return of the legendary Adam Ant. And judging by the reaction from the sold out crowd at the Showbox, he didn’t disappoint. He bounced onto the stage in full pirate regalia. One of the songs he opened with was “Beat My Guest” from the tumultuous album Kings …
The first Friday in September and I’ve headed to Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood to see a show at a club in the basement of Neumo’s called Barboza. I was invited to photograph and review a quartet from Philly called Bleeding Rainbow. Bleeding Rainbow are Rob Garcia — vocals and guitar, Sarah Everton — vocals and …
It’s Thursday night September 5 and Wisconsin governor Scott Walker is in town. His appearance at the Washington Policy Center dinner at the posh Seattle Sheraton barred all reporters. Outside, however, about three-hundred people took over the street in front of the hotel holding signs saying things like “Not In Our State” or “Governor Walker …
It’s Friday night at Seattle’s El Corazon and the most anticipated show of the summer of 2013 is about to begin. And I am there. Canadian punk legends DOA are headlining and Seattle’s legendary Fastbacks are also on the bill. The show was billed as DOA’s farewell tour, yet DOA mentioned nothing of the sort …
On Thursday August 29th thirty percent of Seattle Schools SEA represented staff voted nearly unanimously to reject the contract proposal offered by the district. The district refuses to reduce the case load for support staff (counselors, psychologists, physical therapists, etc.), they want to increase the work day by thirty minutes without compensation and want to …
Wednesday evening I joined with others in Seattle’s Westlake Center for a protest rally against the sentencing of a person most know as Bradley Manning (in the last couple days Bradley Manning has decided he wants to undergo a sex change and wishes to be called Chelsea Manning). As most people now know, Manning was …
On Saturday August 17, I attended a march for civil rights in Central Seattle. This march was to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the famous March On Washington where MLK gave his famous I Have A Dream speech. The event was organized and funded by The Black Trade Unionists. Due to bad traffic I arrived …
It was a warm August night and Seattle’s Showbox across from the Pike Place Market hosted ska legends Five Iron Frenzy. Hailing from Denver, CO, the members of this eight-piece outfit are as much comedians as they are musicians. Front man Reese Roper came on stage dressed in light colored spandex emblazoned with girlie unicorns. …
Sunday night August 11 I attended my first ever Concert at the Zoo in Seattle. The event was Todd Snider’s Traveling Folk Show. I attended with my son as Sarah Jarosz was on the bill (see my review of her show at the Triple Door last year). I don’t often get to see folk shows, …
On the hot and humid Friday night of August 9, 2013, I headed to the nearly century old Neptune Theater on the edge of the University of Washington campus. It was the second night of a two-night stand in Seattle for Gogol Bordello. Hailing from New York City, the band members actually are natives of …
Rancid came on stage and played almost all their “greatest hits” one after another, barely coming up for air. Tim Armstrong, wearing his traditional ski hat, barely stayed in one place as he moved about the stage, stood on a monitor, stood on the drum riser and moved about some more. Songs like Fall Back …
It’s a steaming hot Tuesday night July 9th, 2013, but inside Seattle’s El Corazon it’s even hotter. SO Cal ska masters Suburban Legends turn up the temperature as they hit the stage like a raging inferno and never let up. Front man Vincent Walker leaped about the stage, thrust himself into the crowd, working them …
Jimmy Eat World played to a packed crowd at Showbox Sodo Monday night July 15th. They played songs from their brand new release Damage as well as many of their classics. Jimmy Eat World is from Mesa, Arizona, that formed in 1993. The band is composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Jim Adkins, guitarist and …
Saturday June 15 marked the first day of my summer vacation and I lived it up on a beautiful sunny day just south of Seattle at the White River Amphitheater. The amphitheater grounds are vast rambling grounds with Mt. Rainier looming gloriously over it. When I first arrive around 11:30, the press list had not …
Friday was the last day of school and I wasted no time in starting my summer vacation from teaching at Seattle’s illustrious El Corazon while they hosted a night of punk/psychobilly that won’t soon be forgotten. The infamous Nekromantix headlined a night that had already heated up thanks to three stellar opening bands. More on …