Fat Kid Rules the World is a new movie filmed in Seattle last summer that's screening three times at this year's SIFF. Directed by Matthew Lillard, it's a story of a lonely outcast fat kid who finds his purpose in life via punk rock. Pearl Jam's Mike McCready composed and performed the original score. The folks behind Fat Kid are asking for your help in raising funds to enable them to distribute the movie in select markets across the US and their Kickstarter program offers some terrific prizes for those who donate. Vinyl, DVD, poster, tickets to the NYC premiere, Vans Warped tour package, even a Mike McCready autographed guitar! What are you waiting for? 

Donate NOW!

Burlesque performer extraordinaire Dita Von Teese will twirl her tassels at the Neptune for two very special 18-and-over shows May 24 & 25! Enter to win a chance to see "the biggest name in burlesque since Gypsy Rose Lee" by e-mailing contests@easystreetonline.com with the subject line "Diamond in the Buff" followed by the date you wish to attend (eg, "Diamond in the Buff - 5/24") and please include full name with entry. Please note that there are two shows on 5/25 and winning ticket is good for early show only (8pm). Must be 18+ to attend. We'll draw winners on 5/22. Good luck!

So far this week, spring is looking a lot like summer...and some of today's new releases will provide the perfect soundtrack for the warm stuff!

Beach House - Bloom

CD / Vinyl

"Beach House's decision to call this record Bloom is almost too perfect. Over the course of four albums that's exactly what this band has done. Two people from Baltimore started by making incense-smelling, curtains-drawn bedroom pop. Now, eight years later, they make luminous, sky-sized songs that conjure some alternate universe where Cocteau Twins have headlined every stadium on Atlantis. "Bloom" is also what these 10 songs do, each one starting with the sizzle of a lit fuse and at some fine moment exploding like a firework in slow motion. The word captures the music's slow sonority: the round, gleaming edges of Alex Scally's arpeggios and how, in Victoria Legrand's unhurried mouth, all words seem to have a few extra vowels." - Lindsay Zoladz, Pitchfork

Download Beach House's "Myth"

Best Coast - The Only Place - free 7" w/purchase!

CD / Vinyl

"The Only Place doesn't just advance Best Coast's formula; it perfects it. Producer Jon Brion applies a rich coat of shiny sparkle, as is his wont, but his touch complements these songs without threatening to overwhelm them. At 35 minutes, not a second of the album is wasted, even as [singer/guitarist Bethany] Cosentino and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno wind down the proceedings with a nearly five-minute ballad, 'Up All Night.' And, most of all, Cosentino's songwriting takes a massive leap forward on The Only Place: She's fully internalized countless girl groups' gift for employing sunny pop as a shield for pathos." - Stephen Thompson, NPR

Download Best Coast's "The Only Place"

Tenacious D - Rize of the Fenix

CD / Vinyl

"Whereas Tenacious D was an arena-metal record, Rize Of The Fenix touches on a number of styles, including the Spanish guitar finger-picking of 'Senorita,' the English folk of 'The Ballad Of Hollywood Jack And The Rage Kage,' and the ’80s soundtrack pastiche 'To Be The Best.' Rize still has plenty of heft—much of it courtesy of Dave Grohl, who plays drums on nearly every track—but [guitarists/vocalists Jack] Black and [Kyle] Gass have made an album that is surprisingly varied and even epic at times, particularly the title track, which moves through Iron Maiden dynamics to a gooey, power-pop chorus. No joke: Rize Of The Fenix is one of the year’s most enjoyable hard-rock records." - Steven Hyden, A.V. Club

Tenacious D - "Rize of the Fenix"

Willie Nelson - Heroes

CD 

"On his millionth album, give or take, Willie Nelson is his usual self: loping through a set of well-chosen originals and unlikely covers (Coldplay's 'The Scientist'!?) with casual virtuosity. This time, Nelson has packed his recording studio with friends and family, including his son Lukas, who sings on nine songs. The results are mixed: In 'Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die,' featuring guest vocals by Kris Kristofferson, Jamey Johnson and, yep, Snoop Dogg, the stoner's bonhomie is audible. But the stark beauty of solo songs like the weeper 'That’s All There Is to This Song' makes you long for more Willie, less Willie and Friends. - Jody Rosen, Rolling Stone

Willie Nelson - "Just Breathe" (live on SiriusXM's "Willie's Roadhouse"

The Cribs - In the Belly of the Brazen Bull 

(Note: This was erroneously included in last week's Fresh Sheet)

CD / Vinyl out 5/29

"Ten years into their career, The Cribs are still one of the most misunderstood bands in Britain. Their problem – and it’s always plagued the Wakefield trio – is that the innate outsider ethos which they embody has always been at odds with the fact they can’t help but write fucking great pop songs. In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull – their fifth record – is the clearest summation of everything the trio are about. It still defiantly goes against the grain, but also explodes with immediate, attention-grabbing riffs. And it marries these elements together by calling on the best bits from their previous albums (scrappy punk spirit, experimental quirks, genuine instrumental proficiency…) and whittling them into a concise manifesto. ... After years of doing their own thing and never tying themselves to anyone, The Cribs have finally found a point where they’re no longer victims of their own ideals. They are masters of them." - Lisa Wright, NME

Download the Cribs' "Chi-Town"

The Cribs - "Come On, Be A No-One"

Santana - Shape Shifter

CD / Vinyl

"If you've been yearning for some classic Carlos Santana, Shape Shifter, the guitarist's first album on his new Starfaith Records label, is just the ticket. Santana's 36th album is dedicated to Native American Indians and features 13 mostly original songs he has been saving for a special release. Only one song, the Latin-flavored 'Eres La Luz,' features vocals (singers Andy Vargas and Tony Lindsay). The remaining instrumental tracks showcase Santana's virtuoso guitar playing in a beautifully arranged and carefully paced album." - Gene Stout, Seattle Times

Santana - "Shape Shifter" (live at the Fillmore, 2008

Sugarman 3 - What the World Needs Now

CD / Vinyl

"This New York trio’s 4th album (and 1st in 10 years) picks up right where they left off with another first-rate batch of ‘60s-inspired soul-funk instrumentals. Saxophonist Neal Sugarman, organist Adam Scone and drummer Rudy Albin remain one fearsomely tight but soulful unit, and they’re joined here by members of Sharon Jones’ great backing band The Dap Kings (Sugarman plays in both bands) to help flesh out an inspired mix of well-chosen covers and originals steeped in the tradition." - Don Yates, KEXP

The Sugarman 3 - "Rudy's Intervention"

Adam Lambert - Trespassing

CD

"Trespassing (*** out of four) is the album that fans of the former American Idol runner-up have been wanting from him. More cohesive and personal than 2010's For Your Entertainment, it finds Lambert drawn to the beats and sounds of EDM, combining over-the-top dance grooves with multi-tracked vocal marvels. While the title track riffs off Queen's 'Another One Bites the Dust,' the final song, 'Outlaws of Love,' may be the one with traction, a poignant song that addresses the human cost of living outside societal approval." — Brian Mansfield, USA Today

Adam Lambert - "Trespassing" (Live on Jimmy Kimmel)

Greg Lake is bringing "Songs & Stories" to the Triple Door on May 22! This special event will include performances of songs from his bands Emerson, Lake & Palmer and King Crimson along with stories told by Lake about his long and illustrious career plus a Q&A session. Enter to win a pair of tickets by e-mailing contests@easystreetonline.com with the subject line "From the Beginning" and please include full name with entry. We'll draw a winner on 5/18. Good luck!

Last week's best sellers!

CD - Silversun Pickups - Neck of the Woods

Vinyl - Silversun Pickups - Neck of the Woods

Northwest - The Shins - Port of Morrow

See complete lists of CD/Vinyl/NW best sellers here. 

We had a full house on Saturday for the acoustic show by Brian & Nikki of the Silversun Pickups and everyone had a great time! Thanks to Brian, Nikki and all the fans who made it to the show! Here are a few pics taken by YOU!

Photo: Melora Riveira

Photo: Tom Kurth

Photo: Aaron Michelson

Well, it's almost Sasquatch! time, and we know you're dying to find out who's gonna be signing stuff at the Easy Street booth this year! The following list is incomplete and we don't have the actual signing times in place yet, but we CAN tell you some of the performers who've agreed to come visit...and we can also tell you that this year will include more signings than ever before! Here's the partial lineup; more to come next week.

Friday - 5/25

Allen Stone, Honey Honey, James McCartney, Polica

Saturday - 5/26

Pickwick, Said the Whale, Blitzen Trapper, Craft Spells, Tune-Yards, Civil Wars, TheeSatisfaction, Kurt Vile, Dry The River, Sol, Dum Dum Girls, Helio Sequence

Sunday - 5/27

Graffiti 6, Hospitality, Head & the Heart, Here We Go Magic, Blind Pilot, Gardens & Villa, Hey Rosetta!, Deer Tick

Monday - 5/28

Gold Leaves, Walk The Moon, Poor Moon, Ted Leo, Damien Jurado, Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Cloud Cult, Shearwater, Shabazz Palaces, Cave Singers