LiveNation presents the 2010 Sasquatch! Launch Party featuring Surfer Blood, Atlas Sound, Fresh Espresso and host Luke Burbank! This FREE event will take place Monday, February 15 at the Crocodile, and Easy Street is the only place you can pick up free tickets, starting Friday, February 12th at 9 a.m. (limit 2 per person). And the icing on the cake? The full Sasquatch lineup will be revealed live at this event! Prize packages from Esurance and Xbox will be given away, along with limited-edition festival posters and more.

A limited number of tickets courtesy of Esurance will be available at both Easy Street locations, again, at 9 a.m. sharp on 2/12. First come, first served, no phone calls or hold requests, please! This event is 21 and over.

The "Sold Out" notice on the box-office window warned me that it was going to be another packed night at Neumos. Funny, I thought, until recently, crowds never used to be an issue, but now as middle age takes hold and my sources of entertainment lean more toward Netflix and Wii, I now understand why many friends of a similar age group pass on the big club shows, Bumbershoot, Kell's on St. Patrick's Day, etc. As we get older, we just need more space. 

Amazed after finding a sweet parking spot on Cap Hill at 9:30 Friday night, we made our way to the worst possible area of Neumos for claustrophobes - Moe Bar. Why? We had to snag our tickets for Mudhoney's free show on Monday, of course. Which will, undoubtedly, be another sardine-like experience. But, at least there I'll probably run into some friends at that one! We knew no one here, and didn't expect to. Different age group, different scene...we just knew it was gonna be us and the music at this show, and that's OK, as long as we could get some decent sight lines. After nearly getting mowed down by a "runner" transporting several cases of PBR from Moe Bar to the upstairs lounge, we found a gap at the bar, ordered our New Belgium liquid ticket to Mudhoney, drank up and got out. We decided to check out the upstairs, and it was perfect...empty tables, bar with no line, and a perfect view to the stage. 

Wildbirds & Peacedrums were playing, and although they are as popular - if not more so  - as St. Vincent, I didn't get it. The Swedish husband and wife duo, her singing, him playing a steel drum or a regular kit, bring a mopey, sparse, sophisticated (I suppose), approach to the stage but it was too low-key and did not pull us in. Which leads me to my most profound statement of the day: Minimalism is fine in small doses.

A fellow Easy Streeter tipped me off to St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark) some time ago, and I became a fan after listening to her most recent, Actor, and its predecessor, Marry Me. I was intrigued by the precision of her arrangements, the formidable skills of the band, and her ability to tear down the beauty of her songs in a blink of an eye with torrential noise squalls from her trusty axe. She's easy on the eyes as well, although her stage mannerisms at times resembled that of a very attractive, rail-thin robot, herking and jerking about as she punched various effects and beat the crap out of her guitar. When she settles into a song though, it's all about discipline - her Berklee School of Music training is very evident - although her rich, soothing voice adds considerable warmth to an often clinical musical approach. 

In addition to the usual suspects, her band included flute, sax, and violin, which wove a dreamlike soundscape around the structure, as they built layers around Annie, pulling back when necessary, and flipping the switch when she brought on the storm. She is an extraordinary guitarist, sometimes playing the fretboard like a typewriter, at other times fingerpicking sweet melodies, and occasionally letting her effects do all the work. Her first encore was a solo version of  The Beatles' "Dig a Pony" - unexpected, unconventional, but hey, that's how Annie rolIs. 

The boys are going to be holing up at The Showbox Market for two shows on 2/12 (21+) & 2/13 (all-ages). Officially called PUSAFEST '10, the bill also includes some of Seattle's favorites: Black Daisy, People Eating People and DJ Self-Administered Beatdown. Quite a bill indeed!

Wanna check it out? Well, the super-nice folks at The Showbox are offering up a few pairs of tickets for our loyal Easy Street friends.

To enter to win, just email jesse@easystreetonline.com with the subject line "PUSAFEST" and the date you want to go (i.e. PUSAFEST 2/12). We'll throw them all in ballot box and draw the winners on Wednesday, 2/10.

This is one you might not want to leave to chance, so you can still get tickets at the Box Office or online here.

Well, it's technically a Dave Rawlings Machine show (Have you heard the record? It's GREAT!). But given the fact it's Valentines Day, his lady Gillian Welch will be performing alongside The Machine. Can you think of a better way to spend the day of love? Me neither.

Well, the always generous and gracious Showbox Market have offered up a coupla pairs of tickets to some lucky Valentines!

To enter to win, just send an email to jesse@easystreetonline.com with the subject "A Friend of a Friend" and we'll throw them all in a heart-shaped box and draw the winner on Thursday (2/11).

Don't want to possibly disappoint your Valentine? You can still buy tickets at the Box Office or online here. Oh, and be sure to check out this interview over at Seattle Weekly's Reverb.

Teamwork! Palmer/Cobain, St. Vincent/Brownstein, Killers/Melvins, etc.

Dresden Dolls singer and caberet queen Amanda Palmer has a new project - she claims to have "discovered and launched" Evelyn Evelyn - conjoined twins who sing! However, Pitchfork has doubts about Mandy's story - the twins' mother died at childbirth, they joined the circus at the age of 11, decided to leave the circus to pursue a musical career, discovered by Mandy on Myspace. Indeed, they suspect Palmer and possible partner-in-deception Jason Webley are using the Evelyn Evelyn name and story to promote themselves! Unbelievable! Anyhoo, that's not even the big news... their self-titled debut album (drop date 3/30) sports a bizarre lineup of guest performers, like Weird Al, Andrew WK, Tegan and Sara, and My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way. Strangest of all, it will feature the singing debut of Kurt & Courtney's own Frances Bean Cobain. 

And while we're busy stealing Pitchfork content, might as well add that the new St. Vincent video "Laughing With a Mouth of Blood" stars SNL funnyguy Fred Armistead and Sleater Kinney's Carrie Brownstein as mildewy bookstore bitties hosting a St. Vincent in-store. Definitely worth watching because a. it's funny; b. St. Vincent and Brownstein are two of the hottest babes in indie rock; and c. Armistead is in drag. OK, scratch item "c." Watch here.

In other Teamwork! news, The Killers, in a last-ditch attempt to up the koolness kred, are including a bonus CD with the deluxe version of their upcoming release Sisterworld that features The Melvins, Thom Yorke, TV On the Radio, Suicide, Deerhunter and others putting their own spin on the album's hott traxx. Sisterworld will be out on March 8.

Pitchfork Festival Lineup Announced

The Pitchfork Music Festival is happening in Chicago July 16-18. The forkers have revealed the first batch of performers appearing at the event, with the promise of many more to be announced soon. And, here they are:  Pavement, Modest Mouse, LCD Soundsystem, Raekwon, St. Vincent, Lightning Bolt, Cass McCombs, Here We Go Magic and Sleigh Bells. Sounds pretty forkin' cool! Tickets on sale now here.

Are You Sick of Aerosmith Gossip Yet?

Well, we are, but we Just. Can't. Stop. Not while the soup is hot, at least. Joe Perry recently told Classic Rock magazine that Steven Tyler was among the vocalists that auditioned for Led Zeppelin after Robert Plant declined their proposition to tour last year. Zep guitarist Jimmy Page told Perry that the rehearsals were "shambolic," as Tyler, thinking they would be working on new material, was unfamiliar with the Zep classics of olde. Perry also said that Page "felt really awkward about the audition, but ultimately is was a group decision (to show Tyler the door)."

Out & About This Weekend

Clubland beckons with the following delicious temptations...

Friday

Easy Street Presents...St. Vincent, Wildbirds & Peacedrums, Fences @ Neumos!

Easy Street Presents...Editors, Princeton, Black Nite Crash @ Showbox Market

The Blasters, Memphis Radio Kings @ The Tractor

Do Make Say Think, Years, Happiness Project @ Chop Suey

Queensryche Cabaret @ Snoqualmie Casino (hmmmm....)

Barrett Martin Group, Dreamdate @ The Comet

J. Tillman, Mike Dumovich, Shana Cleveland, Bill Patton @ The Josephine

Soul Proprietors, Mercury Four, Devils Club @ The Shanty Tavern

Saturday

The Album Leaf, Sea Wolf, Anomie Belle @ Neumos

KEXP Audioasis Show with D. Black, Blood Red Dancers, People Eating People and DJ Hannah Levin @ Sunset Tavern

El Corazon's 5th Anniversary w/Dwarves, Zeke, Spittin' Cobras, Neutralboy, Triple Sixes @ El Corazon

The Intelligence, The Girls, Partman Parthorse @ The Funhouse

3rd Annual Winter Warmup w/Flowmotion, Five Alarm Funk, McTuff @ The Crocodile

The Purrs, Orchid Highway, several DJs @ Studio 66/Lo-Fi

The Senate @ The Triple Door

Helms Alee, Witch Mountain, Slave Traitor, Android Hero @ The Comet

Primate 5, Zack Static Set @ Shipwreck Tavern (West Seattle)

Sweet Secrets, Spanish for 100, Gary Reynolds - Skylark Cafe (West Seattle)

Sunday

Take the night off...you deserve it! Besides, Mudhoney is playing for free at Neumos on Monday!

Hey you! Looking for a bargain? Look no further, because we're having a sidewalk sale this weekend outside our West Seattle store! All used CDs on the sidewalk - $2 each or 3 for $5. All used vinyls on the pavement - $1 each or 3 for $2! The sale is happening right now and will continue through the weekend or until we run out!

While you are there, be sure to check out our expanded vinyl section upstairs. Tons of choice stuff to be had at great prices. Me, I just walked away with some vintage, pristine Moby Grape and Byrds LPs, cuz that's how I roll, but there's something for everyone, from metalheads to jazzbos.

The West Seattle Easy is located at 4559 California Ave SW in the beeyootiful West Seattle Junction. 

The following grooves are high on our list of new vinyl picks! Check out all of our featured vinyl right here!

Neil Young - Greatest Hits

Neil Young absolutely slaved over this newly-remastered version of his 2004 greatest hits album, rejecting over a dozen test pressings before he got what he wanted. All the best, on two incredible-sounding 180-gram LPs.

Clara Rockmore - The Art of the Theremin

Ahh, the theremin. You've heard Jimmy Page cast his spell on it during the solo of "Whole Lotta Love." You've heard it chirp on the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations." Or perhaps you've heard its eerie vibrato in Hitchcock's thriller Spellbound. But you've probably never heard it played in a classical setting, as does Clara Rockmore on The Art of the Theremin. Leon Theremin, inventor of this peculiar electronic instrument, taught Rockmore "the art" and being a child prodigy blessed with perfect pitch, Rockmore mastered it like no other.

Gang Gang Dance - God's Money

Second LP by Brooklyn's percussive, experimental Gang Gang Dance is once again available on vinyl. "The Gang's rhythms and textures are intriguing, and much more accomplished in sound than their previous lo-fi efforts. What throws the group for a loop however, are Liz Bougatsos' vocals: chanted, singsong babbled, howled, and wailed in turn. Her presence almost solely pulls the Gang out of the ambient world and into another far more disturbing and experimental galaxy entirely." (All Music Guide)

Royal Trux - Untitled

Vinyl reissue of 1992 third album by these Pussy Galore offshoots. "With their untitled 1992 album, Royal Trux tentatively abandoned the noise aesthetic of their first two albums and began writing real songs. Surprisingly, they were strong songs, bristling with the group's love of rock sleaze and junkie culture, as well as riffs that are captivatingly tough and sloppy." (All Music Guide)