Four Places at Once

Saturday night in Seattle is looking like it could be a logistical puzzle without a solution.  There are no less than four shows that I can highly recommend. I’d like to be at all of them, but physically and chronologically I don’t think it’s possible.

Option 1:  The Green Pajamas at Jules Mae Saloon

Starting down in the south end at Jules Mae Saloon in Georgetown, the Green Pajamas, one Seattle’s most unsung bands will be making a rare live appearance.  If you like your pop with a touch of psychedelia you can’t go wrong with the Green Pajamas.  These guys seem to write timeless songs in their sleep, and I am surprised that they don’t get more recognition.  They were criminally left off of Rhino’s Children of Nuggets box set.  Maybe it’s because some of their best work has never been released in the US.  Most of their late 90’s albums came out on Australian label Camera Obscura, so it’s nice to see that they seem to have struck up a good relationship with Parasol offshoot Hidden Agenda.  Hidden Agenda has put out their last few albums making them much easier to find.  There will soon be another album added to the Green Pajamas cannon.  It will be out through Hidden Agenda again and has the name Poison In The Russian Room.  So with a new album in the can, you can probably expect to hear a few new songs this night.  And fear not if you miss this show, they have another one slated for the Skylark on 29 November.

mp3: The Green Pajamas – She’s Still Bewitching Me (from Seven Fathoms Down and Falling)

MySpace: Green Pajamas

Option 2: All Girl Summer Fun Band at Vera Project

Heading north up to the Seattle Center and the Vera Project nestled comfortably under the Space Needle, the All Girl Summer Fun Band will be up from Portland.  They’ve just released their third album Looking Into It and it’s full of changes.  First the band are down to a trio after bassist Arirak Douangpanya left to be a mom.  Change number two sees them leaving the confines of K records who released their first two albums and striking out on their own to self release this album.  The most significant change though has to do with their sound.  They seem to have veered off from the Tiger Trap road and headed down a highway paved with New Pornographers and Breeders.  It’s a meatier, slightly heavier sound, but it’s still fun!  I’m sure they’ll throw in old favorites like Canadian Boyfriend, Parallel Park, and Jason Lee into their set this night.

mp3: All Girl Summer Fun Band – This Will Never End (from Looking Into It)

MySpace: All Girl Summer Fun Band

Option 3: Black Nite Crash | Drug Purse | Erik Blood at Mars Bar

Now over to Eastlake and the Mars Bar for what looks to be a mini shoegaze fest.  This looks to be blast if you are fan of the genre.   Get there early to see Erik Blood.  His band is essentially the Turn-Ons minus Travis and his album The Way We Live is nothing short of amazing.  The album is still under wraps but I hear that it will be out in the very near future.  Terms like shoegaze and dreampop get thrown around a lot (especially around here), but this album is a study in how great a dreampop record can be reaching back to Wire Train and the Paisley Underground of the 1980’s and even a bit blue eyed soul with the beautiful Better Days.  Erik Blood has put together a collection of songs that easily ranks up with the best albums of the year.  I kid you not, it’s that good.  Don’t believe me? Well get yourself over to the Mars Bar and find out!
Headlining the night are Black Nite Crash who I saw just last week open for Magnetic Morning.  Black Nite Crash kind of oscillate between heavier Jesus and Mary Chain/Spacemen 3 songs and lighter and more poppy Church and Railway Children ones.  Also on the bill are Tacoma’s Drug Purse who are certainly not out of place here, with similar aesthetics only their sound being a bit more sparse that is kind of like a marriage of the Crystal Stilts to Brian Jonestown Massacre with the ceremony being performed in some dark garbage strewn alley.

mp3: Erik Blood – To Leave America (from The Way We Live)

MySpace: Erik Blood

mp3: Black Nite Crash – Revalator (from Array)

MySpacee: Black Nite Crash

Option 4: Vancougar and the Suspicions at Wild Rose

As luck would have it, none of these shows are in the same neighborhood.  Vancouver, BC’s Vancougar will be playing at Wild Rose on Capitol Hill.  In a perfect world Vancougar would be playing on the same bill as the All Girl Summer Fun Band.  Of course nothing is perfect so you’re left with the dilemma of which girl rock to see this night.  Vancougar make it a tough choice and may make it tempting to catch their set and rush over to Vera.  Their second album Canadian Tuxedo came out this summer on the excellent Mint records and this is the last date of their US tour. Also on the bill are Seattle power poppers the Suspicions

mp3: Vancougar – Philadelphia (from Canadian Tuxedo)

MySpace: Vancougar

MySpace: The Suspicions