This show caught my interest because it featured the Seattle hard rock duo Antique Scream. These dudes have played here a few times (they were actually just here back in January), but I'd never written about them before. Besides, I figured that it'd be nice if at least one person showed up, since I suspected that most other hipster types would be checking out Scott Kelly and Brett Netson at the VaC.
I really don't like being (probably) right sometimes. I counted about fifteen people when I got to the Red Room. People came and went over the course of the night, but the crowd didn't rise over twenty. So it goes.
Sun Cat Brothers opened the night. This local band's brand of stoner rock--howled vocals, plodding basslines, fluid drumming, shrieking Ron Asheton-esque guitar--wasn't up there with, say, the Hand or Cerberus Rex, but it certainly wasn't bad. It helped that their groove limbered up nicely as the set progressed. The lyrics that I could make out didn't sound bad either ("The war on drugs is a war on me," hmm...).
Antique Scream played next. Drummer William Fees had to recover from surgery, so he unfortunately couldn't make this gig. However, thanks to his sure sense of rhythm and his solo material's firm roots in blues and folk, Chris Rutledge did just fine on his own. Also, his big, dramatic voice put his big, dramatic lyrics ("She's got the power of the sun and moon by her side," etc.) over very nicely.
Machine, a duo from Portland, closed out the night. Here was yet another reminder of why I started writing about live shows in the first place. With her pounding, ominous keyboard riffs and low, haunting moan, Madeleine Mahrie sounded like a cross between Fiona Apple and PJ Harvey circa To Bring You My Love. Her strong, somber tunes found some solid support in Eric Stopke's booming drums (seriously, look at the size of that drum kit). A handful of folks moved close to the stage and swayed during this set. Here's hoping that they come around again and play to more people. Here's hoping too that they put out some more recorded stuff than the two-track EP that I bought.
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I love your site, My name is Samantha Donaldson and i was told to check you out because i was interviewing The Bare Bones last night and youcame up. I am originally from Hollywood but i moved out here for journalism and i have been interviewing bands across the world for about two years now. Needless to say, you should hit me up, maybe we could hang out some time, you can email me at mantha1440@gmail.com my site is called www.indiebandfinder.blogspot.com
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