Submissions Open for Timber! and Timbrrr! 2020

Artist submissions for 2020’s Timber! and Timbrrr! Winter Music festivals are now being accepted. If you are an artist that would like to be considered to perform at either festival, please apply here. Timbrrr! Winter Music FestivalJanuary 24-25, 2020Leavenworth WACapacity – 1,400Age Restrictions: 21+ (A limited number of daytime shows are all ages) Timber! Outdoor…

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All That May Do His Rhyme: An Intro (and a Farewell) to Roky Erickson

One of the best movies to touch on music obsession as personal expression, Stephen Frears’ High Fidelity, begins fittingly with a turntable spinning. A needle is dropped purposefully onto a record. Underneath the homey crackle and pop of the ancient vinyl, the 13th Floor Elevators garage rock classic, “You’re Gonna Miss Me,” begins. Four lone,…

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The Best Songs I Heard in May 2019

Goodness gracious are you in for it, dear reader. Prepare your day for 11 songs that will change the way your soul thinks about the world. In these following internet words, you will learn about music from rock to deathsparkle (more later). I believe so much in these songs, I won’t waste your time dancing…

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New Releases from Virago, Patrick Galactic, and Scarlet Parke

Let’s just cut to the quick here, and explore a handful of notable releases that’ve emerged in the last few weeks. Virago, Virago’s Lament: Love and Fury bass player Jane Mabrysmith is a multi-instrumentalist who’s cut her teeth in several local bands, and she’s also been a member of Robert Fripp’s Orchestra of Crafty Guitarists…

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Artist Home Premiere: “Prefixed Image,” by Sylvi

There’s something tactile about the myriad shades of gray draped over the Northwest skyline. They generate an atmosphere that frequently seeps into the music coming from this region. Sarah Feinberg’s voice is a distinctive sound that just feels like this part of the world. It’s a dusky instrument that captures all of the surging layers,…

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Facing the Music: SIFF 2019’s Most Exciting Music Films, Listed

The Seattle International Film Festival kicked off its 2019 incarnation last night, and for the next three weeks the festival will present literally hundreds of films, from myriad nations, of all genres and stripes. To help guide you through the wealth of great music-themed films unspooling between now and June 10, enclosed herein is a…

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Artist Home Premiere: “Sing-A-Long” by Tilson XOXO

When Seattle-based hip-hop artist Tilson XOXO answered the phone, he immediately asked me a question: “What’s your favorite word to say?” I’d never thought about this before. But since I make a living asking other people personal and at times jarring questions, I responded. “Spaghetti.” Tilson laughed and said, “Okay, okay! I got you. Good.…

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The Best Songs I Heard in April 2019

Buckle up, dear ones. We’ve got 11 tracks for your ears that will put 11 separate smiles on your face. Songs that will summon up 11 different thoughtful ideas and 11 new ways to see the world. In an age when playlists are made everyday, this one is worth your listening hour. And if you…

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Artist Home Premiere: “No Celestial Hope,” by Dryland

The places we find as catalysts for our inspiration are endless. For some, it’s likely unreliable reconstruction of our past, and the transition from protagonist to unreliable narrator. Maybe for you it’s a darkened tabernacle that’s inadequately illuminated by pinball machine high scores and the everyday troubles of spilled spirits and slips of the tongue.…

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Riding the Groove: Eva Walker of The Black Tones, Interviewed

A devoted regional following has been building around The Black Tones since their beginnings almost a decade ago. But a succession of knockout live shows in recent years (including a slot on the Paramount Theatre’s 90th Anniversary concert alongside Death Cab for Cutie), an assemblage of killer tunes, and near-deafening buzz has put the Seattle…

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Indie Label Spotlight: Big Bldg Records

From where I’m sitting, Big Bldg Records is doing the Lord’s work. The Seattle nonprofit indie label, created by co-founders Rob Granfelt, Pete Jordan, and Ben Schauland, was built to give support to great fledgling musical acts. That boost comes in the form of what’s perhaps the most costly aspect of making music: Big Bldg,…

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