{photo: April Brimer}

Virgin Islands is one of Seattle’s best live rawk and roil bands, souped up on speed-ball breakneck paces and reeling through the gears left behind from The Cops. Fronted by Michael Jaworski (vocals and guitars), and tuned in by two-lane blacktop hard by Aaron Ball (drums and percussion), Charles Keller (bass and vocals), and Christopher Meyer (guitars and vocals), they’re bringing dapper mayhem to the Vera Stage during the Capitol Hill Block Party (2011!) on Sunday, starting at 3 p.m. sharp.

I spoke with Mikey about the festival, the band’s recent full length debut, and love for Cap Hill!

 

TIG / Chris Estey: Is it a particular thrill to be playing the Block Party? What is it that's more special about playing the CHBP than a usual show in the area?

MIKE: It is thrilling to play the Block Party! It really does feel more special than a regular show in the area. In my opinion, the Block Party is the coolest and most grass-roots festival in our area and it's an honor to perform for it. It takes place in an extremely cool and vibrant neighborhood and it caters to such a great cross-section of humanity. It's just a great street party with awesome bands and we're honored to be a part of it! Not to mention, Jason Lajunesse and crew book artists that truly represent the diverse music scene in Seattle and some of the best national touring acts around. I think you'd be hard pressed to find another music festival that does it so well, especially in a block party setting.

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It is sheer madness that there are so many great live performers appearing at Bumbershoot 2010 this year. This is my personal schedule to see a cross-section of irascible indie-ness (be it indie pop-friendly Pac NW hip-hop, indie rock, Brooklyn funk, etc.) but mostly focusing on those TIG-sparking artists who either put out a great record recently (and may or may not have gotten the deserved acclaim) or have one coming right up.

So let's begin the plan, and bear in mind if you haven't heard the music that may already be available from these performers, we would recommend checking the releases hyped below out before you attend Bumbershoot 2010. This is not because you would be in any way disappointed with what you will see and hear when you hit the full-genre full-on phenomenon that is the festival this year; just the opposite, we want you to already have some of these songs down to sing/chant/rap along when they pop during the sets. All are recommended and approved.

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Just a quick plug for my choice for tonight's show, an out-of-nowhere reunion of one of Seattle's best recent rock bands, The Cops! Their two albums are essential in the Naughty Oughts canon of Pacific NW punk-related goodness, and everyone who saw them when actually "together" realized how diverse and hale they were, astonishing even Dave Day of god-level Monks when he saw them at a Saturday Knights show at Havana (shortly before his much mourned passing).

It's a holiday blessing to have them back tonight at the Tractor, and I doubt they've lost any amount of that sparkle or big beat bash. Meanwhile, also on the bill is "thee" ferocious Thee Sgt. Major lll and "my new thang," roots-bastards Eugene Wendell & The Demon Rind. Singer/songwriter and long-time music business veteran Ian Moore recorded and co-wrote the Seattle band's nine song demo currently getting passed around by rock and rye, in the ditch, gut-bucket fucked up folk-rock fans. Mixed and mastered by Kurt Bloch, band focal point Kwab Copeland writes raw, rustic verse set to rollicking badland bomp.

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This week we've got three stupendous nights of Sunset Tavern burn down, and here are other reasons to be there every night, each and every one of us.

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It’s not everyday that you find a record that simply knocks you on your ass – but that’s exactly what happened to this powerpop-loving writer.

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You weren't the only one we asked to vote. We asked our imaginary staffers to gather their best-of-the-year lists too! Here's what has been in highest rotation on our iPods this year.

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See all the winners in the TIG Best Northwest Releases of 2005 Readers' Poll (see the top 10 winners, including Death Cab, Tullycraft, the Decemberists, and more).

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With their pitch-perfect harmonies, buoyant melodies, and good looks to boot, Slender Means are ripe for success. Neon & Ruin is simply one of the most pop-perfect local albums of the year.

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We'd been wondering when we'd get paired with the illustrious Sean Nelson for our KEXP appearance, and this month it finally happened! It was everything we dreamed it would be, and we played some great local tunes from The Briefs, Man Plus, Izabelle, and loads more.

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Their voices are melodic but unabashedly masculine, a brawling spit-take that neither seems excessively affected nor tattoo-collecting, Social Distortion, hot rod car wanna-be "cool."

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