at The Sunset

Early shows are always fraught with a wee tension: Will fans turn out early to hear the bands, while many people are just finishing up their happy hours and lining up the soirees and situations for later in the evening?

The music of Terri Tarantula in particular seems to call for deep dark past midnight status, but that's because on craggy trouble in mind maps of alternate Seattle like "Mulligan" and pendant whispers like "Bag Of Bricks," this is all precise biomapping. Vocalist and new-keyboard enthusiast Terri Moeller has taken everything brisk and bitter about her last band Transmissionary Six and freshened it with a creamier, less heavy sound.

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The Tripwires' new (second) album House To House sounds jolting from joie de vivre even when crabbing about everything falling apart. The hale musical energy never weakens from drummer Mark Pickerel (Screaming Trees, Truly, Praying Hands), strummer and sizzling lead chef Johnny Sangster (Sharing Patrol and producer of Mark's other band, as well as Mudhoney, the Briefs, Steve Turner & His Bad ideas), elder brother Jim Sangster (Young Fresh Fellows, Thee Sgt. Major III) and John Ramberg (Minus 5, The Model Rockets). Wow, that's a whole lot of prestige between those parenthesis!

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If you live in Seattle, you might hear her work with say the Rotten Apples spun again and again overhead at hang-outs like Linda's, remember when she played bass for Daylight Basement, or actually saw the raw diamond diva hit the jag-line between J. Jett and P. Houston live with bands Ragazza or 3-D S&M or The Pin-Ups.

Dejha Colantuono sounds as tough and tender as her suave songs, which get an expansive feel from Matt Bayles (Pearl Jam, Murder City Devils, Minus The Bear, Patrol) and no less than twelve musicians helping out on her next-level new solo LP, "Tea & Vodka."

It definitely has more finesse with its ferocity, but I'm still listening to it to acquire enough ideas for a review. However, if you're a fan too we should both hit The Sunset tomorrow night for the hometown record release, as Dejha is starting her nine date tour appropriately in Seattle to introduce new songs like "Color Blue," "Plus Minus Plus," and "Waltz For Lucy."

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at The Sunset

The Long Winters played a secret show at the Sunset last night, and it was actually like, a secret!

Generally speaking, "secret" shows in Seattle go a bit like this -- that is, they're an extremely loudly whispered secret, at best. Barsuk Records are better secret keepers than most.  (Remember that secret Death Cab show at the Croc back in 2003? Of course you don't -- because only like 50 people knew about it and actually showed up. But boy oh boy, was that ever a treat for those of us who did make it.)

Last night at the Sunset, the few people who got wind of it had a similar treat -- the Long Winters and Telekinesis played an understated secret show, to celebrate Grant from Barsuk's 30th birthday (happy birthday, Grant!).

The Long Winters haven't played out in ages, and the band's set was gloriously sloppy though far too short, and featured Michael Lerner of Telekinesis filling in (magnificently, I might add) on drums. Connsumate frontman John Roderick called out for requests from the audience to fill in the band's five-song set, consulting with Michael and birthday boy Grant on the final song picks. While they didn't pick any of mine requests ("Unsalted Butter" and "Stupid"), my imaginary posse and I were thrilled to bits with the songs they did play...

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This Saturday's show at The Sunset benefits Real Change Newspaper, with Weekend, Jason Dodson (of the Maldives), and slew of great bands!

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at The Sunset

A night full of local all-stars with Jon Auer, Gavin Guss, Pablo Trucker, and Visqueen.

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Got sneakers?

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The Young Sportsmen will be playing their final show at the Sunset on Friday night with Peter Parker and Guns and Rosetti. :-(

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at The Sunset

Holy _____ on a _______.

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at The Sunset

Tad Doyle kicks a hole in the wall of space-time with new band.

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