I've had the fortune of crossing paths with Tom Brosseau many times in the five years since we first met, and it's always been nothing short of total perfection. An intimate show at an all-ages venue back east, a night at the Living Room in New York City, sharing the stage with Ethan Rose and Shelley Short at the Tractor -- the list goes on and on. Both coasts and many stellar performances later, we recently landed at the 18th floor of the Hilton Garden in at SXSW together, and I got to experience Tom's work in a whole new light.

He's out on a purposeful small-room tour this go-round, bringing magic to our ears as part of a duo with the incredibly talented Angela Correa.  Sweet, deconstructed original numbers carry their voices in a perfect blend of melody, with little more than Tom's acoustic meanderings and a foot tap here and there to keep the time. It's dramatic while remaining completely understated, powerful and intimate, and absolutely not-to-be-missed.

Check out their MySpace for a proper sampling of this modern take on some standard sounds, and then grab your ID and come down to Hattie's tonight. With all this and Shelley Short opening up the night, you won't be disappointed. Promise.

more...

{photo credit: the lovely Laura Musselman, courtesy of our imaginary flickr pool}

Now that we're all done with Sasquatch, it's time to set our sights on the next raddest lineup to hit the west coast: it's Noise for the Needy, 2010 edition. There's close to seventy-five bands and djs playing a baker's dozen of venues next weekend, when NFTN takes over every corner of Seattle from June 9th (Thursday) through the 13th (Sunday). Among the notables in big font this year are John Vanderslice, Visqueen, Horse Feathers, Delta Spirit, the Maldives, The Album Leaf, Animals at Night, The Portland Cello Project, and The Redwood Plan -- along with enough supporting acts to make your head spin. Tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets, or you can just buy a la carte at each show / venue -- although there's some sweet all-access wristband deals being offered if you want to rock it like that.

more...

I don't know a lot of details as to how an event of this magnitude will go down, but I do know that there are some free tickets at play, most likely for lucky guy or gal who can funnel massive amounts of sugar and pastry down their gullets at an incredible rate.

more...

We saw some great shows, and we have loads of great shows to tell you about, including Augustus Sweetheart, Izabelle, Nouvelle Vague, and loads more.

more...