Not to be missed is Mark Burgess of The Chameleons, who will be performing on Tuesday evening at The Crocodile in Seattle. This is the first time that he has been to town since he last performed with his old band in an astonishing performance back in 2002. As if this is not enough, Burgess has been lined up with some of the best local Seattle groups as openers: C'est la Mort (hear them on our recent podcast) and Romance.

I was fortunate enough to catch a performance of his in San Francisco back in April, and believe me, the show did not disappoint. If this show follows suit, you can expect mostly Chameleons songs performed on acoustic guitar by Mark who will be accompanied by two additional musicians that come fairly close to recreating the inimitable Smithies/Fielding interplay on electric guitars.

The show is at 7:00 p.m. Plan on arriving on time to support the stellar opening bands as well.

Bumbershoot takes place at the Seattle Center this September 5-7 and there's about a million and a half things to do (bands, literary panels, art shows, Flatstock, kettle corn lunches) over the three-day fest.

To help folks (especially ourselves) prepare for Bumbershoot 2009, we put together this lil mix of some of the things you should add to your Bumbershoot scheduling spreadsheet. We hope this helps you pick your must-sees or at least provides a soundtrack as you wander to and fro.

 

{go listen}

Romance doesn't so much borrow from the great, goth-rock bands of the 1980s as they pay them proper tribute.

When I listen to Romance, I hear the montone vocals ala Ian Curtis of Joy Division as well as instrumentation that recalls Echo and the Bunnymen, The Cure, Bauhaus, New Order and Sisters of Mercy. Yet, they never really sound derivative. Their song "Killer in the World" stands out with a driving guitar part that goes nicely with the throbbing bassline. The emotion comes from melody, as it is nearly absent from the harmonies.

Their set in their Sky Church should make you long for the past while remaining optimistic for the future.

You can watch that video here:

Romance plays Bumbershoot at EMP's Sky Church at 5pm on Sunday, September 6.

The Divide is the debut full-length album by Romance, a Seattle group with a characteristic post-punk sound that is unlike most local acts. They have toured extensively over the past few years and even opened for The Sisters of Mercy in November at El Corazon. Featuring solid production to boot, this LP reflects a well honed selection of songs that are impressively strong. Working as a full album experience, The Divide, is a seamless assortment of songs that are strung together with precise cohesion. Elements of both old and new bands are present in this recording. Singer Drew Jackson's vocals are similar to those of Paul Banks from Interpol and Romance's music is at times reminiscent of them and at other times resembles the early eighties sound of groups such as Echo and the Bunnymen, Joy Division and The Chameleons.

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at The Crocodile

"The Crocodile is alive again," I thought, as opening act The Globes pounded out rhythms like a heartbeat: BAH-BOOM, BAH-BOOM, BAH-BOOM. As drummer Marcus Ourada led the percussion into the first song of the night, the revived rock club on the corner of Second and Blanchard came to life once more with the sounds of great local music.

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Aside from the trial run last week, this will be the first entirely local show to take place at The Crocodile - and it's a good one, with four solid bands filling out the bill.

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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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Hey! What are you doing on Saturday night, March 4th, 2006? We highly suggest you head to the High Dive for the debut Audioasis Live Remote Broadcast, co-presented by Three Imaginary Girls and featuring four stellar local bands. Plus raffle prizes!

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You voted, we tabulated. Here's a print-ready list of the top 100 Pacific Northwest releases of the year for your post-holiday-gift-certificate shopping pleasure...

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Romance combines the psychedelic fluidity of early SOM and other early punk/Goth bands with the intensity of current hard-edged indie rock.

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