the frig blig

Lovers Lookout is the new CD from local fellows Red Jacket Mine. Released just a couple of weeks ago, the timing is appropriate — autumn’s display of red gold and brown hues and shorter, darker days are a perfect compliment for RJM’s melancholy sound.

All the tunes are by songsmith and frontman Lincoln Barr, a moody bastard. His best songs are slow, arty, dark, and complex. Barr is a brooder, not a screamer. RJM’s music is like red wine rather than beer — to be savored. There’s a bit of a Ryan Adams feel, which Patrick Porter’s pedal steel helps along.

The love in this title is not ecstatic. But there is passion here — ironic, angry, disappointed passion. Even the rockers on this album, like opener Stay Golden, Childish Things and The Pose aren’t about having fun.

Stay Golden starts out upbeat but Barr can’t help himself — he ends up singing “You were so brave, but when they asked you to, you sold me out…”.

The Pose sounds a bit like The Posies…and since Ken Stringfellow helped with the production, who knows, maybe it’s alluding to that 90’s band, although it’s plainly expressive of the song’s meaning too. Can’t tell you, only the band knows for sure. Regardless, “Took a chance on an inside joke” is a great opening line.

The strongest tunes are soulful and anthemic, like Deseret News, Apricot Moon and So Long, Radiant Flower (which despite the bitterness has a sweetness too, as S points out).

One thing leads to another — I went to hear Red Jacket Mine at their CD release gig at the Tractor last Thursday and discovered another great local band who played warmup: Downpilot who incidentally were also plugging their new CD They Kind of Shine and apparently will spend the next month gigging in Germany. A talented four-piece (including pedal steel) with great songwriting, Downpilot sounds a little REM-ish but more country and less hypnotic. Makes me suspect there’s this vibrant music community all around me of which I only see tiny bits and pieces.

I did purchase Red Jacket Mine’s new CD Lovers Lookout too but haven’t had a chance to listen yet — I’ll post a report soon on my impressions and maybe a comment or two on what I saw and heard at last weekend’s Hardly Strictly bluegrass fest as well.

Red Jacket Mine is playing at the Tractor Tavern tomorrow night to celebrate the release of their new CD Lovers Lookout. I’m hoping there will be physical copies of the disc available, with all of the non-green implications that has. I just discovered this band a few months ago and am looking forward to finding musical growth on their second CD (I’m hoping it’s harder edged than their first).

RJM shares the bill with fellow Seattle bands downpilot and Sweet Secrets. I’m looking forward to a great show — see you there!

So right there on 7th Ave near the intersection with Aurora sits the Hurricane Cafe. (It occupies the site of the former Dog House restaurant for you old-timers.)

I ask my fellow Seattleites this: when was the last time you saw a hurricane around these parts? Answer: never. Hurricanes just don’t make it up to the pacific northwest. What we do get are occasional earthquakes and volcano eruptions and lots of fog, mist and light precip.

So I’d like to suggest that the owner(s) of aforementioned Hurricane Cafe get a little more real and more local, and rename their establishment the Earthquake Cafe. Or the Slime Cafe. Or the Drizzler. (”Home of the Tsunami Burger”.) Or something besides a completely foreign weather concept.

S, D & I saw two good local bands at the Tractor last night. Red Jacket Mine (above) was the warmup act, and they were every bit as talented (with a darker sound) as the headliners The Minus 5 (below) who were playing a “new CD release” gig for recording ‘Killingsworth’ published by Yep Roc Records.

Geov Parrish reports in the June 25 issue of Eat The State that former KIRO-TV news anchor and current King County Executive candidate Susan Hutchison is not only a creationist — but she served on the Board of Directors of local “think tank” Discovery Institute. And he also reports that this information was removed from her website once she announced her candidacy.

Pass it on. This fact deserves widespread knowledge, fast.

S and I caught 20 Riverside at Tost in Fremont last night. So danceable! This young Everett band rocked the house so hard I felt sorry for the next band. Catch ‘em if you can.

We’ve received more than average snowfall in the past few days. Here’s a few photos from the hood for my friends and loved ones who are far away:

Somewhere in Washington state … the leaves are leaving.

While I wasn’t playing in the tournament or visiting my friends I pulled out my camera and snapped these photos in Portland last month. Just now transferred them from my camera and figured I’d share some with the loyal bloghood…hope u like. Here’s the gallery link: Portland