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The lead singer of Upstairs Downstairs sounds like Chrissie Hynde from the Pretenders, which pretty much seals it for me. I suppose I should say more, but those cool and soulful, yet laid-back and sarcastic vocals do so much speaking on their own. Upstairs Downstairs, if you need to know,
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Naming a band Sok and the Faggots is kind of the musical equivalent of setting a height requirement. If you're able to accept the name, you've passed the first of the many, deliberately offensive tests set by Sok and the Faggots. The Faggots are followers of a style set by
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The music of Oh Dear! can't be described as anything other than indie rock. It seems to take cues from the various touchstones of the genre, moving from the choppy guitars of Modest Mouse on through the beatific blandness of Minus the Bear, and even approaching the sprightly guitar work
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I remember reading that the rapper Drake used the word "I" over 400 times on his debut album, in a kind of subliminal act of superhuman self-obsession. In the case of Oh Dear!, and the band's debut album, lead singer Brandon Sagnella may have set some sort of record for the
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The word "lips" is more evocative than most. It puts one immediately in mind of intimacy, or connecting with another individual in a uniquely personal manner. It is from one's lips that words and ideas are formed and spread, from lips to ears to lips to ears. It is appropriate,
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Something seems so right about the marriage between punk rock and the washboard. Skidding your hand along the grooves of a washboard elicits nothing more than a visceral rattle - a crude affront to the idea of percussion and what it means to be a member of a band. Punk
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For the first annual Grit City Fest, over half a dozen venues all over town hosted shows. It was a huge undertaking, and the result was attendance that was more scattershot than Henry desires. In preparation for this year's event, the scope of the festival has been reduced and focused. "Instead
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Music festivals have been on a tear lately in Tacoma. You've got the 253Heart Festival, Squeak and Squawk, NXNW Metal Fest and the Urban Art Festival - among others. The more these events start happening, the more necessary it becomes for each to have its own compelling voice and vision.
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Some bands carry an intrinsic novelty - a freshness, a thrilling sense of invention - largely because there are very few similar bands in the South Sound. Arpeggiator has this advantage, as one of the few Tacoma-born math-rock bands around. That Arpeggiator does math-rock so well
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There is a certain honey-drenched, sunny pop sound that is often aspired toward by bands seeking to reclaim a classic '60s and '70s aesthetic. It can be hard to achieve, but Bandolier does well at approaching this quality in a clean and honest way. Theirs is a sincere embodiment of
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Red Elvises is a perpetually-touring party band that does a damn admirable job of embodying the essence of absurdity. Mixing elements of art deco, bossa nova, punk, rockabilly, surf, lounge, Middle Eastern and Eastern European music, Red Elvises is a particularly difficult band to summarize. Led by a fearless leader
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At first glance, Strange Vine is a typical rock 'n' roll two-piece. Consisting of Ian Blesse on drums and Toby Cordova on guitar, the really intriguing aspect of the band comes when Blesse - while still manning the percussion with his right hand - begins playing organ with his left
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While I was down in Austin earlier this year for SXSW, one of the struggles of the festival was knowing where to go, who to see and when. Often, the best moments and discoveries came from blind luck - simply being in the right place at the right time. One day,
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For the second annual 25 New Faces of Independent Film Festival, Aug. 19-25 at the Grand Cinema, the list has been released, the films have been chosen, and the filmmakers have been invited to come and participate. Films from 20 filmmakers will be screened over five
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When the Grand Cinema threw the first annual 25 New Faces of Independent Film Festival last year, it was a kind of palm-to-forehead moment - an idea that seemed so inspired and so obvious at the same time. The concept had been staring us in the face, and it finally
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My ears were ringing for over 24 hours after the last time I saw the Fucking Eagles perform. I think I could feel the damage being done as it was happening, but I didn't care. I stood planted by the speakers as one blistering dose of rock ‘n' roll bled
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Look, guys, change is always difficult. As I've mentioned before, metalheads are just about the most loyal bunch of music fans around, and no venue has catered to the tastes of Tacoma metalheads - in a very long time, at least - quite to the level of the storied Hell's
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SALT Records has a similar model as Dear Records, even going so far as to feature some Dear Records alums on their compilations, such as Paul Dally, Dylan Treleven and I Low. The songs are still mostly homespun and lo-fi, which was often a staple of Dear Records. But SALT
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One of the more immediately appreciable aspects about the Tacoma School of the Arts is the constantly renewable source of music the school supplies. Tight-knit groups of musicians are bred and make an impact on the local music scene before moving away or sticking around and becoming young veterans of
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There's a pleasing classicism at work in the music of Christmas Island that calls to mind the indie rock that emerged from New Zealand in the '80s. I think Christmas Island has an intimate familiarity with the artists on Flying Nun Records, like the Chills and Tall Dwarf. Hooks are
