Quadstock's a letdown, but Macklemore shines

Well, to say the least I was very disappointed with my first Quadstock experience. For one there was not many people there. I had expected to see all of my friends gathered together enjoying the music, but most of them had too much to drink before the show and didn't make it out. The opening acts were disappointing too. While Party! At the Vatican's set was alright, the lead singer of The Passenger got ill so their guitarist played an acoustic set instead. While he did the best he could in a poor situation, the set really brought down the mood of the whole event. I was terribly bored.
The Macklemore took the stage. I have to say that was quite a contrast right there, going from one performer who couldn't keep the crowd's attention to another who owned it. He was on point, enigmatic and flowed very nicely. And the crowd really appreciated it, getting into the music more than any of the previous acts. So well done. Thanks to you I actually had fun at Quadstock, for a moment.

Party! At the Vatican to play Quadstock

Okay so I apologize right here and now for being slightly obsessed with Quadstock, it's just that it's pretty much the only cool event we host here at SU!

Two student bands will be playing the event after winning the Battle of the Bands earlier this year. Check them out below!

Party! At the Vatican
The Passenger

Mates of State

Mates of State is an indie, feel good, subtle pop duo composed of two vocalists that play drums and an organ. Yep that's it. The duo is also married, has one little girl and lives in Magnolia, but you wouldn't know it from their music. Their lyrics have ranged from cheerful to dark and deceptive. The vocals lift the music and the minimal instruments don't leave listeners wanting. Above all the music has a light indie feel that is fun and substantial.


Mates of State will be playing at Seattle Uinversity's Quadstock on May 19.

My favorite track is "Fraud in the 80's," but check out more of their music at their myspace page and web site!

Seattle University Quadstock, The Lashes

I recently wrote an article for Seattle University's campus paper, The Spectator, for a feature spread previewing one of our largest campus events, Quadstock. My article focused on one bad that will be performing this year: The Lashes. As I sat down to interview the band's lead singer Ben, it came to my attention that few bands are willing to advertise themselves as a pop band. The Lashes openly announce that they belong in this genre. What's more, they promote dancing and want their fans to have a good time at their shows. I fond this refreshing. So many shows are dense with performing musicians that take themselves too seriously, when they should be about having a good time. Life is to short to not want to smile, dance around and sing along to pop music once in awhile. The Lashes should put on a great show that will allow SU students to relax and have a good time. Plus their music is great to dance to! Check them out and come have a good time at Quadstock!

The Lashes on purevolume

The Lashes Myspace

My article on the lashes!

Here's a video of the Lashes at Sonic Boom Records in Seattle