Melee is coming to El Corazon

While I have always enjoyed Melee's music, their latest album, Devils and Angels, is the most upbeat and dancable yet. And while some lyrics may be on the edge of cheesy, it is also sooo fun. What's more, these songs will be great live.
Melee's vocals are pure and heartfelt as they really drive this music. I am always a fan of powerful choruses, and this album is full of them. It has a unique take on many common themes, like love and rebellion. I can imagine rocking to this one while I drive on Alki beach this summer.

Listen to Melee on their Myspace page or web site!
My favorite track is "Drive Away".

I can't wait to rock out to these tunes at El Corazon May 26. Click here for more info on the upcoming show.

Click below to watch the video for "Built to Last"



As always, post comments and tell me what you think!

Gabriel Teodros

Now is the time to check out Seattle's own Gabriel Teodros. Before he takes off on tour for one month Teodros will be playing a few shows in Tacoma community- and anyone who is remotely interested in hip-hop should check it out. Both an activist and a musician, Teodros' music is influential, with jamin beats and soulful lyrics. His music is both personal and political, touching on his own struggle and that of people in East Africa. He is an excellent representative of NW hip hop and should help move music in the right direction with intelligent lyrics and fresh ideas.

Gabriel Teodros upcoming shows: Click for more info
May 17, Hells Kitchen Tacoma,WA
May 26, Sasquatch Festival, Quincy,WA

To hear Gabriel Teodros check out his myspace page.

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!

Blue Scholars new album: Bayani

I was recently lucky enough to hear Blue Scholars latest record "Bayani," which will be out June 12. Fans of Blue Scholars self titled album will enjoy this CD even more. The beats are more diverse and dancable, while the lyrics are both personal and political. Overall, the record is exactly what you'd expect from Blue Scholars, only better. I really enjoyed the references to other cultures as well as the polished feel this album has.

Besides listening to a great record, I was also lucky enough to interview DJ Sabzi. Below is transcript of the interview:

Rose: You seem to be really connected to college students across the country; do you think this is the case? Why do you think your music resonates with that audience? Is it important to you that they appreciate the music?

Sabzi: Well, there is a certain “academic” element to our music, though the music is not exclusively for college students. Also, most of our first shows in each city were at colleges, so it would make sense that most of the word has spread through that medium.

Rose: How do you think your music has developed since Blue Scholars formed in 2002?

Sabzi: It’s developed a lot!

Rose: How will Bayani compare to the Long March EP and Blue Scholars LP?

Sabzi: This record is probably the most cohesive in theme. We discussed the content of this record in theory for 8 months before even really getting to work on the verses or recording. The beats and the rhymes are significantly more sophisticated than the first two.

Rose: Could you explain the title Bayani?

Sabzi: “Bayan” in Farsi, an Arabic root word, means “utterance” or “speech.” In Baha’i history, there was a holy book titled The Bayan, which loosely translated meant the “divine word.”

In Tagalog, the language of the Philippines, “bayan” means “the people.”

“Bayani” is a term we kinda made up for this record, which is a fusion word that’s a nod to both of our cultural heritages. It’s supposed to mean “voice of the people.”

Rose: What did you write about on this new record?

Sabzi: It’s mostly a collection of stories shared from the perspective of individuals at the grassroots level set against the context of the large world issues we face today.

Rose: Can you describe your writing process, how much does each of you contribute?

Sabzi: I make the beats, then Geo writes to the beats. We each give input on each others work.

Rose: What should people expect from your live show?

Sabzi: A good performance. We have a 9-piece live band we’re playing with at the release party on May 11.

Rose: What are your favorite places to perform?

Sabzi: Every venue is different. We do small large music festivals, small club shows, large club shows, college shows, high school shows, and community center shows. Each show is different and yet similar. My favorite shows are the ones where we get a chance to kick it with the folks in the crowd.

Rose: Are you looking forward to playing the new music live at your CD release shows?

Sabzi: Yes.

Rose: How did you go about launching Mass Line Media on your own? Why did you decide to? What is the future for that label?

Sabzi: We hope to develop MassLine into an powerful cultural force in the city of Seattle in order to support the community development, and educational initiatives we intend to implement in the next few years.

Rose: This will be your first release to Rawkus, why did you decide to make that move? What will that mean for the future of the Blue Scholars?

Sabzi: This is a collaborative distribution and marketing deal. MassLine has the resources to make the music, produce the records and make moves here in Seattle, so we partnered with Rawkus to help expand our efforts nationwide/internationally.

Rose: How many more records do you expect to release on Rawkus?

Sabzi: Right now, the deal is to release Bayani and see how it goes.

Rose: Did you expect Blue Scholars to get this big?

Sabzi: No, not exactly. At least, not this quickly. Up til very recently, we’ve been just playing catch up to the demand we’ve seen for our music.

Rose: How have your lives changed as Blue Scholars became more popular?

Sabzi: I get recognized more often around the town. In the U District and Capitol Hill neighborhoods, people roll up on me like “holy crap dude, it’s blue scholars” and in the South End and CD people say “sup.”

Rose: How does Blue Scholars compare to your other side projects like Common Market?

Sabzi: Different styles, different approaches to touching on the same issues. The lessons might change but the essence of the message is the same.

Rose: What are your plans for the future? What will you be doing this summer?

Sabzi: Touring the country! Meeting people, playing music, livin’ life.

Click here to listen to "North by Northwest" and "Back Home" from Bayani.

Click here to visit Blue Scholar's web site

*Photo courtesy of the Blue Scholars

Aiden is coming to town!

Well I am pretty excited tonight because I just found out that after coming home from Europe Aiden will be playing a show in Seattle on May 20 at El Corazon. If you have never seen Aiden live you should really check out their show. Few bands can connect with a crowd and get them going like Aiden can. Great music, moving music and intense energy onstage make them one of my favorite acts to see.

What's even more exciting is that Aiden will be recording their new album this month. I can't wait to see how their music has matured since Nightmare Anatomy.

If you haven't heard them give a listen, you will fall in love. If you have tell me, what do you think? Who should I check out?

Aiden web site

Aiden Myspace

Here's the music video for "Die Romantic":

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

Moneta at the Showbox

On Saturday, April 28 I went and saw Moneta at the Showbox and interviewed the band after.

When Moneta came onstage an energetic atmosphere was instantly created as they thrashed around the entire stage. Lights quickly flashed, illuminating their “Hope” banners.
At the start of Moneta’s set the keyboard stands out in a bold pop song. As a six piece, their all of Moneta’s songs are thick with layers.
I noticed immediately the lead vocalist Jerry Kansky’s unique on stage persona. He is clearly absorbed in the music and also connects well with the audience. I also appreciated the bands back up vocals. While Mike Rapson’s vocals are distinctive and contrast nicely with Kansky’s, Devin Bazemore’s blend beautifully to give their music support.
In one transition between songs Bazemore and Rapson harmonized together, just one of many ways they made their whole set flow together nicely.
The band’s own enthusiasm spread to the crowd. They especially enjoyed Moneta’s version of the song “Connecticut,” which members of Moneta wrote in their old band Roundabout. By the end of the set fans were clapping, cheering and dancing to Moneta’s music.
The band’s camaraderie shows during their set when they share mikes and even pour water in each other’s mouths- which of course drove the ladies crazy. While they each have a unique style on stage, they also move together as a unit with the music.
My favorite songs included “Kayla” and “Beauty and the Beast.”
“Beauty and the Beast” adds an acoustic guitar to the two electric to create a nice full sound that really builds in the choruses.

Check them out for yourself!

Moneta's web site
Moneta on purevolume
Moneta on MySpace


Interview with the band after their set, April 28:


Rose: When did you guys start the band?

Devin Bazemore: We got together six or seven months ago I would say. But, me and Mike and Dustin all knew each other, a friend named Josh introduced us to Jerry and then we met Chris later down the road.

Rose: When you first started the band where did you want to go with it?

Mike Rapson: We all really love pop music. We wanted to try and stray away from the emo title, but we had a few practices and it was just kind of apparent right away that it was going the pop-rock and me and Jerry and Devin just kind of sat down and wrote the songs.

Rose: Who are your influences?

Kansky: It’s pretty across the board, I’m stuck in the 70’s and 80’s like Springsteen…

Bazemore: Dustin listens to Slayer, Slayer and Converge.

Dustin McGhie: That’s not all I like okay! I don’t just like Slayer and Converge. I like other stuff too, like, um Refused.

Rose: What Other bands have you guys been in?

Kansky: Well I was in Blue Sky Mile for about four and a half years.

Chris Holbrook: I was in a band called Meridian for a little while but it never really got off the ground.

Bazemore: Dustin was in Gatsbys American Dream

McGhie: and Mon Frere!

(Rapson, Bazemore and McGhie were also in Roundabout)

Rose: How would you describe your sound?

Tim Borquez: I always say Yellowcard meets the Killers.

Kansky: I always wanna throw Foo Fighters in there but I don’t know why. I don’t know that’s like a really hard question.

Rose: How have your shows been so far?

Bazemore: The Shows have been nothing short of amazing, and we can’t wait to play more shows and meet more people.

Kansky: I feel really lucky that we’ve gotten to play the shows we have.

Rose: What are your plans for the future? Where do you want the band to go?

McGhie: To take over the world.

Bazemore: I think the plan is just to keep on playing as many good shows and have fun with it. See where it takes us.

Rose: What kind of reception have you gotten so far from listeners?

Kansky: It’s been amazing, the amount of people who are really passionate and outspoken about our music, though our Myspace and even at shows. So many people seem to love it as much as us if not more.

Borquez: I don’t know Jerry, I don’t know if anyone in the audience would have broken their nose…

Rose: And what exactly happened to you? How did you hurt yourself onstage?

Kansky: At some point I spilled a bottle of water onstage and I was going back, because at all of the shows I get in Dustin’s face and yell “Slayer”, because it gets us both pumped up, and I slipped on the water and went face first into his drum kit.

Rose: When is your next show?

Bazemore: May 29th at the Showbox.

Borquez: We’re pretty much becoming a house band here.

Rose: What’s been the best experience in your band?

Bazemore: For me it was recording. Recording was awesome. It was during the windstorm and we were stuck in the studio for four days without power while we were supposed to be recording. We player dome Crunk-que.

Kansky: That’s our customized version of drunk croquet.

Bazemore: We hung out and really got to know each other.