June 2010

  • Hot Hot Heat

    By Anonymous on 6/30/10 11:10am
    Add Comment

    STG Presents Hot Hot Heat at Chop Suey in Seattle on Tuesday, September 21, 2010.

    If Future Breeds, the latest studio release from Hot Hot Heat, is proof of anything, it’s that sometimes it takes a while to see things clearly. It’s taken a decade of tours, albums, line-up changes and label switches—all rewarded with building commercial and critical success—for Hot Hot Heat to fine-tune its vision. But with Future Breeds, all that toil has coalesced into the band’s most thrilling effort to date, one that coincidentally brings it full circle.

    On Future Breeds, Hot Hot Heat returns to its roots both metaphorically and literally with a hot-wired and proud party album throbbing with spontaneity and creativity. When the band began writing Future Breeds, front man Steve Bays, along with band mates Paul Hawley and Luke Paquin, sought to recapture the energy and sheer love for the art form that drove the late-nineties Vancouver punk scene from which the band emerged.

    Read more >

  • Matisyahu

    By Anonymous on 6/30/10 11:10am
    Add Comment

    STG Presents Matisyahu at The Moore Theatre in Seattle on Saturday, August 7, 2010.

    Few artists make an impact as complete as the one Matisyahu made with his Top 40 hit "King Without a Crown": Here was a true original, the song announced-a Hasidic Jewish musician from New York City singing reggae songs about his religious devotion. Fans responded to this one-of-a-kind voice, too, driving Youth, Matisyahu's Grammy- nominated 2006 studio disc, to the top spot on Billboard's reggae albums chart. That album, as well as Matisahu's previous recording Live at Stubb's, went Gold.

    Read more >

  • An Evening with Fran Healy of Travis

    By Anonymous on 6/22/10 3:06pm
    Add Comment

    STG Presents An Evening with Fran Healy of Travis at Triple Door in Seattle on Wednesday, August 18, 2010. An intimate evening of acoustic music with songs from his debut solo album Wreckorder, to be released in October.

  • ZZK, featuring Tremor, El Romolon, Chancha Via Circuito and El G

    By Anonymous on 6/22/10 3:05pm
    Add Comment

    STG Presents ZZK, featuring Tremor, El Romolon, Chancha Via Circuito and El G, with special guest Darwin at The Crocodile in Seattle on Tuesday, August 3, 2010. ZZK Records is a homegrown record label and artist collective born out of the Zizek Club nights in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Exploring urban, global sounds with electronic music production, ZZK Records is blending the old with the new, fusing ideas, mashing continents and maximizing technology to bring Latin American music into the 21st Century with a bass that goes boom. Since exploding on the scene in 2008 with our first compilation, ZZK Sound Vol. 1 - Cumbia Digital, the label has been on a tear, putting out numerous LPs, EPs, mixtapes and playing more than 100 shows in 50 cities in 2 years, including 2 stops at SXSW, Coachella, Roskilde, C/O Pop & Trans Musicales de Rennes and other prestigious festival around the world.

    Read more >

  • Local Natives

    By Anonymous on 6/22/10 11:01am
    Add Comment

    STG Presents Local Natives at Showbox at the Market in Seattle on Friday, September 24, 2010.

    Local Natives make soaring, sky-scraping harmonies, dreamy orchestral melodies, and throbbing tribal beats that bash their way into your soul.  Theirs are songs you can dance to almost as well as you can swoon to them. Drawing a line from the vocal stylings of Crosby Stills Nash & Young and the Zombies through the more esoteric edges of post-punk and Afro-beat, this California five piece have communally crafted a brand of indie rock all their own.

    For Local Natives everything is a collaboration, from song writing duties to the band’s self produced artwork. The three part harmonies come courtesy of keyboardist Kelcey Ayer, guitarists Ryan Hahn and Taylor Rice. Then there’s Matt Frazier on drums and Andy Hamm on bass, who look after the band’s equally impressive graphics and artwork.

    Read more >

  • Nikki Yanofsky

    By Anonymous on 6/22/10 11:01am
    Add Comment

    STG Presents Nikki Yanofsky at Triple Door in Seattle on Wednesday, October 13, 2010.

    Read more >

  • Mark Kozelek

    By Anonymous on 6/22/10 11:00am
    Add Comment

    STG Presents Mark Kozelek (of Sun Kil Moon and Red House Painters) at Town Hall in Seattle on Tuesday, September 7, 2010.

    Read more >

  • Snoop Dog and Ice Cube

    By Anonymous on 6/22/10 10:59am
    Add Comment

    STG Presents Snoop Dog and Ice Cube at The Paramount Theatre in Seattle on Wednesday, July 14, 2010.

    Snoop Dog: Iconic in stature and in essence, Cordozar Calvin Broadus, Jr. has carved out a permanent place in musical history. Undeniably, the rapper, producer, actor, entrepreneur, coach, husband and father affectionately called Snoop Dogg, has performed the most unique balancing act that hip hop has ever witnessed. Never short on vision, drive or ambition, the sharp talking wordsworth has managed to redefine and reinvent himself over the course of his fifteen year career, each time revealing a distinctive cache from the depths within. His rhythmic cadences are classic in nature and his demeanor is as laid back and effortless as the brand extensions he has created for himself.

    Read more >

  • The Script

    By Anonymous on 6/22/10 10:19am
    Add Comment

    STG Presents The Script at Showbox SoDo in Seattle on Saturday, October 16, 2010.

    The Script are an Irish trio whose music boasts the kind of artful twists sure to turn all preconceptions on their head. This is a whole new brand of Celtic Soul, blending hip hop lyrical flow with pop melodiousness, state-of-the-art R'n'B production with anthemic rock dynamics, classic song construction with gritty contemporary narratives. It's got all the emotion and passion you would expect from across the Irish sea, but it is glittering in its modernity, universal in its singalong addictiveness and global in its syncopation, music for the feet, heart and head. Think U2 versus Timbaland, Van Morrison remixed by Teddy Riley. "Irish people have soul," according to Danny. "It comes from generations of pain, and generations of understanding emotion to be able to physically get that in a solid sound."

  • Broken Social Scene

    By Anonymous on 6/22/10 10:18am
    Add Comment

    STG Presents Broken Social Scene at The Paramount Theatre in Seattle on Friday, October 15, 2010.

    Read more >

  • The Black Keys

    By Anonymous on 6/22/10 10:17am
    Add Comment

    STG Presents The Black Keys at The Paramount Theatre in Seattle on Saturday, October 2, 2010.

    The Black Keys AMG - by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

    Read more >

  • Train

    By Anonymous on 6/22/10 10:16am
    Add Comment

    STG Presents Train at Marymoor Amphitheatre in Seattle on Sunday, September 19, 2010.

    Over the course of 15 years, Train has made its mark on music history with their Grammy-Award-winning song “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” and chart-topping singles “Meet Virginia” and “Calling All Angels.” Since forming in San Francisco in 1994, the multi-platinum selling band has traveled a long, successful and sometimes arduous journey. Following their 2006 release, For Me, It’s You, the band took a three-year hiatus, and in that time, Train has, for all intents and purposes, experienced an epiphany as a whole. Now, with their fifth album, Save Me San Francisco, Train has channeled their early days, revisiting the roots rock sound that has made the band such a tour de force – and, in turn, the band is united stronger than ever before.

    Read more >

  • The National

    By Anonymous on 6/22/10 10:15am
    Add Comment

    STG Presents The National at Marymoor Amphitheatre in Seattle on Saturday, September 11, 2010.

    Some Words About Boxer by Alec Hanley Bemis

    The National are a band of New Yorkers transplanted from Cincinnati, Ohio: Matt Berninger, Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Bryan Devendorf, and Scott Devendorf. What each member of the band does is not that important, but what they do together seems increasingly more so…

    Read more >

  • Mumiy Troll

    By Anonymous on 6/22/10 10:14am
    Add Comment

    STG Presents Mumiy Troll at Neumos in Seattle on Tuesday, August 31, 2010.

    Mumiy Troll -- the band on their own way from Vladivostok to the world.

    Mumiy Troll (pronounced Moo-me Troll) is undoubtedly the most significant band that modern Russia has produced since the fall of the Soviet regime. They have made their mark with startling albums and live performances that are bursting with energy, combining warmth and total debauchery.

    What exactly does the band sound like? Consider the term – ROCKAPOPS. Contemporary Russian music is actually divided into what was before and what came after Mumiy Troll. Band founder, frontman Ilya Lagutenko, defined their music style as "rockapops" just to avoid pointless Russian media debates on the definition of what is rock and what is pop. Mumiy Troll became the leader of an entire new musical trend, copied now to greater or lesser degree by Russian wannabees and mainstream artists.

    Read more >

  • An Evening with Asia

    By Anonymous on 6/22/10 10:12am
    Add Comment

    STG Presents An Evening with Asia at The Moore Theatre in Seattle, featuring original members Geoff Downes, Steve Howe, Carl Palmer and John Wetton on Wednesday, September 8, 2010.

    Asia’s debut album exploded onto the music scene in March 1982 with several Top 10 singles and sales exceeding 7 million copies. This "supergroup", featuring bassist/vocalist John Wetton, drummer Carl Palmer, keyboardist Geoff Downes, and guitarist Steve Howe, was the logical successor to their collective bands of the 70s - Yes, ELP, King Crimson, UK, and The Buggles.

    Read more >

  • Vampire Weekend

    By Anonymous on 6/22/10 10:07am
    Add Comment

    STG Presents Vampire Weekend with Special Guests Beach House and Dum Dum Girls on Sunday, August 29, 2010 at Marymoor Amphitheatre in Redmond.

    Some bands stay in a holding pattern their whole careers. Others jerk the steering wheel hard and fly off the road. On their second album, Vampire Weekend do neither. Or maybe they do both. "I think we sound more like Vampire Weekend than we did on the first record," says drummer Christopher Tomson.

    Read more >

  • Rufus Wainwright

    By stg on 6/17/10 3:57pm
    Add Comment

    STG Presents Rufus Wainwright at The Paramount Theatre in Seattle on Wednesday, August 25, 2010. Wainwright will perform two sets: the first will feature album, All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu, performed in its entirety and accompanied by a film directed by Douglas Gordon. The second set will consist of hits and songs from additional albums.

    Affectionately referred to by Elton John as "the greatest songwriter on the planet" and praised by The New York Times for his "genuine originality," Rufus Wainwright has established himself as one of the great male vocalists and songwriters of his generation. He is the son of folk singers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, and brother of Martha Wainwright but Rufus has achieved his success by carving out his own singular sound in the worlds of rock, opera, theater, dance and film.

    Read more >

  • Melissa Etheridge

    By stg on 6/17/10 3:55pm
    Add Comment

    STG Presents Melissa Etheridge at The Paramount Theatre in Seattle on Sunday, August 22, 2010.

    From our introduction to her in 1988, and throughout her illustrious career, Melissa Etheridge has never forgotten that it all begins with the songs. She has poured everything into those songs and they have served her well.

    Those songs—“Bring Me Some Water,” “Ain’t it Heavy,” “I’m the Only One,” “Come to My Window,” “I Want to Come Over,” “Angels Would Fall,” “I Run for Life” and “I Need to Wake Up” among them—have rewarded her with five Platinum albums (including the multi-Platinum sets Melissa Etheridge, Your Little Secret  and the six-million-selling Yes I Am), a pair of Grammys®, an Oscar®, an ASCAP Songwriter of the Year honor and the ASCAP Founders Award.

    Read more >

  • No Depression Festival

    By stg on 6/17/10 3:54pm
    Add Comment

    STG Presents No Depression Festival at Marymoor Amphitheatre in Seattle on Saturday, August 21, 2010. Line up includes Sera Cahoone, Chuck Prophet, Alejandro Escovedo, Punch Brothers, The Cave Singers, Lucinda Williams and, headlining the festival, The Swell Season.

  • Joan Armatrading

    By stg on 6/17/10 3:49pm
    Add Comment

    STG Presents Joan Armatrading at The Moore Theatre in Seattle on Friday, August 13, 2010.

    Three time Grammy nominated singer/songwriter, JOAN ARMATRADING has come a long way since her birth in the West Indies and her upbringing in Birmingham. With 19 stunning albums to her credit and a new album released this year, Joan’s subtle and sublime music has touched millions of people all over the world.

    Known as a true craftsman, her distinctive vocals and consummate musicianship – she has arranged as well as played every instrument, with the exception of drums on her forthcoming album – have led to unanimous, widespread and, perhaps most importantly, consistent critical acclaim. Effortlessly eclectic, her sound has ranged from true soul to sophisticated pop driven by her passionate guitar.

    Read more >

  • Silversun Pickups

    By stg on 6/17/10 3:43pm
    Add Comment

    STG Presents Silversun Pickups at The Paramount Theatre in Seattle on Saturday, July 31, 2010.

    It’s no secret that Silversun Pickups score the soundtrack for the cacophony and quiet of the urban environment. Their songs curl like a sleeping dragon around the foothills, soar between the skyscrapers, and slouch in the shadows of forbidden offramps and skid row. The Silversun Pickups sound is a city itself and on the new album, Swoon, we tag along on a schizophrenic taxi ride to the dark side. After all, the City of Silversun is a landscape populated with contradictions: the clamor of traffic and the solace of the garden; fashionistas lined up at taco trucks after hours; moonlight bike rides and holdups at knifepoint.

    Read more >

  • The Aggrolites

    By stg on 6/17/10 3:41pm
    Add Comment

    STG presents The Aggrolites on Saturday, July 10, 2010 at The Crocodile in Seattle.

    The Aggrolites are more than a band they are a movement unto themselves. They carry a banner - one created with their own hands. This banner reads, “Dirty Reggae,” and represents their signature fusion of reggae, soul, grit and determination. For seven magnificent years, this dirty reggae bunch has rolled from city to city, across the pond and up main street USA. They rally the kids, the parents, the students, the cops, the bosses and the drifters. The people come, they relish in The Aggrolites, the dirty reggae and the joy that comes with it all. The liberating rhythms and catchy grooves demand a return trip.

    Read more >

  • Folk singer-songwriter Bobby Long in Seattle with He is We, shyforshy, & guests!

    By Anonymous on 6/15/10 11:51pm
    Add Comment

    English folk singer-songwriter Bobby Long returns to the United States for a summer tour!

    Bobby will be returning to Seattle, Saturday, 3 July 2010.

    Bobby Long, photo by Luke EdgeBobby Long, photo by Luke Edge

    He first came to national attention for co-writing "Let Me Sign" for the film "Twilight". Although Bobby Long became known due to the movie's success, his music speaks for itself and is winning new fans all over the world.

    Read more >

  • Why Wu-Tang's 8 Diagrams Wasn't Too Horrible

    By cobwebsandstrange on 6/14/10 1:29pm
    Add Comment

    The recorded life of the Clan began more than a decade ago and covers innumerable solo efforts, mix-tapes, soundtracks, bootlegs and full length efforts. Beginning with 36 Chambers, a stated point of trajectory was made and has ostensibly been carried out. Method Man, during an interview, included on their debut, figures that this group works “to make a business outta this” so that their “seeds got something for theyselves [sic].”

    Read more >