Friday December 1, 2006 SGN.org |
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Volume 34 Issue 48 |
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Monday, Oct 06, 2008
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Where It's At |
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| The Hidden Cameras bounce to UW campus; The All-American Rejects move along to WaMu Theater; The End's 'Deck The Hall Ball' rolls into Key Arena | ||
| By: Albert Rodriguez and Jessica Browning -
SGN A & E Writers The Hidden Cameras w/ Born Ruffians Saturday, December 2 - 8pm UW HUB building - $12 / www.ticketswest.com At one point, it seemed like a brilliant and untapped handle to call a band such as The Hidden Cameras "gay church music". But the association has caught on, not because these Toronto musicians, led by the outspoken Joel Gibbs, are making secular music. Uplifting and incredibly infectious, Gibbs has a remarkable way with words and has pricked up the ears of many a critic with homoerotic, playfully suggestive lyrics such as those in "Golden Streams", "The Man That I Am with My Man", and "Ban Marriage". Not exactly Sunday morning music for the masses, but pure and uplifting it certainly is. In a better world, these would indeed be romping, gay choir songs for pew-filled Sunday services. But don't think for a second you've got The Hidden Cameras figured out. No one has ever questioned the place of openly gay pop stars in music; but truly, not all of them speak so tenderly, unabashedly free of ambiguities as Gibbs does. He's an honest and wryly perceptive writer, penning songs about his relationships and experiences, not to mention he is a first-rate musician and director of what sometimes amounts to a twenty-person studio experience. Live, the group is usually comprised of six or seven people, ranging from standard guitars and drums to vibraphone and glockenspiel. If their last Seattle show at Chop Suey is any indication, the Saturday night audience at UW's Husky Union Auditorium may even get to see Gibbs play and sing a few numbers while blindfolded. This collective of musicians knows exactly how to whip a crowd into a frenzy of clapping, dancing, and the occasional sing-along. The Hidden Cameras' third full-length album, Awoo, is every bit as exuberant as their first two releases. Perhaps this time around the lyrics are slightly subtler, the music arranged a bit more sparsely, but the themes remain potent. "Awoo", the title track, has been described by Gibbs as meaning nothing as well as everything. It's an instinctive, howling, happy sound, something universal and like The Hidden Cameras, a phenomenal flash on the radar of orchestral pop. It will be well worth a trip to the UW campus to catch them live this weekend. - J. Browning Pre-concert CD recommendations: Pick up Awoo (Arts and Crafts Records, 2006) or my favorite, the highly acclaimed The Smell of Our Own (2003). The End's "Deck The Hall Ball" w/ Snow Patrol, The Shins, Taking Back Sunday, etc. Thursday, December 7 - 5pm Key Arena - $37.50 / www.ticketmaster.com Separately, the artists performing on radio station The End's (KNDD) holiday-themed concert "Deck The Hall Ball" are impressive and capable of putting on a heck of a live show. Together, on the same stage, same night, it could either be an unbeatable good time or a near-disaster. I love The End for coming up with an eclectic roster for their annual winter gig, like two years ago when Franz Ferdinand, The Killers, Modest Mouse, The Shins, Snow Patrol, and Keane sprinkled plenty of comfort and joy to a restless, sold out Key Arena crowd. But this year's acts, while individually golden, aren't really meant to share the same bill. That could spell trouble, as fans of one band might not stay for the next one, or they may not show up at all. Snow Patrol, fresh from an appearance on the very lame American Music Awards, went from indie sweethearts to mainstream hotties with the release of this year's Eyes Open. The album features "Chasing Cars", a song made popular from TV's top viewed series "Grey's Anatomy". The Shins have a brand new single out called "Phantom Limb" from their forthcoming third album Wincing the Night Away. They claim Portland as a home base, yet they're transplants from Seattle and originally from New Mexico. Taking Back Sunday, a hard rocking New York group whose bassist Matt Rubano interviewed with the Seattle Gay News this summer, have toured non-stop in 2006 behind their big label debut Louder Now. Rounding out the DTHB lineup are Gnarls Barkley, My Chemical Romance, Jet, Angels & Airwaves, and Pete Yorn. My only complaint about Thursday night's festivities is the order of appearance, with one-hit-wonder Gnarls Barkley slated as the headliner. Meanwhile, two-albums-deep Snow Patrol and The Shins are third and fourth down from the final act. Sounds wonky to me. Nevertheless, I think it'll be a great concert and it offers a good reason to get shitfaced and mingle with the kiddies at the arena. For alt rockers, this is a cool opportunity to expand your horizons. Seattle Gay News is proud to cover The End's DTHB for the fourth straight year. Look for a review in next week's issue. Parking is a bitch in Queen Anne, so bus it or fetch a cab. - A. Rodriguez Pre-concert CD recommendations: Final Straw by Snow Patrol, Chutes Too Narrow by The Shins, and Louder Now by Taking Back Sunday. The All-American Rejects w/ Motion City Soundtrack, The Format Wednesday, December 6 - 6:30pm WaMu Theater - $25 / www.ticketmaster.com A catchy band name, a too-cute-for-words lead vocalist, multiple chart placing singles, and an MTV VMA statue are what you'll find inside The All-American Rejects updated resume. The Oklahoma-bred pop rock quartet were a surprise success of 2006, slamming AAA radio stations with back-to-back hits, "Dirty Little Secret" and "Move Along". And there's that MTV VMA trophy, earned for the music video to the latter track previously mentioned. Stunning because they beat out media heavyweights Red Hot Chili Peppers, Panic! At The Disco, Fall Out Boy, and Gnarls Barkley. Accepting the award, lead Reject Tyson Ritter announced to the seated audience and those watching at home that he was wasted. Yes Tyson, you sure were. On their last visit to Seattle, The Rejects headlined KISS 106.1's "Big Freakin' Deal" at Key Arena. Concertgoers, mostly screaming teenyboppers, shared the Seattle Center grounds with decorative queens who'd just cheered the Gay Pride parade from downtown to Queen Anne. Afterwards, Ritter said he'd have marched in the parade if he'd known about it. Shirtless, probably. Drunk, definitely. Just the way we like our straight boys - tanked and half-dressed. That likely won't be the situation when the foursome takes the stage at the new WaMu Theatre on Wednesday night. I've experienced The All-American Rejects twice in concert, and I've been rather impressed both times. Th0ugh, not as impressed as having Ritter pimping my business card backstage at Key Arena. That's another story. Opening for the dashing Oklahomans are two buzz-worthy acts, Motion City Soundtrack and The Format. For $25, you can see a hot band and a pair of soon-to-be hot bands under a new roof - the WaMu Theater is a portable venue set up adjacent to Qwest Field. Which means, if you're heading to the show (a favorite young niece would love you for it), I suggest Uwajimaya's food court for reasonably priced pre-concert grub. - A. Rodriguez Pre-concert CD recommendation: Move Along featuring "Dirty Little Secret", "It Ends Tonight", and the title track. |
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| photos - the Hidden Cameras (top) The Shins (bottom) |
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