No one ever claimed I’m not scatterbrained. Somehow in the dysfunction of the past couple months (grad school apps, freelancing, job hunting, not posting on here enough, ect.), doing a live music recap of 2009 totally slipped my mind. It’d be a shame to omit this from the good ol’ site, because I managed to catch some great sets last year. So here goes…
5. Mt. St. Helen’s Vietnam Band at the Empyrean in Spokane, WA (Apr. 16)
Buzzed about indie bands are a dime a dozen. But when a group delivers a live performance that leaves you buzzing and wanting to tell everyone how legit it is, well then you’ve got something special. Mt. St. Helen’s Vietnam Band’s set at the Empyrean was one of these performances. The band’s blend of shredding guitar work and off-kilter percussion was infectiously catchy enough to get even some of the most somber hipsters to bounce along.
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4. Weezer at the White River Amphitheater in Auburn,WA (Sept. 10)
It’s somewhat apt that Weezer’s first video was centered around Happy Days considering the group has gone on to jump the shark in such a grandiose fashion. But like Happy Days there’s still so much joy that can be taken from the early work. So, Weezer’s Blue Album set opening for Blink-182 was one such blissful nostalgia ride. Avoid any non-single material from recent albums, the band ran through beloved throwbacks including “My Name Is Jonas,” “Surfwax America,” and “Buddy Holly.” It’s the type of performance that makes downtrodden old-Weezer diehards. At least for one night these were all happy days.
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3. The Helio Sequence at The Blvd in Spokane, WA (Feb. 27)
There’s something about seeing The Helio Sequence live that just forces out a smile. It’s pitch-perfect bliss. The group is in no way overpowering or frenetic, but that doesn’t mean it’s not one hell of a show. Their set at The Blvd, shortly before the venue was torn down, was no exception. Brandon Summers’s vocals and guitars seemed to wash over the crowd like cool spring water on a hot summer day, but it was drummer Benjamin Weikel who is the real star. Weikel is one of the most entertaining musicians to see working his craft because he plays with such spontaneous joy. Try to not be happy when watching him bang on his drums with his astounding musicianship. No really. That’s a dare. Try it. You’ll fail. The Helio Sequence is too good too miss.
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2. Brand New at Showbox Soho in Seattle, WA (Oct. 14)
Jesse Lacey isn’t exactly a warm and playful fellow on stage. Brand New’s frontman often seems to be taking a page out of the Isaac Brock book of curmudgeon stage presence. But for when Brand New made a stop in Seattle, Lacey couldn’t hide the hint of a smile. Beginning with a slew of number of tracks off of Deja Entendu, the band quickly switched to a long stretch of fan favorites from their first record Your Favorite Weapon including “Mix Tape” and “Jude Law and a Semester Abroad,” which was an unexpected treat. While Lacey complained about having to play “old ones,” the fact that kept on playing them tells the real story. It seemed *gasp* that they were really enjoying themselves. After this initial blast from the past, the band roared into songs from their latest album, Daisy, which featured guttural screams and heaviness of the record. Mixed among the tunes was some uncharacteristically playful banter ranging from how Lacey associated Mormons with Seattle more than Salt Lake City to a discussion of dinosaurs. As the night wore on the Brand New just kept playing and playing. Even after over an hour and half on stage, the band voiced general displeasure about not being able to play much longer due to Seattle’s curfew regulations. However, by that point fans had got more than their money’s worth with a fantastic career spanning performance by musicians clearly enjoying sharing their music with a captive audience. Even if they wanted you to think they were moody.
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1. Cursive at the Yellowstone Valley Brewing Company in Billings, MT (Jun. 20)
Energy, vitality, and musicianship. Cursive’s stop at the Yellowstone Valley Brewing Company delivered everything anyone could ask from a show, and featured one of the best and most unusual encores I’ve ever seen. I could go into further blurb style details on it, but I wrote 600 or so words covering it in depth at the time that better capture the show’s essence. Check it out here.
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