Tag Archives: Seattle

COMMENT OF THE DAY: Giving drug smuggling a whole new meaning…

Posted by gruesomegreg on

From: http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2020969103_potcarbonxml.html

Now here’s a problem I wish we had.  Washington, one of two states to legalize marijuana, is now concerned about the carbon footprint created by indoor grow-ops.  Apparently, for the amount of energy used to produce just one joint, you could have 18 pints of beer instead.  But I’d still hope the government-grown weed might be slightly cheaper than 8.5 litres of booze…

On the other hand, certain Seattle city councilors are concerned about pot-trucks being hijacked somewhere outside of Tacoma:

cotd513

Hmm, I wonder if the Washington justice department has considered what penalty it might impose on the theft of legal weed.  Now that would surely make a judge’s head spin!

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EMP ain’t a bad place to be…

Posted by gruesomegreg on

After getting a decent amount of sleep Sunday morning (the Church of Misery gig ended just after 12:30), I hopped on the monorail and headed down to the EMP Museum.  Opened in 2000, and named after Jimi Hendrix’s Experience Music Project, the 140,000-square-foot building houses science fiction and horror movie exhibits, including props from Avatar, as well as wings dedicated to native sons Hendrix, Nirvana–and until the end of September, anyways, a massive second-floor exhibition from The Thunder Down Under, AC/DC.  As I’ve said before, AC/DC was my first favourite band, and I still consider myself a fan to this day.  The real reason I flew out to Seattle was to see this exhibit–I just wanted to pick a weekend when some killer bands were in town, too. ;)

When entering the EMP museum, one can’t help but notice the massive sculpture made up of guitars, basses, drums and various other instruments.  It’s an impressive piece that clearly took quite some time to put together.

Speaking of impressive instruments, here’s Jimi’s white Stratocaster:

And some of the effects pedals he used on stage…

Meanwhile, this guitar was used–and subsequently smashed–by Kurt Cobain:

While this drumkit belonged to Dave Grohl…

…as did this t-shirt:

One of Cobain’s early bands was called Fecal Matter.  Sounds more like a brown metal band to me…

Sub Pop obviously knew they had something when they first signed Nirvana.  Although they only offered a $600 advance on their first album, they were prepared to increase it to 12K and 24K for the next two.

Of course, that second album, Nevermind, would be released by Interscope.  I guess no one had a problem with his dick…

The ground-floor exhibits were cool ‘n all, but the main reason I came was to see AC/DC.  Even when going through the Nirvana wing, I could hear the Thunder, beckoning me to come up to the second floor, where I was greeted by this:

The exhibit included all sorts of mementos from the band’s past, including the Young family’s immigration papers…

…and this early childhood photo:

Bon Scott, unbeknownst to many, got his start as a drummer…

He also looked like this at one point:

Of course, Angus also had a couple crazy get-ups of his own:

Alas, tis a shame that the North American version of Dirty Deeds… didn’t have this cover art…

…and that I was never able to nab a copy of this picture disc:

Some tools of the trade–Malcolm’s white Gretsch…

Bon’s leather jacket…

…and this crew coat, which would probably fetch a pretty penny nowadays:

Check out some of the other albums on the Top 75 when Back in Black first topped the charts (click for larger image).  Looks like they bumped the Xanadu soundtrack down to Number 3…

And on that note…

Since the Space Needle is right next door to the EMP Museum, I figured I might as well take the 20-dollar ride up.  Hey, who knows when I’ll be back here–it’s not like I can buy Seahawks season’s tickets when I live in Toronto!  Unfortunately, that 20 bucks doesn’t include a drink at the top, but the views are pretty amazing.

This is what it looked like coming in on the monorail…

And the view from the top:

Even though the drinks weren’t free, I still decided to have a beer up here…

AMATEUR CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY HOUR: CHURCH OF MISERY, Hail Hornet, The Gates of Slumber @ Studio Seven, Seattle, June 9, 2012

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Nestled alongside the railroad tracks on a side street with no sidewalks in Seattle’s SoDo district, Studio Seven is a brisk 15-minute walk past a whole buncha fast-food places from the SoDo LINK Station.  What once was a warehouse has been transformed into a pretty decent all-ages concert venue, where most of the mid-major metal tours stop when they hit town.  While its ground floor is roughly the size of The Kathedral, it also has a balcony–which is the only place you’re allowed to drink.  Since I knew nothing about the local openers, I headed up for a coupla Rainiers while waiting for the touring bands to take the stage.  And I gotta say, it’s a pretty sizeable stage, at that.  This picture I took from the balcony (with the opening band on it) should give you some idea.

The last time I saw The Gates of Slumber, they were touring with Weedeater and Black Tusk–way back in April 2010.  At that time, they had yet to begin work on The Wretch, their latest (and greatest?) album.  They’ve also undergone a lineup change in the interim, “Iron” Bob Fouts leaving the touring lifestyle (and the drumkit) behind to take on bass duties with Apostle of Solitude.  So yeah, it had been a while.  The good news is that they still bring the doom, their stripped-down style ideally suited to the Vitus-throwback tunes of their new record.  As it turns out, they’re finally heading back to Toronto near the end of July, touring in support of Hammers of Misfortune–so I’ll be seeing ‘em twice now in two months. :)

Jason McCash is one of the best headbangers in doom.

Hail Hornet was up next, a sludge-metal supergroup/side-project comprised of T-Roy (Sourvein), Erik Larson (Might Could, ex-Alabama Thunderpussy), Vince Burke and the man, the myth, the legend, Dixie Dave Collins.  They brought a sludgier, gritter vibe to the table, in stark contrast to the clean tones of TGOS.  And I gotta say, Dixie’s even more entertaining when he’s not anchored to a mic stand…

Of course, when it comes to bassists, one would be remiss not to mention Tatsu Mikami, the founding father of Church of Misery.  He’s not an imposing figure by any stretch, but with his flowing hair, bell-bottom jeans and sunburst Rickenbacker hanging down around his ankles, you can’t help but notice him on stage.  His distinctive style of playing (I’ve never seen anyone else with their right hand so far up the neck) really adds the low-end groove to the band’s sound.  In fact, I haven’t seen a band that grooved like these guys since the last time I saw Sleep live.  Just a truly great, awesome, fantastic performance.  I can hardly put it into words–so here’s a few pictures. ;)

Quick, name me another tour where you’d see two Born Again shirts on stage…

This being the last date of the tour, Church of Misery brought Karl Simon and T-Roy up on stage for a rousing rendition of “War is Our Destiny” with the other members of TGOS and Hail Hornet lurking in the background.  This is the great thing about seeing the last date of a tour–the headliner not having any merch left, well, that’s the not-so-great thing.

Dave Chandler-style guitar solo provided by Karl Simon.

So, I went to Seattle last weekend (WARNING: May contain food porn)…

Posted by gruesomegreg on

Although I’ve been a Seahawks fan for as long as I’ve been serious about NFL football, I had only ever been to the Emerald City once, and that was for a whirlwind 18-hour trip where I took a plane from Portland that landed around noon, got on the Link, went straight to the stadium, saw the Hawks come back to beat the Niners in Pete Carroll’s coaching debut (still have the program–and the front page of the Seattle Times), checked into my hotel, headed to a nearby Belltown sports bar for the Sunday nighter, left at halftime, fell asleep, got up early and was on another flight back to PDX at 6:30 the next morning.  I can’t say I got to see much of the city.  Last weekend, however, I had a chance to take in some of the sights and sounds of Seattle.  Church of Misery was in town for the last date of their North American tour, there’s an AC/DC exhibit at the EMP, and most importantly, I picked up a new Hawks jersey:


Yeah I know, it’s a 12th Fan jersey.  But I knew coming in that I couldn’t get Brandon Browner’s 39 anywhere, and apparently the Pike Street Pro Shop was sold out of Marshawn Lynch jerseys until July.  The only players they had on the shelves were the likes of Miller, Baldwin, Chancellor and Rice–while I almost went with Dougie B, I figured the Number 12 would be a safer bet.  After all, there’s virtually no chance of the team trading the 12th man–or not offering him a new contract after leading them to the biggest playoff upset in NFL history.  (Yeah, I’m still less than thrilled about that.  Here’s hoping Matt Flynn can be the next Matt Hasselbeck…)  So there you go.  Bills fans, if a fat fuck in the jersey pictured above taunts you in Toronto come December–it’s probably that other guy. ;)

Anyways, I took a whole buncha pictures that I’ll be posting over the next couple days of the gig, the museum and the view from the Space Needle, but I figured I’d kick things off with some culinary photos for all the epicureans out there.  I got to Pike Place right around 5 pm, when everything was either closed or closing, but that didn’t stop me from grabbing a bite to eat.

Lowell’s Restaurant has been a local institution since 1957, and still draws a decent crowd as the market shuts down on a Saturday night.  Though all the tables overlooking the ocean were taken, I could still gaze upon the fruit and vegetable stand below.

As they say, when in Rome, which translates over here to “When in Pike Place, drink Pike Pale Beer.”  The Heirloom Amber Ale had a nice smoky taste, with a finish that kinda reminded me of the Bacon Maple Ale from Portland’s Rogue Brewery–minus the maple, mind you.  I later had their IPA on tap at Ivar’s, and thought it was too citrusy, but this stuff, on the other hand, it ain’t too shabby.

I may not have a smart phone, but does yours take pictures in beer-goggle vision?  Didn’t think so!

As for the entree, I went with the Alaskan king salmon tacos.  It seemed like an interesting way to enjoy the local seafood.  The fish was fresh and moist, with the green picante giving it a nice little kick.  I will say that 18 bucks for two tacos and a small bowl of beans isn’t a screaming deal–but hey, I was on vacation.

After wandering through the Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana and AC/DC exhibits at the EMP, and watching the guitar god’s stellar performance at the Monterey Pop Festival on the big screen, I grabbed a bite at POP Kitchen + Bar, the museum’s restaurant.  Not bad for a 12-dollar avocado club sandwich.  Dunno what’s the deal with those chips, though.  They also left a basket of them on my table at Lowell’s…

Ivar’s Acres of Clams is another local institution, one that’s been right down on the waterfront since 1938.  Although there was a considerable mass of humanity in their front hall waiting area shortly after 6 on a Sunday, they still had a couple empty seats at the Clamdigger Bar, no reservations required.  Did I mention it was Happy Hour?  Of course, Happy Hour is another Seattle tradition, though I thought it was only a Monday-to-Friday thing.  But, as Stephen Harper says, that’s simply not true.  Happy Hour at Ivar’s runs Sundays as well, and that means two pints, clam chowder and fish and chips, all for 21 dollars–or a couple bucks less than a beer and those fish tacos at Lowell’s.  Let’s just say I had plenty of fuel for the long uphill walk back to my hotel…

Definitely not English-style, but it’s not like the Brits catch fish from the Pacific…

Can you imagine Batman being arrested? Well, something similar happened in Seattle on Sunday…

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In Gotham City, Batman always worked side-by-side with police, as Commissioner Gordon used the Bat Signal to summon him whenever the cops needed a hand.  However, it seems that in Seattle, home of my beloved Seahawks, so-called superhero Phoenix Jones doesn’t have the fuzz on his side.  Jones, whose alter ego was revealed by police as Benjamin John Francis Fodor—a mild-mannered reporter, I presume—was arrested on Sunday and charged with four counts of assault for allegedly pepper-spraying people to break up a street fight.

I’m sorry, but pepper spray?  What kind of super-power is that!?  I mean, at least he could’ve pulled a batarang out of his utility belt, or something!

Then again, some people say he was a victim of police profiling.  Here is a picture of Jones (in costume) below.  I’ll leave you to your own conclusions…