You, wonderful you, enjoying Chromeo on the main stage. Photo by joshc [flickr].

Last year’s Capitol Hill Block Party made for one of the best weekends of music I’ve ever had (Daft Punk’s Sunday night finale at WaMu Theater definitely helped). This year’s Block Party had a lot to live up to – probably too much. But you know what? I enjoyed it nearly as much as I did last year. The Block Party moniker is apt – it really feels like a big neighborhood party. I bumped into old friends at almost every stage and by the end of Saturday night had made up my mind that I’d take a Capitol Hill Block Party over a Bumbershoot or Sasquatch any day.

After the jump, some thoughts on a couple of the weekend’s sets and my favorite photos from Josh’s Flickr collection.

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I’m not particularly a good hostess. I like my space. I don’t like to be around people all the time. And I like to sleep or go at my own pace without someone saying, “Now what?”. That said, here’s what I did when a friend I’ve had for 15 years came to Seattle for the first time for a visit.

Wednesday:

-Plane Delayed till 2am. The “weather” was to blame.

Thursday:

-Took lots of pictures at Kerry Park and Parson’s Garden.

-Went back to my apartment because my Atlantan guest wasn’t used to our cool mornings.

-Went to Pike Place Market for more picture taking. She had a yummy crumpet with jam and nutella at the Crumpet Shop, while I “ate lunch” at my all-time favortie smoothie place, Shy Giant.

-Took the ferry to Bainbridge Island. Walked around. She got fudge. I petted the yarn at Churchmouse Yarns and Teas.

-Then it was time to introduce my guest to some of my friends. So we all went to Rancho Bravo, had some drinks and played Rock Band until the wee hours of the morn.

Friday:

-I slept at Alki Beach, while she took pictures of kids being buried in sand.

-Then it was time to show her my old place and the bums that come along with it. Thus, to Capitol Hill we went. We split a small CrazyCherry concoction, where I now always ask them to put the toppings on the bottom as it is way more eatable this way, and then we threw the frisbee around at Volunteer Park. Actually, I take that back. The boyfriend, a friend and I threw the frisbee around. I guess in Atlanta they don’t play frisbee. Luckily my friend - a boy - was more than happy to teach my guest how to be a true Seattleite. Cue in a romantic comedy montage and suddenly a vacation couple is born.

-She’s never had Ethopian food before, so the boyfriend and I prayed for fast service at Queen Sheba, and miraculously our wishes were granted. I opted not to get too drunk on Tej because I knew I still had the night to entertain.

-With that said, I needed caffeine. Fast! We took her to Vivace so she can see the pretty picture in the cup. She took a picture and I drank it fast. Then said good-bye because they closed their doors on Sunday and will become yet another store that sits under a condo (am I the only one who really fucking hates this new trend). Rumor has it, the new Vivace will reopen near the new Dilletante.

-We went to Hot House. Ahhhhhh, I can sleep. I can read. I can be in a whisper zone. We both needed some relaxing and this was the place. We spent a good 3 hours sweating our tits off in the jacuzzi, in the steam room and in the sauna.

-THEN, we had drinks at Bleu. I used to actually like this place, but the more I come here the more I realize it just sucks. The service that is. The guy was more like friends with everyone than an actual server. He berated the boyfriend for ordering something non-alcoholic (note to all servers, DO NOT DO THIS, you will get a shit tip from me if you do) and when we asked for the bill and saw that he was having a cigarette and then went inside and delivered some food and then went back outside for another cigarette and then bumped into a friend and talked to him for 5 minutes we just left without ever getting the bill. If I was in Spain, this would be considered normal. But we’re no where near Spain, and this douche got what he deserved.

Okay, where was I? Oh right, SATURDAY:

-We started the morning a little late and went directly to the ID for the Chinese Festival (brought to you by the one brand I always think of when I see anything Chinese, McDonalds).

-We meandered toward Occidental Park and bumped the Fire Festival which was actually pretty cool. It was a little kid’s wet dream, what with old fire trucks and police cars and fire drills.

-And off to Ballard we go. We had dinner at Lunchbox Laboratory, where I finally got to try the Dork. I was actually a little underwhelmed, but the chocolate cherry milkshake saved the experience so all is forgotten and I’ll happily go back to eating the meat I’m used to over here.

-It happened to be Art Walk in Ballard so we checked out some “art” and then bought some clothes at Twenty20.

-Then, it was drinks and skeeball at Kings.

Sunday:

-Made blueberry/chocolate/walnut waffles and an egg scramble for 5 to prepare for our day trip to Vancouver!

-Immediately got one speeding ticket. We made the officer laugh so he gave us a little bit of a break. Note to self. Make them laugh.  

-Stopped in Richmond for Dim Sum.

-Walked the shit out of Stanley Park. Learned a little about Totem Poles. Walked around some more.

-Slept in the car on the way back.

Monday:

-Yay! Hiking! We went to Denny Creek Trail and Franklin Falls. What a great short, easy hike. At the Denny Creek Trail, after an hour or so of a steady incline (500 ft?), at the end you are greeted by large flat rocks and kids sliding along them into the river. I passed out on the rocks while the friends and guest played. After I properly drooled everywhere, we did the even shorter hike to Franklin Falls, where once again the treat was at the end. A beautiful fall that splashes in your face and is just so refreshing, we were all happy to have gotten out of the city for the day.

-Then we took the guest to Gas Works so she could take pictures of kites, seaplanes and defunct gas plant site.

-And as a proper goodbye, we tried to go to Paseo but of course they are closed on Mondays. So we did the second best thing and had great beer and eats at Brouwer’s. My seitan BBQ sandwich wasn’t quite as meaty as other seitan I’ve had, but still good nonetheless. And I highly recommend the Apple Wit (I forget the name of the actual beer, but it’s the only Apple Wit on the menu). If you like Hoegardden (which I just learned is pronouced Who Garden and not Hoe garden, like I’ve been saying for years) then you’ll like this citrusy beer with an apple infused twist.

Tuesday:

-She left. And I went to a place I really wanted to take her, but just didn’t have the time: the Arboretum.

Anyone else have guests this summer? Where are you going? How are you coping? Do you feel totally run down when they leave, or am I just getting old at the ripe age of 29?

Despite the absence of last year’s free flowing mimosas that made last year’s press launch for the Seattle International Film Festival such a pleasure for Josh and I, this year’s press launch offered an exciting preview of what is surely to be one the best year’s yet for North America’s largest film festival. 

To give you an idea of just how huge the festival (which runs from May 22 - June 15 this year) is, consider some numbers:  there are 418 films, with 69 countries of orgin represented.  There are 191 features, 57 documentary features, 7 archival films, 4 Secret Festival films, and 170 short films.  Within all those films there are 43 world premieres, 38 North America premieres and 19 US premieres.  That’s a lot of new films.  The festival includes a number of competitions and awards, including the New Directors Showcase, the New American Cinema, the Documentary Competition, the Short Film Competition, the MyFestival competion, and, of course, the Golden Space Needle Awards handed out at the end of the festival to honor SIFF’s most well-received films. 

SIFF presents four gala nights this year: the opening night gala on May 22 features Battle In Seattle, the directorial debut of Irish actor Stuart Townsend that uses a highly regarded ensemble cast including Charlize Theron, Woody Harrelson, Andre Benjamin, Joshua Jackson, Ray Liotta, and many more to dramatize the events of the 1999 WTO riots here in Seattle; the closing night gala on June 14 features Bottle Shock, another based on real life feature, this one about the shockwaves sent around the world in 1978 when the Paris Tastings revealed that Californians could produce wine every bit as good, if not better, than the French; the centerpiece gala on June 6 is the Sean McGinley-directed feature, The Great Buck Howard in which Colin Hanks, son of Tom, plays a law school drop out who takes a job as a personal assistant to a “mentalist” played by John Malkovich, much to the dismay of his father, played by his father, Tom Hanks; and the Gay-la Extravaganza on May 29th which will screen Kiss the Bride in which a man attempts to “rescue” his high school boyfriend from the woman he is about to marry only to discover that the situation is a little more complex than he’d thought.

Other series within the festival include:

Films4Families, an 11:00 a.m. matinee every Saturday and Sunday during the festival featuring programming suitable for children and appealing for adults as well - one highlight of this series is a screening of the French animated film Princess of the Sun during which a cast of professional voice actors will perform the English subtitles live for the benefit of those too young to read them.

Northwest Connections spotlights films made in and connected to the Pacific Northwest, including the world premieres of Good Food, a cinematic tour of Washington state farms and ranches committed to raising their crops and their livestock organically and The Dark Horse, a feature about a Seattle ballet teacher who returns to her childhood home on Orcas Island when her father becomes mentally ill.

The Archival Presentations series screens some rarely seen archival films dating from 1914 to 1968.  Among the films in this stand out series are the epic Alexander Nevsky, a 1938 film from the Soviet Union that will be accompanied by a live performance by the Seattle Symphony of the original score and F.W. Murneau’s 1927 film Sunrise, considered by many film historians and critics to be one of the greatest films ever made.

Alternate Cinema is what SIFF calls its series of avante-garde features and shorts, including the US premiere of Milky Way, a psychedelic and minimalist look at the modern wold and Dust, a documentary about the constructive and destructive qualities of dust.

Documentaries are one of my favorite types of films and SIFF never disppoints with their selections - this year two of the many excellent documentaries that will be screened include Man on a Wire, about Phillipe Petit’s 1974 walk across a wire between the two towers of the World Trade Center and Werner Herzog’s Arctic exploration, Encounters at the End of the World. 

Face the Music is a series of eight documentaries about music, including Patti Smith: Dream of Life, a film about the legendary performer filmed over 11 years, and the real-life “Spinal Tap” saga of Anvil, a Canadian metal band who once played stadiums and now scratch out a living in didn’t-you-used-to-be?-land, still hoping for their next big break in Anvil! The Story of Anvil.

Other series within the festival include Emerging Masters, a celebration of four contemporary filmmakers who are poised to become film’s next generation of masters; Contemporary World Cinema, presenting 116 films from more than 50 countries; SIFF ShortsFest Weekend, a full weekend of themed short film packages; Planet Cinema, independent films meant to inspire public action in regards to world’s environmental threats; and Midnight Adrenaline, a series of “the terrifying and the weird”.

Talking Pictures pairs special guests with their favorite films; John Waters speaks presents his film Cecil B. Demented, Seattle Shakespeare Company’s Stephanie Shine presents Franco Zefferelli’s Romeo & Juliet, and Howard Patterson of The Flying Karamazov Brothers presents Jackie Chan’s The Young Master.

The Fly Filmmaking Challenge charged local filmmakers to create, shoot and edit a film in a mere 19 days and 1 hour and SIFF FutureWave inspires the next generation of filmmakers through a series of screenings, workshops and activities, including their own Superfly challenge.

One great addition to the festival is the Northwest Production Summit Panels, designed to educate would-be film producers on how to get their start.

No less great is SIFF Interactive:  MyFestival is an online based audience competition to program a screening on the final day of the festival and SIFF talk, debuting May 8, is behind the scenes podcast featuring SIFF coverage and filmmaker interviews.  Babelbum, a free, interactive internet TV service launches SIFF channel with short films and more from this and previous years’ festivals on May 21 and Film.com offers a short film of the day every day during the festival. 

Tickets for SIFF will be available on May 8 for SIFF supporters and May 11 for everyone else.  

hot chip / the showbox / 22 april 2008; A photoset is up now [flickr], more text later.

Before the show, we went to the Green Room for drinks (shorter lines) and returned to the all ages area wonering what sort of crowd this would be. Everyone was there for Hot Chip — the bouncers at the door made sure of that in repeated shouts on the way in, perhaps as a way of alleviating confusion between SoDo and “at the Market” versions of the Showbox — but it was a weeknight, all ages, and the drinking section hovers above; so you can never really tell. Would they be crazy dancers or polite toe tappers? Would the floor turn into a seething mass or remain divided? These are important questions when you’re thinking about getting into the heart of the crowd from the periphery.

It turns out that it was somewhere in between. Hot Chip arrive to their own theme song and meet their gear on a stage set with the album art from Made in the Dark as a backdrop. Passage to and from the restroom was blockaded to allow the band maxium efficiency in their rush from backstage to onstage. I have no idea what they opened with because I was taking pictures, and the listening comprehension part of my brain shuts off when I’m looking through a viewfinder and navigating the crowd. Weird, I know. But it did sound great: the combination of blaring synthetic, live acoustic, and real percussion accents is a winning one. Mix it up with some spotlights, a springy floor, and a devoted audience and you’ve got the makings of a dance party.

Onstage, the band is funny if not a bit mumbly from time to time. The lead singer kneels for particularly sensitive bits. “Wrestlers” is more comedic and less poignant live, but the rap bits (including the backwards part) is funnier and more endearing in person. Al Doyle provides bits of witty banter. Everyone has fun throughout, but the biggest wave of infectious pogoing hits when they dip back into the Warning for “Over and Over”. Among all of the songs in the set, it is the one that comes closest to uniting the crowd. It spreads from stage’s edge back to the chandelier in pulses, and, for a few moments, the room is consumed with one big singular bouncing organism.

They save breakout hits “Ready for the Floor” for last; bringing out slower come-down songs for the encore. There’s no champagne snowball slow dance for “Made in the Dark” even though it feels like it was within the realm of possibility for a few moments. The close out the set with a cover of “Nothing Compares (2 U)” that slips and slides into “In the Privacy of Our Love”. There’s no starlight from the disco ball, but the crowd’s sense of camaraderie is re-ignited seconds after the last notes are played. When “Time After Time” hits the PAs as exit music, everyone sings along. It’s surprisingly magical, especially when the music cuts out and all of our voices fill the gaps.

Ladies and gentlemen, a bunch of photos from Seattle Rock Lottery #4 [flickr], where twenty-five musicians and five brand new bands emerged just twelve hours later. Not only did they come up with original songs on short notice, a bunch of them also arrived with costumes! There was rapping over cello and electronics! Singer-songwriters on drums! A band with a bass clarinet, turntables, and music about public health. A wizardy western in kimonos. And a power pop cinematic ensemble. If you weren’t there, you missed a lot. Some of these bands were better than groups that have been together for months, they just might have been your favorite ephemeral band of all time.

photo by andrea [flickr] a newish contributor to our group pool [#]. take some pictures. join the fun.

• In a shocking turn of events [mb] Paste (no really, it’s up to you) Magazine has decided that maybe Seattle’s music scene is actually irrelevant after all. [bigblog, everywhere except paste's site]
• Maybe Death Cab for Cutie isn’t snubbing Seattle on their spring tour. Then again, maybe they count “Sasquatch” as Seattle, which is actually further from here than Bremerton. [reverb]
• La blogothèque comes to Seattle, takes the Bainbridge ferry with Throw Me the Statue, shoots some (as usual) beautiful concert videos. [blogotheque]
• Holy scoop! Victrola soon to be under new Whidbey management. [seattlest]

AGENDORAMA: tonnes of great shows this weekend. Probably most notably is the Mountain Goats at Neumo’s. That one’s bound to be a regular sweat lodge of dudes singing along and getting in touch with their deepest hidden sentimentality. But maybe still worth it! [neumos] There’s also the semi-annual Great Lineup in a Weird Venue of BOAT, Menomena, and Blitzen Trapper who play tonight on campus at the University of Washington to celebrate the fifth [!!] birthday of RainyDawg Radio. (As a onetime campus technology funding bureaucrat, the half-decade survival of that student-run station fills me with pride and makes me feel old. Nicely done, big dreamers!) [UW]
What else are you up to, dearests?

photo: flickr user brappy, from our pool

There’s at least one in every elder home: beaten up, broken down, aged beyond recognition, living to regret a misspent youth, looks like hell. You can count the days of his life just looking at his face. But he refuses to die.

That’s the MV Enchantress, a World War II-era tugboat that was run aground near Anacortes. It was built during the War, served in the military — maybe — and ended up getting bought and sold seven times over the next half-century. For awhile it was one of the green-and-white Foss boats, running up and down the coast.

Its final owner was a shady character named Richard Carnes, a wheeler-dealer out of Sedro-Woolley. In June 2000, Carnes abandoned the MV Enchantress and another boat, the Ronnie S., offshore. Local officials mulled filing charges against Carnes, but before they could do anything about it, a business partner shot Carnes to death. (Sadly, it wasn’t over the boat, as one Flickr user claimed: it was over a busted timberland deal.)

The Ronnie S. was removed early, but officialdom let the Enchantress sit around for awhile. Lots of photographers took many pictures.

Problem is: the tug is crumbling, the lead paint is a hazard, and it’s sitting on some creosote pilings that need to get removed. So, the state is about to haul it off.

OK, I get it: environmental responsibility, stewardship of the Sound, yadda yadda. It’s still a shame.

More coverage:

[Times]
[Skagit Valley Herald]

[Skagit Valley Hearld #2]

photo by popcultureicon, via the seattle livejournal

On Sunday, a bunch of people across the country anonymized themselves to protest local Scientology headquarters. In the Seattle Livejournal community, popcultureicon posted a great collection of photos last night [seattle.lj]. Enjoy, and prepare to be googled.

Pictures from elsewhere in the metroverse [blogging.la]

photo by
by joshc [flickr].

… recap of saturday night’s KNDD Lonely Hearts festivities to follow.