As far as I can tell, everyone even sort of cabaret-y is going to be involved–The Tiger Lillies, The Circus Contraption Band, Orkester Zirconium, even Emerald City Soul Club is getting in on the show. Performance art and dancing and drag and comedy and something for pretty much everyone.

We recommend any of it, but particularly Scarlet Room with Vagabond Opera on Wednesday at the Triple Door. There are two shows: one at 7:00, all ages, and one at 10:00 21+. I particularly enjoy the description of Vagabond Opera: “Weaving elements of Kurt Weil, Duke Ellington and Edith Piaf with absurdist flair, theatrics and an old world mood, Vagabond Opera presents the new wave of opera–lusty voices singing in 13 languages and presenting a cabaret of rich musical phrasing, sparkling lyrics and indomitable stage presence, all played with exuberance, skill and a gritty Vagabond edge.”

We’ve talked about Scarlet Room here before, but the last time they played the Triple Door Bonnie Vie had this to say about them: “The band is like a fantastic mechanical doll; churning out a whirl of circus and cabaret melodies, with a stage presence that is larger than life.  With dark music-box-style keys, Alexsandra Weil – the group’s vocalist and pianist – weaves elaborate stories, written by Scarlet Room’s drummer, Eloise Govedare.”

The Triple Door is probably the perfect place for the spell of all of this dark swirling cabaret. You probably don’t want to miss it.

South Carolina offered the company $170 million in upfront grants for startup costs, plus multiple tax breaks that would be worth tens of millions of dollars more[Times].”

Talks between the local union and the company fell apart, while the workers at the plant in Charleston voted to remove the union [PI].

One of our townsmen, who was just flattering himself with the idea of having acquired some proficiency as a skatist … while making a round on the rollers, at the Pavilion … got himself into an ungainly ‘posish,’ when the skate he was for the instant turning upon in a twinkling left him in the lurch. In gravitating to the floor, which he did with inconceivable rapidity, and that, too, without the least restraint over the grotesque contortions and genuflections [sic] of his limbs he went down in an unseemly pile, sustaining considerable injury.

The opening was attended by 100 or so people who skated all day long and then cleared the floor for dancing at 9:00.

The Bus Stop is located at 1552 East Olive Way.

I’m sure you’ve noticed that Monotonix did not burn down Neumos. Thankfully. There was no fire at all which, given how tightly the crowd clustered around whatever member of the band was closest, was definitely for the best.

The last time I saw Black Eyes and Neckties was kind of a high water mark for me in terms of impressive ridiculousness, what with the wheelchair and skull. I enjoyed them no less this time around. It was a little sad when they came onstage, knowing that this was their last Seattle show. They are sinister and seething when they play and charmingly goofy in between songs. If you can, you should probably head up to Bellingham on Halloween and catch their final show.

Second opener Unnatural Helpers have a singing drummer, which is a thing that always amazes me because it seems like it would take an extra helping of coordination.

And then Monotonix set up on the floor and did all of the things that you expect them to do if you’ve seen them before or read anything about them. A garbage can bounced all over the room and was placed on the drummer’s head. Ledges were climbed, drums were played on top of the audience, the audience was mooned.

The audience throbbed and bounced, completely under the thrall of singer Ami Shalev. And that’s the point of Monotonix, really. It’s true that no one ever talks about their actual music, which is perfectly fine garage rock that would get boring after a few songs. But Monotonix requires that you pay attention, if only because you might be teabagged by a very sweaty, hairy man at any moment. They make the audience interact with each other and with the band and with the room itself, moving the drums all over Neumos, forcing you to watch them play off to one side or up in the balcony.

Near the end of the set the band sort of killed the momentum by making everyone sit down and be quiet and answer the question of whether God should save the queen or not, and everyone did even though it seemed a little pointless. But they started playing again and the crowd filled back in the empty spaces, and after the show was over the band stuck around taking photos with their fans and generally being pleasant guys.

Monotonix is an experience more than a band, and they’re an experience worth having at least once.

Neumos may have lost their minds, to your advantage–horror punk act Black Eyes and Neckties are opening for Unnatural Helpers and the destructive force of Monotonix. Who they are allowing to set up on the floor.

Let’s just pause and review that for a second. Black Eyes and Neckties will start the show covered in fake blood and almost certainly be smeared in a little bit of the real stuff by the end. The last time I saw them, singer Brad Lockhart was in a wheelchair after breaking a foot and spraining his ankles during a show, and I still managed to get clocked in the head by a fake skull during a particularly dramatic bit of cabinet destroying. (I immediately sent their album to my teenage brother.) On both feet and with this being their last Seattle show ever, I can’t imagine that they’ll hold anything back. Just these guys on the bill would make for an epic night.

But then there’s still Monotonix to watch! Those crazy Israelis had their Bumbershoot set last year shut down in about 11 minutes. They’ll spend the entire performance on top of whatever they can climb, possibly while on fire. You might be holding up the band while they sit on top of the drums and play from there, like they did at the Comet last year. In the middle of the afternoon at the Sunset they handed out pieces of the drum kit and took to the streets. Mayhem is generally an understatement, and I’m not sure it’s possible to do anything but love these sweaty, smelly guys,

It’ll be an unmissable show, if only because Neumos might not be left standing by the end of it. (Ok, also because both bands play good enough music that the spectacle isn’t even the best part of the show.) And we have a pair to give away to one of you! Email us at seattle.metblogs @ gmail.com with the subject line “Monotonix” (or tell us you want them on the twitter: @seattlemetblogs) by Friday morning to be entered to win them.

Well, someone’s not pleased about KIRO canceling Luke Burbank’s radio show “Too Beautiful to Live”. These were taped up on the outside of the building where the show is housed on Eastlake on my way in to work this morning and still there on my way home this afternoon. The show, which has been for 395 episodes, was canceled because of low ratings. It will continue as a podcast.

The Lonely Forest packed the EMP tight enough that they were asking everyone to move at least a half step forward. I had no idea they were so popular, but clearly, I am dumb: these Anacortes boys brought the sort of powerful rock music to the stage that makes it difficult to take photos because I’m too busy dancing around. I might be late to this party, but I am really glad I haven’t missed it altogether.

The Devil Makes Three was less ragtime-y than I had hoped, but I still really enjoyed their three-part harmonies and hoe-down songs. Last year I felt like I was suffering from alt-country fatigue at Bumbershoot, but this year I really needed a little goth country in my afternoon.

Trying to get in to Metric in the KEXP lounge turned out to be a ridiculous proposition, so I headed off to see Dead Confederate, which was the correct decision. They were Southern and loud, loud enough to sound pretty good even in the sound hole of the Exhibition Hall.

More surprising sound came from Franz Ferdinand at the Mainstage. I usually skip Mainstage shows because I’m just not very down with the muddy sound and being elbowed in the head by stoned teenagers, but Franz Ferdinand have become a total stadium band and they sounded great in there.

I walked down the stairs to see 3 Inches of Blood next to a couple of teenage boys, who had been waiting all day for that show. The crowd was almost solidly male and sparse at that–everyone else was at Modest Mouse or Metric–but who needs a giant crowd when you can have a smaller one of superfans? 3 Inches of Blood stomped and raged and made loud, loud metal sounds, and everyone in the crowd ate it up.

So let’s talk about Bumbershoot magic. For me Holy Fuck stole a lot of the show, and there was a moment during their Broad Street set where the drummer and the bass player were locking eyes and playing hard, and the other two were synced and intense, and that gave me goosebumps. It was perfect. I walked in to the Exhibition Hall for Dead Confederate during their soundcheck, just a few people and a giant empty room and a loud rock band playing for the moment just for us, and that was quite sincerely a Moment. Magic also happened when the sun came out in the beginning parts of U.S.E. and when Matt & Kim stopped what they were playing to tell the crowd how sincerely thrilled they were to see so many people so excited to see them.

This was a great Bumbershoot, I think. Metroblogging readers, what were your favorite parts?

Hey you guys, today it has been raining off and on. FYI.

It turns out that U.S.E has the power to both make it rain and make it stop raining, among other talents like creating dance parties and wearing gold spandex. They’ll be having a cd pre-pre-release party at Havana tonight.

Holy F**k played in the KEXP lounge earlier–you may have heard them–any they’ll be on the Broad Street stage at 7:45 probably ripping the clouds back open with their robot dance party. I still don’t understand how they make all of those noises, but it’s guaranteed to be a good time.

Have you heard post-punk cute boys Romance? I think you’d like them. They were a member short today–their keyboard player’s wife just had a baby last night–but it didn’t seem to slow them down at all.