When the Seattle music community gets all excited about how the City Noise Ordinance will destroy the local music scene, they are forgetting one thing. The Seattle music scene has a long history of being underground. One could argue that’s what gives the scene it’s passion - the fact that very few outside of its own ranks support, or even acknowledge it.

I’m not saying that club owners and musicians shouldn’t be up in arms about the city trying to regulate and arguably shut down selective night spots. My opinions on such matters are definitely the opposite. It angers me greatly that the state liquor board and city government seem to coordinate to target specific venues. It’s very unfortunate that in a town known for it’s music scene, the city doesn’t support it, or even consider it worthy of the heaps of dollars it spends on supporting the symphony, art gallery, ballet and opera.

To put the icing on the cake, the City Counsel seems to be completely incapable of separating the local live music clubs, which rarely have incidents of violence, from the meat markets that often generate such events. Furthermore, the city regulators seem to be handing out building permits for condos in neighborhoods like Capitol Hill, Fremont and Ballard, where they obviously come in conflict with tax-paying venue owners who have been established in those neighborhoods for fifteen years or more. Can anyone say “gentrification”.

Regardless of all this, it is a false statement to say that these circumstances will kill the Seattle music scene, as many of scene’s advocates have. Seattle music has survived despite such threats for its entire existence. The most heinous of these efforts, the Teen Dance Ordinance, was put into effect with the music community saying that it would crush their ability to generate revenue. Yet today, twenty-three years after it was put into effect and six years after it was repealed, the local scene is still thriving. In fact the ordinance was in place during the grunge years, which many would consider the heyday of Seattle music.

I suggest that the DIY attitude that is predominant in Seattle’s music scene will remain in spite of these obstacles. It’s in our blood, at the core of the hearts of Sub Pop, Barsuk, Broken Time, Origin, Kill Rock Stars and many, many more. Musicians, promoters, record labels and scenesters will continue to make something from nothing, not just in Seattle but in Olympia, Bellingham and Portland as well.

Every night shows go down in the most unlikely of places… illegal after-hours clubs, coffeehouses, independent art galleries, farmers markets and loft parties. Clubs like the infamous Vogue, Comet Tavern, Blue Moon, Gibson’s and Speakeasy Cafe’ operated for many years without live music. Yet the supportive owners of the venues opened their doors to musicians and promoters in order to keep the scene alive, often making themselves targets for the city government in the process.

Every weekend in Seattle, hundreds of music artists perform in coffeehouses like Hotwire in Shoreline, C&P in West Seattle, El Diablo in Queen Anne and World Cup in the Ravenna neighborhood. Music is not an integral part of these businesses, yet they support the scene anyway. Promoters will continue rent out the stage at the Rendezvous, promote nights at Faire Gallery, Honey Hole, Mars Bar or Mr. Spot’s Chai House, and insert live music into gallery openings and pubs of all shapes and sizes.

We can’t help it. We will not be stifled. No amount of city ordinances, liquor board crack downs and neighborhood complaints will dissuade us. Just a few years ago a complete concert series was held in the cargo space of a dilapidated seventy year-old ferry moored in Lake Union. In fact, I’m sketching the outline for this blog post after watching a friend’s band perform in a bowling alley in South Seattle. Tomorrow night I’m going to see a show in the storage room of brewery. We will not be put down.

GUEST BLOGGER: RIK WRIGHT

If you’ve never noticed it, there’s a seldom recognized non-profit here in Seattle dedicated to more avant-garde forms of free and creative music, art and dance performances. Located in a non-descript building on 18th and Union, Gallery 1412 has occupied the space formerly housing the Polestar Music Gallery for several years now. 

This Wednesday, May 14th, the gallery will host performances of two exciting groupings of Northwest sonic co-conspirators led by James DeJoie and Chris Stover.

James DeJoie has been gracing the Pacific Northwest with his baritone and alto saxophone performances for many years now. A Seattle native, DeJoie’s saxophonics, along with his clarinet and flute prowess, have been part of innumerable Seattle jazz outfits including the Jazz Police, the Jim Cutler Orchestra, the Jim Knapp Orchestra and Zen Tornado. DeJoie revels in the practice of bringing together diverse musical genres in distinctive combinations, enlisting veteran bassist Walter White, drummer Randy Doak, and exceptional vibraphonist Evan Buehler together to play their original compositions. Along with our more “traditional” jazz sound, Joie Tet often incorporates multiple wind and percussive instruments enhanced by electronic sampling, effect pedals and spoken word.

Chris Stover’s More Zero plays an exciting mix of modern jazz, drum-n-bass, and funk all within the framework of Chris’s unique compositional style. Favorably compared to the Dave Holland Quintet and John Hollenbeck’s Claudia Quartet, More Zero features an eclectic mix of some truly world class improvising musicians: Stuart MacDonald on saxophone, Ben Thomas on vibes, Jeff Norwood on bass, and Matt Jorgensen on drums. 

For a mid-week taste of musical experimentation and noteworthy instrumental prowess, visit Gallery 1412 for More Zero and the James DeJoie Joie Tet and treat yourself to this fabulous combination of local inspirations.

Rik Wright
http://www.rikwright.com

Hey all you crazy, fevered, music-obsessed Seattleites out there! There’s a new forum for enthusiasts to get a good dose of first-hand Seattle music news from people in the know: SeattleSubsonic, otherwise known as “The Sound From Under the Clouds.” Pretty good, huh?

Local music freak, uh, I mean local music fan Kevin LeDoux, formerly of the Northwest Music Blog, has started a new website with a stellar lineup of writers and featuring all the best in Seattle sound, including recommended shows, venues, and blogs; they also have a calendar of upcoming events and articles about the freshest local acts bubbling up as well as the big tours making the rounds.

So why are we promoting another blog on the CultureMob blog? Shouldn’t we be snarkily trashing SeattleSubsonic with a hipster sneer, straight out of our tight pants and from behind messy purple hair? NAH. We’re not like that. Seattle’s a big little town and the more local music support and artist promotion circulating around, the better. This city is known for music (just ask my generation) and no mayor, no closed venues, no decibel meters can stop that. Seattle’s music enthusiasts can and must work together to foster the creative arena, support the artists out there every day doing their thing, and build the Seattle music scene up from a buzz to a barbaric yawp.

Seattle has heaps of interesting music blogs out there reporting back on various aspects of the local music scene, such as NWTekno, Nada Mucho, LineOut, Three Imaginary Girls, Sound on the Sound, Reverb, Seattle Live Music, and many more, all with the same goal: to get you out there and involved in the amazing music scene, whether you like electronic music, punk rock, jazz, or all of the above.

And besides, CultureMob.com is the only website where you can find events concerning all your entertainment interests; not just music but movies, comedy, theatre, dance, sports, festivals, lectures, and community gatherings. Only on CultureMob can you track your favorite performers and get alerted when they come to Seattle, add a MySpace or Facebook calendar to your profile, email your friends about upcoming events, and post previews, reviews, and comments of artists, events, and venues.

So check out SeattleSubsonic and in the immortal words of one of my good friends and local artist: GET INTO IT! It’s your town, your life, your evening: make it one for the blogs.

Local drummer Jeremy Jones will be hitting it hard with his quintet at a CD release party at the Triple Door this Thursday, May 1st. I’m a huge fan of Jeremy, who’s become one of the hottest jazz drummers in Seattle in his five years since he moved to the area. Jeremy has quickly become one of the first-call players for many local jazz groups.

In full disclosure, Jeremy holds down the drum seat in my own quintet more often than not, but that has little bearing on my reasons behind writing this post. Ever since Jeremy gave me his first demo of his original music I was sucked in by the sheer passion of his playing.

This Thursday, Jeremy brings a powerhouse line-up of many of Seattle’s best musicians to the stage of what is arguably the best music venue in town. Joining him are Thomas Marriott on trumpet, Steve Treseler on sax, John Hansen on piano and the venerable Phil Sparks on bass.

So get off the couch and get your butt out to the Triple Door on May 1st to catch Jeremy Jones’ CD release party. Seriously, it’s great music and it’s the Triple Door. That means good sight lines, excellent sound, tight as hell rhythms, espresso martinis and Wild Ginger fragrant duck. I’m sorry, but if you’re a local jazz fan and not there you’re just plain stupid.