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 My brief treatise upon the merits of H Is For Hellgate, a rock band from Seattle, Washington
H Is For Hellgate churn out tricky indie-prog constructions onstage with little apparent effort.
The boys in the group mug and pose endearingly, while the two young women sternly apply themselves to the serious task of rocking the hell out. They were my favorite local discovery of 2007, and I try not to miss any of their Seattle shows.
Actually, I'm so deep in H Is For Hellgate's junk now, I should pay them rent for hosting my parasitic carcass. A year ago, I'd barely heard of these four smarmy whippersnappers, and now I'm mentioned in one of their songs (the delightfully Seattle-centric novelty single "Tina Fey"), they've each signed my boobs in permanent ink, and I've listened to their debut album so many damned times I don't even know if I like it anymore.
Fortunately, they're making a new one - currently being recorded at Avast! - and reportedly it'll be darker and more aggressive than the debut CD that songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Jamie Henkensiefken created on her own under the H Is For Hellgate name.
2007 brought a series of triumphs and tragedies that pulled the band's members (Henkensiefken, Marie Calderon, Ben Baier and David Thomas) into a lean and focused unit, musically and otherwise. They're moving into the new year with a confident edge to their playing that's exciting to watch.
Ms. Henkeniefken currently isn't talking to me because I failed to get them a show in Portland with a friend's band. Regardless of whether she ever speaks to me again or not (she will), H is For Hellgate are a band to keep an eye on in 2008.
H Is For Hellgate play NadaMucho.com's "Best of 2007" New Music Monday series at the High Dive on January 14 with The Endeavors and PC Load Letter.
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H Is For Hellgate Give Matt Brown the Silent Treatment
MattBrown January 14th, 2008 - 5:13 PM
Disclaimer:
The penultimate sentence of the above article lacks both my authorship and approval. While I am guilty of basing the entire piece upon a flimsy bit of unauthorized plagiarism, and my usual lack of regard for deadlines prevented NadaMucho from asking me for a rewrite, three wrongs don't make a left.
The fucking sentence in question is even awkwardly constructed, with a glaring typo in Ms. Henkensiefken's name - which I learned and practiced diligently over the last year.
While I don't feel that I'm anywhere close to the level of proficiency I seek as a writer, having exchanged a formal education for a handful of magic beans and a hot girlfriend back in 1990, and although I certainly welcome any and all editorial efforts to fit my crappy scribblings into the confines of "journalism", two facts remain...
1. Jamie wouldn't stop talking to me over a booking failure.
2. I never failed to book a show. Hellgate was offered another opportunity while I waited to hear back from someone, and they took it.
I'd also like to take this opportunity to point out that David and Ben are often sternly rocking out when they're onstage, while I've noticed Marie making an occasional goofy face. I purposely used the word "endearingly" to jab at David's machismo, and I need to apologize publicly for that. Ben remains utterly adorable in any context.
Thank you for allowing me these ego-driven words on my own behalf. Come to the High Dive tonight and rock the hell out.
All my love and half my whiskey,
Matt | H Is For Hellgate Give Matt Brown the Silent Treatment
Tokyo Ern February 19th, 2008 - 7:08 AM
Hey Matt, I have finally found my way back to Nada Mucho. I've been reading up on your articles. The music is so local I feel utterly clueless. Hey, sorry I didn't get to hook up with you when I was in the States.
Hopefully, you've read my other mail from time to time. Be looking forward to hearing from you again - oh, 'cuz Mikako and I finally got a home computer.
Ern |
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