Stephanie Dore – Despite the forecast for rain, there was no slowing down on day two of Capitol Hill Block Party, where the lineup on the main stages leaned heavily toward the hip-hop and electronic genres. To start it off though, I went straight to the Neumos stage to catch the local vintage soul of Breaks & Swells.
Stephanie Dore – There was a moment on day one of the 19th annual Capitol Hill Block Party when I could’ve sworn I was surrounded by Macklemore doppelgangers, From the hipsterish thrift-store duds and slicked back locks to the penchant for pointed toe loafers, the crowd at a scan starts to blend together into a mashup of freaky resemblances.
Isaac Kozell – Phil Elverum, aka Mount Eerie, takes his time crafting records he is proud of, focusing on physicality rather than catering to the needs of the digitally thirsty consumer. Mount Eerie’s latest release, Sauna, is a shining example.
Corin Balkovek – When a band releases an album after a long hiatus, there are generally two (unfortunate) ways it can go: either they try to recreate their original sound and seem outdated, or they try to create something new and lose their identity. So when I heard that Sleater-Kinney (my all-time favorite band as a 90s suburban teen*) had a new album, I was damn nervous.
Matt Ashworth – Big BLDG Bash, the independently produced music and art festival that celebrated its second year last Saturday in Seattle, is as remarkable for what it isn’t as for what it is.
