2 posts tagged “capitol hill block party”
Day 2 of Capitol Hill Block Party started with arriving just in time to hear the Silversun Pickups set on the main stage. I hadn't heard much about them, but was definitely stoked with their sound as time wore on.
But I was really here so early in the day (4ish) to see the lovely Sera Cahoone.
We entered Neumo's just early enough to catch the tail end of her warm up and to squat some prime property right in front of Seattle's alt-country darling. Watching her pre-show stage banter with bandmates felt a little intrusive and weird, but we were damned if we were going to vacate our spots. The show started and I was startled to look around and see how many folks were there to see her. I have to admit my heart warmed up a bit.
I was excited to recognize similar faces from her show with Giant Sand, so I knew we were in for a treat. One band member in particular was fascinating to watch, partly for his mastering of the steel and partly because of his hipster-ific trucker moustache and contagious smile. I fluxed between feeling like "where the fuck is this guy from?" to wanting to share a PBR pint with him.
The set was awesome, complete with an REO Speedwagon cover. Oddly enough, we would run into the band later on in the evening. But more on that in due time...
Due to a slight overlap in schedule, we missed part of Minus the Bear's set. But I wasn't devestated, as Minus the Bear plays in Seattle quite a bit, and I knew this show at the main stage was more for a taste of what the band performed like live. I was definitely excited by what I heard, and was impressed with the electronic beats added by new keyboardist Alex.
We decided to set up shop at our spot at Sugar afterwards, mostly due to the frightening swell of people in the area to see Murder City Devils reunite for our shindig. While scouting out a spot to sit at Sugar, we spotted Sera Cahoone & Co, which was a pleasant surprise. I desperately wanted to fangirl, but thought better of it, as she had friends in her company and most likely just wanted to unwind.
Murder City Devils are not my cup of tea. Hardcore gives me a headache. But what was amusing was playing pin the star tattoos on the rockabilly chick. The crowd watching was definitely the highlight of their set for me. I know that makes me a bad, evil person.
All in all, it was a great weekend. For $12 a day I got to hear some great local bands, make fun of hipsters, drink some fantastic cocktails, take some shitty photographs, and see some knitting on a post. What more could a girl living on Capitol Hill ask for?
In this place we call home (Capitol Hill, Seattle, Washington) there is an annual festival. It celebrates how awesome we are and how much cool stuff is in our neighborhood. As a relative newbie, I can't necessarily go around saying where I live is better than everywhere else, so this party does it for me. This two day party goes by the name of Captiol Hill Block Party.
To be honest, I wasn't totally excited to go. While walking home from work I noticed helicopters hovering over the Jewish Center, where a very tragic afternoon unfolded. It was a bummer and I wasn't in the partying spirit. And the sky was overcast and seemed like it was reflecting my mood. But I had to buy a ticket for a friend and I wanted to see Band of Horses. So off we went.
We sat on the curb of Pike and 10th being stunned by the metal from HIMSA and did some serious people watching. After an awful cocktail at the Satellite Lounge and worrying about my friend making it on time to see Band of Horses, we ended up running down Pine to get her inside on time. We ended up sneaking her in to bypass the crazy lines while we heard Band of Horses' set start. We pushed our way through the crowd (I know it's a faux pas, but she really likes them) to see the band. If you don't know Band of Horses are Sub Pop and college radio darlings, and I wanted to see them live after hearing a tease of them live during their rehersal for their CD release party at Neumo's back in April during my self-defense class at Home Alive. They ended up being really great live, and ended their set by bringing up saxophone player Kim Gordon to play a Rolling Stones cover.
To kill time before Pretty Girls Make Graves we decided to check out a fairly new gay bar named Sugar. It's hard to miss while driving down Pike, with it's gleaming white facade among a row of plain brick buildings. I was previously unsure about it from reading The Stranger's Slog, where the general opinion was it was overhyped and full of suburban women wanting to rub elbows with the fabulous gay men of Capitol Hill. But who can turn down free cover, cute gay men, flashy lights, and a great view of the stage from a second story window table?
With a good amount of cocktails in our system, we enjoyed Pretty Girls Make Graves from our perch above the crowd. Our vantage point gave us the perfect opportunity to mock the hipsters, laugh at the drag queen who danced with the band during their set, and try to play "point at the famous people" in the closed off VIP lounge that we could peer into.
The night ended with the best damn Belgian frites in the world complete with a wallet lost-and-found experience and a street-side serenade by a bespectacled accordian player and a cute guitar player.
Now I'm off for Day 2.
