Their development: When I saw Brain Fruit for the first time- or second- it took place at Healthy Times Fun Club sometime in 2009/10. They’re an electronic band whose instruments were a mixer, a couple of synths, a drum machine, and a weird LED lamp, where each individual bulb was the end of a bendable arm that could resemble sea-creature tentacles. It’s a cool lamp. Since then, their setup has gotten more specific, cool sounding, and expensive looking. Like, they have an idea of what various components of their music are going to sound like and how they will interact with each other but they also know this because they’ve just spent quality friend time with each other and the devices they have slowly acquired over time.

John and I were talking about a particular synth he had- an expensive and hard to find Korg- that he had found on Craigslist sometime in 2010 for super-cheap. You kind of have to troll around that site to find catches like these and when John called the seller about it, he had to anxiously and strongly confirm with the seller that he would pick the synthesizer up at a definite time. Apparently, his phone had been off the hook getting calls from folks interested in the instrument.

This particular show that they played at Funny Button was in February of 2011, one of the first of many shows the be in that basement. I don’t remember why they decided to play the set configuration they did that night. Maybe they were trying to do something different. Chris Davis was on the electronic setup and John was playing a drum-kit in sync with the drum machine. What you can’t hear in this recording (maybe you can) is John shaking his head and sending out quiet chuckles underneath of the loud kit. At points he’s trying to keep up or just stay on beat to the programmed rhythm. Both Chris and John are grinning during different points of their set, maybe both wondering how silly things are.

Everyone was really into it and the general atmosphere in the space, like most events, were of an excited sentiment. Seeing the band and experiencing them is a good feeling because I feel like it is difficult to experience an electronic band that has the smooth and colorful textures that they carry. Also, that they very often play DIY spaces and that more often than not, coming across music like theirs is less frequent than a “rock band.”

The cops might have shown up outside but I don’t remember. The show went late and I may have just felt anxiety about that- retrospectively.

One of the first.

Chris Ward (PIM drummer) apparently has to run before he plays set. Whether or not this actually happens anymore is uncertain. The conversation between Kenneth and Chris was about something unremembered but it ended with Chris stating that he thinks he’s playing next and “I need to go on a run”

“Run?”

“I have to run before I play a set. It… It gives me more energy.”

He came back in very sweaty and seemed more energized to conquer the evening. Pattern is Movement played a set that seemed more like an opera in orchestration than a band playing. Chris running prior to him and Andrew playing seemed like it made sense in adding energy to the show.

Linc’s performs as Hello Shark. He’s familiar with the Northwest since he lived in Boise, Idaho, for a short time while on a stint of living in different places. He’s originally from Vermont and has since moved around to live in different cities in America- not many though.

Linc’s songs longing in past events and time with companions and friends. Reminiscing and reciting personal histories less with listed items for each event but more with the emotions that anyone can feel- that we feel and remember.

(hopefully)

There’s a certain uncomfortable and bizarre things that happen in the world that likely no one thinks about so much in any given day. Weird murders, unfortunate debilitating ailments, fatal car accidents. It’s not as if these tragedies don’t come up in the news- because they do- it’s more of not thinking these as a potential and unfortunate intrusion into your life.

Mike (attic abasement) can sing about this. Doesn’t seem like he gives a fuck about it either, which is incredibly admirable. Too often is it that there are stories not told of terrifying characters; like a song, Change Machine. That character is an absolute psychopath. Listening to the description of the individuals’ actions is unsettling- you squirm a bit. Like the way you’d squirm whilst watching a sexy movie with yr friends or (even worse) watching someone perform naked at a house show full of friends. They’re different things but can illicit close to the same responses.

Whilst Mike was in Seattle, there wasn’t much time to spend with him. It was only a total of two nights. It was this night at Pet Seminary and then another night at New Crompton that was transported momentarily to Hollow Earth Radio for an in-studio. Him and Linc were on tour together, both of them were absolutely down-to-earth qualities. For the two days that they were in Seattle they seemed to be having a really good time being around and hanging out with everyone at this show and the next.

Since this house is of friends in a community of friends it was a night warm feelings with a few interesting intercommunal dynamics involving. The dynamics that you find out about later that deal with the common pasts and presents that people share- good and/or bad. In a room full of friends it’s interesting to know and hear about their history.

When Jenny Williams (Pet Dander) performs, she’s like a crank music box; it’s tempo is anxious but it’s tune is so pleasant and charming. You can think about that music box and what different tempos it can be in but really it only sounds fit in a specific tempo bracket. Jenny started playing her music not too long before July of 2009 before moving from Santa Cruz to Seattle. Between then and this show she’s played enough times that her comfortably with performing had improved, and enough that she occasionally threatens to beat up specific audience members (fortunately not this night) and cover Sam Cooke songs.

The songs of Actual Birds are depressing but not in the way that you need to treat it clinically. “Bummers that I can relate to” is what one might instead think when hearing Dustin play since everyone at some point has had their heart broken or might want it to be.

“Everybody says, ‘Why do you always weep and moan?’”

Everyone has moments in their life where they are bummed out from having a broken heart. Where their friends provide seemingly botched advice that seems either to not help or detached from what you’re feeling. Still hoping though that all of this advice and counseling will accumulate from various sources to help cultivate an answer or resolution for the state that you are in.

Dustin isn’t always depressed though, these are songs. As true as the emotions in these songs are, they aren’t his entire character. The in-between banter is hilarious and he should be a comedian. Oh, wait… He is.

A straight up professional.

The Offices of Dr. Glorious is a house in the Central District. They’ve been having shows there for a while and unfortunately had a neighbor that had called the police recently on account of a “noise” complaint (although, on the night of the complaint, it wasn’t a noise show).

The Caethua tour seemed to have low overhead with maybe a keyboard hiding in the tour vehicle. Claire (Caethua) played piano whilst her tour partner / bandmate Andy played bass clarinet. The Offices have a piano in their living room upstairs in the house so that was where both of them set up to play. It felt like they brought the state of Maine with them- condition and territory. The weather was overcast and every once in a while you could feel some sprinkles of rain if you stepped beyond the porch.

The electrical lighting in the living room was replaced by two candles set up on either side of the piano. Clair sung most of her songs through an amp where her vocals were running through a tremolo effect. It was the presence of Caethua and these songs that were played that put a room over the mood; a spooky and old early 1900′s – 1930′s mood of rainy Maine and romanticism of the Atlantic. It was the tremolo that was reminiscent of the sea- it’s creatures, character, and ability to overwhelm and drown.

During the Dovekins set there were a few interesting moments had nothing to do with with the actual performance. It mainly dealt with two unnamed and very drunk crust punks that showed up sometime after the band started their set.

In case you can’t hear it, they came inside the house, tripped over some backpacks, musical gear, and a laptop, then proceeded to apologize loudly- apparently oblivious to their decibel and the bands. They also brought a dog with them. This [very cute] dog barked loudly in front of the house at might what have been 10:30pm on a very residential area of Capitol Hill. Blake (plays upright bass) shushed the dog through the window once and there were several moments where one the crust punks was asked to take care of the dog, which only resulted the dog being yelled at that later was taken to the side of the house.

… Aside from that, Dovekins played a marvelous set. It was unamplified, rich with group vocal accompaniment, finger snapping, band to audience claps and interaction. For about an hour Dovekins played and everyone was super into it either dancing or standing in a very tight room. If no one was in the living room where they were playing, they were either in the dining room area because they couldn’t fit into the living room, or they were in the kitchen eating the food that had been acquired earlier.

To clarify, Kaz Nomura (PWRFL Power) was indeed out of town. Him and Tennessee Rose (Cap Lori) returned from Japan to visit after being gone for nine months. In a way Kaz was hiding in your closet but doing a very good job at it, only to emerge after the elapsed nine months to scare you. Nine months is how long it takes for a baby to gestate and bring itself into the world.

Think about it.

This baby was crying because he had a case of the blues. Upon returning to the states our beautiful baby boy, Kaz Nomura, was faced with the realization that he terribly missed the upstanding quality of Japanese Food. Perhaps the songs he plaid on this night was his subconscious co-composing songs months prior in anticipation of his return. This is likely to be a coincidence but, in any case, Kaz returned from his creative vacation with a slough of new songs and more swift and meticulous guitar playing. It was a mix of humorous and deep lyrical content yet the humorous side of songs were coupled with a serious tone. That despite how comedic some of his songs may seem, there still could very well be deeper subject matter lying underneath of those funny words.

Last time when Rachel played with John, she used a loop pedal, guitar and her voice. This time there was no need for that fangled technology of loop oriented entrancement. Rachel sang and played electric guitar and this brought to the room a comforting feeling that seemed to warm the room… That could have also been the fifty people that were inside of the house in both the kitchen and living room. I’m sure though that Rachel’s songs inspired some body heat.

Rachel is funny. Despite how serious or sweet, sorrowing or gleeful her songs are, she pads comedic banter between them. It adds another delicious layer of enjoyment to her performance and provided a healthy bi-polar / manic depressive state for everyone. Perhaps well rounded is a better descriptor. Rachel’s voice swooned those who listened from the dining and living room, in return they swooned her with participation and appreciation.