Detroit Cobras - September 21, 2007 at Neumos Crystal Ball Reading Room, Seattle

Rachel Nagy and Mary Ramirez

So this is a very late post. I wasn't going to post about it all. Why?? Because I love the Detroit Cobras and they were a big disappointment, and I hate having to say it.
Dan Sartain

Let's start with Dan Sartain, who was great. I've loved Dan Sartain since I first heard "Join Dan Sartain". He's basically a guy with a guitar but he's on this tour with a drummer as well. The set was too short for my liking and he never played my very favourite song, "Young Girls". In hindsight, I wish it had been the Detroit Cobras opening for him.

The Cobras finally hit the stage, but it was clear from the opening notes that there were sound troubles afoot. Rachel Nagy's voice was completely lost in the mix, and no amount of fiddling was ever able to fix it.

Maybe this is what contributed to the lackluster performance. Or maybe it was because Rachel was crabby because she'd quit smoking (or at least never smoked once during the show). Any way you looked at it, Rachel wasn't there mentally, physically, or emotionally.

What was interesting to see was Mary Ramiriz working hard to bring a smile to Rachel's face or joy to the rest of the band's performance. Anything good about this show was because of her gleeful energy.

Bumbershoot 2007 - Transit Stage

By Far my favourite stage as it's where I spent most of my time.
First up...Stars of Track and Field.
Jason Bell

Originally, my first choice in this time slot was the Horrorpops, who I adore. Sadly, they cancelled, and so I was able to see The Stars Of Track And Field who are a trio who use backing track for the bass bits. A bit of cop out, and I totally think they need to bring in a bassist if they want my true love.
Kevin Calaba



Another favourite was Art Brut, who totally blew me away. I don't know what I'd call the music. It was a bit like Louis XIV in that the lead singer talked and the rest of the band sang their back up bits.
Jasper Future


Other highlights with no photo accompaniment were Gogal Bordello who were the most fun, and Menomena who had a punky choir complete with choir robes who were great.

Bumbershoot 2007 - Starbucks Stage

Ian Ball

I was really looking forward to Ian Ball, as I really like his work in Gomez. Pretty low key, and mellow performance.

He was followed by an incredible performance by Andrew Bird, who could whistle, play the violin both naturally, and by plucking the strings, plus he used a looping board with even more skill then KT Tunstall.
After the show he took the time to sign autographs and sell CD's. No photos from the actual show as I was mellowing out too far back.

Bumbershoot 2007 - Main Stage

Crowded House - Neil Finn

Crowded House is one of my favourite bands for when I'm feeling mellow and just want to listen to something amazingly beautiful. They played the first Main Stage show of the weekend, to a crowd that clearly didn't appreciate them as much as they should have, but what can you do?

Even a guest appearance by Eddie Vedder wasn't enough to bring any life to the listless crowd who were apparently passing time until the Shins played.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Another highlight for me was seeing Black Rebel Motorcycle Club who I saw not long ago in Vancouver.

This show was quite a bit better then the one in Vancouver which felt like a halfhearted effort. Despite technical guitar difficulties early in the show, the band seemed light hearted and happy, and sounded great at least partly due to the presence of an additional side player.


More photos and thoughts to come...

David Usher - RW & Co appearance August 28, 2007

Special acoustic set with Jon and Kevin in Vancouver's RW & Co store.

There are only a few photos because I got caught taking photos early on and shut down.

Really beautiful sounding set and an amazing performance by David despite the fact that he was seated the enitre time.

The performance was about 30 minutes in which he commented that they had just learned to play them acoustically that morning.


Another added bonus is that they played "Smile" by Ben Sigston before the show. I'm not sure how they had it but it was a special bonus for me and Marsi.