TRIFECTA! 2/3-5

Most weeks while drinking from the fire hose there's at least one show that stands out as a "must see". Some weeks there are a couple, like when the Mike Dillon Band and the Andy Coe Band with Tim Bluhm played on back to back nights recently. This week there are THREE such shows, tonight, tomorrow night, and Friday night!

• When he isn't playing bass for Phish, Mike Gordon collects another group of badasses to tour with. They play tonight at the Neptune Theater. 8 PM, $28.50 at the door.
• Lettuce; no, not the leafy green vegetable, the badass Brooklyn funk band, plays tomorrow night at the Showbox - Market. Twenty years and still going strong. They've dubbed this tour the "CRUSH TOUR" and I have no doubt that they will indeed, CRUSH IT. 8:30 PM, $25 at the door.
• And last, but definitely not least, Bellingham psychedelic-electro-jam-funk crew, Acorn Project, emerge from their recent hiatus to play Nectar Lounge on Friday night. The boys from B'ham do not disappoint. I'm super stoked to see them again! 9 PM, $10 adv / $15 dos.

Have fun. Stay safe. Be kind. And...

JAM ON!

Johnny Jams

PARTY IN... SHORELINE?!? THU 1/28

I live in the NE corner of Seattle (Lake City). It's not exactly a cultural Mecca. Rarely do my favorite local musicians venture up here to the "great white north", which is why tonight is so special. Tonight there isn't one, but TWO worthy shows just across the border in the otherwise sleepy suburb of Shoreline.

• First off, local chanteuse Rochelle House, super-bad bassist Evan Flory-Barnes, and guitarist extraordinaire Andy Coe will be caressing the palate of the North City Bistro & Wine Shop like a $100 bottle of Pinot Noir. 7 PM. $10 cover.
• AND my pal Ellie will be celebrating her birthday with two outstanding trios at the venerable Darrell's Tavern ("Where Your Dad Used to Drink"). 6 - 9 PM Cake and Social Time. 9 PM The 350's take stage, followed by the Delvon Lamarr Trio at 11 PM. $5 cover.

MIDWEEK MADNESS!!! Wed 1/27

Make that "insane quantities of win". Here are my top picks for tonight...

• The WESTSOUND DEEP FUNK CLUB, Westsound Recording Co.'s monthly gig at the Sea Monster Lounge, featuring Lucky Brown, Ben Bloom, and various and sundry other badasses from the Westsound stable. Vinyl DEEP FUNK spun by Lucky Brown himself, 8-10 PM. Live DEEP FUNK starting 10ish. No cover, but put some $ in the jar!
• It's HAPPY WEDNESDAY again at Conor Byrne in Ballard. For those of you who missed Andy Coe on Saturday at Nectar and Monday at the Blue Moon, or if you simple can't get enough Andy Coe, he's joining Tarik Abouzied (drums) and Ian Sheridan (bass) tonight. 9 PM. No cover, but that's no excuse to be a cheapskate.
• Tonight is the last night of Ayron Jones & Friends at Nectar Lounge in Fremont. Tonight's special guest, local singer-songwriter, Whitney Mongé. 8 PM. Again, no cover, but kick down what you can.
• Last, but VERY FAR from least, a local super-group dubbed THE ROYAL WE begin a four show run on Wednesday nights through the end of February at the Royal Room in Columbia City. Consisting of Wayne Horvitz (keys), Skerik (sax), Evan Flory-Barnes (bass), and Dave Abramson (drums), they've definitely earned the right to use "the royal WE".

HAPPY HUMP DAY!

I'm back, folks! Rebooting the blog after a nearly five year hiatus. I've been drinking from the fire hose the entire time. I recall early in 2013 counting the shows I'd attended in 2012 and coming up with the number 170. Divide by 52 weeks and that's an average of 3.27 shows per week. Attending all those shows and having to be at a desk and functional at 8 AM got to be a bit overwhelming, so I retired in June of 2014. At the moment I'm a house husband and Mr. Mom while plotting what comes next after 30 years in IT. Meanwhile, the fire hose keeps on drenching Seattle in a non-stop stream of sonic awesomeness. Here are my picks for tonight...

• Badass guitar guy, Ayron Jones continues his Wednesday night run at Nectar Lounge. Tonight's special guest is local composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist, Whitney Lyman. 8 PM, Free.

• The Unsinkable Heavies, the stripped down, funked up, "mini-me" version of the Polyrhythmics, will be throwing down tonight at the Sea Monster Lounge. 10 PM, Free.

• It's Happy Wednesday at Conor Byrne in Ballard. Drummer Tarik Abouzied welcomes Tim Kennedy (keys), Ian Sheridan (bass), and Thomas Marriot (trumpet) to the stage. 9 PM, Free.

• Last, but not least, local "soul punk" joint, Down North, will be helping the fine folks of Capitol Hill get over the hump when they take the stage tonight at Neumos. 9 PM, $10.

Have Fun. Stay Safe. Be Kind.

And Jam On...

TGIF!

With Cinco de Mayo on Thursday, it's hard to consider tonight the beginning of the weekend. Here's what I've got on my calendar for tonight.

• Long-time friend and guitar virtuoso Brian Nova is back in town and playing with his trio, 7:30 - 10:30, at the North City Wine Bistro in Shoreline. Click HERE for details.
• That wraps up just in time to scoot down to the Seamonster Lounge in Wallingford to catch the latest installment of dirtiest fonk show in town, FUNKY2DEATH.

 Have a great weekend, and to all the moms out there, YOU RAWK!

TONIGHT - Goin' Nuts with the Acorn Project!

ACORN PROJECT
w/Dub Lounge International and the Fabulous Party Boys
8pm, Nectar Lounge


This show is going to be INSANELY GOOD. You don't have to take my word for it, check out this recent video they recorded at a live show with String Cheese keyboardist, Kyle Hollingsworth. It will melt your face and then melt your mind.


Jam On!
Johnny Jams

Another Week In Front of the Fire Hose

WOW! The hits just keep coming. I can't say I'll make all of these. I go see a lot of shows... A LOT of shows, but this latest run has been taxing my ability to keep up. Here's where I'll be the next five nights, if my mojo holds up...

• Wed, 4/27, Cascadia '10, Seamonster Lounge - Killer Afrobeat
• Thu, 4/28, Anna Coogan, Egan's - Stirring Roots/Americana
• Thu, 4/28, Suffering F*ckheads, Seamonster Lounge - Ron, Mike and the Dark Side of Jazz
• Fri, 4/29, Acorn Project, Nectar Lounge - Electro-Funk Rock from the planet Bellingham
• Sat, 4/30, Unsinkable Heavies (live CD recording session), Lucid - VERY HEAVY Funk/Soul
• Sun, 5/1, Pigpen (NW Reunion Tour), Tractor Tavern - Wayne Horvitz, Briggan Kraus, Keith Lowe & Mike Stone bring you face melting jazz

Jam On!

Johnny Jams