Hiatuses...hiatusi...hiateese...?

What is the plural of the word "hiatus"? (Wiktionary, here I come.)

Just wanted to say that the blog is not dead, and if you are or have ever been a regular reader, please don't stop checking in.

There is just too much going on right now for me to give ROOOOAAAARRRR!!! the attention it deserves. And, believe it or not, these posts do take a little work.

Fear not, regular posts will resume soon--hopefully next week-ish. I just have to get some fresh ideas, and clear my head a little.

Sorry, I know it sucks. But, remember, the reason I am taking this small break is so that the blog itself doesn't end up sucking; see how that works? I knew you'd understand.

Soon, soon, soon!

Take care, stay fresh--

TRx

Profile: AVIATION RECORDS

Let's just say that if you were to Google "Aviation Records", you wouldn't even make it to the second page of results before being invited to visit the website for the National Aeronautics Association or browse through a Wiki entry for the history of man-induced flight in the modern era. (Full disclosure: A Google for "Tyrannosaurus Records" has us interspersed with results having to do with that other Tyrannosaurus Records, and it is not long before you get to slobbering Marc Bolan fan-sites--that's just how it is for us little guys.)

But we're not talking aeronautics, feats of supersonic flight, or albums you listen to while on a plane. As usual, we are talking about severely under-appreciated musical awesomeness. Once again, we are talking about musicians in the Pacific Northwest making beautiful sounds in our own backyard. Aviation Records (www.myspace.com/aviationrecords) has built a solid reputation in the area with releases that are by turns frantic, haunting, complex, cheery, and left-of-center. Including, but certainly not limited to, the following...

S : Sadstyle (10 Year Anniversary Re-issue) -- S is the recording moniker for Jenn Ghetto, also known as a member of Carissa's Weird and other projects. The re-issue of Sadstyle represents the ultimate version of an album that is surely an undisputed classic to anyone who owned it when it was originally released. It relates to the singer's other work in a similar way to how Elliott Smith's solo work related to his earlier recordings with Heatmiser: stripped-down, confessional, emotional, honest. Around '99 was when I first heard the term slow-core as a way to describe deceptively layered, largely downtempo music in this vein; for all I know, it was coined to describe this album itself. It is breathtaking. Standout track: "sure, i'd love one" - a previously unreleased gem that accomplishes a huge amount of music in just under 4 minutes.

The Spinning Wheels : The Great Outdoors -- The Spinning Wheels encompass a stunningly unique sound that washes drum- and bass-heavy rhythms in buckets of high-energy keyboard riffs and shiny, harmonic vocals. Hailing from Portland, this band evokes the sounds of Built to Spill and The Anniversary, but never ceases to make a sound that could only belong to them. A truly exciting band. Standout track: "Allergy Season" - tightly-wound and jammy, but all within the confines of a verse-chorus pop structure.

See Me River : The Great Unwashed / Time Machine / Self-Titled -- If you are not familiar yet, get nice and cozy with the work of SMR. A singular Seattle band in terms of overall scope, songwriting, and stylistic reverence, this band can do anything it wants to. They can tell a story that breaks our heart ("Ed Jackson"), they can call to mind the Talking Heads ("Far Above My Head"), they can tell the future ("2021"). This is a seriously amazing band for serious music-lovers. Standout track: Yes. Literally, all of them.

Again, this is only a sample of what is available from this local indie label. There is plenty that I just don't have the time to get into right now, but I wish I could. In a later post, perhaps. The point is: check it out! Find! Listen! Love! Share! Legally.

As ever and for always,

your resident dinosaur. roar.

--TRx

...did I mention you can get all these and more at TRx? Kind of makes the finding part easy, huh? ; )

Many many 'Thank You's

Just a quick one to say how much we appreciated the performers we had this weekend: Zacharias Flynn and The Juke Bones (whoa! could the two acts together be an amazing idea for a Renton supergroup? Just sayin'...). Both turned in awesome performances, and again contributed to our so-far-unblemished record for great live music in DTR! The next two weeks see Devin Moore and Post Harbor grace our stage--get ready!

Also, just as importantly, a massive thank you to everyone who showed up to support the live music! You are the reason we are hell-bent on doing this, and you came out just like I knew you would.

Here's looking forward to even more great things to come!

--TRx

"So, I was on Facebook the other day..."

Don't you hate it a little bit when a sentence starts out with a reference to Facebook, or some other social-networking vehicle? Not that they're all bad or anything. It's more the idea of a substitute for conversation forcing its way into an actual conversation. Maybe I am weird.

And yes, I see the irony in my writing this on a blog.

So, I was on Facebook the other day, and I said something about February being the most eclectic month for live music in our short--but awesome!--history. I kind of thought I was just saying that. You know, trying to tantalize people into really looking at the concert calendar. But the more I think about it, I was totally right about that. (It's not often I get to say that, so I am going to relish it.) I mean, check this out:

Feb. 5 - Zacharias Flynn - Zach plays virtually every instrument known to man. For this show, he will be performing a completely improvised instrumental set with several instruments to achieve what I can only hope will be a reasonable facsimile of (or companion piece to) his fantastic, self-made album, Irresolute Insight. It doesn't get anymore abstract than this, but all that considered, I think you'll be surprised at his amazing sense for melody and song structure.

Feb. 6 - The Juke Bones - Like Zach, this act hails from Renton. And that is pretty much where the similarities end. The Juke Bones are one drumkit, one guitar, lots of volume, and buckets of attitude. The members are veterans of plenty of other bands and artistic projects, not the least of which include the band Sugar Farm and the short film series The Finger of God. The music is a wall of Blues infused with a heavy dose of punk rock. Guaranteed that attendance at this show will give you at least one good story that you can tell people who weren't here.

Feb. 13 - Devin Moore - From the shadow of Maple Valley, by way of the wide expanses of Eastern WA, comes the uniquely clever and delicate voice of Devin Moore. An accomplished guitarist and songwriter, Devin has been playing and performing since before she knew she had a choice, and it suits her just fine. She makes tiny inner monologues into larger-than-life love songs, and she is destined for big things. We are just happy to have found her while she was still playing for free.

Feb. 21 - Post Harbor - Do you like post-rock? This band does it like no other. Less riff-y than Kinski, more accessible than Mogwai, "rock"-ier than Explosions in the Sky, this Seattle band is a very well-kept secret. I don't think that will last. On Feb. 10, they drop their new album They can't hurt you if you don't believe in them. It is a piece of music that gets more engaging and addictive with each listen. They will bring their epic songs into our humble abode, and you should really consider being here when they do.

Long story short: we really do have something for everyone this month, and I couldn't be more excited about it.

I hope some of you are, too.

roar,
--TRx