Where have we been?!

Hey folks,

Let me start with a recap of our last gig in Tacoma. We had a blast at the New Frontier Lounge and we appreciate all those who came out. The best part of it really was the crowd. Many people told us after the gig that they thought that was our best performance so far. I was a little surprised to hear that but the truth is, the crowd was responsible as much as we were. Having y'all up there shaking your groove thang made it way more fun for us, and thus, a better show all around.

The surprise of the night was Brotherhood of the Black Squirrel. I wasn't sure what to expect when they came on but I was pleased by the gritty bluesy-ness of their guitar player, whose name escapes me. The sound reminded me a bit of Jack White and I like it. Right on, Brotherhood.

Legend of Bigfoot rolls deep, that's for sure. Standing room only during their set. I guess the whole soundtrack to 2001: A Space Odyssey thing appeals to the Tacoma folk. Which brings us to our surprise for you: We'll now be performing every show with Requiem For a Dream playing in the background. We knew you'd like that.

Ah, I cannot forget the Horde and the Harem. First, their drummer couldn't make it (and we all know how pivotal drummers are), second, Ryan's keyboard was on the fritz! But you know what? THE SHOW MUST GO ON!! Honestly, I enjoyed their set anyway. Their 4 part harmonies held it together and it just goes to show how talented those guys are. I saw them again the other night at the Tractor with the full get up and they rocked it. They're coming along real nice and I recommend you be on the look out for them.

I also want to thank you twice if you came out to the New Frontier because we raised $84 for pih.org, a healthcare provider in Haiti. It doesn't sound like much but it could go along way in one of the world's poorest countries. If you couldn't make it out and you still want in on the benefit concert action check out this facebook invite for a cool event going on at the Crocodile in Belltown in honor of Molly Hightower who passed away in the earthquake.

Don't forget next Saturday is another show at the Redline. As always, Ladies Night means $2 wells from 9-12 and no cover. We got a band by the name of MOs Funnel opening up at 9 so come early, get yo-self some drinks, and enjoy some rockin' piano (literally) with us.

Chicka-chicka-yea!

SOULFUL SUNDAY!

I tried to find something that would honor Dr. King. But for the sake of brevity, my search ended and I went straight to...Susan Tedeschi, soul goddess extraordinaire. Enjoy!

- Dr. Spicy Alex Ayala Kitchen Brown, Jr.

Has Anyone Seen This?!

So we've noticed our songs get a little stale at times and they also tend to sound the same. But fear not, pleasure seekers! We've just picked up Microsoft's new Songsmith to help us come up with fresh tunes! Check out the sweet video demonstration!

Happy New Year/Soulful Sunday

The West Seattle Pleasure Club would like to wish all of our friends and fans a happy new year!

We had two AWESOME shows last week that hopefully you didn't miss out on. First, we rocked the boat house on South Lake Union at the Center For Wooden Boats. Erin Scheidler and Ashley Karitis set that party up for us and were spectacular hosts. We also had a clutch pinch-hitter on bass named Tanner Hatchback. Since Homefry had another gig out of town, Tanner filled in and did an amazing job learning 12 songs in less than 3 days! New Year's Eve 2010 was certainly one for the books. On that note, we'd like to apologize to the Al-Anon group that had a meeting the next morning at 7am at the CWB. If we had known, we totally would have cleaned up the mess of empty kegs, champagne bottles, and the alcohol soaked floors. We hope it wasn't complete torture.

Speaking of alcoholism, we did our best to stimulate the alcohol economy at the Redline two nights later for January's First Saturday gig. We had a great crowd of supporters including, Timbo Slice, Kevin McSweeney, plus a few newcomers won over from NYE including, Danny (aka Silly Bastard), Jonathan Stein & Co., and some creepy 58 year old named Jans. I think that was his name. Anyway, he loved us and we loved him - just not in the way that he hoped we would. Also gotta give a shout out to J-Willy and Troy McClure for coming out. These guys (used to) work with me at Pravda. Pravda (used to be) is a really cool studio in Capitol Hill and the three of us dudes put the events together up there. Do you know what Pravda means in Russian? TRUTH. If only I knew the truth about my job . . .

ANYWAY, we had way too much fun this week and we hope you did the same. Our South Sound Supporters should know we got a gig in their neck of the woods at the New Frontier Lounge with The Horde and the Harem and The Legend of Bigfoot on JANUARY 23RD. We be headlining that one so rally the troops! Music starts at 8.30pm.

Well here it is, ladies and gents. The moment you've been waiting for . . . SOULFUL SUNDAY!

Happy 2010!

-P

Soulful 'OH SHIT! We're Late" Video of the Week

So this is a doubble dipper. The first, is one of them bull shit videos that is actually just an image put to music, but with a title like "Ain't No Chimneys in the Projects" and a voice like Sharon Jones and a band like the Dapkings, how could you go worng?



Now to the meat and potatoes. My favorite holiday song ever. Ala one of my favorite black men ever, Donny Hathaway. Enjoy my furry friends.

Well that was a damn lie because i can't find any video of senor Hathaway making Christmas music bearable... so this is what ya get...



Hows that for Christmas Cheer :)

Peppermint Shapps Hot Cocoa and warm fuzzy feelings,
Jason

BLAKROC

Is rap-rock ever gonna work? It seems like everyone wants it to but so far history has told us it won't. I challenge anyone to find me an album of rap and rock mixed together that had any sustained success. It can be single or various artist albums. I don't care. Just give me one. But don't come after me with examples like Linkin Park or Kid Rock. I mean real hip-hop and real rock. Not one style with influences of another.

Obviously I bring this up because of the recent release of Blakroc - The Black Keys meets hip-hop heavyweights (Mos Def, NOE, RZA, etc.). I love The Black Keys. I LOVE them. But after listening to the album once through, I'm not sure it has any staying power.

Galactic came out with From The Corner to The Block back in 2007 and to be honest, it's my least favorite album of theirs.

Anyone?

Bueller?

Happy Holidays!

So a couple weeks back, Homefry and I visited the West Seattle Easy Street Records for an in-store performance by Garage á Trois. It was delicious. For those who have never heard of GAT, let me inform you their drummer Stanton Moore is a hero of mine. I met him once; he was not too friendly. But he sure can play the drums! Check out their new album Power Patriot.

Stanton Moore's other group, Galactic, will also be coming to town during the month of February which I will certainly be in attendance of. ReBirth Brass Band will be at Neumo's Jan. 23rd which we would also totally go to if WSPC wasn't playing in Tacoma that night. If you're not making the trip to Tacoma, GO TO NEUMO'S! You'll thank us later.

Other upcoming shows we recommend:

Dusty 45's - New Year's Eve :: Tractor Tavern

These guys put on an awesome show. I saw them in the summer at the Tractor and at Bumbershoot. Watch out for the flaming trumpet!

Greyboy All-Stars - Jan 20th :: Showbox at the Market

Groovy group. Never seen their live show but I've got a few of their albums and they totally roll.

Medeski Martin & Wood - Feb. 27th :: Showbox at the Market

Way cool groove jazz. John Medeski is the shit. Galactic is playing the night before in the same joint so I might just bring a sleeping bag and spend the night.

As for our calendar, we've got two shows coming up that you might be interested in. It looks like we're playing a private party on New Year's Eve. If you're interested in joining us for that, email us and let us know. For everyone else, we have our First Saturday show at the Redline on Jan. 2nd! So spend New Year's Day on the couch watching the Rose Bowl and recovering from the night before and come back out the next night for another Ladies Night with us. It's gonna be big!

And as I mentioned earlier, we'll be back at the New Frontier Lounge in Tacoma on January 23rd. We're playing with our friends the Horde and the Harem as well as Tacoma bands The Legend of Bigfoot and Midnight Salvage co. There's a $5 cover and music starts at 8.30.

And if you came to the blog today hoping for a Soulful Sunday video, we're out of stock right now. But don't worry because we have plenty of Stormy Monday available!

Yours Truly,

Peter