Music: Hive Dwellers, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists 21.03.10

Almost all of the shows at the Doug Fir are over-21 affairs, and as a result I'd never been there. An exception was apparently made for Ted Leo's second show of the weekend, however, an all-ages Sunday matinee. It was funny, though - as soon as I went downstairs, I couldn't shake a pretty intense feeling of deja vu. It took me a few minutes to puzzle it out, but then I realized that I had been there before, in a way. Back in 1999, I saw Tragedy play in that same room, but the building at the time was a Chinese restaurant, and the hotel was also under different ownership. It's funny how things change.

Anyway, The Pharmacists were great. This was probably the best I've ever seen them; the James Canty/Chris Wilson/Marty Violence lineup is easily my favorite, and everyone seemed to really be enjoying themselves. I think I heard everything that I'd been hoping to hear - especially "Bottled Up in Cork," "Me and Mia," and "Under the Hedge" - plus a pretty entertaining karaoke version of "Since U Been Gone," a song that I'm afraid I'm not really familiar with. They played for a little over an hour, which I think is just about the perfect time. I'd see them again in a second, so hopefully they'll return sometime soon.

Here's a clip of "The Mighty Sparrow," from the new record:

Music: Paul & Storm, Molly Lewis, Jonathan Coulton 27.02.10

Cara and Joanna and I went down to the Aladdin last weekend to see Jonathan Coulton play with Molly Lewis and Paul & Storm. It's a curious thing, seeing music in a setting like that: a large crowd, advance tickets, long sets, sitting down for the entire show. I'm certainly not used to that kind of experience, but I really enjoyed myself. Everyone that played seemed to be in good spirits, and the interplay between the folks onstage and the folks in the crowd - and the lighting technician - really added a lot to the whole night. Part of me thinks it's kind of a shame that Coulton's music is known almost exclusively for its humorous quality; there's no denying that a great deal of its appeal comes from being funny, but I think it's the sadness underlying songs like "Future Soon" and "Shop Vac" that really sets them apart. Anyway, the whole show has actually been uploaded, so you can see it for yourself; here's "Betty and Me," Coulton's opening song: