In case you've been living under a rock, we have our second show coming up! Kelly mentioned it in a previous blog, but we're so excited for the show and who is playing that dedicating a blog post to the headliner didn't seem unnecessary in the slightest.

MayWeather have been around the Seattle music scene for quite some time and with the release of their self-titled EP in October, they've generated a fair amount of buzz. I have to hand it to these guys, they write some of the catchiest…

In honor of the show The Moondoggies are playing this Saturday, they put this funny video together. The Moondoggies, a Seattle band, are playing at The Neptune this Saturday with The Maldives for their sixth annual Christmas show extravaganza. Tickets are $15 and doors open at 8pm. If you haven't heard about either band before, take the time now to check out the music on their Facebook pages.

For more information on the show, you can check out The Neptune's website.

All right, let's be real. This isn't the first or last time you'll hear about these guys from Kelly or I; well, considering this band is Kelly's baby, but also because they're great guys. I was kindly invited to hang out with them on the set of their first music video, which was a great time. Numbers are picture perfect of what a D.I.Y. band should be, from funding the production of their new merchandise to recording their first music video on their own. Besides the fact that they are talented musicians, I have…

I think I might have been one of approximately five people in the world (rough estimate, y'know) who have never witnessed Thrice in all of their glory, and I'm probably one of an even smaller number who have never listened to one of their albums. Go ahead, judge me. I'm judging myself after going to see this tour. Needless to say, I had not a clue as to what to expect.

I will say though, my drawing factor was La Dispute and Moving Mountains. I was interested in seeing how La Dispute would fit into this bill.…

Sticking with the theme of Music Monday on Twitter, I think it'd be appropriate to post this blog today. The last time I took a hard look at Seattle music, I was pretty disappointed; granted that was a year ago, when Gatsbys American Dream did their spur of the moment performance of "Theater" that inevitably led to the band's reunion. It's amazing how much can change over a year. Every where I look now, I hear about more Seattle music staples joining forces and creating new bands and even more bands coming out of the woodwork with musicians quite new…

What do you get when you bring together a kick ass venue, a lot of friends, instruments, and a worthy cause? A Rock Out ALS show. I've been going to ROALS shows since last year and with each show that Michael Miller, founder of Rock Out ALS, puts on, you can visibly notice his passion and ambition growing and building for a cause that's so very personal to him.



Playing this edition of ROALS were Third Attempt, Man Without Wax, Peace Mercutio, Fall From Grace, and Alabaster. Each band of musicians stood out on…

Are you a musician, photographer, videographer, show booker, run a venue, run a music label, or are in any way involved in the Seattle area music scene? If so, we've got just the event for you. Happening in Tacoma THIS SUNDAY (the 28th) is the first ever South Sound Music Summit at the Redroom. This will be the perfect opportunity for anyone involved in Seattle music to network with fellow photographers, music venues, managers, videographers, and just about anything else you can think of. There will even be sweets, thanks to Katie Strozyk and Shelby Rude.

Besides…

Last Wednesday, Thomas Dybdahl played a show at Chop Suey for an audience that should have been larger than it was. I had no idea who this guy was before Tuesday, but man this was a good show. When I heard that Thomas was from Norway, of course you think about everything that is going on IN Norway and I have to say, the talent this man possess blew me away. When I walked in, there was a band playing on the venue floor (which ended up being Kimo Muraki & Tiny Messengers, with an AWESOME stand…

Nevermind how late I am on posting this.. but what's with all the band bashing? Ignore how hypocritical I am for saying that, seeing how I've had my fair share of bashing on bands, but I've taken a new stand! Really, they're doin' their own thang. Who are we to judge their intentions? We don't know these musicians personally, so we shouldn't be talking like we know them. I had this in mind as I was watching such bands as fun. and Panic At The Disco take the stage in Seattle late last month.

…

Happy release day! A bunch of new albums came out today, including Vanna's And They Came Baring Bones and August Burns Red's Leveler, but Travels, the newest release from Places and Numbers, is the album I've been looking forward to the most. I just really like music that is different.

Bobby will be heading out on the road as Places and Numbers for the first two weeks on Warped Tour, with members of The Dangerous Summer as his backing band. Of course it is guaranteed to be a good time and you should make a point…

There are very few things I hold higher than a nice snooze in the afternoon or cats on a rainbow, but some good ol' fashion rock 'n roll is definitely up there. My current obsession: The Dear Hunter's Color Spectrum EPs. Who else beside Casey Crescenzo would be crazy enough to undertake the enormous task of making a four-song EP for every color of the rainbow [by that I mean ROYGBIV, with black and white thrown in for good measure], and give each EP enough attention to make it good enough to stand alone with its…

.. And why is Tuesday is my favorite day of the week? NEW. RELEASES. Yes, I am a day late but it's better late than never. I've been really behind on all of the new releases and now I'm determined to keep up. With that said, here are the notable releases for the week and a few short thoughts about it.

All Time Low - Dirty Work
Everything with this band is hit or miss for me. I loved Put Up Or Shut Up and So Wrong, It's Right was okay, but Nothing Personal left a bad taste in…

When I first started getting involved in Seattle local music, bands like Gatsbys American Dream, Danger:Radio, From Aphony, and Blane were names commonly found on the bills for a majority of shows. With that in mind, last night's show a throwback. I think it's fair to say that only at a Rain City Ambience show would you find members of each of those bands, even if the members from those bands weren't performing but merely in attendance. Before I joined the staff here, I had always thought of this website as the middle person in the scene,…

There are very, very few bands that can span multiple generations of concert go-ers and still maintain the same momentum they had when they first spiked in popularity. Death Cab is one, Jimmy Eat World is another. Let me precursor this by saying one thing, the last time I saw Jimmy Eat World was a bad experience. Details aren't important, because this show was kinda sorta really great and completely redeemed the band in my mind.



There isn't much that can be said about this band that hasn't been said before. They have a…

I'm always a little skeptical of tours nowadays. Over time I have found that tours has one of two things happening: either all of the bands aren't my cup 'o tea and I end up very bored, or every band is amazingly mind-blowing and not a single person is having a bad time. Thankfully last night the band situation stayed in the realm of the latter. Although only a little over 200 tickets pre-sold, El Corazon started to fill up just before Bayside went on, only to half way empty just before Silverstein took the stage.

I can't…

Last night I had the pleasure of joining Chris Bicknell and Kevin Hanaford, of the new band Fira, in the studio. Those names aren't at all foreign to Rain City Ambience. They recorded a new demo for the band within our time there and I can say with all certainty, there is change coming. I can't exactly pin point what, but it's been a long time since I've seen that much passion for music come out of individuals in the scene. The band is still very much in the beginning stages but I know it's going to blow…

I have a strange obsession with any music that comes out of the Wild Orchid Children camp. I think their musicianship and the technical ability that those men possess is unmatched by 99% of musicians nowadays. They are some of the most talented musicians I've had the pleasure of seeing perform. They are forming a genre all their own with their various bands and it's exciting to watch them grow.

One band to come out of that group of guys is Ticktockman, featuring Ryan Van Wieringen and Andy Lum of Wild Orchid Children. You might…

Moneta has broken up. For many individuals, including the band members, that is a statement difficult to swallow. Everyone has their own opinion on the band but that doesn't matter, because now after it's all been said and done, the truth is that they gave their fans what a ruthless society wouldn't: hope, and depending on who you talk to, worth as well. Throughout Moneta's time in the Seattle local scene, they had seemingly mastered the art of showing their fans through music and friendship that they matter and no matter what people said to them once they…

Wild Orchid Children and Orbs ended their tour in Seattle last weekend and I thought their show would be a fantastic way to round out my weekend of shows before spring quarter began. I didn't see very much of the first two bands, but Orbs is fantastic. I don't have photographs of them though.

I think Kirk Huffman has unparalleled talent. Everything that man touches turns to gold, and what makes him so incredibly gifted isn't just his sheer talent as a musician but the musicians he works with: amazing percussionists, and not to mention Thomas Hunter who…

When it comes to playing music, the art of connection has seemingly gotten lost in the shuffle. From playing music for the sheer pleasure of being on stage, to now what many bands feel to be an entitlement, there is no denying the shift that took place when alternative independent rock music became the newest fad in popular music. Where the connection with fans once took priority, has now been replaced with making money and finding ways to make your living off of playing on a stage each and every night. When I found out that Gatsbys…

Seattle has quite the list of shows going on tonight. In Interbay, at the Q Cafe, Lamppost Revival is having their CD release. Most of you probably don't know who they are, but if you like folk music, you'll love them. And my cousin is the singer, so I'm biased. They just released their first music video from the studio, it's pretty great.



Pierce The Veil is also playing at El Corazon and Wild Orchid Children have a show at the Columbia City Theater. You have no excuse to sit at home tonight!

The Rocket Summer’s “Bryce Avary: His Instruments and Your Voice” Tour stopped by Seattle on Monday, Nov. 8. This isn’t a tour you’d normally see on my list of must see shows. I’d been hearing mixed reviews of Bryce Avary for quite some time and considering since The Rocket Summer hadn’t come through Seattle recently, there hadn’t been a chance to see if they were my “cup of tea”, or so to say.

Joining The Rocket Summer on this tour were He Is We. A lot of people I know rave about them, due to the fact that…

I hope everyone is having a great Halloween! I went to the album release show for Wild Orchid Children last night and got some killer photos and a great interview with Kirk Huffman. I will have my article up soon, so be looking for that and more photos coming this week!

On October 19th, the Say Anything/Motion City Soundtrack headlining tour came through Seattle, playing at Showbox Sodo. The lineup for this tour was impressive. The music scene has arguably been going through many changes; ones that we can only hope are for the better and amidst that--in a music scene of similarity and little to no tact--there are still musicians creating real and original music. This tour, with its four acts, are all bands with their own sound. This wasn’t a show that you’d go to and forget one or two of the bands that played later in…

Hi guys, Katie here! I had the opportunity to chat with Bobby Darling from Gatsbys American Dream tonight via phone call. I'm in the middle of transcribing my very lengthy interview with him but I wanted to share a little bit from the interview with you. Prepare yourself...

RCA: You guys had said that you’re testing the waters. Is that still the case or is this a full fledged reunion?
Bobby: Well, there is tons of conjecture about that. We get so many phone calls and text messages about tour and stuff, ‘what’s up, you guys are…

Screen cap is taken from Sigismund S. Pikul's video of "Theater"

The Seattle music scene has become an unrecognizable force over the last several years. Where emphasis used to be on original and creative music, is now is on haircuts and neon colored skinny jeans. In what once was a community of bands and fans [turned friends], now remains a game of who can be trendier, allowing for the quality of music to be placed on the back burner. Avid concert attenders have longed for a return to a scene where music is the priority but…

Oh yes they are. The Riverside, CA band was just in town on Easter and will be back this coming Wednesday with Lower Definition and Jamie’s Elsewhere at El Corazon. Considering the size of the crowd at their most recent show, you probably don't know about the geniousness that is NBR. From singalongs to choreographed guitar and bass swings, this band puts on a show that leaves a lasting impression on everyone who sees them perform. Their show was paired with the Jonny Craig show, which El Corazon had double booked and stuck in the lounge, but…

We Came As Romans have added an April Canadian tour and full US tour in May to their ever-growing schedule, kicking off this Friday, April 8th in Windsor, Ontario. The Michigan sextet just wrapped up a six week full US tour last month alongside Alesana and A Skylit Drive.

We Came As Romans are touring in support of their debut full-length, To Plant A Seed, which has recently been released in the UK and Germany, and will soon be available in Japan. In the US, the album has remained on the Billboard New Artist chart for over 20 weeks. Fans…

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There hasn’t been very many times in the last year or two that I could honestly say I was proud of the Seattle scene. There’s no denying that our scene had hit rock bottom. Between some of the largest local bands breaking up and kids just not going to shows, some would go as far to say we don’t have a scene anymore. Slowly bands have been making a return and more bands have been formed, but one band that has stuck it out is Moneta. This amazing band made its debut in early 2007 and…

Are you ready?

This Saturday is the anticipated album release for Moneta's "Villians". Will you be there? I sure will be!

Only a band like Copeland could bring together such a vast array of individuals. As I scanned the crowd once Copeland ended the show, I saw everyone from ravers to indie kids, wannabe hardcore kids and punks, Jesus freaks and people over 40 years old. That diversity didn’t matter, though, because despite that diversity, there was a unity. There were different points during their set that Aaron Marsh, the band’s vocalist, stopped singing and the crowd…

Since I've gotten back into the swing of shows and photographing, I felt it was only fitting for me to return to RCA. I will be photographing local shows, so be looking for blog updates from me about the scene and new pictures from shows. Who knows, maybe I'll venture out and start photographing tour shows every once in a while. Don't quote me on that.

NOW for some pictures!


I Wish I Was A Prodigy and Hexxus - 11 . 01 . 09


Orison, Inamorata, and Hexxus…