Catch Yeasayer @ Neumo's tonight

Yeasayer is a group out of Brooklyn which offers up kickin' rock harmony with a mountain-y sway to it.

check Sunrises

and 2080


I'm hoping to see an odd instrument or two trotted out: sounds like they have something unusual going down in the corners of the 2080 song. However, a long set from these guys might too much for me if they don't vary up the tempo a bit.

You can snag these free mp3 files from their website, which says "we'll get some jewelry for your mama" in the window name. Ok.

Also on the bill tonight: Black Mountain, MGMT, and Howlin Rain. Bands which I know nothing about. Which is just fine. Bring it on!

I hope this isn't my 15 minutes of fame

No wonder this blog is getting so many random hits. Currently topping the official site in Google rankings.

Scrabulous in song

This is getting dangerous. I'm starting to remember many of the two-letter words. I have also been smacked (twice!) with "qat" by an opponent, so you better believe I won't forget that word which does not require a "u" to play the "q."

Scrabulous is the best app on Facebook. You can play "scrabble" with your friends without having to all be online at the same time. Unfortunately, it is in hot water with Hasbro at the moment. No one is officially talking, but my bet is on a settlement which will keep the app on Facebook. As one fan put it, "Scrabulous brought Scrabble back in style. They (Hasbro) should be thankful."

Over 2 million people around the world are active Scrabulous players. People are even writing and recording songs about the game. Here's one from an "anonymous fan," offered up by the Scrabulous creators, brothers Rajat & Jayanat Agarwalla.

I'm becoming a Scrabulous addict. And I'm not alone. Look out bitches. I've got Qat in my back pocket now.

Coachella Festival 08: explore links to artists

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has compiled a handy list of links to every 08 artist's MySpace page and YouTube vid. With 120+ artists listed, this reference is a real gift to festival-goers who want to discover new music at the annual event held outside of Palm Springs, CA.

The list was made available on the Coachella MySpace page as a blog post. Links are organized alphabetically by artist instead of in order of the Coachella Festival 08 lineup by day.

check it here:
Listen and Learn Coachella 2008 artists. Don't be left in the dark.

King Cobra softly opens tonight

The King Cobra rock & roll club on Pike opens Friday, Jan 25th for bar service and DJ accompaniment. Tonight's soft opening includes an apps spread, so get there early (opens at 6pm) if you want some nosh.

The club is still under renovation with plans for a grand opening party the first week in March. Full on rock & roll to come once renovations are complete. In the meantime, support your locally-screwed employees from The Croc and Kincora: most of the staff at King Cobra are from one of those now-closed clubs.

Hours for now are 6pm - 2am Friday, Saturday, Sunday this weekend, and then going to a Wed - Sunday schedule. (Monday and Tuesday will be major renovation days.)

As announced earlier this month, bookings for King Cobra will be handled by Jenny Bendel from Sunset Tavern. Jenny was kind enough to add comments to the Line Out blog post to clarify who is doing what at King Cobra, and what else she is up to:

"There is a booking team duo of me (Jenny Bendel), and Jason Rothman (former editor of Disheveled zine) at King Cobra. I will occasionally book one-off shows at The Sunset, where I'm also still a bartender. My favorite color is blue and my shoe size is 8. Any other questions? :)"

She was even nice when commenting on the snarky firestorm on Line Out about the her and Jason Rothman's ability to successfully book the new King Cobra. Go Jenny. I'm now your fan just 'cause you're nice. And know how to act like a grownup too.

Full text of press release here.

Puzzles remixed: Love = Love

Artist Kent Rogowski dreams up fresh art and creations from retail puzzles and teddy bears.
His Love = Love work is a collection of jigsaw puzzles intermixed to create new images. Puzzle pieces from the same manufacturer and same puzzle size are cut using the same pattern so the pieces can be intermixed at will. The results are dream-like and trippy with flowers, water,and mountains in variable orientation within the same puzzle rectangle. It might be interesting to try some puzzle remixes using those sappy puppy, horse, and kitty puzzles.



Kent Rogowski's current project is Bears, in which teddy bears have been gently deconstructed, turned inside out, and then put back together. The results are a little disturbing, yet charming in their broken, twisted way. Like Edward Scissorhands of the stuffed animal kingdom.



via Cool Hunting

Eight tax tips for beginner freelancers

The Northwest Editors Guild meeting in January featured an engaging talk by Charlene Fleming, CPA, regarding taxes for self-employed creative freelancers. [more] Engaging. On taxes. Really. And helpful for newbies. Here's a few notes that I circled, starred, and underlined as "aha" moments for me. Your results may vary.

• Set aside 20 - 25% of income to cover federal and Washington state taxes. (Percentage applicable to a service-oriented business with no employees.)

Obtain a state business license to protect your customer from potential liability re: temporary staff rulings.

Health insurance premiums are a deductible business expense.

Internet and cell phone expenses are fully deductible as a business expense. It is understood that these are also likely used for personal activity, however you don't need to apply a percentage of business vs. personal use. You can deduct the total.

If services are provided by you when you are out of Washington state, do not pay state tax on that income. You must be physically out-of-state when delivering the service in order to exclude it from the state income tax calculation.

The federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is more understanding than the Washington state Department of Revenue regarding small mistakes in your return.

The IRS and Washington state Department of Revenue don't communicate with each other.

• It is money well spent to hire a professional to help with taxes.

Remember, your results may vary. Please do your own validation or hire a tax pro.

Coachella Festival 08 lineup

Commentary to follow. Just the line up for now. W00t!
Coachella Music Festival

update: Check out artists' myspace pages and YouTube vids here.

=====================================
FRIDAY, APRIL 25:
Jack Johnson, The Verve, Raconteurs, The Breeders, Fatboy Slim, Tegan and Sara, Madness, The Swell Season, The National, Animal Collective, Slightly Stoopid, Mum, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Stars, Battles, Aesop Rock, Midnight Juggernauts, Does it Offend you, Yeah?, Minus the Bear, Spank Rock, dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip, Diplo, Adam Freeland, Santo Gold, Jens Lekman, John Butler Trio, Vampire Weekend, Dan Deacon, Architecture in Helsinki, Sandra Collins, Busy P, Cut Copy, Black Lips, Datarock, Professor Murder, Reverend and the Makers, The Bees, Porter, Rogue Wave, Modeselektor, American Bang, Lucky I A.m.
=====================================
SATURDAY, APRIL 26:
Portishead, Kraftwerk, Death Cab for Cutie, Cafe Tacuba, Sasha & Digweed, Rilo Kiley, Dwight Yoakam, M.I.A., Hot Chip, Cold War Kids, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, DeVotchKa, Flogging Molly, Mark Ronson, Turbonegro, Scars on Broadway, Islands, Enter Shikari, Calvin Harris, Boyz Noize, Junkie XL, Cinematic Orchestra, Jamie T, The Teenagers, VHS or Beta, Carbon/silicon, Erol Alkan, Yo Majesty!, Little Brother, Bonde Do Role, St. Vincent, Akron Family, MGMT, Institubes DJs (Surkin, Para One and Orgasmic), James Zabiela, Sebastian, Kavinsky, Dredg, The Bird and the Bee, Grand Ole Party, New Young Pony Club, 120 Days, Yoav, Electric Touch, Uffie
=====================================
SUNDAY, APRIL 27:
Roger Waters (“Dark Side of the Moon”), Love & Rockets, My Morning Jacket, Spiritualized, Justice, Gogol Bordello, Chromeo, The Streets, Metric, Danny Tenaglia, Simian Mobile Disco, Booka Shade, Murs, Dmitri from Paris, Autolux, The Field, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Les Savy Fav, The Cool Kids, Sons & Daughters, Sia, Holy Fuck, Black Kids, Black Mountain, The Annuals, Kid Sister w/A-Trak, Man Man, Duffy, I'm from Barcelona, Manchester Orchestra, Deadmau5, The Horrors, Austin TV, Shout Out Louds, Plastiscines, Brett Dennen

Volunteer Park Conservatory: heavenly escape

heavenly
Originally uploaded by JeanineAnderson

The conservatory at Volunteer Park in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood is an effective treament for the chilly, wet, gray January blahs. Although compact, each room is packed with interesting plants. There's tropicals of course, plus a cacti garden, floral assortment, a themed room (azaleas right now), and others. I was very excited to spot a fig tree, but I suspect they won't let me pick the fruit when it ripens.

Although I've lived in the Seattle area for years this was my first visit to the VP Conservatory. When I lived in Minneapolis for three years the conservatory in St. Paul kept me from going snirt-crazy. (snirt = dirty snow.) Although we don't get the piles of snirt here, I plan to make the VP Conservatory a regular stopping place during walks around my Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Oh, and yep I think flower pictures are boring, too.

Review: mashup dj Z-Trip in Seattle

Z-Trip's mashup set on Friday night included samples from led zep, stevie wonder, justice, and everything in between. Brilliant pairings, smooth transitions, smart shout-outs, and freaking mad skilz on the decks worked the crowd in a love frenzy. Wow.

Z-Trip is an energetic dj who knows how to read the room, pull people in, work 'em up, and make ya forget there's a world outside. The give-and-take between dj and audience is key to a memorable experience. Z-Trip gets it and works it just right: genuine, responsive, playful. Left us begging for more. Word.

Demographics: 70% boys, 30% girls, mostly in gender-specific groups. 20% were in boy/girl pairs. Attire: mixed. Girls more dressed up than boys, but on the cheap-sparkly side. Avg age: 24

Get your craft on: Chop Suey + I Heart Rummage

Another sign night spot Chop Suey is making bold moves in 2008: the monthly indie urban craft show I Heart Rummage has moved to Chop Suey. Next sale day is Sunday March 2nd.

I Heart Rummage was given notice last fall by the Crocodile Cafe that they'd need to find a new venue starting with the January 2008 show. The Croc then suddenly closed doors days before the December show, arguably the biggest sale month of the year for indie crafters. Much scrambling ensued, and kind-hearted Blvd Gallery stepped up to opened its doors and host the Dec show (and thereby saving Christmas for Tiny Tim). Good location for last-minute change, but the Blvd Gallery is not a big enough space for a permanent home.

Enter Chop Suey. Some mighty interesting things going on there: started serving nibbler asian-y food (anyone tried it yet?), experimenting with band residency, hosted two fundraisers for former Croc employees, retaining good staff, etc.

So what up, Chop? Whatev. Just keep going in this interesting direction and my smitten-ness might develop into a full blown crush.


via Citizen Rain

Open Call for Crayon Art

Return to your artistic roots and create some crayon drawings for Blank Space: The Great Crayon Experiment. Submissions from anyone, anywhere, desired!

Blank Space is mounting a crayon art show for the Feb 7th First Thursday art walk; the plan is to completely wallpaper the space. Your crayon drawing(s) will be a donation to the hella wonderful 826 Seattle non-profit. 826 encourages creativity and improvment in writing skills in youth 6-18 by providing tutoring, classes, and in-school workshops.

Donations are due by January 27th, so don't delay in buying that new box of 64 Crayolas with the built-in sharpener. Crack open the yellow box, get a whiff of that new-crayon smell, and get drawing! (Just don't eat them, k?)

Deets here.

via tig

Stalker Opportunities (01.17.08)

I've been so uncommitted the last couple of weeks I haven't tossed out any stalker opportunities. what have you all done with yourselves?
Blame it on post-holiday malaise. Trust me: I did get out. Just didn't want to commit to anything in advance and risk leaving you brokenly disappointed. That post-holiday malaise has passed, so here's what I've got on my list in coming days:

Friday Jan 18th, earlier: making some plans with travel pals
Friday Jan 18th, later: Z-Trip at the Last Supper Club, baby. More here.

Saturday Jan 19th, earlier: my sister's newest photography show: opening reception. Located on lower Queen Anne, ping me if you want the deets.
Saturday Jan 19th, later: The Teenagers @ Neumos. Maybe. Possibility the photo show crew will afterparty here, or somewhere, or not at all.

Sunday Jan 20th: Dan Deacon @ Neumos. Don't miss this jiggly, uninhibited wild man just to see what he'll do next. Half responsible for the Drinking Out of Cups vid.

Monday Jan 21st: Apt #1325 Monday Night Residency w/ Throw Me the Statue @ Chop Suey. This is the third and final night of residency with TMtS and guests. TMtS has been getting press from the likes of stereogum, pitchfork, and filter. Also want to give props to Chop Suey for giving the residency thing a solid go.

Adieu St Germain; bienvenue, La Cote

St Germain's adorable and multi-talented proprietor Jean-Michel closed doors on his delicious little cafe the end of December. He is taking a position in late spring as a pianist with a European symphony. (I don't remember precisely where. Russia, or maybe a Balkan country.) He is classically- trained and was a professional musician prior to his success as a cafe proprietor.
Jean-Michel will be in area for another couple of months if you are interested in hiring him for a private catering gig, a personal chef dinner party, or something of that sort. Here's one of his last days in the cafe, warmly wishing a neighbor and friend a very happy birthday:



Opening in it's spot on Madison this Friday, January 18th, is a new creperie, La Cote, run by neighboring Viola Bistro owner Laurent Gabrel.
I'm looking forward to checking their creation of a crepe with lemon juice and powdered sugar. This classic, yet simple, flavor serves as my litmus test for crepe quality. A place can use all sorts of fixin's to dress it up, but if the crepe doesn't stand well on its own I don't have the time of day for it. Bienvenue, La Cote!

Via CitizenRain

Stalker Opportunities: Feb 1 - 15

Lots of interesting stuff the first half of February in Sea-town. Sorry for you, but I'll be in Japan the first two weeks of February so I you'll have to channel my energy at the following events. Get fierce!

Saturday, Feb 2nd: Free Art Seattle Exhibition, closing night. Show runs now through Feb 2nd @ the Wayward Cafe. Art in the exhibition will be given away at the closing night party! Limit of one per person. The time hasn't been publicized yet, so keep an eye on the Free Art Seattle flickr group for deets.

Saturday, Feb 2nd: Inner Flight vs. Danger Inc. NW djs collab to bring you all-night dance. Location: tbd.

Thursday, Feb 7th: First Thursday art walk. Check 619 Western. I promise you'll see something interesting.

Friday, Feb 8th: New gallery show openings @ Blvd Gallery, Roq La Rue, Suite 100 Gallery. pssssst: Blvd Gallery is opening a second location in Ballard soon.

Friday Feb 8th: Broken Disco @ Chop Suey. Friendly monthly dance party. Always a variety of styles and skilz. Check local chicas Kris Moon and Jenn Woolfe.

Friday Feb 8th: Uberzone and Bassbin Twins @ Last Supper Club. Check Bassbin Twins' remix of Evil Nine's Crooked for a taste of what Pete brings to the table. Plus, he's a street art guy so + + + to him.

Sunday, Feb 10th: DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist in Hard Sell tour, plus Kid Koala @ Showbox Market. Powerhouse lineup. Get ready to get sweaty.

Tuesday Feb 12th: Holy Fuck @ Neumos with Super Furry Animals. Holy F*ck rocks my world with Super Inuit, The Pulse, and other tracks from their 2007 LP Young Turks. SFA is the headliner, so don't go too late.

Wednesday Feb 13th: Los Amigos Invisibles @ Neumos. "A blend of disco, acid jazz, and funk mixed with Latin rhythms." [wikipedia]

I'll try to update this list if I get wind of more goodies before I head out. Ja-ne!

Olympic Sculpture Park draws 'em all

wake people
Originally uploaded by JeanineAnderson

I love going to Seattle Art Museum's Olympic Scupture Park on Sundays. All kinds of folks are out and interacting with the art: families, friends, dog owners, packs of teens, dates, loners, multi-generational groups, out-of-town visitors, runners, bikers, walkers. It is a great place to people watch, and reminds me a little bit of the terrific communal spaces in NYC.

Sunday was my third visit to the park, but first since the grounds were completed. I love the design more and more each time I go. The paths zig-zag in a way that continually surprises by pulling in the endless views while providing a fun sense of discovery when encountering an art work close up.

What I particularly appreciate is the Olympic Sculpture Park is free. It provides easy access to sculptural art for non-art -types, all wrapped up in northwest beauty. Call it a switch and bait, if you will. Come see the pretty views, run around on the grass, and take in some art while you're at it.

I predict today's kids running around the park will in the future look back to the Olympic Sculpture Park as the place where passion for the arts took hold. And that's all good in my book.

Harry Potter cures the common cold

A stupid sinus cold is making my voice all smoky-sexy-like. (Wait a minute. Maybe that's not a bad thing.) Ahem.
Anyway, after a long rest this afternoon on the couch with Harry Potter (and the Goblet of Fire), I ran across this clever Potter Puppet Pals video. Blame it on the timing, the head cold, or the fact that I accidentally made decaf coffee instead of regular coffee this morning, but this cracked me up.
Check it:

Be in a music video on Sunday

Indie rock group The Lonely H will be filming a music video on Sunday in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle and are looking for lots of extras.

"We’re shooting a music video for our song 'Hair' and we need a good crowd of people to be in it with us. Can you please volunteer to be in it? We’re shooting in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle this Sunday, January 13th. We’d need your help rocking with us from 6:00pm to 9:30pm. If you can be in it, please email the video producer: fred@southdowncreative.com – also, please email Fred a picture (we want everyone, but we want to make sure we’re getting a good variety of people).
Thanks. Please help, and we look forward to seeing you Sunday!"

What else ya got going on this Sunday evening, hmmm?
Tivo Desparate Housewives and watch it later.

Fab Friday Art Show Openings 01.11.08

If you like low-brow, street, and/or non-traditional art works, you don't want to miss two art show openings Friday, January 10th.

Left Behind

Suite 100 Gallery (2222 2nd Ave, Sea)

6p - 10p

2' x 2' SeattleStreetArt

Anne Bonny (1355 East Olive Way, Sea)

8p - 11p

Using Redfin to buy real estate: recommend, with caveats

Redfin is a Seattle-based real estate company which is disrupting the well-established norms of real estate transactions. I have been addicted to the Redfin site for a while now. The website is the best for searching properties for sale and researching past sales. Find out what your neighbor paid for their crib! And if you are in the market to purchase, it provides valuable property details which help you sort prospects onto either the drive-by list or the discard pile.

As a buyer with previous experience in real estate transactions, my Redfin buyer experience was great. I would use them again to purchase property in the future, no question. However, Redfin may not meet the unique needs of a first-time buyer. Here’s my take on the characteristics of a successful and satisfied Redfin buyer.

Redfin is great for buyers who are:

• Self-motivated and like the self-serve aspect of purchasing through Redfin


• Comfortable with digital communications (internet, email, scanned docs, faxing)


• Experienced in the property-buying experience (at least one prior purchase)


• Can do their own homework to determine an appropriate offer price


• Willing to be proactive in communicating with Redfin staff


• Comfortable working with different Redfin team members at different stages in the process


• Ok with Redfin staff having scheduled work hours (and not working on your deal if they are not on the clock)

Redfin caveats for buyers who:

• Are first-time home buyers, or haven’t purchased in a decade or more


• Prefer explanation and personalized coaching throughout the process


• Want to work with one person through all stages


• Need to be able to reach their agent at any time, or expect an immediate call back


• Are not comfortable using digital media as the primary communication channel

To learn more about buying with Redfin, check out the 3-minute Buying a Home With Redfin video from Common Craft. (disclosure: Common Craft are friends of mine).

Since I’m in disclosure mode, I have one other faint connection to Redfin (which I only learned about recently). My sister and the CEO of Redfin went to elementary school together. Go Ardmore!

Z-Trip: baby, everything is all right

Turntablist, scratchmaster and mashup mogul Z-Trip (Zach Sciacca) will be performing at The Last Supper Club (sea) Friday, January 18th. Z-Trip is "long known for his ability to cleverly drop rock cuts into hip-hop numbers as the king of mash-ups." (rolling stone)
You may have seen him in the opening of the movie Scratch, a documentary featuring other luminaries of the genre.

I'm smitten with Z-Trip's M@shUptight track. Listen here:



You can download the M@shUptight track and others from Z-Trip's website (free).

Safety on the Capitol Hill streets

cuddle
Originally uploaded by JeanineAnderson

Plenty has already been written on the inter-blogs about the new year's eve murder of Shannon Harps in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, so I won't rehash what you can find elsewhere around town.

I'll just share this photo from the block where the attack occurred, and declare that my affection for where I live is as strong as ever. Cuddles to you, Capitol Hill!

And send thanks to the Seattle police for their fierce attention to solving the crime.

Justice, Diplo, Chromeo, DJ Mehdi tour in March

W00t!
Justice is to headline a North American tour in March and will be part of a blowout lineup including Diplo, Chromeo, and DJ Mehdi on select dates.
The Seattle show will be at the Showbox Sodo, a bigger venue than any of these guys have previously played in Seattle (Justice and Diplo @ Neumos, Chromeo @ War Room).
Be ready to get your dance on and get sweaty. The Sodo gets hot on the floor.

UPDATE: The Seattle show on March 24th will include Diplo and Fancy. [pitchfork]

Tour dates:
Austin, TX - Stubb's Bar-B-Q (March 3)
Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom (4)
Orlando, FL - The Club at Firestone (6)
Baltimore, MD - Sonar (9)
Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory (10)
New York, NY - Madison Square Garden (11)
Washington, DC - 9:30 Club (12)
Boston, MA - Paradise (15)
Montreal, Quebec - Cepsum (16)
Toronto, Ontario - The Docks (17)
Detroit, MI - Royal Oak Music Hall (19)
Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre (20)
Denver, CO - Ogden Theater (22)
Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo (24)
Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore (25)
Portland, OR - Roseland Theater (26)
San Francisco, CA - Concourse Design Center (27)
Los Angeles, CA - Mayan Theatre (31)

via NME

CHS Tourney ends today, outcome uncertain

Oh boy, has this been exciting, or what? Coyotes have led Hillku all week. 'Til now. The doggie-wanna-bes have been smacked on the snout with metered verse.

This morning, Hillku leads by 6 votes. Take that, Wile E.!

Vote now, vote often. Until 5p Capitol Hill Time today.

Let's make it a drinking voting game. Everytime we hear or read a business buzzword today, go vote. You know what I'm talking about: words such as synergy, solve for x, leverage, repurpose, knowledge-sharing, out of the box, cross-functional, delayering, collaboration, best practice.

Ready...set...GO!

tax insights for creative freelancers - free

Tonight Monday January 14 at the Richard Hugo House in Seattle there's a free educational talk for self-employed, creative freelancers.

As part of the semi-monthly meeting of the Northwest Editors Guild, a seasoned finance guru will focus on the tax needs of the self-employed, creative set. You do not need to be a member of the Guild to attend the meeting, however be aware there's potential for passive-aggressive guilting you into membership ala the public school PTA. (I'm just saying.)

From the Editors Guild website:
"Charlene Fleming, CPA, will offer members some guidance on the ever-popular subject of taxes, with a special focus on the needs of self-employed, wordy/artsy freelancers. Charlene is a licensed CPA with 15 years' experience working with self-employed people. For the first five years, she was also the CFO at the Seattle Children's Museum, where there were 'more artistic types than you could shake a stick at.' She has a master's degree in accounting and an undergraduate degree in finance."

via Seattle Writergrrls

tell them (not me)

tell them (not me)
Originally uploaded by JeanineAnderson

I picked up this postcard at the Science Friction NYE event. The reverse side is blank. PostSecret with an edge, I suppose.

A quick visit to the website indicates they are just starting this up.
I don't have a lot of confidence in it's longevity, but hey, you never know.

Travel Posters from '50s and '60s

Hamish Grant, a photographer in Toronto, found a stash of 35mm slides of travel and marketing posters from the '50s and '60s. Peep them for a fascinating retrospective of graphic design trends at that time: color, layout, typeface.
Some are quite amusing. The "Britain Welcomes You" poster features a bagpipe player. As in Scotland. Yeah, I know Scotland is part of the United Kingdom, but c'mon. "Britain" didn't need to borrow culture from their northern neighbor - which if I remember correctly was invaded by the british and absorbed into the borg. "Britain" has their own icons they could have used, right? Stonehenge, anyone?

I haven't looked at all of the posters yet, but a few trends stand out so far. Brown with blue, embracing the 2-D approach to art, minimalist wording, san-serif preferred over serif.

It strikes me that current advertisement is more wordy and dense. I appreciate the simplicity of this older style. I'm sure it is a function the medium and the intent: these are likely posters for travel offices. The intent would have been to draw people in to the storefront office to learn more, and subsequently sell (and upsell) travel packages through personal interaction. That different business model required a different solution than what works in today's market and self-service model. While I do absolutely like having all the facts available and can shop around, sometimes a little simplicity can go a long way.

I'm looking forward to the "calm beauty of Japan at almost the speed of sound" next month. (Via NWA not JAL, however.)

Old Sugar > New Kincora - er - King Cobra

A press release issued today announced the now-closed Sugar nightclub on Pike will open within a few weeks as King Cobra. The new owners are Che Sabado, most recently the owner of gentrified Kincora Pub, and Jaimie Garza, who previously booked all-ages shows in regional cities.

The new owners intend to host both live acts and DJs across a wide variety of musical genres and are planning to work with booking agents already established in the city. Jason Rothman is handling day-to-day scheduling for the new club.

Opening day is dependent on the formality of a liquor license walk-through. Most of the staff from Kincora have moved uphill to the King Cobra.

One can speculate that the ownership pair toured both Sugar and The Croc before deciding where to land. Cheers for selecting the space on Pike, adding to the growing vibrancy of the Pike/Pine area. I'm glad I can walk there and then wander home later.

via Slog (of course!) click for more details

Superheroes at the art walk

whatcha got there?
Originally uploaded by JeanineAnderson

My sister and I had the good fortune to chat with Writers Union artist Jeff Jacobson at the 619 Western January art walk. He has an amazing portfolio of commissioned works around the Puget Sound area including Mad Pizza and the recruiting office of Microsoft.
The Writers Union contribution to the Georgetown wall was featured in the Seattle Times. The picture to the right is the front of Snowboard Connection store on Alaskan. Jeff did this work and it features villians and superheroes.

Jeff was to have an opening at Marcus' Martini Heaven last night as part of artwalk but unfortunately that rad space was suddenly and severely flooded. The new opening date of his show is TBD but they are hoping for next week.

Jeff's girlfriend Jen is a photographer of street art (Rio Pacific Photography) and just wrapped up a show at Marcus'. Her works were spared damage from the flooding, thankfully. Jen shoots street art and is a jewel of a sweetheart. We three girlies swapped a few stories. (My sister had a photo show at Marcus' last year.) We may have a chica photo show in our 2008 future.

Hot Chip in Seattle (and Coachella 08?)

Hot Chip
Originally uploaded by JeanineAnderson

Yay! Fun, funky jam group Hot Chip plans a stop in Seattle in late April to support their upcoming album Made in the Dark (Feb 2).

Caught them at Coachella 07 and for the Seattle show you can expect full-on dance party energy.

Looking at their tour schedule it's a good bet they'll be routed through Indigo, CA again this year after a swing across the north then a left turn down the coast from Seattle.

A few tracks from their upcoming release are available on the Hot Chip MySpace page: check Ready for the Floor.

via: Slog

Reminder: Today is First Thursday Artwalk (and caucus watch)

I haven't managed to write up any stalker opportunites this week: blame it on post-holidaze malaise. Bet a wandering through the 619 Western Ave [map] art studio building tonight is just what I need. Perhaps you too?

My sister and I checked it out last month for the first time and were blown away. Loved it! Ping me if ya wanna meet up.



Update: Also in the Pioneer Square 'hood tonight is the Iowa Caucus Watch Party at the Obama grassroot supporters' office located at 614 First Ave, 4th floor. Starts at 7. (via slog)

Piecora's and Krafty Kuts

A long-time friend was in town from Japan, so most of the usual gang got together for American food and a dance night.

We pre-func’ed at the townhouse with pizza and killer hot wings from Piecora’s. And I do mean killer hot: as in make-you-lips-numb hot. Delicious. The wings are cooked perfectly with a crispy outer layer and baked with what I suspect is a house-made wing sauce. (Did I see jalapeno chunks?) The wings are served with bread for mopping up the tasty sauce and also includes blue cheese or ranch dressing for dipping. Messy goodness for carnivores.

The pizza from Piecora’s is reliable. The crust is a little thicker than I prefer but the toppings are fresh and they don’t use any foodstuffs that look like dog kibbles. They have a by-request thin crust available for pies with two or fewer toppings.

After too much food and drink, we talked and laughed (loudly, I'm sure) the three blocks to Chop Suey to catch Krafty Kuts.

Krafty Kuts is a popular award-winning breaks DJ, mixer, and producer from Brighton, UK. I was looking forward to his set at Chop Suey. He spun great mixes and his transitions smooth. However there were only a few moments of the give-and-take between a DJ and the audience which make a good show turn great. KK didn’t appear to be having as much fun as the crowd. Or maybe he just isn’t a very expressive fellow. But dude: try looking up from the decks a little more frequently.

Our group of eleven was able to secure cozy couch seating in the desirable back bar area where the floor is raised up a step, sightlines are good, and the sound is crystal clear. It’s the best hangout spot when not on the dance floor.

Demographics: Two-thirds boys, one-third girls. Average age in the bar: 30. Attire: upscale casual. Jeans and t-shirts, hoodies, or button-downs for boys, jeans and shiny shirts for girls. A few skirts with boots.

Synchronicity project: city pic

synchronicity
Originally uploaded by JeanineAnderson

Here's what I was doing 1st January 2008 at midnight, Greenwich Mean Time. This pic was taken for the Synchronicity project.

It's a good bet that I'll peep this view a lot in 2008, so I'm happy I was in my neighborhood at the appointed time. I love, love, love living in the city. Yay!