Tonight in Seattle, Studio 66!

Friday, October 10th
Studio 66 at the Lo-Fi Gallery on Eastlake
429 Eastlake Ave East
9pm, $9, 21+

The Love Me Nots

Have you ever been to Emerald City Soul night at the Lo-Fi Gallery? It's pretty awesome. Unique space, cool crowd, great rockin' music that takes you back to an era that was nearly left forgotten until a few dedicated folks totally into it helped bring back a Northern soul revival. It just has a great vibe, which has made it hugely popular.

In a similar vein, but a different bent, is Studio 66. Rather than focus on Northern Soul however, Studio 66 more tries to capture a time in the '60s when the airwaves and fashion revolved around mod, garage rock, early psychedelic, soul, acid jazz and Brit pop. Think live bands with organs and mod haircuts, dancing girls in mini skirts with white vinyl boots, flashing lights, and a crowd ready to boogie. Tonight's the night for the action and there are two outta town live bands that are gonna burn up the stage:

Montreal band The High Dials play guitar driven psychedelic rock along the lines of an updated Cream/Beatles/Byrds hybrid. But if you were to ask me who to hit Studio 66 for, it would be The Love Me Nots from Phoenix. The Love Me Nots have a total garage rock with organs sound going on with a couple of cute girls in miniskirts in the band. If you click the band links above you'll find their MySpace profiles, give "Move in Tight" by The Love Me Nots a listen and tell me this band doesn't rock!

There will also be a pile of DJs, the Tangerine Tonic go go dancers, projectors, lights, two bars and lots of beautiful people!

Also Saturday night: The Love Me Nots and Extreme Pencil Fighting!

While I'm definitely going to Funhouse Saturday night for The Gloryholes, I'm also going to try to hit one or two other events, namely Studio 66 at the Lo-Fi and Extreme Pencil Fighting at the Rendezvous.

I've written about Studio 66 a few times before, it's the '60s mod-garage rock-psych-soul-Brit pop night at the Lo-Fi on Eastlake that Chris Porter and friends put on. A typical Studio 66 will include '60s movies, psychedelic lighting, girls in tall boots and mini skirts dancing on platforms, garage rock bands and music to go with the theme. A fair amount of attendees take it seriously and get snazzed up with their outfits as well. Saturday's event includes The Fucking Eagles and touring band The Love Me Knots, who are fun and sexy enough live to make this a must go to destination for me. The action starts at 9pm and the Lo-Fi is located at 429 Eastlake Ave East between the Mars Bar and Victory Lounge. Here are the Love Me Nots playing Studio 66 last year:



Also going down Saturday night is the return of the World Extreme Pencil Fighting League. This theater/comedy/pencil fighting competition night includes a host full of funny costumed characters ad libbing their way through a pencil fighting contest and was really damn funny when I went to it a few months ago. If you're looking for something to do before bands on Saturday or looking for something unique, definitely check it out. It's at the Rendezvous' Jewel Box Theater and doors are at 7pm. It will sell out, so I'd recommend making it there well before it starts at 8pm.

The Fucking Eagles/Studio 66 tonight!

The Dude: Jesus, man, could you change the channel?
Cab Driver: Fuck you man. If you don't like my fuckin' music get your own fuckin' cab!
The Dude: I had a rough...
Cab Driver: I pull over and kick your ass out!
The Dude: Come on, man. I had a rough night and I hate the fuckin' Eagles, man!

I love that scene in the Big Lebowski and when I heard a couple years ago a band from Tacoma named themselves The Fucking Eagles, I thought perhaps they had chosen the best band name EVAR! When the Showbox was hosting a Big Leboskifest last year, I pleaded with the booker via email that the band had to play, it would be a travesty not to include a band named after one of the best lines in the movie. Thankfully, it happened.

Rather than bore you with another one of my band descriptions that overuses the words awesome, fantastic and sweet, I'm gonna share with you a review one of my ex-Tablet writers, Emily Youssef (who rules by the way), wrote about the band Spin:

"Though their name possibly stems from a hate-filled music review in The Big Lebowski, these Tacoma, Washington rockers are anything but slackers. After stints in other groups, John Owen Atkins (vocals/guitar), Stu Linkert (drums), Jesse Ray (guitar/vocals) and Dutch Kelly (bass) banded together in 2005. Their studio full-length debut, A Million Dollars Worth of Music, produced by Johnny Sangster (Mudhoney, The Posies, Murder City Devils), was issued via local label Gaptooth Jukebox earlier this year. The Fucking Eagles are bad boys with hearts of gold, flip-flopping between rowdy and righteous. Often compared to the now-defunct Oblivians, the raucous quartet is a distinct breed, employing strutting lyrical antics and infectious, lo-fi guitar chords. Album opener "Baby I'm Coming Home" promises loyalty with unwavering drumming and classic Little Richard-like howling to solidify singer Atkins' case. The instant foot-stomper "He Won't Love You Like I'll Leave You" includes a ballsy anthemic hook not suitable for print while "Out of This World" returns to the wholesome side with a 1960s surf guitar riff and catchy punk rock sing-along vocals. 4 out of 5 stars."

Check out a few of their songs on their MySpace profile, 'cause I think they rock. Tonight if you're in Seattle and looking for something kinda unique and fun to do, the Fucking Eagles are gonna rock Studio 66, Chris Porter and Heather's rockin' monthly garage rock/mod night. If you've never been to Studio 66, think of one of those goofy '60s movies with surfers at a party with mod haircuts dancing on all the furniture crossed with today's garage rock scene. The couple I've gone to have had DJ's spinning '60s garage, weird lights and videos projected on the wall, dancers in plastic dresses and Go-Go boots, and a couple fun garage bands playing live. It's pretty damn cool, more like a party than a show, and it's held at a pretty unique space, the Lo_Fi on Eastlake (about halfway between Cafe Venus and the old Lobo). Here's the scoop on tonight's show:

THE FUCKING EAGLES
THE KNAST
Also featuring Guest DJ - DJ GORT
Along with Resident DJ’s DJ CHRISPO & DJ VODKA TWIST
Plus Go Go Dancing by TANGERINE TONIC
Projections by porchlightstar
$7 cover
21 + admitted
Lo-Fi Performance Gallery (429 Eastlake Ave E)

The Love Me Nots photos from Studio 66 last night!

The Love Me Nots rocked last night at Studio 66. What a fun night, I hadn't been to one in a while and I'm sorry I've missed the past couple because it was great. Lotsa people dressed up kinda '60s/mod, the bands were great, there were funky old Radley Metzger movies from the '60s playing in the DJ room, and the joint was rocking. If you missed the band, they'll be playing a free all-ages gig at 6pm today at Bop Street Records with The Greatest Hits and will also be on KEXP's Audioasis show. Here's a taste of their live show:

Brother James!

James Burdyshaw was already an established band guy by the time I got into the music scene in Seattle. He fronted 64 Spiders, who had one 7" out on Daniel House's C/Z Records, as well as two cuts on the legendary late '80s Seattle underground rock compilation "Another Phyrric Victory." He also was in somewhat legendary (in the late '80s Seattle scene) Catt Butt, Yummy, awesome garage punk band The Sinister Six, and he most recently fronted The Bug Nasties. James also has done time on my side of the music community, writing music reviews for both my old mag Tablet and Dawn Anderson's Backfire. Most importantly, he's just one fucking nice guy, he always stops and says hi when he runs into you and often has a great story or two to tell.

These days James is getting together various friends and doing a project he's calling Brother James and The Deciples of Junk. And he's also DJing old rock'n'roll and soul in various venues around town. The shot above of DJ Brother James was when he was spinning at the one year anniversary party for Gainsbourg in Greenwood. Within minute of when James started spinnin', the floor was crowded with people dancin' to the old soul singles he was throwing down. He spins at Studio 66 at the Lo Fi and other nights around town too, check his action out!