October 1, 2011 in Live Music, Music, Seattle Bands, Uncategorized

10.01.11 Ravenna Woods w/openers The Young Evils and The Summer Babes (Tractor Tavern, Seattle WA)

So let me say first, I love small venue shows. The type of show where the band is mingling with everyone before it starts so that once the performances begin, its like a group of friends hanging out partying together. Before the show started I noticed a large group of people chatting and drinking. Normally I wouldn’t have paid attention except they were wearing an abundance of white. Like, head to toe white. I thought it was a little strange but soon chalked it up to just being their “thing” and how someone dresses is up to them. More power to them, so after wondering and a few glances their way I ignored them.

My ex-roomie and I sat in a little alcove talking when we noticed everyone moving towards the main floor area. The music we thought was just the overhead stereo sounds turned out to be the first band the Summer Babes taking the stage. We moved to the floor with the rest of the people and looked on stage to see the same people dressed in white that we thought were just Ballard party peeps. Turns out the Summer Babes like to make an impression with their outfits. It wasn’t really necessary though, their music spoke volumes. Loud and catchy, reminded me of a more pumped up version of fifties beach music. Totally rockin and fun to dance to. Im not usually one to dance at shows (yes, I am usually one of the “Seattle Concert Zombies”) but there was just no way to stop it. First the toes were tapping, the head was bobbing, body started swerving and then I was dancing. I’m not ashamed. Lucky for me the next band kept it going.

After a short commercial break aka setup change The Young Evils took over the stage. I loved this band. The only thing I knew about them before this show was that Mike McCready of Pearl Jam had one of their shirts. So basically I knew nothing. No expectations lead to being totally open for discovery. This was a homecoming show for the band according to the blogs, articles and the guy that introduced them on stage (don’t ask me who he was because I have no idea). They blew me away, the music was catchy and fun. It was energizing and started mini dance parties all over the floor. Granted this is Seattle so there were quite a bit of the usual “stop and stare” concert goers but I was so into them I barely noticed. That is the mark of a great live band, bringing the crowd so into their performance that they forget what is going on around them. Needless to say I bought their cd at the end of the night. They have a new fan in me for sure.

Ravenna Woods is a great band unfortunately they are not my type of live band. I am a firm believer that different music styles find you when you are ready for them. You may see a new band/artist and instantly love them or as is often my case you find that their name sounds familiar and you cant understand why until you look through your iTunes and realize they are not a new and now you think they are the best live band ever. So talented that everything they do is gold. I’m hoping that one day Ravenna Woods is that live band for me. Its not that I hate them, I actually quite like their CDs, I’m just more into live performances that flow well with a strong melodies rolling through the air, driving beats with consistent rhythm that you can move to. RW has this style of music where they changed the tempo so often without segueing into the new rhythm that it almost feels like whiplash. Oddly enough to say its a good whiplash when you are listening on your stereo or I guess more popularly your iPod/iPhone. However live, it makes the performance seem jerky. Once you start going and dancing and totally get into the music it stops and the same song starts again but with a different tempo or in some cases the breaks are so plentiful you cant overcome the awkwardness you feel dancing in the crowd. Yet, Seattle is known for crowds that tend to stand there with their ears open, hands in pockets and faces forward staring intently at the musician/band so this doesn’t mean its necessarily detrimental. It just means dancing is not a viable option, although many tried. Head bobbing…now that’s another story. So for me, live RW was a thumbs down. For my roommate though, it was love. 1 out of 2 isn’t bad.

Overall it was a good night, and the cds from all three bands are fantastic. You should grab them. Its worth the money. When it comes to seeing them live, that is up to you to decide.

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