Concert Diary: The World Fair and Siberian at Neumos, July 18

Barcelona headlined yesterday's Neumos show, but I didn't see them.

Instead, I came for the openers: This World Fair and Siberian.

First up was This World Fair at one-third its usual manpower. Chris Kalgren — A.K.A. vocalist, keyboardist, and guitarist-extraordinaire — put on a one-man show though the band's Facebook page indicates that a guitarist and drummer were expected to accompany him.

Kalgren still gave a strong performance, and by the middle of the set he was dripping sweat. A faithful Neumos security guard tried to give him a towel, but he just kept on.

It might have been his endearingly shaggy hair, or it might have been his skillful singer-songwriter/rock combo, but the teenage girls who lined the front of the stage were very territorial.

As an extra-special treat, Kalgren wrapped up the set to enthusiastic applause with his new song "Come Of Age."

Apparently trying to switch sets quickly, two sound guys dropped Kalgren's keyboard while trying to tote it off-stage. They made a hasty and clearly embarrassed exit after gathering up all the disconnected cords.

Despite mishaps, Siberian came on minutes later, their equipment already set up. Luckily, someone left the stage plot lying around so I, intrepid reporter that I am, took the liberty of taking it with me. Fans who couldn't come can now imagine the set more perfectly.

Set lists were passed around.

Bassist Zach Tillman requested Skittles from the crowd, and someone actually bought some, which were then shared among the band members.

Fans clearly appreciated the band's sense of humor, as shown by one comment on Siberian's MySpace: "SKITTLES!!! hahaha i was cracking up last night."

The set opened up with "Belgian Beer and Catholic Girls" off of their debut album "With Me," released in October 2007. Clearly they've been practicing, because it turned out to be one of those performances that makes you never want to listen to a CD ever again. Well maybe just between shows.

Siberian channels the Seattle-Indie-rock influence well, converting it gracefully into a seemingly impossible combination of placid passion.

Lead singer Finn Parnell adds a special gloss to the band's powerful drums and pulsating bass with his coolly enunciated vocals. They skillfully blend twangy guitar riffs reminiscent of Islands and soaring harmonies to make a compelling style all their own.







At one point during the night, drummer Aaron Benson played so furiously he broke a stick.

The coolest thing? At the end of the night, my brother's girlfriend told me, "They're my new favorite band."

Nobody Couldn't Have Done It

On July 10 a fire at the once-popular hookah bar best known by its old name, The Rabbit Hole, garnered a full response from the Seattle Fire Department. A recently released report on the incident reveals that a total of 17 vehicles and 46 personnel responded to the visibly smoking building early that morning. By the time the first engine arrived, several chairs and couches were already "completely burned or on fire and smoldering."

"Heat from undetermined smoking material" combined with the "[f]abric, fiber, cotton blends, rayon, [and] wool" of their notoriously well-loved couches and one careless smoker were all that was needed to ignite the flames. But the report offers little information about who may have started the blaze, or even whether the business was open the previous night. Fire department efforts to contact the owner found him out of town.

The building received no structural damage, with around $4,500 in damages to the interior and furniture. A full scan of the report is hosted here.

The Mid-Week News

Brace yourselves, we have lift-off:

The day has come at last for the City of Seattle to jettison it's odd space-toilets. A mere four months after Seattle Public Utilities recommended their removal, citing uncleanliness and criminality, and only two months after the City Council ordered their contract to be suspended, the five toilets will find new homes.

Bidadoo auction service will auction the toilets separately on Ebay starting at $89,000 each. SPU officers expect the auctions to begin sometime this afternoon and to stay open for 10 days. All five toilets — located on Broadway, near Pike Place Market, and in Hing Hay, Occidental, and Waterfront parks, respectively — will be fenced off starting August 1, and the toilet's new owners will remove them sometime later that month.

An advance copy of Bidadoo's ad describes the toilets as "very good physical and cosmetic condition overall," and weighing about 13,250 pounds each. Anyone who wins a toilet must also secure the correct permits to remove the unit within three weeks of their winning bid.

The Council overruled a mayoral veto to commission the toilets in 2001, predicting them to cost less than $600,000 annually. But the Seattle Public Utilities report calling for their removal predicted a savings of $4.5 million in five years, significantly more.

The German firm that designed the toilets, Hering International, still has a picture of the Pike Place Market toilet displayed on their Automated Public Toilet Web page.


Where there's smoke, there's fire:

If you thought you heard 10 firetrucks worth of screaming sirens last Thursday morning, you may not be far off. The Rabbit Hole, the notoriously grungy hookah bar at Northeast 47th Street and Roosevelt Way Northeast in the University District, caught fire sometime between the night of July 09 and the morning of July 10.

From 7:39 to 7:46a.m, the fire department dispatched six fire engines, four command vehicles, two ladder trucks, two medical aid vehicles, one air truck, and one Deputy 1 Chief, qualifying it as a full response.

All but four vehicles — the air truck, one engine, one command vehicle, and one medic — left the scene by 8a.m, and the last was gone by 9:15a.m.

Fire department records show that an engine responded to a police request for assistance there on the afternoon of July 13, staying for roughly 20 minutes.

Smoke-blackened windows and ripped caution tape mark the scene of the fire. One of the large windows on the south side of the building is covered in plastic sheeting, an apparent make-shift cover after the fire department broke the window in. A peek inside reveals a charred corner of the large room, strewn with bits and pieces of burnt couches.

The hookah bar ran into trouble in 2006 when its owners continued to operate despite the recent smoking ban, and the business changed hands to new owners at the end of 2007 who changed the name on the business license to "Night Owl Lounge." Posts on local hookah-bar Web sites indicate that the business has not been open since sometime in 2007.

Its appearance has remained relatively unchanged since closing months ago — even the beaten-down old couches are the same. But one thing has changed. The large window to the left of the entrance, which was a psychedelic mushroom mural, is now painted with a bird's eye view of a U-District intersection.

The Weekend News

Hot transit scoop:

Some Metro buses, like the number 48 pictured left, now have LED displays that indicate when a stop has been requested. They display the date and time as a default.

The King County Web site reveals that Metro Transit began a move towards "smart" bus technology last year, requiring replacement of bus communication systems and installation of internal displays.

The site also describes an automated announcement made for each stop that would include nearby landmarks, but that feature was not functioning on the bus pictured above.

From the Metro Transit Web site:

What do "smart" buses do?

• Speed bus trips along major transportation corridors using an enhanced traffic signal priority system that engages only when needed to maintain schedules
• Improve information provided to riders:
• Automatically announce the bus route number and destination to waiting passengers at each bus stop
• Automatically count passengers to provide timely, accurate rider and trip information for more effective transportation planning

In more transit-related news:

Today is Cafe Vivace's last day at their original home just off the corner of Denny Way and Broadway.

The Jack-in-the-Box across the street from them has been fenced off for months, but it seems a shame to move the cafe from its spot overlooking Cal Anderson Park to the newly constructed condominium building, "Brix," at Yale Street and Broadway where it will compete with Dilettante Mocha Cafe and Chocolate Martini Bar.

Cafe owner David Schomer said they would re-open a few days after their move in an interview with The Stranger in March. He also describes the new location as having a 44-foot mural, burnt yellow walls, and sidewalk seating. Schomer also mentioned a grand-opening party — sounds like something not to miss if you love Seattle coffee and beautiful spaces.



In other coffee-shop/ construction news:

Cafe Allegro on 42nd Avenue in the University District looks like it actually will be boxed in. The parking lot between the cafe and 15th Avenue Northeast, but permits and complications held the building back for 10 years — that is, until this sign went up two days ago.

The building permit describes the typical mixed-use, condo deal: a level of retail, a level of offices, a parking garage, and 26 residential units.

Ironically, a woman-driver, whom I recognized as an Allegro regular, honked at me to move out of the way while I took this picture. Maybe she was worried that the lot would close before she got in.


In more tropical news:

Restaurant La Casa Del Mojito on University Way between 52nd and 55th streets is getting good business on Friday nights. They opened only a few months ago, but their selection of Brazilian drinks and food seems to be attracting students and non-students alike.

They offer a few tostones, mashed and fried plantains, with almost all of their entrees, and even offer heart of palm salad — when they aren't out, like they were this last Friday, that is.

Their mojito (above, $7.00) was the perfect strength and perfectly refreshing on a warm Friday evening. The restaurant also features an open kitchen, generous portions ( like Pollo a la Parilla pictured left, $13.75), and friendly staff.

One thing could hinder their success on "the Ave" though — their prices — a bit high for student budgets. However with their proximity to Ravenna and Roosevelt neighborhoods they may not have a problem pulling in more financially stable customers.

In a final wrap-up of this Weekend News:

What's summer in the Rainier Valley with out a shiny, snakeskin-detailed car?