Concert Diary: Blanket Truth, Da Bears and James Rabbit at Dog City on August 12

Though there's much to be said for the bone-rattling power of huge amps and stadium speakers, sometimes it just can't compare to the intimacy of a house show.

Despite the limitations of their performance space — a tiny, messy basement in the University District — the three bands performed with impressive energy.

The show began with a friendly and endearing set from Blanket Truth. Jon Manning sang lead and played the baritone ukulele, which was surprisingly sonorant for such a small instrument. Manning also runs the Seattle-based, lo-fi tape label Lost Sound Tapes.

Eli Damm brought the beat with a softer, indie-rock version of vocal percussion while Craig Salt Peterson complemented the songs with his sweet flute. The small crowd joked with the band between songs. like "Do You Love Me?" which wonders "do you really love me/or are you just crazy?" A few people even meowed on command for the chorus of "The Cat Song."

Da Bears, who had been listening to Blanket Truth just minutes before, reentered for their set in matching fringed leather vests with winged teddy-bear patches sewn on the backs.

The San Diego natives filled the smal space with a precocious poppy-punk rock, accented at times by lead singer Ryan Solomon's nasally sneer and EJ Binns' reedy Melodica.

By far their most catchy song is "Lindsey Lohan," whose lyrics seem to poke fun at the singer/actress' lip-synching slip up:

"just don't forget the words/when you're feelin' more absurd/chance you need to take/but I know you'll break/cause you're a child/just a little child"

Halfway through the set, the band rewarded one lucky fan with a VHS of Jungle 2 Jungle for correctly naming Abraham Lincoln as the tallest president ever.

Next came James Rabbit, who drove up from their hometown of Santa Cruz, Calif. on their West Coast tour with Da Bears.

Frontman Tyler Martin charmed the crowd with animated chatter and a whirlwind of dancing. Da Bears and Blanket Truth all watched with smiles, hinting at the tight-knit nature of their music community.

"Coast to Coast," epitomizes James Rabbit's vibe. The song, which focuses on the difficulty of traveling and maintaining a relationship, starts off with a short, spoken introduction performed by their guitarist and devolves into a chant-able chorus:

"Oh/you know/that I will go/anywhere you are/coast/to coast/and heart to heart"

The band continued to spread the love after their set, giving out CDs out for free as Manning collected gas money in a large plastic jar. He explained that the high price at the pump is a problem for low-budget bands.

Though James Rabbit's blog indicates it planned on heading back down south after their Seattle show, Martin said the band was considering playing in Port Townsend. Blanket Truth should have already left on their own East Coast tour, driving from Seattle all the way to their first gig in Athens, Ga. on August 17.

To see dates and locations for more local house shows, visit seattlediy.com's calendar here.

Seattle Surveillance Society?

Jarmick, in blue on the left, talks with a photographer at the Camerahead Project
demonstration in Cal Anderson Park July 26. On the right, KOMO 4 interviews a volunteer.

Some call the media the fourth arm of the government because of its ability to check the government with investigative reporting. In "You're On Camera," Martin Jarmick captures Seattleite reactions to the emerging policy of anonymous public surveillance with his own video camera. The five-minute video features a representative from the ACLU, artist Paul Strong Jr, and Seattle residents.

Jarmick is part of a growing trend in journalism towards internet publishing. He films for SeattleIAM.com, a site devoted to news and feature stories produced by independent photojournalists in Seattle. He also contributed to the Camerahead story that ran here a few weeks ago.

Citizens Assess SLUT Service

The results are in from the feedback forums on the extension of the South Lake Union "streetcar" to the University District, Central District, Fremont/Ballard, and Capitol Hill/First Hill.

Road width and traffic disruption seem to be the most common concern. Many questions asked for very specific routes—indicating that some attendees wanted to cater their own commute.

But possibly the most important questions are:

1) How does a streetcar compare to other modes of transit (e.g., buses, electric trolleys, rail in exclusive right of way)?
2) How will a streetcar affect the zoning around stations?
3) How can we integrate the system to avoid redundancy?

This comes courtesy of Ann Donovan from capitolhillnews, via James Kelly of the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle.

Who's Laughing Now?

"I submitted the budget today to Congress -- it's on a laptop notebook, an e-budget. It saves paper, saves trees, saves money. I think it's the first budget submitted electronically. And it's a good budget. It's a budget that achieves some important objectives. One, it understands our top priority is to defend our country, so we fund our military, as well as fund the homeland security. Secondly, the budget keeps our economy growing." — President Bush, Cabinet Meeting, February 4

The New York Times published an article today revealing that the Iraqi government expects a surplus as large as $79 billion for its 2008 budget.

www.thewhitehouse.gov projects the 2008 budget deficit to be $389 billion in a mid-session review of fiscal year 2009. The site assures us that the budget "Introduces a new culture of accountability on wasteful earmarks."

Which brings us back to the Times article, and what it tells us about Iraq's surplus:

The figures could be used to argue that because the Iraqi ministries still do not have the capacity to spend their own money, further assistance from the United States is called for, Ms. Alexander said. Or the huge oil revenues could be seen as proof that Iraq has the resources to solve its own problems if it would only use the money.

And in an even more ridiculous twist, the United States has payed Iraq at least $435.6 million in interest on the money because it is held in the Federal Reserve Bank.

Let's Try This Again...

The City of Seattle has put its five automated public toilets up for auction again after the first round received no bids. The minimum bid has changed too — from $89,000 to a mere 99 cents with a $2.50 minimum increase.

The bidding could turn out to be a popularity contest, which toilet do people desire the most? Bidadoo Auctions has even uploaded dozens of high-resolution photos to entice the reluctant toilet fancier.

The standings are:

Hering-Bau WCmatic Automatic Public Toilet #1 - Seattle **CITY OF SEATTLE - APT #1 - PIKE PLACE MARKET**

13 Bids

$205.38

Not specified

9d 1h 49m

Hering-Bau WCmatic Automatic Public Toilet #3 - Seattle **CITY OF SEATTLE - APT #3 - PIONEER SQUARE**

7 Bids

$112.72

Not specified

9d 1h 46m

Hering-Bau WCmatic Automatic Public Toilet #2 - Seattle **CITY OF SEATTLE - APT #2 - ELLIOT BAY WATERFRONT**

9 Bids

$105.83

Not specified

9d 1h 44m

Hering-Bau WCmatic Automatic Public Toilet #4 - Seattle **CITY OF SEATTLE - APT #4 - INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT**

5 Bids

$102.50

Not specified

9d 1h 47m

Hering-Bau WCmatic Automatic Public Toilet #5 - Seattle **CITY OF SEATTLE - APT #5 - CAPITOL HILL**

12 Bids

$100.00

Not specified

9d 1h 42m

Message From our Sponsors

Hi loyal reader(s),

Sorry for the gap in coverage, your tireless writer is a bit, well, tired. However, in the meantime, please take the time to visit Interweb Travels a quirky blog from a man who knows his interweb. You might even find a picture of me from Saturday night when I was completely... anyway.

Also, please be sure to pay my dear sister a visit, she's been gathering articles and comment pages on the senseless violence that broke out at a Critical Mass ride two Fridays ago.

Justin Roeser is probably the hardest working singer/songwriter I've met. He is trying to break into the Seattle music scene, and even drove to South By Southwest to distribute his debut album for free. Give the guy a break and take a listen at his MySpace. He will perform next at an outdoor concert at The Station in Ballard on August 16 (time TBA).

And lastly but not least-ly, Central District News has some great photos from the Central District's lively Umoja Parade.

Thank you, and we will return after a short break. Expect photos.

Sunset from Red Square

George really has a great view sometimes.