Monthly Archives: June 2019

Machine Gun Kelly Live @Showbox Sodo 6/25/19

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First time I seen this guy was at the AVN awards in Vegas some years ago and never had heard of him. It was a quick 1 or 2 song intermission show and I was hammered so didn’t remember too much of it. Then I heard the song “Till I Die” and I was like this guy is cool. Then the whack ass Eminem beef starts and I thought…who is this slim shady guy think he is? Some type of dope relic from a mystical fake past he dreamed of? Eminem has never ever had play in my cars and he is a great lyricist who can think of witty little rhymes about his mom and living in a trailer park but BITCH , MGK is FROM THE LAND! Plus I just really think MGK’s long arms would knock the EBT card out of trailer park boi M&M. Anyway, back to the show. Showbox Sodo isn’t as good as Market but still a good venue and large open good sound quality. You can pay extra for the VIP section and have reserved seating with a dedicated waitress. He had a solid entrance rising up behind the stage in a tan khaki suit which he went shirtless halfway through the show. This was a great mix of Rock and Rap /some alternative that reminds me of Aerosmith and Run DMC when they did their collaboration “walk this way” back then. He even went up & played the drums, tore it up then hopped on the guitar while doing lead vocals proving this guy has talent. This was his very first sold-out show and he thanked the crowd a few times for it thus Seattle, WA showing their support. He even said he did a show with about 3 rows of people before and now it was filled and thanked us. MGK coming straight out of Cleveland tattoo’ed everywhere sporting died hair you can tell his is an individual just being himself. We use to think people of color were the only ones representing the hood but MGK says in his lyrics “in the hood hes good, till he dies” and the Showbox crowd went crazy for him. Also here to let you know people with lighter shades of skin have been out here in the hood so throw your stereotypes in a sack. Towards the end he did the song 27 which is a deep song about dying young but dying a legend, great track. He climbed on the rafter at one point so someone could throw him a joint. This guy is a real entertainer and if you on that Eminem shit remember MGK has that reach and will physically beat him up so stop listening to a guy that will lose to the opposing artist in a fist fight. Haha JK M&M alright. Check MGK when you can he is worth the money to see.

Celly Cel Live @Brothers Gemini 6/22/19

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This is the second time I drove deep to the oddest of places to see Cel perform live. I took this solo drive to deep Port Angeles , WA this time, which is like a hill billy town with the tallest building about 3 stories high. I decided to take the ferry to cut the drive time thru Tacoma but still was hours from the Bremerton Terminal to get to the show. The venue itself had good reviews online but when I got there they had a weird layout with the bar in the middle and the “stage” off to the side which was just a built in platform with railings. Wasn’t terrible but just small area. The towns people all gathered in there and you had to wonder where these people came from. I even spotted an elderly lady at the bar as if someone misplaced their grandmother. The bartender looked like 2 hours after her 21-first birthday and took about 60hrs to pour drinks so I was sure to get doubles and double fist. There was cheap motels nearby so don’t stress where to stay for shows but ZERO uber or lyft out there so you gotta go old school and whistle a cabbie to get around town. As for Celly Cel I was front and center after the 4-5 openers (too many I think) performed and like the last time I saw Cel he walked in with no entourage just hella G by himself walking through the actual crowd. It was at that point it dawned on me that many just have not heard of Cel to need security for his shows and also because he looks built like a line backer if you see him up close. With hands the size of catchers mitts like he could palm a face in Killa Kali. I digress, the show was cool, although you catch some slight lip syncing but mainly because they turn his background vocals up real high so he is rapping over himself almost like tracing a drawing. I noticed that at his last show but the amount of energy he puts into his stage presence along with the fact he recorded these songs himself in the 90’s you can’t complain. He did tracks from G Files, Killa Kali and some new stuff to keep the crowds ears well versed. After the show he hung out a bit, took pics, signed a couple posters for people and he and I shot the breeze outside. I told him to stop doing shows outside Seattle, WA because it’s like an artist doing a show in CA but never performing in LA. I hope to see him in Seattle next time and would for sure support this original at his next show but feel I have paid my dues on the long treks.

Wu Tang Clan Live @WAMU Theater 6/21/19

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“Wu Tang Clan ain’t nuthin to fuck with!” I have always wanted to see this legendary rap group but have missed every Seattle show. However not this year and even though I hate WAMU theater for shows I still had to make attendance. WAMU is a huge area usually with an entire general admission venue with some exceptions on folding chair seating and stands in the very back. The sound quality inside is never good, it echos and loud bass and tremble over powering the performers. They are very strict on what you can bring inside and it cost money to check your shit into lockers outside, real pain in the ass. Not to mention they only have one area when you first walk in for drinks and nothing can be taken into the venue-performance area. So that means you sit in a long ass lines for a $10 beer that you can only buy 1 per person and it can’t leave the beer garden which the show cannot be seen from. WAMU is located in downtown Seattle and a terrible parking zone. About the only benefit to WAMU is at least you know the artist made their money of housing a huge place for lots of ticket sales. Anyway, the group did decent for the shitty venue and the ODB cover /tribute was on point with much energy. My favorite of the group that specific show was Method Man, he was about the only one who had the crisp original voice while others were distorted due to the venues low capabilities. They did all the classic tracks and mixed a few songs together which sounded good the way they did it. The lights and background effects added great appeal and the crowd went crazy as seen here they all put up W’s to show their support to the group. All and all worth it but would never see them again if it was at this venue. WAMU Theater should just stick to EDM shows with lasers and shit.

Blindspotting Movie (2018)

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Great movie displaying life in Oakland CA. Many of us reminisce of the golden era of 90’s hood movies but take a ride in the current time through CA with references to modern-time themes. The two actors are real life childhood friends from Oakland who spent about a decade writing this film. It was limited release and written in a spoken-verse-style which is commonly known as a rhythmic poetry. Daveed looks like a version of O-Dog from menace II society and Casal looks like Machine Gun Kelly and G-Eazy made a baby. There is some comedy in it especially the scene of where a young man explains a story he recalls of Daveed and Casal beating up someone but then also much drama and real life struggles that give the viewers full understanding of each persons characters. Also you have realistic trials and tribulations of young men trying to stay out of trouble in a city breeding trouble at every corner. You see clear comparisons of neighborhoods blossoming gentrification including a camera shot of new modern built homes in between older homes. You see racism tackled in multiple different ways including a very different approach I can relate to but never seen on screen much. The ending is interesting and not one you really would expect but the entire film has great engaging scenes to keep you curious of what will happen next. I enjoyed this and each character played a very believable role. Many of us watch movies or hear music of Southern CA but this is a great story of Northern CA worth watching.

Goodybagg Live @Genesee Park 6/8/19

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I first heard this live band at an Adult Prom that I was stood up at. The sounds were amazing and they did lots of classic R&B, 90’s rap covers with some classic MoTown and Funk. If you ever heard any 90’s rap song actually sang with live instruments, saxophone, drums, and guitar it changes the whole sound in a great way. Almost like a brand new song yet very familiar. Seen here is Genesee Park located in the Souf End (not to be confused with “South”) Anyone really from South Seattle area calls it “The Souf End” just always been that way. Anyway, this park is large and close to Seward park with the area pictured to set up for family BBQs or live music. This specific event is an annual Spodie that a bunch of people put on once a year to sort of kick off summer and bring the community together. This includes residents, families, friends, motorcycle clubs as well as a few food truck vendors. It was $15 a cup and all you could drink so I imagine people were hammered at some point. I left after the band was done and Goodybagg was doing great covers by snoop dogg and Ice cube with the Sax really doing major justice to the songs behind vocals. Check out Goodybagg they perform regularly across Seattle, Tacoma and various places like The Royal Room, Edgewater and casinos.

Brotha Lynch Hung Live @Crocodile 6/4/19

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Growing up in the 90’s Gangsta rap was a huge thing for people that lived it or just wanted to listen to the stories told by the people who either saw it or lived it themselves. To see this artist touring was not only great but also to see Mr. Lynch at the Crocodile in Seattle, WA was even better. This venue is located in Belltown and the venue has been home to many 90’s grunge artists who caught their big break from there. It has an upper deck and lower main area that anyone can go to and from. Lynch put on a great show, new songs and classic ones from his earlier albums. He interacted with the crowd doing handshakes as he sent the lyrics into the ears of the audience. He showed up in sweat pants displaying he is still Brotha Lynch from the Garden Blocc. Lots of these 90’s rappers never made it very far when they stayed in the gang life but it’s reported that Lynch is one of the few to leave the gang life behind and then rap about the stories he may or may have not lived or seen. Lynch also is one of the originators of “horrorcore” which is a rap style that comes off evil and sick to some, not just killing people but dismembering and rapes with guns. However many of his classic tracks were blasting thru the speakers of many youth then and to this day, great show and glad to say I was there.

Rainbow Kitten Surprise Live @Paramount Theater 5/31/19

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I go to a lot of Paramount Theater shows, great venue, easy to get to with a historical touch makes it a great place to see live music. Lower open standing area as seen below with seating in rows up above. I received an email with this band name on their weekly newsletter and with a name like that I had to check it out. I was amazed at how many people actually knew of the band and were chanting all the lyrics during songs. I felt they were “okay” not terrible not amazing. The lead singer put on a great show, interacted with the audience as well as his band mates. Some decent guitar rips and good lighting effects in back. If you aren’t familiar, they have this indie-alternative rock sound to them with some hints of other musical sound but most of their stuff had me scrolling thru my phone to pass the time. Meanwhile the crowd was going wild so fuck my opinion but just how I felt. The main reason I went to see them was because I liked the song “Fever Pitch” which was the only one I enjoyed at the show. The rest I just couldn’t get with. The band is interesting themselves. The drummer up on a platform doing his thing, while the lead singer looked like a spokesperson for Neighbors night club in Capital Hill with a beard and about 5’4″ tall and some tight hammer pants on. One guitarist was a chubby dude with glasses looked like he was really good at math and leader of the chess club. Then to the right was a tall chick in white bell-bottoms/long hair and wait..nope it was a dude actually and what gave it away was the flat booty, sleek aerodynamic chest, hair line, long feet and hands that really told me…yep that’s a dude. However, in light of the whole LGBT movement the Seattle rainbows were in full effect. Rock on you little colorful souls and I will quote Owen Wilson from Zoolander on this; “I haven’t heard a lot of their music, but the fact that they are still making it, I respect that.”