PLANETS

The impossibly impressive Napa California duo, PLANETS, are on a West Coast tour. Bass+Drums joyfully shredding through the most complex of compositions with vibrant visual programmed projections. They come back to Seattle next weekend to play TWO killer line-ups.





Fliers by Boss Level artists RONDO & Dale Meteer, respecitvely.

Dreamcatcher at Disjecta, PDX Weekend!

Do you like ironic Southwestern visual nostalgia made by Northwestern artists with spirit animals? Us, too. It's all going down at the Dreamcatcher show at the Disjecta Gallery in Portland this Saturday, February 28. Doors open at 6, music starts at 7:30, and there's no cover charge. In addition to the impressive lineup of PDX-based bands set to play (including Cars and Trains, Rob Walmart, and White Fang), a sizable group of local acts are making the trek down to play. The list includes Hair Envelope, White Power Plant, Big Spider's Back and Universal Studios Florida, who has been performing alongside ALASKAS recently in between collaborating with artists across the US for their forth-coming full-length, set for release in the spring.







Universal Studio Florida is currently offering a track featuring Blind Man's Colour on their myspace. Below is the demo track, Frozen Bayou, from USF featuring ALASKAS.



As long as we're mentioning ALASKAS, we might as well give you a heads up for his tour dates for March:

March 8, Seattle- The Greenhous with Planets (Napa), Flexions and Braidstorm
March 20, Seattle- Chiladelphia with Amir Coyle (SF) and Forrest Friends
March 21, Portland- Pocket Sandwich with Amir Coyle
March 22, Oakland- Deep Space Nine with Amir Coyle, Inca Ore, Yellow Crystal Star
March 24, Oakland- House of Nostromo with Casey Chilsolm, Dear Indigy, and Magnanimous
March 30, Seattle- The Josephine with Physical Demon, White Leopards, Marriage and Italic Indian

Details on Bay Area shows on March 23, 25, 26, and 28 are to be announced here in the near future.

By Anna Banchik

Club Pop with TacocaT, Braidstorm, and Broken Nobles

Club Pop offer another killer bill for Thursday night. We've written about Braidstorm before, even put on a recent show of theirs. I can't express my excitement enough for Seattle's newest band They should be enough to make you get out to Chop Suey tomorrow night.

Broken Nobles is Conor Kiley of Holy Ghost Revival's new band. From the sound of their two songs posted on myspace, it might not live up to the 'tearing down the house' standards Holy Ghost lived up to; nonetheless, I only expect great things from Mr. Kiley.

TacocaT will be headlining, showcasing their pop punk anthems of volcanoes, drugs, and all those "vagina songs". They're a quality time tested and approved party band, and have yet to let any majority down, even Eric Grandy kinda changed his mind (I think).

H+H is happy to announce we'll be releasing TacocaT's tour EP on cassette+digital download for the US to gobble up while they're on tour in March and April. We're tagging along and video blogging the entire thing. Check out TacocaT's tour dates and sell them your van! They are adorable!


w/ Recess + Expendable Youth DJing, Special Guest DJ Reflex. 18+ Bar w/ ID
Doors at 8pm
$8 before 11pm, $10 after

BRAIDSTORM, Seattle's newest band

Braidstorm refuses to be considered "cute". They play music because they like it, and if they keep it up like this no one is going to let them stop playing. They've got about 3 shows under their collective belts with several other coming up, including next Thursday's Club Pop with TacocaT.

Two drummers and a bass player intertwine in the song Grand Fur to create an upbeat, sing-alongers tongue twister. They just finished up recording songs with Jim Schiel and Christopher Brown who will be recording the next ALASKAS record beginning any day now. Those tracks aren't available yet, but we'll make sure to post some when they are. Currently there is a live track available at Braidstorm's myspace.

Check out these live videos from the Clubhouse Gallery show we put on, courtesy of YWA.

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 20TH

Another incredible lineup taking place this Friday in my basement:



Foot Village from LA are 4 drummers. Screaming. Attacking. // Magic Johnson is from Portland. Bilingual boy and girl with crispy crunchy dance punk. A Los Angeles party bus running red lights with Oregon plates. // Total Bros are from Portland. Fast, fun, mathy catchy fast jams. If you missed them a couple weeks ago, here is another chance. If you saw them, you'll be here. Duh. // Cut***Loose is my favorite band. The three instruments kind of sound like they are arguing about religion or Richard Pryor or something. // ALASKAS has lost his voice.

ALASKAS reporting on the scene.

Hello friends, thanks for having hella fun on Saturday with me. I had a total blast. I wanted to let you know about a crucial show at my house, Chilladelphia, on Sunday. It features 2 incredibly excited young bands from Seattle: Herr Jazz and Problems. Also, from Portland we have the super-fun duo Total Bros making their Seattle debut. And, all the way from my hometown of Santa Rosa CA, comes Exasperation Missionary to beat your ass with some old-school screamo. The boys from Batman Vs. Predator, who shredded my house twice now, hold down bass and drums, so you know what you're getting into.



Oh, then on Friday the 13th, I am invading another living room in the U-District with my newest collaborator, comrades, and solid dudes who hook me up with rides to our shows: Universal Studios Florida. Check out their remix of my song Pronoun as well.



ALASKAS (USA): H&H2009

Clubhouse Gallery Opening

Last week, Highfives & Handshakes presented a free music and art showcase at the Clubhouse Gallery Opening in the central district. The night featured the newest artwork, zines, and merchandise from members of the Boss Level Art Collective along with live performances by Braidstorm, Universal Studios Florida, and ALASKAS.

The renowned Boss Level Collective is a group of talented local artists whose widely varying styles of painting and illustration have gathered much attention as of late. Among the list of members are Good Vibes, Derek Charm, Rondo, and Tika Masala, also one-third of the opening act Braidstorm. A Boss Level Showcase is being held at the Fuel Café on Capitol Hill (610 19th Ave E.) throughout the month of February.

The first band to go on was Braidstorm, made up of Jessica James, Becky Berryhill, and Tika Hall (www.myspace.com/braidstormy.) Their raw performance held a certain feminine quirkiness, wherein one could trace the influence of the Breeders. With a high-powered setlist of songs about endangered species, among other things, Braidstorm soon had the crowd jumping. If you liked what you heard, or haven't had the chance to check out this up-and-coming band of babes, they'll next be playing February 15 at the Rendezvous with Strong Killings and Cut***Loose.

Minutes later the tight space, by that time fully packed, was hijacked by Universal Studios Florida, who wove together a cosmic landscape of tribal beats, guitar loops, synthesizers, and who knows what else (www.myspace.com/universalstudiosfloridaband.) The duo, comprised of Rainydawg Radio's Jason Baxter and Kyle Hargus, recently put out a debut EP on Brooklyn-based Little Fury Things and has since been collaborating with ALASKAS, who appeared for a song at the end of their performance. Their mesmerizing self-titled release can be purchased online (www.littlefurythings.net) or at their next show with ALASKAS on February 13 (more information available on myspace.)

And finally, the one-man army known as ALASKAS took center for an energetic set, threatened midway by cops but stopping his aural assault for no one (www.dillonjamesregoisalaskas.com.) As always, Dillon James Rego demanded, and received, full crowd attention. In addition to nonstop touring, he recently put out a four-track CDR entitled "I Just Wanted To Give You Something Real To Hope For" and is preparing for the July 2009 release of "Set Yourself Free," a full-length album released through Highfives & Handshakes Records.

For those of you who came around last night, we appreciate your support and hope you had a blast like we did! And for those missed out, make sure you check out these local talents at upcoming events in the H&H community.

Written by Anna Banchik
Photos by Jennifer Becker

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ALASKAS and Universal Studios Florida
February 13, 8 PM
Zak's House: 8th Ave NE
Cost: FREE

Braidstorm with Strong Killings and Cut***Loose
February 15, 8 PM
The Rendezvous, Belltown
Cost: $2