From the Mar 31 – Apr 6, 2005 issue

Music

UNDERAGE

by Megan Seling

Rock shows are taking a backseat this week because I have a much more exciting matter to address: love. More specifically, the love between two very awesome people, both of whom I'm a huge fan of, Miss Alissabeth Newton and Mr. Andrew Moore.

Surely you know who they are. Alissa is the feisty drummer for local pop band the Catch. You've seen her behind the set, hitting the drums harder than most boys in this city and purging that dreaded "you hit like a girl" phrase from doubter's minds. And Andrew, well he's the charismatic frontman for Kane Hodder, often spotted thrashing around on stage like a sweaty, ravenous animal. Together, they're For Better or For Awesome, an adorable new pop duo--and they're getting married.

The two met at a Chop Suey new wave cover night in the winter of 2003 and exchanged a few e-mails over LiveJournal, the infamous blog site (that's either really sweet or really geeky, I can't decide). From there, it was the kind of instant, stars in your eyes romance that only seems to exist in movies starring John Cusack--and if I were any more cynical, I'd call it sickening. Good thing I'm not cynical though.

The private wedding ceremony will take place this Saturday, April 2, and given their local "rock star" status, the whole affair will be littered with tons of Seattle rock 'n' roll superstars. To delve too far into the details and the guest list, though, would give off a weird Page Six vibe, and I just don't think I'm cut out for the gossip column business.

I will say, though, that I can't wait to see the Hodder boys, Andrew's groomsmen, donning their navy blue suits for the occasion, as they're rarely seen in anything other than T-shirts, Dickies pants, and Converse. I'll take plenty of photos to bribe them with later.

But more notable than the clothes and guest list, the new union birthed the aforementioned pop band For Better or For Awesome. FBOFA features Alissa on drums and Andrew on guitar, with both sharing vocal duties. They've only made two public appearances, at the Jawbreaker cover night last year and the Disney cover night back in February, but now they have a small collection of original material that they've been polishing. It has the same upbeat pop energy as the Catch, but the melodies get thickened with the more complex song structure Kane Hodder is known for. And it sounds nothing if not adorable, as the songs are mostly about how happy the two lovebirds are together. Awww!

As their time allows, FBOFA want to start playing shows. For now, though, they have enough on their plates with the wedding, a two-month Hodder tour starting a week after the nuptials, and a Catch record release and tour happening in May/June.

High fives to the both of you, A&A. For better or for awesome!! MEGAN SELING

megan@thestranger.com

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