While Clipse were hustling Zunes at the Baltic Room Thursday, January 25, Ben Lashes of the Lashes was getting his own hustle on over at Club Pop at Chop Suey. According to the night's promoter, Michael Yuasa, Lashes was upset over the band's take from the door, and threatened to "tell all his friends and all the Seattle music industry not to play Pop" unless Yuasa came up with more cash. "He started throwing a total shit fit, like he owned the joint," says Yuasa, adding, "He was acting like a joke." Their tour manager eventually settled the matter.
Friday, January 26, at Chop Suey, the guests in the greenroom—including Eric "NRDLNGR" Nordlund, Clayton "Sing Sing" Vomero, and Kristen "Rags to Riches" Finstad—were much better behaved, although Finstad and MC Chompers got into some kind of shouting match. Finstad is getting out of the promotion business, but her Rags to Riches partners Amy Dials and Jon Cairns are taking over Tuesdays at Havana starting this week. Their new night, Hotel Motel, will feature the selector talents of DJ Curtis and guests, and on their opening night, they'll be giving out a hundred keys that will guarantee permanent free entry to their holders plus a guest. It should be fun, but I wish they'd gone with their original name for the night, Bridge & Tunnel.
On Saturday, January 27, my well-documented love of free booze (and my grudging support of all-ages music) led me to the Vera Project's charity auction. There's nothing like seeing how music-industry types get dressed up for a "black-tie" event: lots of jeans, blazers over T-shirts, and cowboy shirts. Pat Cashman (?!) hosted the event (have you heard his one about Auburn? hilarious!); James Keblas, Kate Becker, Megan Jasper, and The Stranger's own Christopher Hong gave stirring speeches (with Hong even dredging up an old Slog discussion); and John Roderick of the Long Winters performed a few sweet acoustic numbers. Among the guests were the aforementioned Vera royalty (as well as Melissa Quayle and Shannon Roach), the petit bourgeoisie of the local music industry (Dave Meinert, Jason Lajuenesse, Steven Severin, and Mike Meckling), city councilman Peter Steinbrueck, and even some Presidents of the United States of America.
Saturday night's "sold the hell out" Girl Talk show at Chop Suey was decidedly less formal, with laptop savant Gregg Gillis performing shoeless and eventually shirtless for the massive crowd. It's a little early to be talking "best of 2007," but Girl Talk's show is clearly the one to beat at this point in the year. There was crowd surfing, beer flying everywhere, and sweat literally dripping down the walls, and Gillis's set was a nonstop rush, incorporating bits of his phenomenal Night Ripper as well as newly mashed-up material. After the show, tireless promoter DJ Recess and his Shameless crew were outside fliering for their February 9 party at Re-Bar with Drop the Lime. Drop the Lime may lack Girl Talk's hype and high profile, but their glitchy pop refixes scratch the same itch as Gillis does. 
