When:
Sat June 11
Where:
Central District
Party Crasher occasionally hosts visitors from out of town. When these guests come to Seattle, they often arrive with the same stereotypes about our city, including: (1) “It rains a helluvalot, right?” and (2) “Don’t you guys all listen to Death Cab and cry?”
Fuck that shit. It doesn’t always rain here, but it is pouring on June 11, which totally makes Swiss cheese out of Party Crasher’s “no real rain” argument. But at least the bands playing this house party quickly destroy the second stereotype. When we enter in from the rain, we can feel the bass-heavy vibrations of a sound check happening under the floor, and we head down to the basement to see the first band, Thieves. They play well for it being their first show ever, sending out heavy, danceable post-punk vibes. The basement is packed, with people overflowing onto the steps and back up to the kitchen.
When Thieves finish, the throng heads upstairs and the congestion crowds the house, making doorways impassable. This is a good way to force strangers into conversation, and the posse makes new friends and spots a few spectacular outfits, some acquired from a “costume box” located in another distant room.
Shoplifting also play in the basement, but the downstairs is so crowded at this point that a lot of partygoers skip the performance, hanging out on the porch smoking and drinking. In the living room people play around on a conch shell and an electric organ, causing strange tones to emanate above the loud conversations surrounding us. Taken as a whole, this party helps eliminate the weird, sad stereotype surrounding Seattle, and our out of towners go home with a new perspective on our local scene. ■
Want to give Party Crasher a place to take the next out-of-town guests? E-mail all the info (date, place, time) to partycrasher@thestranger.com.