Ice-cream shops usually slow down during the frigid season, but this
winter, Full Tilt Ice Cream in White Center has kept
consistently busy hosting all-ages shows. New local bands like Herr
Jazz and Dimples as well as bigger acts like No-Fi Soul Rebellion, and
Casy and Brian—all playing for the sole compensation of free ice
cream—are just a few shows that have recently made the trek down
south worthwhile. And this Thursday’s show, with Montana’s Tyson
Ballew, Blanket Truth, and 1985, looks to be another one well worth the
trip.
Pop orchestra Blanket Truth consist of Seattle-scene stalwart
Jon Manning and a rotating band of his talented, high-energy musician
friends. Like children’s music for kids on uppers, the band’s songs
often start as subdued ukulele jams about animals and youth,
only to mushroom-cloud into chaotic blasts of cello, tons of
percussion, and some seriously frenzied gang vocals. Blanket Truth draw
on years of experience playing basements and various odd venues around
the city, and their mercurial sing-alongs and lighthearted stage
presence are sure to heat up Full Tilt to near melting point.
Matt Fu—when he isn’t booking shows around the city,
coordinating up-and-coming DIY record label Masa Records, or otherwise
acting as an all-ages super-
advocate—plays sweet and simple
songs on his acoustic guitar under the name 1985. Started in
2007 with members of Olympia band Lake, Fu now continues 1985 as
a solo project, singing sentimental songs about his travels, his
friends, and occasionally his loves. Full Tilt is off to an extremely
strong start for such an unconventional venue, and with a calendar
booked into April, the place seems set to keep serving up the tasty
times well into ice-cream season. 
Thurs Feb 26: Tyson Ballew, Blanket Truth, 1985 at
Full Tilt Ice Cream, 8 pm, free.
Fri Feb 27: Noah Gundersen, Garage Voice, the
Barefoot Contingent at Q Cafe, 7:30 pm, $7.
Fri Feb 27: Hip-Hop Period at Hidmo Eritrean
Cuisine, 8 pm, free.
Fri Feb 27: Angelo Spencer, Bash Brothers, Marmits
at the Den, 7:30 pm, donations.