Two Saturdays ago pushed things from bad to ridiculous. March had
been a pretty mediocre month for all-ages music here in Seattle, but
what went down at the Wildrose that Saturday night was the topper. I
was huddled outside of the bar’s window with a couple of my
fellow under-21 friends to see Thee Oh Sees. It’s obviously never
the same watching a show through a pane of glass, but the band played
brilliant sets the past two times they were in town, especially at
Gallery 1412, and I thought it would be worth it. In between one of
their songs, which I could hardly hear anyway, Oh Sees singer John Dwyer
(formerly of Pink and Brown and Coachwhips) turned around, looked at
the pack of dorks behind him at the window, and announced to the bar in
an affected drawl, “LOOK AT ALL THE LITTLE 15-YEAR-OLDS!”
Being mocked by one of your favorite musicians stinks, but it pales
in comparison to the constant mockery of the words “21+” on posters and
concert calendars all month long. After hearing Beach House‘s
latest album, Devotion, I fell in love with the band, only to
find out I couldn’t go see them play at Chop Suey. Everyone will be
talking for months about Boredoms’ recent set at
Neumo’s—just another party that Seattle’s youth weren’t invited
to. Even The Stranger‘s Young Ones showcase last month
couldn’t be attended by Seattle’s literal young ones.
I understand the importance of alcohol laws, that promoters have to
make their money, and that all-ages shows carry a
higher financial
risk most of the time. It bites, but life goes on.
Spring is coming, and the month of April is looking like the
sunshine peeking out from March’s clouds. The Old Fire House has some
solid shows in the works—Past Lives, Triumph of
Lethargy, and the Dead Science for a start—and the
Vera Project has a strong month featuring Why?, Mount
Eerie, Iron Lung, and the Yellow Swans‘ last Seattle
show ever. Summer’s right around the corner for all those sweaty
house shows. Yeah, March has been a pretty bleak month. But
something tells me it only gets better from here, even for the little
15-year-olds. 