• In Australia, Odd Future head honcho Tyler, the Creator (of semiregular drama, amiright?) is under police investigation
after spewing a series of hateful, misogynistic comments directed at a member of the feminist group Collective Shout (which had been lobbying for the revocation of the artist’s visa) during his all-ages show in Sydney. Gross.
• Friday at Chop Suey, English producer Cut Hands (former Whitehouse noisician William Bennett) proved that laptop music can brutalize with the fearsome power of a gang of black-metal mofos. While images from Maya Deren’s Divine Horsemen flickered on the screen, Cut Hands intertwined intricate voodoo-inspired beats that made the Richter scale go bonkers with the chaotic clangor of abusive metallic percussion. The heavily goth crowd left in traumatized euphoria.
• A local venue that’s recently been feeling a little “stompy jerk-bro” has found the secret to keeping things less aggro in the pit: pump Mariah Carey and Christmas music through the speakers in between band sets. (Other places this might work: police-car stereos, football games, Woodstock ’99.)
• Dude York, Shannon and the Clams, and Mikal Cronin played a sold-out show at the Tractor on Friday. While every band on this stacked bill put on a great show, the night’s gold star went to Shannon Shaw and her main Clam Cody Blanchard (with the help of a new and barefoot drummer). They charmed the Ballard audience with a mix of their well-loved hits and brand-new jams off their latest album, Dreams in the Rat House—”Rip Van Winkle” was especially pleasing to wiggle to live.
• Holding a prog-rock festival takes courage, as that genre is still viewed with fear, derision, and ignorance. So kudos to the organizers of Seaprog Festival for throwing a three-day event—happening June 28 to 30 at Columbia City Theater and the Royal Room—that showcases musicians doing innovative work within a style that’s been around for more than four decades. The excellent, diverse lineup includes Colorado’s Thinking Plague, Italy’s Jolanda, California’s miRthkon, and locals like Bill Horist, Operation ID, and Moraine. Go to seaprog.org for more info.
• A new album from the Julie Ruin, titled Run Fast, is scheduled to come out on TJR Records on September 3. Welcome back, Kathleen Hanna! We really, really missed you [see first and third items above]. 