Working with local bands like Ambitious Career Woman, Joules, From Here to Red, and Venice Love in the Stars, Sardonic Sounds has dedicated itself to making life a little easier for artists by booking shows around the area (namely at Bellevue's Ground Zero) and promoting their projects.
Simply put, Sardonic Sounds "puts on all-ages shows, is a record label, and we are a community of artists and fans trying to have a good time," says 21-year-old cofounder Sam Melancon.
Two years ago, Sam and his friend Malia Alexander wanted to do something for the music community that they had been fans of for so long. With the intent to do a webzine, Sam and Malia's ambition quickly caused the project to snowball into a multifaceted support group of sorts for local musicians.
The club isn't exclusive, though, and SS (joined by friends and family) welcomes any and all music fans to participate.
"If you like putting on shows, then come join us," says Sam. "If you want to work for a record label, come help us. The way we do business is very artist-focused; we are here for the artists and there would be nothing without them, so we want to handle as much of their business-related stuff as possible so they can focus on making their art."
As well as expanding their volunteer base, they also want to broaden their efforts into more than just show promotion.
"We want to expand into new venues around the area while keeping our home base at Ground Zero," Sam explains. "We are fiercely dedicated to that place. We're all old-school Eastside kids--we remember Sunny Day, Modest Mouse, Harvey Danger, Juno, and Botch playing Ground Zero. Hopefully we can keep bringing interesting options to the kids of the Eastside while raising the quality and diversity of music to the highest level."
As if that isn't enough, Sardonic Sounds also has a couple records coming out this summer from A Kiss Farewell and Gods Among Men, and they plan on releasing a compilation CD and series of split EPs too.
If you're interested, more info is at www.sardonicsounds.com, or you could always chat them up at a show. In fact, they have two this weekend--Friday at Hell's Kitchen with Kinski, the Dead Science, Joules, and Gods Among Men, and Saturday at Ground Zero with Idiot Pilot, the Fall of Troy, Eyes of Autumn, Mon Frere, and Joules. Friday's show starts at 6:00 p.m., Saturday's is at 7:00 p.m., and a canned-food donation gets a buck off admission at each show. MEGAN SELING
