First, the not very good news: As reported last week on Line Out, Eric Howk, 25-year-old guitarist for the Lashes, was seriously injured when he accidentally fell into an unmarked 12-foot-deep hole in the backyard of a Capitol Hill house. The incident happened shortly before midnight on May 5; he was rushed to Harborview for emergency surgery.
No one is confirming the severity of his injuries at this time, but friends and family report that the initial surgery went as well as they could have hoped, and although he remains in the hospital, his spirits are high. Benefit shows are in the works, and in the meantime, friends and fans can send Howk positive notes via his MySpace page (www.myspace.com/ericlashes) or through Harborview's website (www.harborview.org) by clicking the "E-mail a patient or send a gift" button. Use his full name, Eric Howk, to ensure it gets to him quickly.
Check Line Out (www.thestranger.com/line-out) and the Lashes' MySpace page (www.myspace.com/thelashes) for updates.
As for the good and pretty news for the week, local instrumental outfit Joy Wants Eternity will release their new album, You Who Pretend to Sleep, on May 22. Clocking in at just under 40 minutes, You Who Pretend to Sleep is a sweeping collection of dynamic and vivid shoegazery rock that drips with the same heavy emotions as My Bloody Valentine. At times, the softer moments are reminiscent of Mogwai's Rock Action, but with layers of guitars and Rhodes piano building to a climax and swirling around the ether; songs also grow to an intensity that stands up to Explosions in the Sky's louder moments. It's the perfect record to blast through headphones when you just want to lie back and let yourself feel weightless. (I know that sounds like weird hippie bullshit, but it's true. Trust me.)
No doubt they'll be the stars of their May 19 CD-release show, but two other impressive local acts—Welcome and Sleepy Eyes of Death—are rounding out the bill. Sleepy Eyes of Death were last week's Band of the Week at www.thestranger.com—and for good reason: They play high-energy electronic spacecore. Spacecore? Yeah, let's call it spacecore. You can hear a few tracks on their Stranger Bands page at www.thestranger.com/bands. I recommend you start with "Eyes Spliced Open." While maintaining an impressively steady and strong beat, the song goes on a fantastic voyage through both chaotic and melodic moments. Compared to JWE, there's less obvious beauty, but the song still boasts a strong charisma. I can't wait to see it played live.
Joy Wants Eternity, Welcome, and Sleepy Eyes of Death play Sat May 19 at Atlas Clothing & Music, 8 pm, $5, all ages.
