(Cue Vince Guaraldi Trio's "Christmas Time Is Here.") "Christmas time is here/Happiness and cheer/Fun for all that children call/Their favorite time of year..."(Vince Guaraldi Trio fade out.) It's Christmas time! Er, I'm sorry... the Holiday Season!
While I'm busy compiling a list of my favorite holiday tunes (nice try, Jimmy Eat World, but no one will ever be able to capture the magic of Wham!'s "Last Christmas"), local hardcore band Shook Ones are preparing to celebrate the season in their own way with a Winter Ball. It's a fact that hardcore kids know how to party, especially Shook Ones. Past shows have been themed as a high-school prom, summer camp circa 1985, and now they're throwing a winter formal replete with cotton candy (okay, that's more football game than winter formal, but, honestly, spun sugar is appropriate for any occasion), punch, a bubble machine (so majestic), a raffle for rare vinyl and other rad prizes, and prom pictures for your memory books. Also, a king and queen will be crowned at some point in the evening. It could be you.
The best part is the soundtrack. No Boyz II Men bullshit here, my friends; Revelation Records is representing with Shook Ones (Lifetime-inspired poppy hardcore) and Sinking Ships (there's nothing poppy about their hardcore). If you like anything Dan Yemin ever did in his life, you'll make room in your heart for Shook Ones, and if you like anything with furious drumming and gang vocals, you'll love Sinking Ships. Also on the bill is Verse from Providence, Rhode Island. They're a little heavier than the Revelation crew, with a classic, booming East Coast sound, but they've got some killer breakdowns.
The show is Friday, November 30, at the West Seattle American Legion Hall. It starts at 7:00 p.m. and costs $6. Dressing up isn't required, but why the hell wouldn't you take the opportunity to look like awesome? There are many a ruffle tuxedo shirt to be found at Value Village these days. Not that your Trial T-shirt with the holes in the armpits isn't awesome, but c'mon. At least put on a tie, duders; you can still pick up change in a tie. 
Hey, you want a copy of that holiday compilation I'm working on? E-mail me at megan@thestranger.com with your mailing address and I'll send you one. I can't promise Wham! won't be on it, but I can promise it'll be John Denver free. Probably.
