So deep is the pool of local talent these days, there was sparsely room for out-of-town acts on the KEXP Gathering Space stage this weekend. One worthwhile exception was shoegaze four-piece Froth, who traveled from Los Angeles to pay a visit to the crowd at the Bumbershoot Music & Arts Festival. Froth focused primarily on dreamy material from their third album, Outside (briefly), released earlier this year on Wichita Recordings. Each of the new songs highlighted the band's growth as musicians in the last few years. When the band started in 2011, partially as a joke, each of the founding members had only just started playing their instruments. In contrast to these early DIY days, Froth showed off some serious chops at KEXP, boldly exploring extended guitar-driven sections like brave pilots navigating a dense fog. Meanwhile, audience members were free to get lost in the music, swaying back and forth with eyes closed or, if the genre description fits, staring down at their sneakers. The band closed with "Passing Thing," a thrilling jolt of post-punk abandon turned Real Estate-esque guitar jam (if you like local group Versing, this one's for you). As the guitars squealed and drummer Cameron Allen pushed the beat along, even the bassist for Crater, who stood at the side of the stage preparing for a later set, couldn't help but nod along enthusiastically while untangling a mess of cables. Hopefully, Froth didn't mind the trip up to Seattle. My guess is they'll be making it more and more.
On Saturday night, a small, but hardcore, audience gathered at The Neptune to enjoy a band that’s been touring steadily for 35 years. The Church is one of the few '80s bands that’s continued to put out new music throughout their long career and this tour is to support their 26th album Man Woman Lif…
On Labor Day weekend 2007, Tim Lennon was working the perimeter at the Bumbershoot Music & Arts Festival. All weekend long, as others danced and partied, Lennon stood dutifully by the gates, occasionally letting artists in, but mainly just standing, waiting. He could hear the laughter of the fe…
Middle kids, in general, struggle for attention. Middle Kids (the band), on the other hand, have had little trouble getting noticed during their short career. The Sydney trio released their first single, the Ryan Adams-esque “Edge of Town," before they had even played a show. Shortly thereafter, po…
