Seattle Noise

I first saw the new metal band Undulation (blackened melodic death metal) on Monday, June 5 2023 at Belltown Yacht Club. I hadn’t taken much time to listen to the them but I was blown away by the performance. Shortly after they releaed An Unhealthy Interest in Suffering and recorded is just as good as they are live, especially the vocalist. Members for this Seattle based band include The Executioner (vocals, also performs under Ex-Florist, formerly Guayaba), Dylan ‘Dahlia’ Berry (guitar), Nelson Payne (guitar), Zach Purtell (drums, also plays in Rainbow Coalition Death Cult and Seth Death (bass). It’s a pleasant surprise to stumble into a new project rather accidentally.

July 3 - Abbey Blackwell & Friends / Megadose / Peg

In July, Abbey Blackwell will release My Maze. In advance of the new album, they will play a show with Neil Welch, Alina To, Steve Moore, and Jacob Zimmerman. In addition will be Sheridan Riley (Peg) and Megadose (indie power pop).

8:00 PM at Sunset Tavern - Event Page

July 7 - Deathgrave / deathCAVE / Bummer / Colony Drop

On tour from San Jose, California will be Deathgrave (powerviolence death metal), joined by Bummer (grindcore), deathCave (heavy psychedelic doom metal), and Colony Drop (crossover thrash hardcore).

7:00 PM at Lucky Liquor - Event Page

July 8 - Shudder / Free Tampons / NUDECONSUMER / Dehiscent

Shudder (punk) will play along with Free Tampons (hardcore riot grrl), NUDECONSUMER (harsh noise wall), and Dehiscent (anti-fascist doom metal).

7:00 PM at Lucky Liquor - Event Page

July 8 - Coven 6669 / Gravewitch / DTI / Crüd Güns

Long time metal (anti-christian thrash) band Coven 6669 will play along with Gravewitch (melodic death metal), DTI (grindcore black metal), and Crüd Güns (thrash black metal).

7:00 PM at The Central Saloon - Event Page

June 26 - DOWM / Forrest Friends / Style King of the Week / Matthew Allen

DOWM (ambient/tape loops from Austria) will perform along with Forrest Friends (weirdo cave junk vibes, creep jammers), Style King of the Week (cassette tapes, synth, drums), and Matthew Allen (modular synth).

8:00 PM at Vermillion - Event Page

June 28 - Lainie Fefferman / Jascha Narveson / Raica

“Three sets of electronic music exploring voice, audience-phones-as-instrument, controlled feedback, and ambient space jams.” Featuring Lainie Fefferman, Jascha Narveson, and Raica.

7:30 PM at Chapel Performance Space - Event Page

June 29 - Lacabra / Doc Hammer / Serpentfoot

Lacabra (melodic black death metal) will play along with Doc Hammer (sensual party rock), and Serpentfoo (garage rock).

8:30 PM at Clock-Out Lounge - Event Page

June 30-July 1 - Shimmer Seattle Summer Butoh Fest 2023

Two evenings of Butoh dance performances. Friday will feature Sheri Brown, Dhyana Garcia, Joan Laage (with music by Bill Horist) and Kaoru Okumura. Saturday will feature Aoi Lee, Shoko Zama (with music by Janice Giteck), Douglas Ridings (with music by Casey Jones aka noisepoetnobody), Helen Thorsen with Mary Cutrera, Cara Ross Berman, and Amy Ward (with music by Jackie An).

8:00 PM at Yaw Theater - Event Page

July 1 - Penultimate Peril: Not a Rock Show 3

A free show bringing together a variety of different acts and creative mediums. Featuring sound sculpture, experimental/noise muisic, dance, standup comedy, TV install, and poetry. Performing will be

• Idaho Joe, Bart Tomlin and Changing Bodies: Sound sculpture, noise and dance (movement) collaboration.
• Glitt: Dream Grunge
• Light Aloud: QT sound project featuring guest musicians, dancers and artists +
• Carl Marti Germain
• Peopling (noise)
• Ben Goosman (dance)
• Michael Bellevue (stand-up comedian)
• Universe ᗺ (TV install)
• Ensemble Unnamable (music and spoken word)

6:30 PM at Artspace Hiawatha Lofts - Event Page

June 19 - M. Maria / Balcony View / Sonora Enjambre / Aaron Michael Butler

Visiting from New York, M. Maria (dark ambient sorceress) will play along with Balcony View (ritual drone), sonora enjambre (ambient drone), and Aaron Michael Butler (meditative percussion and field recordings)

7:00 PM at Bad Bar - Event Page

June 20 - Virovka

A new klezmer music project, Virovka features Lori Goldston on cello, Sylvia Wiedemann on accordion, Eric Padget on trumpet, Evan Strauss on bass, and Dave Abramson on drums will be playing their debut show at Woodland Theater, along with Shpilkis.

8:00 PM at Woodland Theater - Event Page

June 23 - Kinski & Love Devotion Surrender

Long time Seattle rock band Kinski (alternative) will headline along with a special project to the 1970s John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana LP “Love Devotion Surrender.” Love Devotion Surrender is made up of Simon Henneman, Dave Webb, Abbey Blackwell, Scott Goodwin, Mike Murphy, and Bob Rees.

8:00 PM at Blue Moon Tavern - Event Page

June 24 - Soft screening & noise show

Short film screening for Soft (2023) directed by Kyndra Lee, along with a performance from TAB IN/TAB OUT (harsh noise wall) and noise video art from RN White (Rachel LeBlanc).

7:30 PM at Casa Del Xolo - Event Page

The in your face “underproduced sweaty hyper roman electro punk” force from Oakland California DIESEL DUDES is still around and has some shows in Oakland coming up in July 2023. They released BORN BRUTE in 2013, The Hercules Initiative (7 inch) in 2014 and last year released a single Bus Boss. Members are Patrick Tabor (vocals) and Douglas Du Fresne (sounds).

June 14 - xSAVAGEx / NARC / RIBBONS / Dehiscent / NUDECONSUMER

xSAVAGEx (power violence), along with Salt Lake City bands NARC (power violence) and RIBBONS (crusty d-beat), will play along with Dehiscent (anti-fascist doom metal) and NUDECONSUMER (erotic ear decimation harsh noise)

7:00 PM at Jules Mae - Event Page

June 15 - Communal 40 / Waiting In The Willows / Michigan House

Communal 40 (politico punk), Waiting In The Willows (punk), and Michigan House (pop indie emo).

7:00 PM at Substation - Event Page

June 16 - Gravesend / Erosion / Vacuum

Gravesend (black metal) from New York City will play along with Vacuum (chaos riffs) and Vancouver BC based Erosion (black metal) [presented by Hirophant Booking].

8:30 PM at Clock-Out Lounge - Event Page

June 17 Alien Emoji / Hanford / Coyote Teeth x CSTMR / The Late Unpleasantness

The return of 👽 (Alien Emoji), Peter Keller as Hanford, a Coyote Teeth (doom experimental drone noise) x CSTMR (explosive noise rock) Collaboration, and The Late Unpleasantness

9:00 PM at Monkey Pub - Event Page

[while the primary focus for this blog is on events, I’m also giving myself room to write about various other noise and music projects.] Pathogens is a project by A. D. Carter and has a single release from Scry Recordings. The project does not appear active at the moment. Excruciating brutal harsh noise wall. I last saw Pathogens at the release show for Soiled Cogs Forever Grinding on March 12, 2020 at the last show at The Highline before the pandemic shut everything down.

… Pathogens uses manipulated samples, distorted synth, found objects and contact mic recordings, electric drums and percussion, electric guitar, voice and throat to create excruciating and raw death industrial compositions.

So many good shows happening this week, there’s no way to really decide, is there?

June 5 - Fungal Abyss / Undulation / Beach Master / Iron Rot

Long time psychedelic improvisers Fungal Abyss will play along with Undulation (blackened death), Beach Master (Reno) (progressive psych metal), and Iron Rot (atmospheric black metal)

7:00 PM at Belltown Yacht Club - Event Page

June 6 - Private Prisons / Born Without Blood / CSTMR / Coyote Teeth

Private Prisons (thrash metal) from Southern California will play along with Born Without Blood (blackened death metal), along with CSTMR (explosive noise rock) and Coyote Teeth (doom experimental drone noise).

8:00 PM at Lucky Liquor - Event Page

June 7 - Seminar Shadow / Kole Galbraith / PTRKLLR

Visiting from New York City, duo of Luc/ie Vítková and Teerapat Parmongkol, Seminar Shadow

instrumentation of an electric guitar (Parnmongkol) and synthesizer (KORG Volca Bass), harmonica, hichiriki, and voice (Vítková). Since then, they have performed under the name Seminar Shadow, a duet whirling in a seminar (sonic) shadow, dancing themselves in continuous inconsistency between being and becoming.

They will be joined by locals Kole Galbraith (harsh noise drone) and PTRKLLR (experimental noise).

8:00 PM at Gallery 1412 - Event Page

June 10 - Meadowgoat / Till the Teeth / EKG / Annihilation Squares

Meadowgoat (experimental dungeon noise), Till the Teeth (experimental noise rock), EKG, and Annihilation Squares (electrified beats) will play in an alley generator show.

8:00 PM at SODO - Event Page

This past weekend I put together the Noise Crawl and it all worked out great. The sets at the final spot under the I-90 bridge on Lake Washington were relaxing and chill. [note this was supposed to go out Sunday but somehow I forgot to hit Post]

May 29 - TAB IN/TAB OUT / Coyote Teeth / Corpse Pose / Sh!tomato

Early show at Vermillion featuring TAB IN/TAB OUT (harsh noise wall), Coyote Teeth (doom experimental drone noise), Corpse Pose (ambient guitar drone), and Sh!tomato (harsh noise)

4:00 PM at Vermillion - Event Page

June 1 - Crystal Beth / Christopher Icasiano / Ahamefule J. Oluo

Crystal Beth (Beth Fleenor) will return to the chapel in her first show in three years.

In this solo incarnation, she uses amplified clarinet, wailing vocals, and electronics to weave a sonic universe all her own. Known for crafting aural rituals that encompass industrial chants in her own invented language, alien disco breaks, heart gushings, and robot love songs, Crystal Beth redefines the possibilities of the voice and clarinet in tight experimental pop songs and undulating, cathartic noise cries.

Also performing will be solo percussionist Christopher Icasiano and Ahamefule J. Oluo (multi-instrumentalist)

8:00 PM at Chapel Performance Space - Event Page

June 3 - Serial Hawk / Mnemonic Pulse / Noise-A-Tron

Serial Hawk (loud doom sludge) will play a tour kick-off for Noise-A-Tron (noise rock) along with Mnemonic Pulse (dark ambient synth).

8:30 PM at Clock-Out Lounge - Event Page

May 21 - Arrington De Dionyso / Forrest Friends / Idaho Joe Windslow / Wicking Ground

The highly anticipated show will feature long time improviser Arrington De Dionyso (Olympia), Forrest Friends (experimental weirdo noise folk), Idaho Joe Windslow (experimental), and Olympia based Wicking Ground (electrostatic spideresounds).

8:00 PM at The Central Saloon - Event Page

May 25 - Null State / Masha / Dog Dog/ Changing Bodies

Olympia based Null State (experimental dreampop), will perform along with Masha (dark folk), Dog Dog, and Changing Bodies (experimental synth)

7:00 PM at Bad Bar - Event Page

May 27 - Noise Crawl 2023

An daytime outdoor noise experience featuring Power Skeleton (experimental), Myaku (afroindustrial), SH!TOMATO (harsh noise), Aquatic Bee (dark ambient noise), Adam Levitt (improvised noise), Glad We’re Together (experimental), Meadowgoat (experimental dungeon noise), Changing Bodies (experimental synth), ACOMIP (experimental sounds), and GDC (experimental found sound.

12:00 PM at Judkins Park - Event Page

May 27 - Flatmass / Pale Light / Friends of the Road / blouseusa / Gabriel Seaver

Flatmass, Pale Light (space rock), Friends of the Road (experimental drone folk), blouseusa (experimental ambient and Gabriel Seaver (experimental guitar).

7:00 PM at Drongo Tapes HQ - Event Page