Biography & Yet is an acoustic/strings driven indie-folk project from Seattle, WA. Fronted by singer-songwriter Dane Ueland, the band is a fuller realization of his deeply introspective and poetic performance. It began as a two-piece between Ueland and cellist, Maren Haynes, but has since grown to include Jonathan Steele (bass/vocals), Nathaniel Orwiler (percussion/vocals), Neel Datta (solo guitar/vocals) and Hillary Johnson (vocals/ aux. percussion). Dramatic tales of romance and religion are interwoven with a sound that aims to be as gentle as it is operatic with overtones of a prototypical folk-rock sound. Currently, & Yet is recording and working on their first full band E.P. entitled “A Bud Has Bloomed” which is slated for release in February of 2012.
Biography If the music industry is to survive, it needs to start paying attention to bands like Terrible Buttons and remember that music is about self-expression, not salesmanship. Kent Ueland (lead vocals/guitar) and his fellow bandmates have managed to harness a piece of a dying art form. Not the three minutes of predictable radio drivel we have come to expect from talented people, but a close encounter with the human experience. In the case of Terrible Buttons (Spokane, WA/Plastic Horse Records, Northfield, MN), this experience comes from the heart of musicians who know that what they are trying to say is hard on the ears and aggressively challenging to the mind. Musical conventions are tools, not the entirety of songwriting, and the Buttons have managed to find truth through music at a young age.
Biography I have been writing and performing songs for about six years. I grew up Indiana, and moved to Louisville, Kentucky when I was 18. I started writing songs and playing shows. A little over a year ago, I got a chance to open for my hero, Damien Jurado in Louisville. He liked my music and convinced me to move to Seattle. I've been here since June.
Biography Horace Pickett brings a much needed energy to the stage that is lacking today. The audience will not forget a performance by Horace Pickett and will be singing along by the end of the night. With Deliberate Tone, Clever Construction, and Stand-Alone Musical Vignettes, Horace Pickett continuously creates Attention-Capturing Music, Glamorous Stage Theatrics, and an overall Memorable Performance.
Biography "They convene the forces of original mud black and hooked roots planted deeply around the instruments. From there, traditional green fumaroles rise and the singer raises the arms to the sky while its voice is had by the spirits…" - Delicious Scopitone
Biography The realization that the darkest days are yet to come inspired us to abandon the use of electricity in our music. We express the anguish of the past, the desperation of the present, and the uncertainty of the future without it. When the world is left in ruin our sound will echo in the empty streets.
Biography Alda is the musical and ideological coalescence of a group of friends who met and began making music with and amidst each other in the town of Eatonville during the early 2000's. We officially christened our project with the name Alda in the Fall of 2007 after having relocated to the city of Tacoma. Our sound is inspired by a variety of folk music traditions and Black Metal.
Biography The fantastical LASHER KEEN, a trio from Nevada City are mashing out their own sounds. Trad folk at its most dark, heathen intensity. Lasher Keen is the combined passions of those based on creating and reinventing myth into music. The tongues they sing in but tempt you to join in Yggdrasil rituals, masked rites, horned beasts, Fire Trolls, and massive kisses. At times the songs become tales, accentuated by the bellowing of horn and the hauntingly nostalgic chime of the Glockenspiel, their roots are deep and strong.
Biography Since 2004, DJ Lady Jane has been rocking the WildRose with ultimate tunes and has since gone on to tour the nightlife scene in Seattle. She is one fierce DJ that will get you up and dancing!
Biography Monique Franklin is a Activist, Poet, Artist, Scientist, and Mother. She is a native Seattleite who lives in Rainier Valley. Monique is a member of the African American Writer’s Alliance, and is published in their latest anthology “Threads”. She performs her spoken word under the pseudonym Verbal Oasis and is a highly sought after performance poet and event host. She is currently the host of MUEZZ INFUEZZION poetry Show 1st Thursdays @ The Scarlet Tree, Acoustic Accolades 2nd Thursdays at Lucid Jazz Lounge, and Co-host Afrodisiac Erotic Poetry Show Monthly. She is also a member of the Ladies First Collective which organizes a monthly showcase of women’s talent. Her first Album of live Spoken Word is due to be released June 14th @ Lucid Jazz Lounge and is entitled Acoustic Accolades vol. 1
Biography Stephany Koch Hazelrigg is an engaging and empowering creative director, facilitator, cultural worker, and social artist living deeply & directly from her belief in the power of art to create space, healing, and change. Stephany’s disciplines and mediums are as multiple and mixed as her identities. She lives the poetry of her existence out loud; outside genres, disciplines, and binaries. Out of great necessity and with deep humility and gratitude, Stephany has been making poems, prayers, paintings, plays, drawings, dances, journals, stories, songs, beats, movement, rituals, and ceremonies along shorelines and mountaintops all throughout her lifetimes. From engaging and revitalizing keynote speeches and spoken word performances, to imaginative, intentional, and inspiring workshops, Stephany knits her inherent artistry for living and learning into all she creates. She is grateful to be here. In 2005 Stephany dreamed up, directed and co-produced an award-winning interdisciplinary empowerment project The Naked Truth On Stereotypes that artfully weaves popular education, social movement theory, experiential learning, storytelling, and radical praxis for transforming self and community. Stephany currently lives in South Seattle, WA where she inspires and incites creative and collective vision-into-action in her work with Social HeARTistry Educators the grassroots collective of art-for-justice facilitators and creators that sprung from the social justice theater praxis project The Naked Truth On Stereotypes. Stephany is an independently contracted artist, facilitator, consultant, educator, organizer and keynote presenter who works, plays, performs and creates with multiple community organizations and schools in the Pacific Northwest including; The Service Board, Arts Corps, Seattle Public Schools, The Nova Project, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, Ladies First Collective, Voices Rising, WAPI, Solid Ground, YMCA, and Seattle Young People’s Project. Stephany Koch Hazelrigg is an engaging and empowering creative director, facilitator, cultural worker, and social artist living deeply & directly from her belief in the power of art to create space, healing, and change. Stephany’s disciplines and mediums are as multiple and mixed as her identities. She lives the poetry of her existence out loud; outside genres, disciplines, and binaries. Out of great necessity and with deep humility and gratitude, Stephany has been making poems, prayers, paintings, plays, drawings, dances, journals, stories, songs, beats, movement, rituals, and ceremonies along shorelines and mountaintops all throughout her lifetimes. From engaging and revitalizing keynote speeches and spoken word performances, to imaginative, intentional, and inspiring workshops, Stephany knits her inherent artistry for living and learning into all she creates. She is grateful to be here. In 2005 Stephany dreamed up, directed and co-produced an award-winning interdisciplinary empowerment project The Naked Truth On Stereotypes that artfully weaves popular education, social movement theory, experiential learning, storytelling, and radical praxis for transforming self and community. Stephany currently lives in South Seattle, WA where she inspires and incites creative and collective vision-into-action in her work with Social HeARTistry Educators the grassroots collective of art-for-justice facilitators and creators that sprung from the social justice theater praxis project The Naked Truth On Stereotypes. Stephany is an independently contracted artist, facilitator, consultant, educator, organizer and keynote presenter who works, plays, performs and creates with multiple community organizations and schools in the Pacific Northwest including; The Service Board, Arts Corps, Seattle Public Schools, The Nova Project, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, Ladies First Collective, Voices Rising, WAPI, Solid Ground, YMCA, and Seattle Young People’s Project. Stephany Koch Hazelrigg is an engaging and empowering creative director, facilitator, cultural worker, and social artist living deeply & directly from her belief in the power of art to create space, healing, and change. Stephany’s disciplines and mediums are as multiple and mixed as her identities. She lives the poetry of her existence out loud; outside genres, disciplines, and binaries. Out of great necessity and with deep humility and gratitude, Stephany has been making poems, prayers, paintings, plays, drawings, dances, journals, stories, songs, beats, movement, rituals, and ceremonies along shorelines and mountaintops all throughout her lifetimes. From engaging and revitalizing keynote speeches and spoken word performances, to imaginative, intentional, and inspiring workshops, Stephany knits her inherent artistry for living and learning into all she creates. She is grateful to be here. In 2005 Stephany dreamed up, directed and co-produced an award-winning interdisciplinary empowerment project The Naked Truth On Stereotypes that artfully weaves popular education, social movement theory, experiential learning, storytelling, and radical praxis for transforming self and community. Stephany currently lives in South Seattle, WA where she inspires and incites creative and collective vision-into-action in her work with Social HeARTistry Educators the grassroots collective of art-for-justice facilitators and creators that sprung from the social justice theater praxis project The Naked Truth On Stereotypes. Stephany is an independently contracted artist, facilitator, consultant, educator, organizer and keynote presenter who works, plays, performs and creates with multiple community organizations and schools in the Pacific Northwest including; The Service Board, Arts Corps, Seattle Public Schools, The Nova Project, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, Ladies First Collective, Voices Rising, WAPI, Solid Ground, YMCA, and Seattle Young People’s Project.
Biography Maya Jenkins left her hometown of Seattle, WA and moved to New York City in 2000 to attend New York University to study jazz piano. From 2001-2005, Maya was a founding member of Savion Glover’s tap dance company, Ti Dii. Company credits include: the opening of the Cannes Film Festival (France), Jerry Lewis Telethon, 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, Nijinsky Awards (France), Beacon Theater (NYC) and "Improvography," Joyce Theater (NYC). Maya had the opportunity to collaborate with Reg. E. Gaines (writer of Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk). They presented "The Mongo Affair" at Summer Stage in Central Park and at Joe's Pub in NYC, with Miguel Algerin, a founding member of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. Maya has also been a featured dancer on the musical recordings, James "Blood" Ulmer, No Escape From the Blues and The Yohimbe Brothers, The Tao of Yo. Maya currently resides in Seattle, Washington where she teaches tap dance and composes music. Maya is proud to be a part of Barbara Duffy & Company who performed at Tap City 2007 at the Duke Theatre (NYC) in July and at the Regent Theatre in Arlington, MA in October, 2007. She also played the role of Lorrell Robinson in “DREAMGIRLS” in August 2007. Maya is forever grateful to her family and friends for their love and support, with a special honor and blessing in her mother's memory. Thank you Mom for your spirit and eternal inspiration.
Biography At only 19 Carly Calbero has already received national, as well as local attention for her performances. Chosen by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the top 8 street performers in the country, Calbero brings her surprisingly big voice, sarcastic lyrics, and girl-next-door charm to the stage.
Biography Lara Davis a Seattle-based musician, singer, and audio documenter. She is currently collaborating with Sam Wilder, an accomplished bass player, and Janet Trares, drummer extraordinaire.
Biography Seeing Blind is an avante garde indie rock folk band hailing from Seattle, WA. Featuring female vocals & acoustic cello, Seeing Blind has been performing their unique blend of rock, blues, jazz and folk for over 10 years, sharing the stage with such acts as Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls, Brandi Carlilie and more!
Biography The women of NighTraiN were brought together as a concept band for an original stage play production called “Hot Grits.” In a process that was projected to take nine months, the women were assigned their instruments which they had to learn, write songs and begin gigging in the Seattle underground music scene in preparation for the play. The Band and music were very well received. Being very diverse in experience, age and backgrounds, the original women developed a profound friendship and connection in the music and decided to reunite after the stage play ended and formed NighTraiN. NTN offers a fresh take on the punk/funk/soul genres. Their sound is a heavy engine hum formed by the blunt bass rhythms of Selena "No Pick" Whitaker‐Paquiet. It is a heart beat held steady by the percussive stylings of Taryn "Hot Legs" Dorsey. It is dark heat strummed from the guitar of Nicole "Christ Child" Peoples and accompanied by the steam whistle wail of Rachael F. NTN is locomotive punk!
Biography Robert Reed was born backstage at the Apollo Theater in 1986, delivered directly into the curtains, and presented on stage immediately. He showed an early talent for lyricism, in fact rapping inside the womb, kicking dope beats from within his mother. Since his emergence, he has continually honed his musical skills and lyrical flow, all while working to overcome the personal challenge of being dyslexic. Able to entertain in any context, Dyslexic lives for the thrill of performing and vibing with a crowd.
Biography Independent Music Award winners Eastern Sunz have been creating dynamic, thought provoking music and touring for over a decade with their unique sound referred to by CMJ Magazine as “intellectual hip hop”.
Biography Yze, ORB, Mozes Lateef, accompanied by producer/deejay EarDr.Umz True artists of the grid via Seattle, Washington. We got that Potent Antidoap for sick souls energy low we got that let go stress relief medicine flow ~ Dirty Scientifix
Biography RebelMart is the Brooklyn-to-Seattle band fronted by music veteran Scott M.X. Turner. Mixing rock, folk, reggae, Irish, country and punk, RebelMart's live shows -- whether in punk clubs or coffeehouses -- are ragged, energetic affairs. RebelMart's newest album, Amalgamated Saboteurs Local 21, was released on October 5 2010 on Velocidad Maxima Recordings. "[E]ncompasses Americana from the 7 train to the Dust Bowl" -- Steve Wishnia, The Indypendent.
Biography Lone Madrone really knows how to bring the house down. They have described their music as Foot-Stompin' Acoustic Bliss... but since 'foot-stompin' can describe 70% of Portland bands, let me elaborate: Personally, I think they have a really eclectic approach - it's a bit western-tinged, alt-country / Folsom-Prison-Blues-vibed charm with harmonic moments of Beatle-esque magic. They have severe mojo and the talent to stand out from the plethora of bands out there. Their songwriting is thoughtful to a fault, every note and word is perfectly written, but their edges are loose and wild and their live shows feel like spontaneity took its top off and flashed your granny.
Biography Rum Rebellion has been playing shows since 2006. We have played folklife four times since 2007. We have released three albums, including a 2011 release called "Blackwater". We have toured the US four times and have our biggest tour yet planned for summer 2012.
Biography The Bad Things mix Eastern European Folk, Klezmer, Ska, Americana, Polka, Sea Shanties, and Punk with their dark sense of humor, drunken sentimentality, and classic sense of Vaudevillian showmanship to create a "seamless and delirious live show."
Biography Last year, Simple Monsters played all around the Seattle area. With their unique punk/indie sound Simple Monsters have been written up in The Stranger and the Seattle Weekly. They have played at The Crocodile, The Vera Project, Chop Suey and other superb Seattle Venues
Biography The official alternative/indie group of For the Birds began collaborating their musical ideas in October of 2010. The group plays often and willingly. They are close friends with a passion for melancholy tunes that're liable to keep feet tapping and smiles abundant.
Biography Established in the Fall of 2004, Seattle trio Speaker Speaker generated a quick and substantial buzz within the Seattle music community. Their 3 song introductory EP, Again & Again & Again, earned them regular rotation on the influential KEXP 90.3 and airplay at over 150 more college and public stations across the country, peaking at #147 on the CMJ Top 200. As a result of the exposure, they ultimately were nominated for Seattle Weekly's Best Pop Band of 2006 and were also voted by the community as the winners of The Stranger's Big Shot competition.
Global Heat with Dadical; Mr Magnesium and Free (SoulShifters); Etienne Cakpo (Gansango); Mestre Curisco & Coty Valdez (Capoeira Malês & Circle of Fire); Shanetta Brown (Tubaluba); Kama (Kamalashaka); Yaw Amponsah (Anokye Agofomma); and others.
Sunday May 27, 2012 1:15pm - 2:45pm PDT
Vera Project/Gallery47.62309, -122.35359
Biography Visualize the hip-hopping, spinning, flips, and flashy footwork of today’s best break dancers. Where do those moves come from? Roots of Hip Hop explores the origins of contemporary culture in traditional forms, with performers from Benin, Brazil, Ghana, Kenya, and the USA. Experience a live music and dance performance of hip hop, African dance, and Capoeira. This special Folklife Festival preview features award-winning performers Global Heat with Dadical; Mr Magnesium and Free (SoulShifters); Etienne Cakpo (Gansango); Mestre Curisco & Coty Valdez (Capoeira Malês & Circle of Fire); Shanetta Brown (Tubaluba); Kama (Kamalashaka); Yaw Amponsah (Anokye Agofomma); and others. Attention student dancers!!! Show us your best break dance moves and win two free dance workshops with SoulShifters in early June, with the opportunity to be part of a performance of Roots of Hip Hop at Intiman Theatre. This project is funded by Seattle NEXT 50.
Biography David Mickens, A.K.A. Kept See, has been a dynamic writer, producer, and engineer, for the past decade for Junya League Inc. With his authentic and refreshing style, his originality and versatility has firmly placed his label in the world of Hip Hop music. Through his difficult journeys, he has gained respect from legends in the industry as well as gaining friendships from Zulu King, Red Dragon from Universal Zulu Nation and DJ Pizo and Cookiemonster. The Golden Era has had a powerful impact on his career alongside his passion for real Hip Hop music. With total understanding, Hip Hop is a way of life for Kept See. He uses dope jazzy loops, and ultra laid back melodic samples, and hype drum patterns to express his love for this art in remarkable ways. Oh yes, Kept has a plethora of stylish beats to please the souls and minds of real Hip Hop heads. Kept plans to tackle issues dealing with respecting others, as well as respect for the game itself, and tells facts about street life. Becoming a well respected artist, Kept has two singles on satellite radio, “Get out of my way” and, “Gots to get it”, in which Kept See partners with the Infamous Miles Thornton aka J Dot. Ear Cookies has made a positive impact on Kept’s career too, giving JL a distribution deal they plan to grow together in the industry as successful owners of their own label.
Biography Central Intelligence is a Hip-hop group comprised of members from Seattle's Central District. Originally a 5-member group, they released their first project in 2001. Now, ten years later, a few members have returned to their love of music and created a new album with a sound a bit different than what fans might have been used to. With production mainly from group member Key, this album is truly a "hands-on" project. C.I. is excited to add their voices back to the collective of Seattle-area talent.
Biography MoeBetta is an MC who truly believes it is his duty to not just rhyme to beats but to actually "move the crowd". He believes that by making his stage show the central piece of his musical artistry and incorporating elements and ideas not usually associated with hip hop in to his live performance he can take the observer on a journey to the essence of his message; "Music Is Everything!"
Biography The JPQ consists of Jason Parker on trumpet & flugelhorn, Josh Rawlings on piano, Evan Flory-Barnes on bass and D’Vonne Lewis on drums. They have been honing their tight swinging sound for three years, which shows in the way they interact with each other on stage and the deep bond that results. Each member of the group pours his passion and excitement into the performance making a Jason Parker Quartet show both musically and visually exciting. These four Seattle musicians have carved their own path, honoring the jazz tradition by bringing their own passions and personalities to bear on the music. For this project Parker enlisted the help of two very special guests, Cynthia Mullis on tenor sax & flute and Michele Khazak on vocals. The JPQ has released three previous, critically acclaimed CD’s and played all the top venues in Seattle, including Jazz Alley, The Triple Door, Tula’s, Lucid Jazz Lounge and Egan’s.
Biography This is the first sound of NO-AGE. Vibrating stones transmitting the last echos of electrified psychic attacks. Now the NO-AGE has begun a void time..... Master Musicians Of Bukkake’s newest record and part of a Northwest trilogy, Marks an evolution from their first record 'Visible Sign Of the Invisible order' (Abduction records 2005). MMOB has now solidified into a 7 piece cosmic psyche force. Like a reverse dark side of the New Age sound, on the Totem series Master Musicians of Bukkake perform ritualistic electric excursions into the outer and inner reaches. Relying more on the electric power of psyched guitars, analog synth chants, and exotic heavy percussion. Totem one echos with the delusions of a West Coast Death cult. Outer spaced Gamelan, dusty fuzz rock from celestial deserts, meditations of a deranged Krishna gathering, and the Blurry acoustic guitar majesty of The Cascade mountains all reveal themselves here in epic form On Totem One. Every sound and note played put to tape by a group with a singular purging purpose....
Biography Seattle improv ensemble Aunt Jamamas Big Band Vigilantes blend acoustic and electronic instruments with electronic sampling and effects with liberal usage of wit and melodic structure to create music that straddles avant garde, jazz, and rock.
Biography Rabbit Stew String Band is an Old Time trio of fiddle, guitar, and banjo, playing community music that filled grange halls, barns, and front porches at the start of the last century. With tunes that carry names like "Shove That Pigs Foot a Little Further Into the Fire" and "Jaybird Died of a Whooping Cough", your brain might wonder at the origins of this stuff, but your feet will know exactly what to do. Toe tapping guaranteed!
Biography The Corn Likkers have been playing rocking square dances at the Gypsy Cafe and with the Seattle Subversive Square Dance Society for the the past year. We play driving old time sting band music that just makes you want to dance.
Biography Stellarondo emerged in Missoula, Montana during winter 2010 when Caroline Keys-- a regular in the NW old time stringband community-- responded to a challenge by writing and recording an album of original music during the month of February. Keys' project quickly evolved to include a full band of stalwarts from diverse corners of Missoula's music scene. Stellarondo's lush, dreamy alt-folk debut was recorded by Adam Selzer at Type Foundry and Scenic Burrows in Portland, OR in September 2010. Since the band's debut CD release tour in February Stellarondo has served as Artists-in-Residence at a rural school in central Montana, scored a locally-written short play, worked with Missoula Writing Collaborative to set poems of 4th & 5th graders to music. Stellarondo is currently collaborating with writer Rick Bass "scoring" pieces of his short fiction.
Biography We're a Bellingham, Wa. trio that combines Banjo, Bass, Keys, Guitar, and Drums into a collection of all orignal songs. When asked, the best description of our sound can be described as "Rhythm-Folk". Since forming over the summer of 2011, we've played all over Bellingham and in the Seattle area too.
Biography Camp Wisdom is a 7 person folk collective who specialize in fire building and canoe racing. they also like having fun while being respectful! "bare knuckle folk. Seriously, these guys could beat up 4 young bob dylans"
Biography The Brass Monkey Band formed out of years of family and friendship and one condenser microphone conveniently being placed in the middle of a basement one night in 2010. Since then, every show has expanded in sound and the group has expanded in musicians. Coming out of a collectively weathered upbringing in Billings, Montana, their sound is pulled from a childhood surrounded by bluegrass in crowded living rooms and punk rock blowing through Ford Explorer speakers in the midnight air. The first Brass Monkey Band EP, Big White Moon, was released in winter of 2011. Their full studio album will be released in the fall of 2012.
Biography The Grizzled Mighty was formed in the fiery belly of an active volcano. From the innermost rings of hell they erupted, spewing forth like a flaming phoenix. In the ensuing chaos, Ryan rose from the ashes of destruction, guitar in hand, bringing the erotic riffs of Hades to the surface of the Earth. Whitney, ex- Deerhunter guitar player and agent of evil, descended swiftly as a rain of fire, striking the roiling bedrock like the Hammer of Thor. Together they create a force that rips the very fabric of space and time! There is no escaping The Grizzled Mighty...
