On February 28, Seattle band Deep Sea Diver released their fourth album, Billboard Heart, their first release on the Sub Pop label. As part of their promotion of the record, the band performed songs from the album on release night at Easy Street Records in West Seattle and hosted a record signing event for fans after the show.

Nicole Bearden (NB): In honor of Seattle’s Faux Spring weather last week, I decided it was time to have a confab with one of my personal favorite Seattle Icons: A Sound Garden. Located on the NOAA campus near Magnuson Park, between Piers 15 and 17 on Lake Washington, A Sound Garden reverberates with hauntingly atmospheric intonations as the wind blows through artist Douglas Hollis’ twelve, 21-foot high, steel tower sculptures. Sound Garden, I appreciate your presence today.

A Sound Garden (SG): a chorus of metallic hums breezing through the air We are delighted to converse with you.

Barboza in Capitol Hill is a long, rectangular underground bar. Seventies ballads are playing while pink and blue lines of light beam down from industrial rafters to the dance floor below. People sit tucked away at cozy circular booths lit by flickering red candles while others gather near the stage. In the crowd, I see the opening band milling about and chatting with audience members. This is the band waltzerr, and they are about to perform their opening set before a performance from Kellan, followed by the night’s headliner, Ayo Dot & the Uppercuts. 

It began like many myths do: in darkness. Thin beams of light panned over the space from the back of the house, curious and searching. Nishimura and Kohl descended upon the stage with headlamps strapped to their brows, exploring the space with a playful curiosity. Once they arrived, lighting by Jessica Trundy illuminated the set and established the world of the performance. Transparent projection screens stretched across three points of the set, two of which concealed platforms the performers utilized throughout the performance.

This year marks the second annual performance of what director Valerie Curtis-Newton calls “a re-imagined version” of the show, which was interrupted in 2020 when COVID caused what was to be the almost two-year mandated closure of all theatres and live performances. Curtis-Newton’s mission is to “bring community back to our lives” and find hope in the face of the devastating effects of the pandemic, which, according to the CDC, continue to include mental and emotional health as well as compromised abilities for how we interact socially with each other.

So obviously, when I saw that Daft Punk was re-releasing their 2003 animated film Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem and that it would be playing at Seattle’s SIFF Uptown theater, I got a ticket. The animated film sets the 2001 album Discovery to a story about an extraterrestrial band who’s kidnapped and brought to Earth by a power-hungry music executive who makes them massively popular and exploits their talent.

Seattle’s Trans and Nonbinary Choral Ensemble (STANCE) was back again for Trans Day of Remembrance (November 20, 2024), offering a touching choir experience and space to remember those in the trans and nonbinary community who have been lost. In “The Power of Me,” STANCE honored the trans community with gorgeous choral arrangements, touching stories, and powerful words of resistance, healing, and power. 

Co-hosted by the dancers Auto and Orb, these monthly battles are created by HeadSpin Productions and DJ’d by DJ Fever One. The battles are open to all styles, meaning contestants might be paired up against someone who does a totally different street style than them, though they will have the same song. The contestants compete 1v1 for a cash prize. Whoever wins in each battle progresses until there are two contestants left. 

When I discovered Halsey came out with a collection of poetry, I immediately added it to my must-read list. I get enthralled when musical artists or actors release poetry collections and break from their typical art form. Poetry has become more accepted and common among celebrities to make another mark of change on the world.

For an extra special (and extra spooky) Halloween treat, Benaroya Hall hosted a unique double feature presentation of the classic Bride of Frankenstein and Mel Brooks’s parody of the franchise, Young Frankenstein. The hook? Orchestral accompaniment for the Bride! The Seattle Symphony performed Franz Waxman’s iconic gothic score under the guidance of conductor Nicholas Buc, who also conducted the world premieres of the live performances of several of John Williams’s movie scores, so he is no stranger to Hollywood orchestral maneuvers.

Singer-songwriters Charli XCX and Troye Sivan played their final show right here in Seattle, WA. On October 23rd, 2024, the duo performed at the Climate Pledge Arena. The tour kicked off September 14, 2024, in Detroit, MI, making its way through the country with two stops in Canada. As a fan of both musical artists and their latest albums Brat and Something to Give Each Other, I got the fortunate opportunity to attend.

Music is one of the ways in which we can bridge gaps between different communities, cultures, and peoples. Choir especially is a building block to creating wonderful community. Singing can be a vulnerable but rewarding experience, and sharing it with others is a great way to build confidence and bond with the people around you. Singing in an ensemble is the coming together of individual voices to create something whole, to bring a solo piece into a harmonic movement.

Since the dawn of humanity, music has been a vital condition for what it means to be human. From animal skin drums crafted by the neolithic people to every instrument which has followed since, we as a species have sought to give voice to the parts of us words cannot express. We danced to communicate emotion and what little understanding we had of the world. We sang wordlessly long before language bound us to its form. We made music: The thump of the drum like a heartbeat, the trill of the flute like hope, and the deep drawl of the cello like despair.

The two-man band weaves together synth pads, crisp guiding melodies, improv solos, innovative drum beats, a tasteful touch of live flute, and a bass sound that gets one in touch with their body’s natural resonance frequency. Their music is made modular by the power of their linked Ableton setup and sequencers that they expertly manipulate to recontextualize different musical parts on the fly.

100% vegan, 100% house made. A lot of people don’t know that we make everything from scratch. It’s plainly written on our menu. That’s the biggest thing I'd like to get across, is that’s what separates us from everybody else. We make everything from scratch. You will not find anywhere else like us.

The dance floor was brimming with people grooving to the beat, but making sure to give each other enough space to move around easily. As Tokita shifted smoothly between lilting, airy disco and harder, grittier techno, people in the crowd took turns coming up on stage to swing a red lamp that hung above the DJ table in what appeared to be a longstanding tradition. People’s faces were lit up in the red glow of the stage lights. A glittering disco ball swung overhead. Beyond these details, there was minimal decoration. The emphasis was on the music.