Seattle Noise

We are blessed in Seattle to have nights where choosing between multiple excellent shows can be difficult. As always, check out the calendar for more.

February 15 - Oort Smog / Bad Luck

Duo Bad Luck (Chris Icasiano (percussion) and Neil Welch (saxaphone)), along with Sheridan Riley (percussion) will join Los Angeles based Oort Smog (Mark Kimbrell and Patrick Shiroishi) for a night of improvisational experimental jazz.

8:00 PM at the Chapel Performance Space - Event Page

February 17 - Felsenmirror / Izthmi / To End It All

Izthmi (black metal doom) will play one of the final shows at Bar House, along with Portland based Felsenmirror (black metal doom) and To End It All (dark ambient doom). Vanessa Skantze will perform butoh as well.

7:00 PM (sharp start) at Bar House - Event Page

February 17 - The Cumbieros / Terror/Cactus

Seattle based, but South America influenced cumbia band The Cumbieros will play with Terror/Cactus electronic psychedelic cumbia.

8:00 PM at the High Dive - Event Page

February 18 - Obscure & Terrible Showcase

Olympia-based Domenica Diavoleria will play experiemental ambient synth. Empire State Observatories (Sean Curley) will play ambient experimental guitar/keyboard, along with Kole Galbraith (harsh noise drone) and duo Medina/Walsh (Josh Medina and Paurl Walsh) will present experimental electronic drone.

8:00 PM at the Chapel Performance Space - Event Page

February 18 - Arrington De Dionyso, Ben Bennett, Noel Kennon / Eric Lanzillota

On brighter note during these cold winter days, Olympia based sacred mushroom musician Arrington De Dionyso will join with long time collaborator improviser Ben Bennett and Noel Kennon for a trio performance of improvised sound. Eric Lanzillota will present low end synth drone.

8:00 PM at Gallery 1412 - Event Page

Another week of picks for noise and experimental music in Seattle. Be sure to check the calendar for other shows not listed below.

February 7 - Odachi / anMech / Rat Rot

Odachi (sludge doom metal) will play along with anMech (nintendocore metal) and Rat Rot (experimental punk).

8:00 PM at The Central Saloon - Event Page

February 8 - Seattle Jazz Wednesday: Marina Albero

Highly acclaimed pianist Marina Albero will play at Vermillion for the weekly Seattle Jazz Fellowship series. She will be joined by Kelsey Mines (bass), Hannah Mowry (trumpet), Jessica Lurie (saxaphone) and D’Vonne Lewis (drums).

7:30 PM at Vermillion - Event Page

February 9 - Screen Frogs / Dead Energy / Coastal Cleanup

Described as a love letter to their favorite kraut and psych bands, Screen Frogs will “take you on a journey through the muck and slime that is the existential nonsense of humanity.” They will be joined by Dead Energy (psychedelic garage), and Coastal Cleanup (surf shoegaze).

8:00 PM at Conor Byrne Pub - Event Page

February 10 - Texture & Tone

Aaron Michael Butler (percussion) will present loud dense cathartic sounds. Balcony View (James Chancellor ‘Chance’ Bridges) will perform improvised noise/doom with various noise makers. Corpse Pose (Stephan Blount) will play ambient guitar drone and Meadowgoat will play dungeon harsh noise.

8:00 PM at Chapel Performance Space - Event Page

February 11 - Jim E. Brown / Thee Effluvium / Unborn Hacker / Coyote Teeth / Glad We’re Together

Jim E. Brown from the UK will play synthpunk. Thee Effluvium will play experimental noise, joined also by Coyote Teeth and Glad We’re Together. Unborn Hacker will youtube dj. It will be weird.

7:00 PM (approximately) in Beacon Hill Event Page

February 12 - Modular Nights: t4mber re4ll / Noisepoetnobody / Carbon in Prose / Casual Decay / Trachea / __l_a__l_u_z__

Every second Sunday at Substation, Modular Nights presents a free showcase of modular synth artists. Lineup will be t4mber rec4ll, Noisepoetnobody, Carbon in Prose, Casual Decay, Trachea, and __l_a__l_u_z__. Visuals by Camille Nibungco

5:00 PM at Substation - Event Page

My picks for this week in Seattle shows.

February 1 - Blood Handsome / Shanghai Beach / Licorice Chamber / Neuroprison

A night of solo dark synth music. Blood Handsome (LA) is a dark synth project by Gerren Reach. Shanghai Beach (NYC) is a Brooklyn based project from Steven Salazar performing dark synth. Licorice Chamber (Seattle) is a solo project of Layla Reyna (vocalist for Strap On Halo (2008-2021)). Rounding out the evening is Neuroprison (Seattle) and Vox Sinistra will also present a DJ set.

7:00 PM at The Central Tavern - Event Page

February 3 - CSTMR / Flesh Produce / Florida Man / Bitchflexx

Catch a show at the Kraken before it closes at the U-District location. CSTMR, a thrashy chaotic improvisational two piece band plays along with Flesh Produce, crashing improvised electronic noise, Florida Man, post-violence 3-piece, and Bitchflexx metal hardercore.

8:00 PM at The Kraken - Event Page

February 4 - The Quickening: An Imbolic Celebration

Duo Sataray and Vanessa Skantze will present dark liturgical ambient music along with the duo Helen Thorsen with Jackie An (violin). Scuzz Nun will present solo doom noise and visuals.

8:00 PM at Teatro de la Psychomachia - Event Page

My suggested shows for this week. Check the calendar for more.

January 25 - Changing Bodies / Dream Commander / Jermaine Germain / Tarsier Eyes

An evening of ambient and sync music with Seattle area ambient synth and drone projects. Changing Bodies (experimental synth movement by Madhava Sarah Lopez), Dream Commander (synth instrumentals by Eric Junge), Jermaine Germain (dark ambient duo of Jermaine Blair and Carl Martí Germain), and Tarsier Eyes (ambient improvised guitar / synth drone by Dustin Williams)

7:00 PM at Jules Mae Saloon - Event Page

January 27 - Loose Wing / Long Dark Moon / Hannah Ramone

The up and coming new venue at Pike Place Market is quietly becoming a regular location for live music. The entrance is not obvious from the street, but the door is down some stairs just behind Left Bank Books. Seattle psychedelic band Loose Wing, (featuring Claire Tucker of Black Nite Crash on vocals), described as “a swirling blend of psychedelic Americana and old-school college rock” performs with dark country band Long Dark Moon. Hannah Ramone (indie singer-songwriter) will also play.

8:00 PM at Rabbit Box Theatre - Event Page

Son de Huesos - Magia Negra released in November 2022.

[The project] uses electric guitar, organs, bass, and Latin percussion. [The sound is remiscient] of soundtracks, fuzz tones and surf music. Son de Huesos takes the everyday sounds and cleanses them with rue and copal so that the skeleton shakes off the bad vibrations to that Latin American cumbia rhythm with a unique and somber touch.

I’ve playing the Magia Negra album over and over again. I discovered it rather randomly on Bandcamp from clicking through on the cumbia tag. Suggested if you’re into the same rich complex albums that sound a bit different each time you listen.

January 18 - Velnias / Izthmi / Darkmysticwoods - Seattle

Colorado based metal band Velnias is playing Substation on Wednesday, along with Seattle bands Izthmi and Darkmysticwoods.

7:00 PM at Substation. Event Page

January 19 - Kin of the Moon & Stephanie Wood

Kin of the Moon (composers Kaley Lane Eaton (voice, piano, electronics), Heather Bentley (viola, cello, violin), and Leanna Keith (flutes) joins with gong artist Stephanie Wood for a performance at the Chapel Performance Space:

[KOTM] will perform two works inspired by the natural world: “delicate balance,” an ode to the fragility of the ecosystem on the Galapagos Islands by Kaley Lane Eaton, and “Ichneumonidae,” a song cycle about insects by Heather Bentley. They’re joined by gong/percussion artist Stephanie Wood for an exploration of the Ganzfeld concept in improvisation.

8:00 PM at the Chapel Performance Space at the Good Shepherd Center. Event Page

January 21 - Coach Campa / Takeshita / Coyote Teeth / CEO’s Incorporated

Coach Campa from San Antonio Texas is stopping by:

Coach Campa returns with another intense percussion driven improv noise rock album, this time with Jared Flores (bass) and Jonathan Livingston (guitar) rounding out the Coach Camp Trio. ‘Aggressively Unfriendly’ is a pummeling, often sporadic listen, with heavy influences of metal, punk, and free-jazz throughout its 53 minute runtime. Never taking themselves too seriously, Campa and crew have created an album that is as unrelenting as it is fun.

Performances from other Seattle locals, Takeshita, Coyote Teeth, and CEO’s Incorporated.

7:00 PM at Gallery 1412. Event Page

Check out the calendar for other shows not featured above.

It’s been said if you can’t stop talking about something, you should start a blog about it. So I (Mark Kerrigan) am starting a music blog as a companion to the Seattle Area Noise Experimental Shows Google Calendar. It’s a public calendar curated by myself listing selected upcoming noise and experimental (broadly) music performances in Seattle. Anyone can subscribe to it and add it to their own Google Calendar. Selected upcoming shows will also be featured.