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Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snow Patrol and Wolfmother highlight 107.7's 'Endfest 15'; Joshua Radin drops by Neumo's
by Albert Rodriguez - SGN A&E Writer 107.7's "Endfest 15" w/ Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snow Patrol, Wolfmother, The Mars Volta, Nine Black Alps, Eagles of Death Metal, and more Saturday, August 12 - 3pm White River Amphitheatre - Tix at www.ticketmaster.com or gate / $35-$55 When alternative radio station 107.7 "The End" throws a party, the one thing you can be sure of is that the entertainment will be top notch. To prove my point, just look at the artist roster for tomorrow's "Endfest 15" concert. Sharing the bill are Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snow Patrol, Wolfmother, The Mars Volta, Nine Black Alps, Eagles of Death Metal, The Subways, Rock Kills Kid and The Gossip. For that lineup, you might expect to pay 100 bucks. And you should. It's definitely worth the price. But, for only $35 you can picnic on White River Amphitheatre's lawn and see all of these bands in action. Reserved seating and "pit" area are just $55. Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Grammy-winning punk-funk ensemble fronted by the lively Anthony Keidis, returns to Seattle for the first time since banging at Key Arena two years ago. Keidis and bassist Flea, who've posed for magazine covers kissing and have been known to give homoerotic gestures to one another onstage and off, are the only original members of the group. Chad Smith and John Frusciante fill out the quartet's remaining slots. Several musicians, including Dave Navarro and Jack Irons, have joined and left the band over the course of the Peppers' twenty plus years as a professional act. Stadium Arcadium is the latest release from the foursome featuring the hit single and MTV VMA-nominated "Dani California". This would have been Snow Patrol's second Seattle outing this year had it not been for lead singer Gary Lightbody coming down with a nasty case of polyps, a throat infection or growth with long-term effects if not detected and treated early. Fortunately, Lightbody recovered nicely and the UK-based quintet was able to salvage nearly all of their North American tour dates, which were temporarily shelved. The bad news for Seattle fans, of whom I proudly attach myself to, is that Snow Patrol has yet to reschedule their Paramount Theatre date or Easy Street Records in-store performance. And it doesn't appear they will anytime soon. Snow Patrol is on the road promoting their 2006 effort Eyes Open featuring the single "Hands Open". Wolfmother is an electrifying trio from Australia best described as Led Zeppelin with a sexy, young twist. The threesome's powerful, kick-ass blend of rock has everyone talking. Speaking of talking, Wolfmother drummer Myles Heskett phoned into the Seattle Gay News this spring as our feature artist interview for the Sasquatch Music Festival. Heskett is a former graphic designer with an adorable personality and Gay friends back home to boot. Unbelievable as it sounds Wolfmother, comprised of Heskett, lead vocalist/guitarist Andrew Stockdale and bassist/organist Chris Ross, played at the intimate Chop Suey back in February. Before going onstage, they had drinks and a bite to eat with a small group of folks that included Seattle Gay News writer Lee Arthurs who noted afterwards how cute they were in person. Indeed, they are cute. At White River Amphitheatre, the doors open at 2pm and the party begins at 3pm. Be sure to catch Eagles of Death Metal, an old school hard rock outfit featuring Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) and lead singer Jesse Hughes who reminds me of openly Gay rocker Rob Halford because of his super-tight jeans, leather vests and retro moustache. The other early act to check out is Nine Black Alps, a Manchester-based quartet who opened for Social Distortion last month and who apparently love Baja Fresh burritos. And of course, do not miss Wolfmother, Snow Patrol and the Red Hot Chili Peppers on the same stage, same day. Wolfmother will pound heavily on "Woman" and "Dimension", Snow Patrol will sound amazing on "Run" (SGN's Top Ten Singles/Tracks, 2004) and "Chocolate", and the Red Hot Chili Peppers will drill out "Give It Away", "Higher Ground", "By the Way", and my personal favorite "Dosed". Take your own food or eat there, but leave the booze at home. Look for directions on our blog site, accessed from the SGN website's main page (www.sgn.org). On the way to Auburn, tune into 107.7 The End for "Endfest" live reports. Seattle Gay News is proud to be part of the press-media once again for 107.7's annual "Endfest" music festival. - A. Rodriguez Pre-concert CD recommendations: Stadium Arcadium by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Final Straw (SGN's Top Ten Albums/CDs, 2004) by Snow Patrol, and Wolfmother by Wolfmother. Joshua Radin (opening for Anna Nalick) Sunday, August 13 - 8pm Neumo's - Tix at www.ticketswest.com or door / $15 If you like your music on the quiet side, with dashes of Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor and John Mayer, then Joshua Radin is someone who will definitely appeal to your taste. The young singer-songwriter's debut We Were Here is a folk-pop gem, having already earned a four-star review from Rolling Stone magazine. It took me less than ten minutes to realize that Radin's mellow-dreamy songs were some of the best I've listened to all year. The music video for the CD's first single, "Closer", was directed by Zach Braff (Garden State, TV's "Scrubs") and can be seen on VH1 or online at YouTube.com. Radin was just booked on the Jimmy Kimmel show, scheduled to appear on September 19, and he will give a special performance at Chicago's Apple store next month, this aside from a stacked late summer tour. He will also open a series of concert dates for Vienna Teng, another Seattle Gay News favorite, this fall. Radin's performance Sunday night is his second in Seattle this year. He played at Chop Suey in May, relaxing at Purr Cocktail Lounge for about twenty minutes with me before sound-check. Radin reminds me a lot of Jason Mraz, in that he's got a good soul and doesn't care whether you're Gay or straight, he just wants you to be yourself. Like Mraz, he's extended himself to our readership with an open heart and open mind, interviewing with the SGN twice and letting us know how much he appreciates our support. So if you're a fan of Jason Mraz, it makes total sense to give Radin your time of day. He opens for Anna "Breathe (2am)" Nalick at Neumo's and will go onstage around 8pm. Don't expect loudness. Radin's music, which you can ear-sample on his website (www.joshuaradin.com), is soft but oh-so-gorgeous. For more on Joshua Radin, read my interview with him this week in "The Music Lounge" column. Pre-funk at the Gay bars before arriving for the show. - A. Rodriguez Pre-concert CD recommendation: We Were Here featuring "Closer", "Winter", "Star Mile" and "These Photographs".