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| BOM 2008, Katy Perry, Jason Mraz, Snow Patrol | |
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by Albert Rodriguez -
SGN A&E Writer After four continuous weeks of interviews (Against Me!, The Crystal Method, Jason Mraz, Benjamin Taylor), I'm back to writing a column again. So here's what I know and what you should know, too. Circle the date December 19 on your calendar, because this is when we'll announce the Best of Music 2008. I'm currently listening to stacks of CDs that have been piling underneath, on top of, and to the side of my desk. There was a lot of great music released in the second half of the year, particularly in the past two months, that's made this task a bit more difficult than I had planned. Aside from revealing our picks for the best albums from January through December, we'll also unveil our choices for the best singles, concerts and hottest artists. And, I'm working on getting a special artist to provide their personal picks for the year as well - previously Death Cab for Cutie, We Are Scientists, and Simian Mobile Disco interviewed exclusively for our year-end music issue. So don't forget to grab a copy of Seattle Gay News on December 19 to find out what we selected as the Best of Music 2008. She kissed a girl, liked it, and is now famous because of it. I'm talking, of course, about Katy Perry. What a year she's had, right? The aptly titled single "I Kissed a Girl" put this sassy Santa Barbara native on the map, surely a contender for a Grammy nomination and probably one of the biggest singles of the entire year. She followed that smash with "Hot n' Cold," already having strong impact on triple-A radio stations across the country. But before either of these monstrous hits rose to the surface, Perry was already popular in Gay circles because of her other aptly titled track, "UR So Gay." Not only has the newbie pop princess attracted a legion of non-hetero supporters, but the mother hen of gay boys, Madonna, is also a fan, giving her plugs on two LA morning radio shows. All this chatter about Katy Perry leads to the announcement that she's coming to Seattle on January 23 for a performance at The Showbox Market. Tickets, priced at $18, are on sale now at all Ticketmaster locations. FYI: "I Kissed a Girl" was inspired by Scarlett Johansson, who I'd gladly smooch any day of the week (damn that Ryan Reynolds!). He sings, he dances, and he's at least two inches taller now. My friend and I hung out with Jason Mraz before he stepped onstage to perform the first of back-to-back sold-out shows at the Paramount Theatre last week. We were escorted backstage with 20 random fans, who were all giddy in anticipation of meeting the Curbside Prophet, and suddenly he popped out of nowhere directly behind me. He said, "Albert, how's it goin'?" or something along those lines, and I immediately noticed that he'd stretched at least 2-3 inches in height since the last time I'd seen him in person a couple of years ago. I gave him a hug and handed him a pair of "Porn Star" socks that I picked up earlier from The Crypt, and then we waited for him to shake hands and pose for pics with the train of fans lined up in the same hallway where I met Beck in 2005. Mraz has been doing yoga for months now and sticking to a raw food diet - this explains his new slim figure and longer legs. The fans were escorted back to the seating area of the theater after he posed for the last photo, though we got to mingle a bit more with him and his manager. I invited him out for cocktails after the concert, but he wanted to return to his hotel and jot some notes down for the next day's performance, and he also scheduled an 8:30 a.m. yoga session for the following morning. We chatted for about 10 minutes before he had to get ready to go onstage, and in those 10 minutes he raised his arm and I got a glimpse of his smooth, tight waistline (I'm guessing no undies). Anywho, after a second hug and quick photo, I said goodbye as he disappeared to his little corner to prep for the show. Let's talk Snow Patrol. You absolutely must check out their new album, A Hundred Million Suns, featuring the single "Take Back the City." It's a departure from the Grammy-nominated band's previous effort, 2006's Eyes Open, in that it's more methodical, more atmospheric, and definitely more lyrics-based. The best entries on the 11-track disc are "Lifeboats" and "The Golden Floor," so I'm a tad disappointed they chose "Crack the Shutters" as the official second single. There's certainly a lot of soul on A Hundred Million Suns, the songs just seem to run deep in thought and into mysterious territory. The downside for fans who discovered Snow Patrol circa Final Straw is that the simplicity of their music is gone, such as one word-titled songs ("Chocolate," "Run," "Wow") and digestible lyrics surrounding relationship brinks. The new material is complicated - it's beautifully written and greatly arranged, but it's very meaty in regards to perspective - and sometimes you just want to listen to music, not wonder what it's trying to tell you. Still, I applaud Snow Patrol because they drifted away from the poppy feel of their last album and demonstrate growth as a musical unit, led by the gifted yet mystical Gary Lightbody. The quintet has announced scattered West Coast dates in December, and I'm told Seattle will receive a visit by these fine men in early 2009. For all things Snow Patrol, keep it glued to "The Music Lounge." Finally, three upcoming concerts have been announced that I recommend strongly: Marc Broussard at The Showbox Market (January 24), Brett Dennen at The Showbox SoDo (February 5), and former Talking Head frontman David Byrne at Benaroya Hall (February 18). Tickets for all three shows go on sale tomorrow, November 22, at all Ticketmaster locations. Next week, I'll preview the Grammy nominations - so if you want an idea of who or what will be nominated this year, I invite you to "The Music Lounge" on November 28. Have a safe and rockin' Thanksgiving! |
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| picture - Katy Perry | |
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