Friends and Family: If Only More of Seattle Were Like This Band

Lemme preface this. I always thought The Foghorns, which is my band’s name, was the worst band name in Seattle. (We started on an island in Wisconsin, I swear it made sense at the freaking time.) But, God bless them, as perfect as FRIENDS and FAMILY is to hear and speak, it is a nightmare for a band name in the digital era. I’ve just spent a half an hour looking for decent video of this band, and seen too many creepy Aunt Marthas. The best resource I found for them was their facebook page, which is here.

Okay, that said, tonight, August 30, Friends and Family release their first full-length CD a CD of remixes at the Tractor Tavern. You should care. If you’re from here, and you haven’t heard of them, make a point to get down there.

Why? The sound is good. The influences seem clear to me–heavy doses of Arcade Fire and Bright Eyes, but with all the energy and none of the cynicism, and with a drummer with a pleasingly heavy right foot.

Their lyrics are emotive and intelligent. And the band, made up of seven the last I saw them, delivers with an honest energy you simply don’t see in this town.

Here’s a sample track:

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And here’s where I explain the sheer joy it’s been discovering this band. I’ve attempted to proselytize them in the past. I once contributed, badly, to Hollow Earth Radio. I did my damnedest to get them photos and a podcast of an interview with Friends and Family. I recorded their EP release show and interviewed them in a cold Seattle street (hard to believe it was ever cold, right?)

It all went down badly. The photos I took were blurry. The podcast was turned in, but I was in Virginia when it aired, if it aired. Friends and Family did well, but podcast was not the cause.

I’m not gonna overwrite this, then. Or, not any further. I found myself a band with energy, wit, and good sound, and I hope they stick around. They’re playing tonight at the Tractor. If you can skip your trivia night, I highly recommend it. I’d summarize the possibilities this way: Friends and Family are from another Seattle, a Seattle where people read books, make jokes, and sometimes sweat from doing things other than bicycling.

Friends and Family perform at Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave, Seattle WA, August 30. The night also features Goldie Wilson and Leigh’s Birthday Band.