Ball of Wax 41 Songs: Travis Champ – The Yellow Rose of Borges (demo)

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Jon Rooney

Travis Champ’s “The Yellow Rose of Borges” is, at first glance, a simple cowboy song. Champ’s baritone drawl and campfire strumming makes it immediately familiar and, if you’re not really listening, easy to gloss over as yet more Americana aural wallpaper to go with the belt buckle you found in a thrift store driving through Idaho and the boots you bought that time you went to Austin (man, the tacos there were amazing). But then there are the lyrics. “The Yellow Rose of Borges” is filled with top flight frontier surrealism, like if Tom Verlaine had been raised on Townes Van Zandt. There’s some Silver Jews-esque absurdism (“bribe some mattress with some cash”) and a choice Dylan allusion (“up on housing project hill”) among any number of really nice lines to transform this number from a perfectly nice ditty to meaty musical text.

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Ball of Wax 41 Songs: Unai Azkune – Coming Home

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Jon Rooney

Spanish songwriter Unai Azkune returns to Ball of Wax with “Coming Home,” a stark, sublime folk mediation not unlike “Bálsamo de Tigre,” which appeared on Volume 34. Featuring only voice, acoustic guitar and some delay, “Coming Home” is spooky and timeless; the song seems as if it could have been recorded pretty anytime over the last 50 years. The sentiment of longing and loss is more suggested than explained, giving the song a nice, wistful sense of vagueness to balance the directness of the arrangement. A fine and welcome addition to the Ball of Wax collection.

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Ball of Wax 41 Songs: Andrew Weathers – I Saw a Bald Eagle at Hurricane Ridge

Posted on September 4, 2015 by Levi Fuller

Volume 41 continues with a track from Mr. Andrew Weathers, another Ball of Wax Guitar Hero. Knowing that this track was recorded in a small cabin in Sequim (something of an outtake from this recently-released collaboration with Seth Chrisman), I presume the title is a simple statement of fact, probably relating the inspiration for this Faheyian acoustic guitar jaunt. I like imagining Andrew walking around Hurricane Ridge, seeing a bald eagle, then heading back to Sequim to lay this track down, visions of eagles flying through his head and guiding his fingers.

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Ball of Wax 41 Songs: Blizzard Swan – RedWhiteBlue (In the Future, We Will All Be Rich and Beautiful)

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Levi Fuller

You would be forgiven for thinking Blizzard Swan was yet another new addition to our global coterie at first glance, but as soon as you hear that seductively sideways guitar, you know you’re in the capable sonic hands of our old friend Olie Eshleman. Outside of his work with the brilliant Corespondents (and all the other bands and artists he sits in with), Olie seems to be gradually amassing an LP’s worth of beautifully twisted soundscapes using the studio and whatever instruments he happens to have at hand, and as long as he keeps trickling out these little drops of genius I will keep putting them on Ball of Waxes. “RedWhiteBlue” plays out like the soundtrack to an animated film, spooling out variations on a theme for a while – in counterpoint with plenty of weird creaky sounds and some minimal percussion – before breaking down to a somber progression that gradually swells, backed with popping fireworks, then recedes into quivering feedback. I don’t know, I certainly want to see whatever film this is scoring – could somebody just go ahead and make it for me? You know, when you’re off the phone with Elvis Costello.

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Ball of Wax 41 Songs: Bucky Fereke & the Pony Express – Please Don’t Wreck Up My World

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Levi Fuller

Bucky Fereke, out of Lowell, MA, is yet another newcomer to the Ball of Wax fold (always happy to have more folks from my home state), and he brings us the delightfully low-fi “Please Don’t Wreck Up My World.” There’s nothing particularly fancy going on here – just the beer-and-whiskey-soaked plea of a (soon to be?) jilted lover, simple country guitar, and a lot of tape hiss and reverb – but it all adds up to a new country classic, as far as I’m concerned. I’m no country expert, but I could hear anyone from Hasil Adkins to George Jones making this song their own – or maybe we could get Elvis Costello to do a version for a second volume of Almost Blue? Someone get on that.

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Ball of Wax 41 Songs: Future Fridays – I Am Not You

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Levi Fuller

BoW newbies Future Fridays – the duo of Eric Padget and Sari Breznau – keep the punk rock energy going on track 3 with “I Am Not You,” a stripped-down, propulsive little number with just about everything you need for a triumphant musical experience packed into two and a half minutes: Syncopated, choppy guitar, pulsing drums, attitude-filled male/female vocals (complete with “doo-doo-doo” chorus), and throbbing synth-bass. “I Am Not You” practically demands to be replayed as soon as you get to its swirling, twirling end. And then you’ll probably want to go listen From Fun-zo to Done-zo, the album on which it appears, a few times for good measure.

Some form of Future Fridays will be appearing at the Ball of Wax 41 release show on Friday, September 18th (hey, that’s a future Friday!). Be there!

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Ball of Wax 41 Songs: Levi Fuller & the Library – You Could Have Died

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Jon Rooney

Ball of Wax grand poobah Levi Fuller (along with his Library) was surprisingly absent from Volume 39 (the last “regular” release of the quarterly), though he returns with a fuzzy rumble on Volume 41. “You Could Have Died” opens with a burst of feedback before crashing and stomping into the first verse. The band mostly drops out, leaving some guitar and kitchen sink percussion to prop up Levi’s reverb-slathered vocals. It’s an angry, almost punk-rock vocal, which only ramps up as the band gets louder and more agitated as the song progresses. As with the recent The Wonders That There Are, Levi’s musings and assertions are given a satisfying sonic weight by the decidedly unquiet Library. By the final verse, the band is in full galloping doom mode before opening up into an extended, mildly spazzy chorus to end the song. This is more compellingly rough stuff from Levi Fuller and the Library and a fine song to add to their repertoire.

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Ball of Wax 41 Songs: Low Hums – The Watermelon Sunn

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Levi Fuller

Accomplished local psych practitioners Low Hums were apparently keeping this beautiful instrumental in their back pockets, waiting for just the right occasion to unleash it upon the world. I’m very happy that kicking off Ball of Wax 41 is that occasion. “The Watermelon Sunn” was recorded along with the songs that went on to make up their wonderful 2014 LP Charm, but is only now seeing the light of day. The band creates music in a few different modes, all broadly falling under the psychedelic umbrella (or mushroom cap, I suppose), from breezy ’60s pop to driving fuzzed-out rock to spacey, hazy tone pieces (and that’s just the first three tracks on Charm), and I celebrate them all. But this glacial dirge – inspired, according to lead Hum Jonas Haskins, “by the Richard Brautigan book In Watermelon Sugar, [which, wow, I definitely need to read] and of course Sunn amplifiers” – really hits my musical pleasure centers, with its thick chords, chiming leads, and general reverb-drenched Earth-y grandeur. I only wish it were about twice as long, but if it were then we wouldn’t have room for the 21 songs to come.

Low Hums have a new EP coming out this month from our friends at Knick Knack Records. Make sure to add it to your next record store shopping list!

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Wesafari Returns for One Night

Posted on August 26, 2015 by Levi Fuller
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Poster by Clayton Christopherson

Long-time readers and listeners probably know that Wesafari was one of my favorite bands – and were some of my favorite people – in Seattle for the first decade-plus of this century. Somehow it’s been over four years since they played their last show and head Wesafarian Rick Wright split town; I was certainly afraid we’d never see them on a Seattle stage again.

As you have probably guessed by now, that fear was somewhat unfounded. In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Wesafari’s Alaska (soon to be rereleased with all kinds of fancy bonus material), Rick planned a trip out here and a one-off reunion show with some local friends this Saturday, August 29th, at the Sunset Tavern. (Full disclosure, I will actually be helping out on various instruments during the set, allowing me to cross a biggie off my nonexistent bucket list.) The band will play a bunch of songs off Alaska and Sea Survivors, along with some newer/lesser-known tunes. We’ll dance, we’ll sing, we’ll drink, we’ll cry. It’ll be great. Continue reading →

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Ball of Wax 41! September 18th at Conor Byrne!

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Levi Fuller

2015 09 18 BoW 41Ball of Wax Volume 41 Release Show
With Puget Power, Cold Comfort, Future Fridays, Visceral Candy, and Brenda Xu
Friday, September 18, 9pm
Conor Byrne Pub
21+ / $8 (includes Ball of Wax 41 CD)

The 41st volume of Ball of Wax is in the works, and I gotta say, it’s a doozy. There’s no theme, but it’s chock-full of delightful new music – 22 new songs from old favorites and new friends, including the above-mentioned artists as well as Low Hums, Tomo Nakayama, Amy Blaschke, GreenhornBluehorn, The Kings – the first ska band to appear on BoW, which I find very exciting – and many more!

All of the bands playing the Volume 41 release show are new to the BoW family, which delights me (as much as I love all of our old friends and regulars). The only reason I’ve been able to do this for 10+ years is the neverending flow of great new music from friends and strangers near and far – it always thrills me to welcome new folks to the fold.

And what a bunch we have here! From the beautiful songcraft of Brenda Xu to the rump-moving sounds of Future Fridays and Seth Swift (of Soft Blows)’s Visceral Candy to the dueling (hi-fi vs lo-fi) pop stylings of Cold Comfort and Puget Power, the whole night will be just another example of what makes Ball of Wax (and Seattle music) so great. Join us!

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