Northwest Folklife Festival: the Curious Mystery, the Softies

Coming up Memorial Day weekend is a mega-dose of K-type fun and pageantry at the Northwest Folklife Festival.

On Friday, May 25, you can witness the Curious Mystery, Angelo Spencer et les Hauts Sommets, Western Hymn and the Bash Bros. at an outdoor stage (near Broad Street), 7:00 to 10:00 PM. On Saturday, May 26, the Softies, The Hive Dwellers, Kendl Winter and Katie & the Lichen play at the Center House Theatre, 1:30 to 4:30 PM. This will be the first Northwest appearance by the Softies in many moons.

They have lay dormant since the release of their Holiday in Rhode Island [KLP119] album, as Rose Melberg and Jen Sbragia have been busy with their other musical pursuits: Rose her solo album Homemade Ship [KLP211] and Jen the All Girl Summer Fun Band. There is no doubt that the Softies have influenced scores of folks all over; why, check a recent TESTIMONIAL the Curious Mystery gave the Softies on their weblog! So very kind. The Softies will also be playing next week at the Chickfactor magazine party in Portland Oregon, along with Lois, Honeybunch and Selector Dub Narcotic.

Say a little prayer to St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes.

The Hive Dwellers - “The Dignity of St. Jude” from the upcoming LP, Hewn From The Wilderness - June 12th!

Sometimes you just need that little extra something….

Kendl Winter - “Long Way” featuring Calvin Johnson

From the lovely Mechanics of Hovering Flight

Hey Seattle! Kendl Winter and Calvin Johnson will be performing a show TONIGHT at the Intiman Theater as a part of the Seattle Center’s “The Next Fifty” event, YEAH! Come out and dig the sweet tunes of Kendl and Calvin. Mmmm. You can grab FREE tickets here!

K Photo of the day!

Calvin Johnson, record shopping and singing Conway Twitty at the Youngstown Flea Market.

Thanks David Prokivnak of Wild Kindness Records for sending us this awesome picture!

craftvirus:

Beat Happening (To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before / Candles for Dead Bands), December 2011, hand-drawn, six-layer screen print on laminating film, found 7-day candle.

[ RETURN ]

What? A brand new song from The Hive Dwellers! Yeah! Sing it Calvin!

“Somebody’s Phone is Ringing” off of Hewn From the Wilderness. Its comin’ out June 12th…

Thank you David Pokrivnak (of Wild Kindness Records) for sharing Calvin’s sweet dance moves with us!  -The Hive Dwellers; Youngstown, Ohio

*sigh* Oh, Calvin…

So, The Hive Dwellers played a pretty awesome acoustic performance at the Market Hotel in NY along with The Curious Mystery! Both bands are currently on the road and you can check out where they are headed to next on our shows page!

Photo by Edwina Hay 

sarahcass:

calvin johnson // olympia, washington

Calvin sings to the birds at Fertile Ground.  Look how they flock to him!

Joel caught The Hive Dwellers in the middle of a jam session.  “Tell Tale Heart,” with Calvin Johnson, Gabriel Will and Evan Hashi.   The Hive Dwellers are totally hitting the road tomorrow for their six week tour.  Check out the dates! Dance hard at a show near you.

The Hive Dwellers performing “Get In” off their upcoming album Hewn In The Wilderness at the Midnight Sun in downtown Olympia.  Calvin has a dance party with Miko, our little K darling.  I think Calvin’s been upstaged…

We just found this in the basement (Dub Narcotic Studio), underneath some things—Calvin’s print-out of the lyrics for Ruby Fray’s “Mint Ice Cream.”  (In case you want to try out the harmonies for yourself)

TONIGHT IN SEATTLE! The second screening of Have You Ever Had A Beard?, a filmed conversation between Calvin Johnson and music critic Chris Estey, is going down at the Northwest Film Forum.  The directors will be there, and Calvin is going to be doing a live performance after the showing.  Get the details here, and check it out tonight!

All you Seattle people—I hope you listened when we told you that the Atlas Sound show was going down.  This picture is proof that it awesome: Calvin Johnson and Bradford Cox hanging out backstage, stirring up mischief with eerie, glowing eyes.  These two collaborated on making the Atlas Shrugged [DBN113] single a few years back; a meeting of the minds, to be sure.

(Photograph by Allison Newberry)