2026-08-15 Planets in the Ocean at the Tractor Tavern

Made this on Canva

We were offered this show a few months ago and were pretty excited about it. I know nothing about the Divorce but both Cass and Robb had played with them a bunch when they were in Dear John Letters. Evidently they had a great draw in the early 2010s and played a bunch of great local shows back then.

I showed up at the Tractor around 6pm and double-parked behind a car that was already there. The Tractor has a loading dock in the back that they lock once the show starts. It makes things really handy to not have to find parking elsewhere, but it can be a bit challenging to get all the cars in there.

Cass and Robb were already there, as was Robb's awkward friend, Chris. Some of the Chimestone dudes were there as well. Good to chop it up with Cass for a bit. We talked about our plan for our set, less talking (for me at least; he's not on mic), and how we were going to play our new song, "Tourniquet."

I didn't know what to expect as far as crowds go, but as the doors opened, it seemed like Chimestone was having a good draw. I think all 5 of those guys are NHS grads, and their crew travels well. It seems like every time we play with them, they have a good crew showing out.

Teddy shared his bass rig, I was happy to use it. One less thing for me to be bringing around on a long day to begin with. He also had a beautiful Stingray that he was going to play, which ended up sounding just as good as it looked.

Teddy's rig and bass

Chimestone took the stage and played a competent set of REM-ish rock and roll. Frontman Jake came out on fire, working the stage with and without guitar, singing expertly. Ted on bass was solid throughout, tasty notes and playing all set long. Jonathan Plum, of course, was so solid as well, also adding killer harmonies during the songs. Paul was stellar behind the kit, driving with power and energy. I don't know the other guitarist's name, but he was great as well, tasty leads and playing. Enjoyed watching and hearing them for sure.

Chimestone at work

During Chimestone's set, we hooked up with a local photographer named Ian who had been sent by our bud Will. I asked if he'd be willing to take some non-performance pix of us and he agreed. We went to the loading area and stood/posed by some dangerous looking stacks of pallets while he snapped away. He ended up taking a bunch there as well as during the show. Hope those turn out to be cool!

We took the stage after Chimestone loaded out. Had to switch drum sets, but other than that, no big deal. I gave Dave the sound guy my IEM transmitter and he got bass and vocals into my ears. Had the bass rig on stage turned up as well and with hardly a word, Robb started into "Unraveled." Everything sounded great to me in my ears. Robb's vocals and guitar were loud enough that I didn't need any of his signal to the IEMs.

Unlike last show, I put the wireless pack on my strap and it was not going anywhere. My IEM receiver was opposite on my left hip, which would reduce any interference. I have new silicone ear tips from some old Skullcandy earbuds that create an awesome seal and didn't leak like my foam ones would if I smiled or laughed, so all my gear was working as it should. Until my left earbud popped out during "Unraveled." No worries, after the tune, I put it back in and we were golden.

We continued the set with "The Loud Silence," and then our nemesis from last show, "Nomenclature," and those all went off without a hitch. Robb or I didn't say much until after that song, so it was sort of refreshing.

We worked our way down the list and we were doing great. We sounded good, mistakes were low, crowd liked it and our energy was high. All the songs were fine until we hit "Holiday Daydream," where Robb forgot to do the chorus and went straight into the second verse. He's done that before, so we'll have to mention it again. Aside from that, though, everything else went well.

The last song was our new song, "Tourniquet." Robb brought it in a few months ago and it pretty much wrote itself. Over the past two rehearsals at the Rock Rooms in Ballard, we've really worked on it. It's pretty much a 3-part song: riff, verse, chorus. I'd like to come up with a bridge at some point, but it came together quickly and plays well. We may do have Tim jump on it when we play the SE show next month, but we'll see.

Got off stage and the Divorce jumped on after us. A very tight and pro 4-piece. A bit emo, a bunch rock and they looked great doing it. All 4 dudes were great musicians and the songs were well-received. They drew a nice crowd and had people singing to all their songs. At some point during the set, Robb made his way right up front and was pumping his fist and jumping along to the tunes!

The Divorce

During either of the other bands' sets, I chopped it up with Steve and Salena a bit, as well as Cass. We all got a laugh out of Chris and his tendencies. He means well, but I don't really want him to be running merch for us; one of us can handle that. He can help Robb schlep gear back and forth, I don't need his help with anything.

Got some props after the gig. Kim and her cousin gave me the best compliment, digging the white denim jeans I picked up the day before at Goodwill! Jimmy, the bassist in the Divorce, complimented my playing as faster than he can do; he has a Geddy Lee Jazz with a skinny neck to be able to play faster. We felt great about our performance, likely one of our best ones in a minute.

Had to beg Steve and Salena for pix. I think plenty of people took pix and video, but gotta be patient. Chris Elko was there and should have a video for us soon. And Ian's pix will be sent out soon I'm assuming. Other than that, felt great about it all. Sold a couple of limited pink LPs as well, so that's a bonus. We got a check for $566 (surprise!) so overall, a great night.

Next up, Cupcake on 9/11 at the Blue Moon?? Stay tuned.

Gig report: 9/29/23 Planets in the Ocean at Darrell's Tavern

We were trying to put shows together and this is one we struggled with. On paper, it was an odd match: our little indie rock trio with a Neil Young tribute band (Shakey) and an old jangle guitar pop band (Chimestone) in a dive bar that bills itself as the bar "where your dad used to drink." In reality, it seemed to work out ok, despite some techinicial issues at the jump.

It's Darrell's. A billiards room with one table.

Load in was at 7 so, like a good little soldier, I showed up at 7 and loaded in. I brought my gold L1K, my Orange Terror Bass and Avatar 212. The plan was to let everyone use my rig, which would make it easy enough for everyone. Cass also was sharing his drums but the drummer for Chimestone is a little particular about wanting to use his own kit but also not allowing anyone else to use it. So there's that. Needless to say, a little weird, but what are you going to do?

Despite us showing up when we were supposed to, there was no sign of the sound guy. Around 8 or so, when we were supposed to start, Robb asked the bartender where the sound guy was. She told him, "he'll show up when he shows up. No worries," or something to that effect. Again, what are you gonna do?

People started showing up for the night. Kathy Moore was part of Shakey, as was Gary Westlake. Andy Stoller (gulp) was on bass, simply showing up with his Fender Jazz an iPad and a music stand. Shakey was there to do Neil Young covers, which I didn't think would be my thing, but after watching them, I could get into it. More on that to come.

The Chimestone boys showed up as well. Jonathan Plum from London Bridge plays guitar in that band and it's made up of a bunch of NHS graduates. Brothers Ted and Eric on bass and guitar, respectively, Jake on vocals and Paul on drums. I don't know if Paul went to NHS or not, but they've been around for many years, since high school, I think.

Anyway, the sound guy finally showed up close to 9pm and started setting up. I'm thinking he'd hurry since he was so late, but he didn't seem to care. He started by putting mics on all the drums, including an overhead. This room didn't need it, as it was not that big and wouldn't need much more than a kick drum mic. But then, I am no sound guy, so there's that.

So he took his time and finally, around 9:30 (like the old days), Shakey took the stage and I was pleasantly surprised. I already know first-hand that Kathy is an incredible musician and guitarist. I was so happy to see her and be a fan this time around. Hearing her with Gary, Andy and Luka was really great. Andy is the pro's pro, just so smooth and relaxed on his bass. He just plugged in and played. He really played some tasty lines and leaned into the low D by using his Hipshot X-tender. Was cool to see and hear. His bass sounded great on my rig and he was just the best.

Andy, Gary, Kathy and Luca on the drums

We took the stage next and got to work. The stage is weird at Darrell's. It's long and narrow, so we had Cass in the corner, my bass cab to his right, me standing in front of him, with Robb and his gear to my left. Robb's amp was SUPER LOUD and I tried to compensate by also turning up. Trouble was, I am simply not used to hearing my 212 and Orange and I couldn't find a good sound for my ears on stage. I kept fiddling, but I just dealt with it.

Weird stage

Luckily, I could hear my vocals pretty well and had a good time singing and playing the tunes. We had a nice turnout, but truthfully, most everyone was there to see Chimestone, or they were regulars at Darrell's. We got some really nice reactions from people there and overall played a pretty good show. Devin shot a show video and I'll take a look and assess later.

Chimestone did their thing and they are really good at it: 90s-tinged jangly guitar pop. They brought a bunch of fans and everyone there really liked them. Jonathan was great and energetic. Jake has this Liam Gallagher (Oasis) thing going on; he closed his eyes most of the time and kept his hands in his pockets. Totally on brand for 90s-tinged jangly guitar pop!

Chimestone boys

Had a good time hanging with the band and some friends that showed up. We always enjoy playing out, and Darrell's is cool enough, but we're hoping to step it up with some different venues and different bands.

Artwork by @drawitinone on IG

Next up: Sunset Grooves at the Bite of Broadview.

Gig report! 9/17/2021, Stereo Embers at Slim's

Back at it again, another show at Slim's. Couple things to get out of the way.

1. I did not have the chili verde, despite having plans to totally do so. I had a light dinner prior to show and planned on eating after our opening slot and then proceeded to forget to. However, a friend had it and there's my report on the chili.
2. Though planned originally as an outdoor show, due to the most Seattle-like weather we've had since early June (rain and wind), they moved it inside. Masks and vax proof were required and it worked out fine.
3. I didn't take pictures, except for these:

As far as the show is concerned, it was my band, Stereo Embers, followed by the belles of the ball, the Kathy Moore Super Power Trio (releasing their great new EP) and Chimestone.

When playing outdoors (preferred) at Slim's, you play on a flatbed truck and there's a decent amount of room to move. Indoors, not so much. Stage right is blocked by a wall and stage left is blocked by what I think is a beer mascot statue (Hamm's?). I set up in the corner stage right and my singer/guitar had his new Supro amp right next to me. Hanging on the wall at head height to my right is a Mackie PA speaker acting as my stage monitor. Overall, the setup is not ideal; I kept finding myself nearly banging my head into that monitor or losing my balance into my singer's backup guitar on a nearby stand. Nevertheless, I persisted.

We've been doing this thing lately, starting with a slower tune that opens with guitar and vocals, before drums and I come in for the second half of the song. After that, we blow the place up with a big rocker and then continue from there. There are a few vids on FB of the songs, but they are private, so I can't share them, but to my eyes they had a lot of energy and power.

Kathy Moore Super Power Trio followed and they were excellent. They are relatively new but are gaining notoriety quickly. I shared my rig (TE GP-12 > 2x10 > 1x15) with their bassist Alyssa and her Fender PJ (seafoam green!) and it and she sounded great. Really nice tones and effects that she used. Her playing was super tasteful and technical and she had a great feel on when to just lay low and when to light it up. Just love seeing bassists who make it look effortless, when we all know it's anything but. Kathy on guitar and Faith on drums rounded out the trio and their set was well received by the good sized crowd.

Closing the show was a band called Chimestone, which I'd never seen or played with, but was familiar with as all the members are alums of my high school. We are all 30 years or more removed from good ol' NHS, so not only were they there, but other friends from back then. Though those guys were all a few years ahead of me, one of the band members is dating my band's singer's wife's sister (you follow?). And I've also kept in touch with that guy over the years as he owns a local recording studio that we've all recorded in at one time or another.

Their music was pretty 90s rock tinged, with some Brit pop thrown in for good measure. They've been friends since HS and have kept the band going through all the years, even enduring the death of one of the band members (as well as a brother of 2 of the band).

Really cool connecting with one guy who I hadn't seen in over 30 years. He was 2 years ahead of me and we played in a band in HS. We did some Police covers and rehearsed in his parents' house. Then he dropped a recording bomb on me, some songs we recorded that I LITERALLY HAVE NO MEMORY OF. It's pretty crazy, absolutely no recollection. I had a great laugh listening to a cover of Bang a Gong (Power Station version, complete with a rough slap bass line), Jet Airliner and two originals, including a song called "Private School Girls" about the private school by my friend's house.

He also shared 2 pictures of us playing at a local Boys & Girls Club talent show, which I also have no recollection of. But there we were and he had pix to prove it. Check out the little Steinberger copy (Hohner). No longer have that little guy.

Was a fun night, really happy to have played and reconnected with people. Happy also to see the vax/mask requirement and compliance by everyone in the crowd. See, we can get along!!