![[ juno's arlie carstens - photo by craig young ]](images/juno10.jpg) photo by craig young Juno/Waxwing/The Ruby Doe Links: |
The first thing you notice when you walk in Local 46 is the sheer size of the hall where the bands are playing. The
second thing you notice is the symbol for the International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers, Local 46, (whose union hall they've kindly allowed the Vera
Project to hold all-ages shows at) that hangs above the stage: a fist clutching
bolts of electricity. That defiant fist could easily symbolize the struggle that
represents the all-ages scene in Seattle and the work that the non-profit
organization The Vera
Project is trying to accomplish helping to promote the scene here. Securing
a $25,000 budget from the City of Seattle last year (a coup!), The Vera Project
hopes to establish a long-term youth arts and culture center. They could use
your support, so step up to the plate.
This is the first time I've been to the venue and I have to kick myself in the ass for forgetting that Seattle has a curfew for all-ages shows, which means they start earlier, which means I need to get their earlier. The Ruby Doe open the night and once again I only get to catch the tail end their set. That's two for two, now--not a good record. The band overcome the cavernous sound of the hall as they effortlessly crank out tight, angular, hardcore sounds; much like if Helmet had steered away from their metal leanings and a little more towards the straight ahead heavy. Waxwing take the stage next. Their members, which includes Rocky and Cody Votolato on guitars, seem to be spread across a number of other local bands (Blood Brothers, Bugs in Amber) and their set is comprised of emo-inflected moods that shift from melancholy winter gray to post-breakup blood red. The lights on the stage floor cast large, threatening shadows of the brothers Votolato across the ceiling, and the images provide a perfect accompaniment for the music. Up last are headliners Juno, who have been holed up in a studio recording the follow-up to 1999's brilliant This is the Way It Goes and Goes and Goes. Preparing to depart shortly for a five-week tour of Europe, their set consisted almost exclusively of songs off their new album, entitled A Future Lived in Past Tense. Having been lucky enough to have heard the new release it was a peculiar situation, in that I was probably the only person in the entire crowd who had heard the songs before tonight and was at all familiar with them. Funny enough, you couldn't tell that by gauging the way they reacted to the band. Juno's delivery was straight on, the new material coming out sounding like it was years polished. Touring bassist David Broecker (The Prom) fit in nicely between the epileptic sounds of Jason Guyer and Gabe Carter's guitars. In the backcourt Greg Ferguson's drumming kept the tide of guitars in check while frontside, with hands on hips and eyes closed in intense concentration, singer Arlie Carstens let loose with his lyrical manifesto. Carstens is an interesting person to watch perform. His lyrics are so intensely personal, yet at the same time ambiguous enough as to be universally poignant, that you can't help but wonder what he is reliving after he sings a verse in a song and then firmly clasps his hands over his mouth. It's as if he just sung something unspeakable that should never have been shared. It's in those tiny little vignettes Juno affords you a glimpse of its inner workings. The band opened their set with the second song from their upcoming album "Covered With Hair"--which has one of the best lines I've heard: "Put on your punk belt and rock it for all the square cools"--and ended the night with a frenetic version of the ten-minute-plus "Leave a Clean Camp and a Dead Fire." With the exception of "Rodeo Programmers," everything in-between was material off the new release, and every bit of it sounded amazing. Having heard the new album and now having been able to compare it live, I can write without hesitation that the band and their sound are evolving into some marvelous spaces and the new release is going make you cry with its beauty. Juno play one more show on March 5th at the Crocodile Café with Girls Against Boys and Action Slacks before packing off to Europe (GVB headline--check Croc's website for band times). Anyone overseas who has a chance to see them should not pass up the opportunity. The band are simply amazing live and well worth checking out. As well, this is their first time abroad and they could use your support. For those of us Stateside, mark your calendars: May 7th is when A Future Lived in Past Tense comes out on Desoto Records. Juno's set list: |
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| Source:
http://www.earpollution.com/vol3/mar01/live/live.html#juno
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