Silkscreen Workshop Tonight, August 29, 7 p.m.

$45 gets you this great workshop, teaching you the basics of silkscreening shirts and posters + 1 month's worth of 7 day a week access to our studio to create your very own goodies. Email us at alchemy.of.time@gmail.com or stop in to reserve your spot!

Cairo Quickie: Vibrations Festival!

Many thanks to everyone who came out to Vibrations last weekend, and MANY MANY thanks to all the serious babes who dressed up for the occasion!
For this Cairo Quickie, here is a small sample of fashionable friends:



























Daaayum!

Our Friends are Expats! CB & Angela.

Oh no! The time has come for us to say goodbye to our very dear friends and Seattle stars Christopher Brown and Angela Engbrecht. Very soon they will be returning to Hong Kong for more adventures in the Far East, after a summer of friends, music and river rafting in the PNW.
I was lucky enough to get to interview this gorgeous couple and watch them (Angela) strut their stuff in front of the camera. CB was very supportive; providing the occasional "work it, girl!" and "don't I have the sexiest girlfriend?!" while Angela did her thing. (Might I add that they shared the dressing room?)
We chatted about their experiences in Hong Kong, the bummer smoothies sold on Broadway, and how happy they were to be back in Seattle again. What else can I say about these two? They are lovely, and Seattle is waiting with bated breath for them to return for good. We love you guys!








Here are some questions I asked them:
What is your present state of mind?
CB- I don't think I ever know the answer to that question. Occupied.
A- In love with Seattle!

What is one natural talent you wish you had?
CB- I think I want to be more mechanically inclined. I want to know how things work. I'm a great problem solver though. Like, I can figure how your car is going to get fixed in half an hour, just not by me.
A- I wish I was more musically inclined. That's kind of my goal for next year: to wet my feet in the music scene in Hong Kong, because it doesn't really exist there.

What is the music scene like in China?
A- Haha, there is not much of a DIY scene in Hong Kong. People are really into materialism there, so things have value because other people have given it value... so there isn't very much original music there, but a lot of cover bands!

What is a quality you desire in a partner?
CB- The ability to be self-sustaining.
A- Hands down, integrity.
CB- Wait, can I say that too?! Integrity.

While you were away, what did you miss the most? What were you most excited to see again?
A- Friends of course...but definitely live music.
CB- That's exactly what I wanted to see too. And fresh air. Nice, clean, Pacific Northwest air.

What was the best food you discovered in Hong Kong?
CB- DUMPLINGS. Kimchi and pork dumplings.
A- I went through a few phases but on Cheung Chau they make fishballs on a stick… I know it sounds unappetizing but it's really good on a hot day. (!)

Tell me a joke, please.
CB- Oh I got one for you.
What's the different between toilet paper and a bath towel?
You don't know? Don't come to my house.
A- Okay, this is one of the first jokes CB ever told me.
How do you titillate an oscillate?
Oscillate its tits a lot.

If you were hosting a dinner party together, what 5 guests would you invite?
CB & A- Steven Wright, Jim Henson, Angela's deceased maternal grandmother (as a young woman), CB's little brother, and Raymond Scott.

What is your favorite current local band?
CB- That is the meanest question ever.

What is your favorite quality of the Seattle music scene?
A- It feels really earnest to me. Everyone loves what they are doing and that's why they do it.
CB- All the bands are handmade… each band does their own thing because they really want to, and they are really good at it.

Who, in your opinion, are the best drummers in Seattle?
CB- Tyler Swan of Flexions/Truckasaurus, Myke Pelly of Haunted Horses and Footwork, Carrie Schaff of M Women, Robert Wolfe of...several bands. Basically any drummer that i'm friends with. I like to watch my friends play drums.

What is one thing that you two love to do together?
CB- Other than smooching?
A- We like to make breakfast together. We are professional unpaid breakfast extraordinaires.

How did you two meet?
A- I brought vegan cookies to HTFC and he's been in love with me ever since.
CB- I asked her on a date after we danced all night at the old Pony, too.

What sandwich most represents your personality?
A- Hmm... something really fresh but with a really overwhelming ingredient. A pastrami sandwich with sauerkraut and mustard and a pickle.
CB- Oh shit! My favorite sandwich represents my personality: rye bread, brown mustard, red apple slices, tuna, lettuce, brie, smoked gouda, and tomato. A little bit of everything, makin' one good thing. Not to be totally cocky, but that's me.

Too true CB, too true.

If you want to see more photos from their afternoon at Cairo, check out our new Tumblr!

VIBRATIONS SURVIVAL KIT

With so many GREAT acts on saturday you don't want to miss, might want to remember some key ingredients for a magical day in the park!


A) Magic Carpet / Blanket for lounging in the grass
B) Picnic basket with snacks
C) Sunscreen / Shades / Hat to preserve your youthful complexion from the harsh Seattle Sun
D) H2o / water / iced tea to sip
E) Some Cash $ to spend on Vendors. Cairo will be having a Booth with Summer Sale and Silkscreened Wears. In addition, there will be Jewelry, Clothing, Coffee, Tasty Pastries and more.
F) Buddies. Bring a Pal!


SEE YOU THERE!

First Annual VIBRATIONS Free Outdoor Music Festival This Weekend!

In case you haven't heard, we at Cairo are supremely pleased to be hosting the first annual VIBRATIONS music festival this Saturday, August 20th at the amphitheater in Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill (a recommended event by the Capitol Hill Seattle blog!). The local press seem to be pretty stoked on the event as well. The Seattle Times' Andrew Matson had lots of nice things to say in an article that debuted online yesterday (and runs in today's Times print edition:

"Meeting place, fashion center, idea salon, record label and showcase for music — they all come together at Cairo, small as it is...the place is starting to look like the vortex of an exciting new movement, especially since the launch last month of Cairo Records, an attempt at bottling the energy around the space."

Read Matson's entire article here.

Meantime, Seattle Weekly's Erin Thompson has documented Cairo's upward trajectory as a local nexus for the arts in another new article:

"It makes sense that Cairo's looking to extend even further beyond their established family of bands—it's the same upward trajectory by which a one-room art gallery evolved into a festival-hosting, band-promoting, album-distributing record label."

Read more of Erin's generous write-up here.

And, for the link-averse readers out there, here's a reminder of the awesome VIBRATIONS line-up:

-Seapony
-Witch Gardens
-Charles Leo Gebhardt IV
-Stephanie
-Metal Chocolates
-Flexions
-Purple & Green
-Grass Widow

+ DJs from Voodoo Reverb and Actual Pain

The fun kicks off at 2 pm Saturday. For directions to Volunteer Park, click here. We can't wait to see you there!

Special Thanks to All of Our VIBRATIONS Supporters

With the VIBRATIONS music festival fast approaching, we at Cairo would like to take a sec to thank everyone who has helped us get this unique, free outdoor concert event off the ground. What was once a pipe dream has been made a reality thanks to the generous support of Whole Foods, the Stranger, and KEXP. Additionally, we couldn't be hosting VIBRATIONS without the support and participation of these local businesses and individuals:

Wall of Sound records



Arabica Lounge

Justine Ashbee

& Co.

Beth Martini

Analog Coffee

Dante's Inferno Dogs

Melisa Ludin

Joe Bar Coffee

Pacific Standard

Dumb Eyes art collective

The Vera Project

Robert M. Wolfe

Thanks, all! We couldn't have done this without you.

Next Silkscreen Workshop is Monday, August 29

$45 gets you this great workshop, teaching you the basics of silkscreening shirts and posters + 1 month's worth of 7 day a week access to our studio to create your very own goodies. Email us at alchemy.of.time@gmail.com or stop in to reserve your spot!

LATE SUMMER /// EARLY FALL CAIRO 2011

photos by Liv McCausland /// lookbook by Aimee and Liv /// special thanks to Robert, Rio, Isabel and Colleen


***stay tuned for more photos

Fjord Your Information...

Rejoice! Flexions' new record, Golden Fjord, comes out this week on Cairo Records! In celebration of such fortunate events, they are this week's fashion-forward feature.

Some highlights: Robin was indubitably stoked on his "Original! First edition Cairo!" printed T that he brought from home, I discovered Devin's passion for spicy/sweet condiments, and (another) serious conversation about the Denny Regrade took up a considerable amount of time. (Robin and CLGIV should meet. Seriously.) Oh, and seeing the finished product was the biggest highlight of all, of course.

Also, although each band member made an appearance, I was only able to interview/photograph 2/3rds of the band. Tyler is here in spirit.

This is what they look like:

Showing off

"What does it look like when you eat lemons?"

Costume change...

This is what I asked them:

So what is happening?
R- We are releasing a record. It's our first record with Tyler, and the first full embodiment of our creative identity as a trio. This is also a starting point for Cairo as a larger entity. We're kind of learning the ropes of starting a record label. We are doing it right instead of totally DIY: trying to present ourselves as serious and professional without being corporate.

What about Flexions did you want to do differently than previous projects?
D- I wanted to have more freedom to not stick to one specific style and to be able to experiment, and have it always be really positive and make sure we were doing it because it felt good. Take it seriously...but not too seriously, you know?
R- Flexions was the first music project that I worked on where I was playing with musicians. When playing with Devin and Tyler, I was able to work with people that were committed to putting things together in a complete way, as opposed to just "jamming". They are dedicated to being good performers that represented all of our specific interests, without boundaries on what the band "should be".

What are your individual influences for the new record?
D- Hmm…explorations of styles that I was feeling at that particular moment really. Also everything that was sampled. We were jamming with all those bands in a way, like Sade, Gary Newman, Quincy Jones and Cerrone. A more consistent running influence that comes in the record has been Grace Jones and Tom Tom Club and more…dubbier… music.
R- Covering Rolling Stones records. I was also listening to a lot of Mississippi Records mixtapes at the time, so a lot of old soul records.

What made you decide to become a 3 piece?
R- There is a lot of limitation when you are working specifically with drum machines and don't have a strong grasp of rhythm, and we had a hard time filling out the kinds of dynamics that we wanted to in our songwriting. It was really deadpan. We wrote a lot of music that was never intended to be played on actually drums, but Tyler was able to play everything.

What will Devin's move to Portland do for Flexions?
R- I think it's going to be a good transition for the band. We are kind of at this point where we are just getting together twice a week, as opposed to working in a focused environment on occasion. Plus I think it will be good to establish ourselves in Portland. Seattle is our home, but it's kind of fun to be new in town...

Where are you from and what are your biggest influences from home?
D- I'm from the Eastside… from Kirkland. It has the highest percentage of parks in any city, or something like that. I still really enjoy forested areas and open spaces. I think that will always stick with me.
R- I was born in Los Angeles. My parents told everyone they know that they would be out of LA by 1985. Took them until 1994 to actually leave, haha. I really became who I am here… I don't think I would be the same person at all.

What is your favorite thing about being involved in Seattle music scene?
D- I think Seattle has a very complex music history, and I like the idea of being involved in that. I think its all interesting, and its cool that its all maintained a lot of momentum and is able to put a lot of awesome music into the world.
R- My favorite part is how it is not so influenced by industry, although I do wish there was more attention and funding for these things.

Robin, what other artistic outlets do you have, other than music?
R- I have done installations and projects with photo, motion and documentaries... I use a lot of images that are related to the way people interact and imprint our personalities on the landscape. I'm also working on a book about some journeys I took in the Ohio River valley and some of the early Frontier history of that area, which should be coming out by the end of 2011.

Tell me about the band name, please.
R- When Devin and I started playing in 2007 he had asked me to perform with him, and we wrote a few songs that went well, but we never had a band name because we never intended to start a band. We chose Flexions because it wasn't too obscure and we intended on writing music that people wanted to dance to.

Devin, how does the music scene in Seattle differ from late 1990's/2000's?
Well, I think there has always been a really cool underground scene… the venues have changed but the Seattle music scene has always been about really cool shit. The attitude and spirit has stayed the same. Kind of reminds me of places I would go when I was 18 like The Velvet Elvis in Pioneer Square… it always had really positive environment.

Favorite bands to play with?
D- A lot of favorite music is made by people I know, like Bronze, Specter Protector, Dunes, Talbot Tagora, and Mika Miko. I used to play in Chromatics, I still really like their music that they are playing.
R- I have to agree with Devin. It's really cool being friends with people and seeing their progression of their art. I love seeing that with M. Women and Stephanie. I also really love Tyler's project Linda and Ron's Dad.

Do you use full words when you text?
D- Uh usually, I think. yeah. I don't even know what a lot of them mean. Like, what's FTW mean? What's lawlz?
R- I usually make up a lot of my own words. You can ask Ian Judd.

Who was your favorite child star?
D- Of all time? Joshua John Miller. He's the kid in River's Edge, Class of 1999, and Near Dark. He's always the badass miscreant kid… I get the most excited about him.
R- I really loved the girl who played Vicki on Small Wonder. It's kind of one of the shittiest 80's sitcoms but I really loved it.

What musician you will always listen to?
D- Brian Eno and Sonic Youth.
R- That is a really hard question. The Beatles.

Since he's not here, what is one thing Tyler wouldn't want me to know about him?
R- Haha, his first band name.



Many thanks to these guys for coming in during such a hectic time, and Bon Voyage to Devin, who moved to Portland this week. Seattle misses you already.

Hvala,
Liv

Silkscreen Workshop August 8 - Reserve a Spot Now!

Our next silkscreen workshop is Monday, August 8 at 7 p.m. Learn to print your own t-shirts, posters and more! $45 gets you the workshop + 1 full month of access to our studio. Email us at alchemy.of.time@gmail.com or stop in to reserve your spot!

Flexions' Golden Fjord Release Party This Friday!

Yesterday, Cairo Records officially dropped its second-ever release, the Golden Fjord full-length by acclaimed local trio Flexions. This Friday, Flexions celebrate the occasion at Chop Suey, performing a grip of new songs alongside Metal Chocolates (OC Notes and Rik Rude) and Seven Colors. The 21+ show will kick off at 8 pm, so don't be late.

As a special release party bonus, LP copies of Golden Fjord will be available for a scant $10 at the show, with CD copies costing only $8. Alternatively, the album is available for download now at our bandcamp page, and will be available in-store at Cairo and at local record stores starting next week.

Already, Golden Fjord has the local music press talking:

"Flexions have gotten more exotic sounding and expanded their repertoire of moods, proving that they could have a promising career in film scoring, given a break or two."

-Dave Segal, the Stranger

"It's a little shadowy, a little sinister, but also courses with the kind of propulsive rhythm and zealous energy that makes for the best groove music."

-Erin K. Thompson, Seattle Weekly

"I’m not really sure why you wouldn’t like this."

-Seattle Subsonic

"If the promise of this release is any indication, then this label is quite promising indeed."

-SSG Music

Order your copy of Golden Fjord on vinyl or CD now from the Temple of Cairo webstore or bandcamp OR save your money and scoop up a discounted copy Friday night! To RSVP to Friday's show, click here. You can also add the show to your Google Calendar by clicking below:



Also of note: you can see Flexions and Metal Chocolates share the stage once again at our upcoming free outdoor VIBRATIONS music festival in Volunteer Park on August 20th (more details here). Headliners include Portland duo Purple & Green who have just launched a spiffy new tumblr page. Check it out.

And without even breaking a sweat, we're hosting another bitchin' show on Saturday night, featuring the long-awaited return of Seattle expat and Cold Jungle contributor Big Spider's Back, who will perform with his West Coast tourmates USF. RSVP to that show here.