Monday, January 31, 2011

HIGH WOLF//\\HAIR AND SPACE MUSEUM/\\MEGABATS

Portable Shrines presents: FRIDAY FEB. 4th, 8 pm, $7


UPDATE: Abe Vigoda, Wild Nothing show moves to Vera

BAD NEWS/GOOD NEWS

First the bad news: the Abe Vigoda, Wild Nothing & M. Women show at Cairo is sold out.

Now the good news: due to overwhelming interest (rabid really) for this show, and the relative limitations of Cairo's geography, the Bands, Cairo & and the Vera Project have teamed up to make this show three times larger, by moving it to the Vera Project.

We know you are sad that you won't be swapping sweat and secret glances with the bands at Cairo, where everyone is on stage, but we also know you'll be stoked to learn that your pals without tickets can still go, since Vera can offer a much larger capacity.

We are bummed. How often do you get to see two bands THIS big play in a space no larger than your living room? Not very often. Cairo has always been about promoting Seattle, though, and we'll continue to make decisions based on what's best for Seattle, the bands that play here, and the fans that want to see them play. In this case, it was obvious that more—MANY MORE—people wanted to see these three bands than we'd be able to accommodate, and where better to move it to than Vera, the reigning grand-daddy of all-ages music venues in the Seattle area.

SOME QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE:


1. "I've already purchased a ticket for the show at Cairo, WTF?" Whoa, easy...we will be handing the Will Call sheet over to Vera, and your ticket(s) will be honored. Just show up with your ID, and let them know you purchased tickets through Cairo.

2. "I live in the basement of Cairo, and that's why I wanted to see the show there, can I get my money back, WTF?" Yes, totally, though you'd be an idiot to not see this show. Come into Cairo before Feb. 26th and we'll give you your money back.

3. "Will this happen to future Cairo shows? How do I know you won't move the next show, WTF?" This is the first time we've ever sold advance tickets, so in the future if you show up for an event the night of, and there is a note on the door stating "We've moved the Stephanie/Secret Colors/U show to the Paramount Theater," then you'll know we've done it again.

4. "I live in the basement of Cairo, and I haven't gotten my ticket yet, but I was excited to get my ticket at Cairo cause it's just upstairs, can I still buy my ticket for the Abe Vigoda & Wild Nothing show, now sponsored by Cairo, at The Vera Project, while I'm at Cairo, WTF?" Yes, we will still sell tickets for this event, as it is a Cairo sponsored show being held at the Vera Project. You can of course buy tickets directly through the Vera Project starting Tuesday, February 1st at HERE.

Any other lingering questions can be sent directly to our booking intern, Ian Judd, at cairobooking@gmail.com. His favorite color is blue, and he recently fell in love with a dolphin pillow case he found at the bins. Thanks.

-Cairo L.L.C.

Who are Purple & Green?


Saturday, February 5th, Cairo's ultra-psychedelic weekend continues (on the heels of the prior night's mind-opening High Wolf show hosted by Portable Shrines) with a stellar 4-band bill featuring locals Punishment (aka S. Funkee), Brain Fruit, U.S.F., and Portland mega-jammer Adam Forkner/White Rainbow's latest project, Purple & Green.

A collaboration between Forkner and soul singer Justin Green, Purple & Green resuscitate old-school R&B, hip-hop, and funk stylings with uncanny precision, delivering them in a typically off-kilter, consciousness-altering Forkner style. One of their tracks, "Right Here," was recently shared on Pitchfork's forkast and elsewhere on the net, and their myspace has a bevy of other solid tracks (we recommend the three-way oddity "Tell Me," which boasts the weirdest Bradford Cox cameo you'll ever hear). Have a listen, start getting psyched for Saturday's show, and don't forget to RSVP on facebook.

Purple & Green RIGHT HERE (original virtual digital 12" mix) by producedbyadam

Saturday, January 29, 2011

A Friendly Last-Minute Reminder

There's a ton of great shows happening in Seattle tonight, but don't forget about this one!

HALF GIFT (mem. of Wet Paint DMM, Eel Eater)

GRAVE BABIES

PSYCHIC FELINE (PDX)



Show starts at 8 PM! See you then.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Photo and Jewelry TRUNK SHOW this FRIDAY!




Photos by Lauren Max & Jewelry by Elizabeth Patterson. GONNA be GOOD. Come by between 8-11 pm

Who are Half Gift?




This Saturday, Cairo and local label Highfives and Handshakes present an excellent night of music featuring Portland's Psychic Feline, Grave Babies, and brand-spanking-new Seattle group Half Gift. Just who are Half Gift, anyway? Fans of the Seattle DIY circuit may recognize some of its players...

Half Gift is a new Seattle quartet featuring members of two beloved and defunct (or on-hiatus) DIY acts. The lineup includes James Schaell (Wet Paint DMM) on guitar and back-up vocals, Jessica James (Eel Eater) on drums, Samantha Pease on bass, and Maria Russell as the band’s lead vocalist. Half Gift’s drearily pretty sound is extremely Northwestern, with melancholic, chorus-lacquered guitar refrains repeating ad infinitum between ethereal, airy vocals and a locked-in rhythm section. The drumming is more varied and daring than Eel Eater’s was, and the guitar is less herky-jerky and more sentimental than Wet Paint DMM’s scalene squeaks and stabs. I predict lots of people will be smitten with their “In Gloom,” a song whose title winks towards Nirvana but which is musically more akin to a hybrid of the swirling broodiness of ‘80s dreampop and the Ronettes (the beat to “In Gloom” is only the latest in a long and storied history of variations on the indelible percussive pattern from “Be My Baby”).


The awesome poster you see above was done by Half Gift's Sam Pease. See you on Saturday!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

winter sale at CAIRO vintage

exclusive sale on WINTER COATS and SWEATERS at Cairo Vintage online etsy shop



Good now through February 28th, enter coupon code TUTANKHAMUN11 at check out and receive 10% off on all winter coats and sweaters

Friday, January 21, 2011

A Friendly Last-Minute Reminder


Tonight, Craft Spells perform at Cairo along with buzzed-about local trio Seapony, Secret Colors (who will be debuting excellent new visual accompaniment), and Hausu. It will be wall-to-wall good times and we hope to see you there. 8 PM, All-ages--you know the drill.

If you're unfamiliar with Hausu (they're practically newborn, as far as bands go), have a listen to "The Haze" on Bandcamp, and peep the description below.

Hausu is the project of Reed College undergrads in Portland, Oregon. They take their name from the surreal and exceptionally bizarre 1977 Japanese horror film by Nabuhiko Ôbayashi, though there’s nothing fearsome or shocking about their reverb-soaked sound (one is reminded more of Hausu’s lush “magic hour” backdrops and pervasive dreamlike haziness). Frontman Ben Funkhouser first rose to prominence with his basement-jammer/afro-punk band Herr Jazz, and other members hail from indie act Young Friends. Ben describes Hausu as a combination of Bruce Springsteen and Kate Bush, as performed by Orange Juice or Pavement. The youthful band was recently featured on KEXP’s “Music That Matters” podcast.

Abe Vigoda//Wild Nothing\\M Women



ADVANCE TICKETS RECOMMENDED. This show is going to sell out, so make your way to Cairo to buy your tickets in person, in advance. We are open from 12-7 everyday. ADV. $12, in the unlikely event this doesn't sell out, tickets will be $15 day of.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Seapony, Hausu Profiled by Seattle Times

The Seattle Times' Andrew Matson (friend of Cairo, all-around smart guy) has a piece up today about Portland band Hausu and local twee-trio Seapony. Both bands will perform at Cairo with Craft Spells and Secret Colors this Friday, Jan. 21st (it will be Hausu's Seattle debut).

Seapony's version of twee has four-chord guitar progressions, catchy single-string hooks, breathy female singing and real-sounding drum machines.

"They've altered the twee canon so slightly, that they've made it new again," says Funkhouser of Seapony.

You can read the full article here. While it doesn't mention Cali act Craft Spells, you may already be familiar with his danceable bedroom pop. If not, check out this cute fan video made with footage of Anna Karina from Vivre Sa Vie:

Monday, January 17, 2011

Thanks to Everyone Who Came Out This Weekend

Both Friday and Saturday's shows were brimming with good times and totally packed--Saturday night's concert with Case Studies, Orca Team, and Charles Leo Gebhardt IV may have been the biggest Cairo show yet.

The Seattle Times' Andrew Matson posted a solid reviewof Case Studies' set which you can read here, and he captured some video from the performance which you can view below.



Orca Team wowed the crowd with their cover of The Intelligence's "The World is Not a Drag," which had been previously documented on video by the Seattle music blog The Finest Kiss. Here's a taste of what you missed if you didn't make it out:



If you have any photos or videos from either of the weekend shows, feel free to chime in in the comments section. We're going to be trying to post whatever pics or vids are out there whenever we find them.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Listen to a Cover of Orca Team's "Shane" and Get Pumped

On Saturday, January 15th, Portland retro-pop band Orca Team will perform at Cairo along with Jesse Lortz's new band, Case Studies, and the estimable Charles Leo Gebhardt IV. It's gonna be a truly rad show.

Some readers might be less familiar with Orca Team, despite the fact that they come up to Seattle for gigs pretty regularly. A good starting point might be the bitter ballad "Shane," from their self-released 2010 full-length Let it Go.



It was recently covered live by their SF pals Future Twin, to great results.



Keep checking the Cairo blog for more updates on this upcoming show.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Ghost to Falco to Perform on 1/14 with a Full Band!

I recently had the opportunity to interview Dragging an Ox Through Water's Brain Mumford and Ghost to Falco's Eric Crespo for the Weekly Volcano (the article will appear this coming Thursday online and in print). While I was getting deep with those two dudes--who play Cairo on Friday, January 14th with Witch Gardens and the inimitable U--Crespo dropped some knowledge on me about his plans for the show.

While historically Ghost to Falco has been a solo project, on the 14th, Crespo will be joined by Ryne Warner (of Ohioan and Castanets) on bass and lap steel and Bud Wilson (Aan) on drums and backing vocals. Should be epic.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Silkscreening Workshop, Tuesday, Jan. 11th 7-9 pm




$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 to reserve your spot!