Stephanie, Flexions, Erik Blood, and O.C. Notes at NEUMO'S, Tuesday the 10th

Super pals show coming up this Tuesday at Neumo's!  Check out newly minted Cairo Records label mates Stephanie and Flexions, with the always amazing O.C. Notes & Erik Blood.  Erik just finished recording Stephanie's first full length album One Glove, which will find it's release in late spring on Cairo Records.   See you on Tuesday, and until then, check out Flexions teaser here:

Pinkies Up: High Tea with OC Notes.

Otis Calvin III, or OC Notes, is becoming a Cairo regular. Well, why wouldn't he? He's fucking cool. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing OC3 here at Cairo, and we discussed everything from the magic of cable-knit sweaters to Funkedelic's One Nation Under a Groove.

As 1/2 of local hiphop group Metal Chocolates with rapper Rik Rude, Otis produces psychedelic beats for "the whole world. Everybody, really." Yeah? NPR and The Seattle Times think so, and so do we! So much in fact, that OC Notes will be performing at Cairo's winter music fest, EXPO89! Woot.

So check out those photos, and read that interview. Or look at more photos.

Jewelry from Iacoli & McCallister. NEWLY Available at Cairo.

"I feel very lucky that I started out playing instruments and singing in choir. I understand the spirit of truth that you express through music, instead of making a beat.That's just playing with noise."

"This sweater makes me feel like it's christmas dinner, man. And I got allll the money in the family."

"Never"

"Stop"

Our Interview:

Are you from Seattle?

Arizona. My father is in the military and I lived all over the place for a long time. I spent the most time in Washington State, though.

What is most inspiring about Washington to you?

Nature. The mountains.

Where is the most exciting place you've travelled to?

Germany, I think. Europe is hella cool. The food is really good, the people are nice. It's unreal.

What are you doing when you're not making music?

Sleeping! No, I have a daughter, so I'm with her a lot. She's advanced. She's really bossy. She's a double Leo. I also like to try new things to do, like random shit. This lifestyle is so stressful, you know? You're not allowed to just be satisfied in anything you do.

What's your favorite kid's cereal?

Cinnamon Toast Crunch, man. That's the best cereal ever.

Favorite show growing up?

I was a huge fan of Seinfeld. That shit is great! I love that show. My life is like Seinfeld.

Do you have a style icon or influence?

I'm inspired by not giving a fuck about my style. I can't think about it. Takes too much time in the day. Those are my favorite styles, people who don't think about it ever. Hard work, that's the best style of all time.

Who would you love to play a show with?

Madlib, without a doubt.

What is the best part about collaborating with Fresh Espresso's Rik Rude?

We work really well together. He's really passionate about what he does, and about what he doesn't. His quality of work is better than most people who try twice as hard, too.

What is one thing you will never be able to give up?

I am never going to stop making music. I'm never going to stop trying to make something with my music, that's for sure. I'm glad the press likes my music as much as they do...I just need to get the rest of the world to like it.

Do you ever get starstruck?

Man, I am always starstruck. I get starstruck by Ish [Shabazz Palaces] and even Rik Rude! They are so hardworking and impressive. I'm all shy and shit, so I don't know how to approach a conversation.

Who are your favorite musicians and collaborators in Seattle?

Musicians? Stas and Cat [of THEESatisfaction], all the Wheedle's Groove cats, Darrius Willrich, Jahon Mikal. And of course, Ishmael and Tendai [of Shabazz Palaces] are mindblowing.

What was the best show you saw recently?

I would say Don't Talk to the Cops at Reverb Fest. That's the first one that comes to mind. I love their energy on stage.

What was the best show you played recently?

Metal Chocolates' show at the Triple Door was filthy? The Annika show was filthy too--I wrote 5 new songs for it.

What do you think is different or original about the Seattle hiphop scene?

I think that people are getting really inspired by the weird shit. I don't think people were expecting it to get so popular. I think people thought there was a certain recipe for hiphop, but now they are realizing you need to be an artist, not a businessman.

Where was your first-ever date?

Damn. I think I took this chick to the movies when I was in junior high school. My mom drove us. It was a really awkward situation. I just remember thinking, "damn, this is so lame."

What are your favorite spots to hangout in Seattle?

I like to go to Niho Sushi. I go to The Lo-fi sometimes too. They care a lot about the music.

Who is your target audience?

The whole world. Everybody, really. I really want to make music that everybody can listen to. I wanted to have something for everybody at some point. Well, people with open minds: I dont want to make music for people who make all the problems.

Do you have any music that you are the most proud of?

I made a record called This is Your Brain on Drugs. It's filthy, but no one's ever heard it. It's some of the most universal music I've made, though.

Convinced? Help a friend out!

Metal Chocolates also tweet, whatever that means!

and HEY. HAVE A GOOD THANKSGIVING. IT'S THE HOLIDAYS!!

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!

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.

Announcing VIBRATIONS--Cairo's Free Outdoor Music Festival!

Cairo is pleased to announce the first annual VIBRATIONS MUSIC FESTIVAL on Saturday, August 20th. This is a FREE outdoor summer concert event to be held at the Volunteer Park amphitheater featuring eight of the coast's best artists, with between-set DJs and more. Sponsored by Whole Foods, KEXP, and the Stranger, VIBRATIONS will be the last and best concert of the summer season, with a line-up that includes some of our favorite Cairo performers as well as some awesome talent that's never graced our space before:

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

The music is set to start at 2 PM on Saturday, August 20th, and last into the night. Building on the legacy of our highly-successful EXPO series of micro-festivals, Cairo is expanding our horizons, putting together this special one-day event for fans of awesome music and arts across Seattle.

Mark your calendars. The forecast calls for good vibrations.

To RSVP to VIBRATIONS today, click here.