Killin' Time with Brian O'Keeffe.

Who exactly is Brian O'Keeffe? It would probably be best to let him describe himself:
"I am an international personality, vanguard, dilettant. I am a vegetarian activist, gay-rights fan, marijuana advocate. I am Frank Correa's best friend!" -B.O. 2011

Yes, Brian is all of these things, and so much more. We had a whale of a time shopping in Cairo's treasure chest of goodies, mixing cool vintage threads with exciting new items (check out the grey and white striped tank from Alternative Apparel with the Saudi Arabia backpack… FYI you may be a little distracted by Brian's, uh, pants…)
We also got zen with some ultra-super-tight gold laced pants that created the perfect yogi outfit, and tee'd off with a pastel summer suit and some serious yellow socks.

Want to see what Brian does in his spare time? Take a look at his YouTube here. (There is some good Cairo footage tucked away in there too!)






***see more photos here:
here



What is your sign?
Aquarius, but I don't really follow any of that stuff.

What is your spirit animal?
A pink lab rat.

What is your favorite local band?
Definitely Great Spiders.

Where were you born?
I was born in a hospital across the street from where Charles Bukowski gambled away all his post office money: The Santa Anita racetrack.

What are your thoughts on 2012?
I am always excited for the future… I'm just looking forward to 2018 when Blade Runner becomes real.

If you could have any 3 people over for dinner, who would they be?
Stanley Kubrick, Ingmar Bergman, Louis Malle. All of them are deceased, all of them are directors.

What was your best Halloween costume?
Well, I was Van Gogh two years ago.

What is your favorite word?
I'll tell you my favorite sentence instead. It's "I love you", but it has to be directed towards me and it has to be sincere.

What was the first concert you attended?
Ug, REM in 1988 at the Key Arena with my mom. I was not a fan.

What is one of the most memorable places you've ever visited?
I was in Robert Evan's bedroom once. I sat on his mink throw…

Excited about any current projects?
Yes! I am filming my first feature-length debut this summer.


Have a good week Cairo readers!

New BANDCAMP site with THREE free tracks

We are happy to announce 2010's The Cold Jungle is now available for digital download via our BRAND NEW bandcamp site.

Get all 10 tracks in digital format, or just download the three free tracks from WET PAINT DMM, STEPHANIE & BIG SPIDER'S BACK.

Don't say we never did anything for you.....

Photos from Saturday night

Zak de Gorgue took some more righteous black-and-white photos for us, this time of Saturday's M. Women/Gun Outfit/Brilliant Colors show. Check out his snaps of the latter two bands below. Thanks, Zak!

double vision

Photos by Ryan Furbush and Frank Correa. Some of our favorites from the "Doubles" photography show, up at Cairo through May 21st. Large and small prints are for sale all day, everyday 12-7. Come and check 'em out.

Mystic Women

The two lovely ladies of today's post are local artists specializing in gems, jewels, and crystals. Under the trade names &c and
Elizabeth Patterson, Meghann and Beth both feature jewelry inspired by esoteric concepts such as mysticism, the occult, and alchemy.

All of their jewelry, including (but not limited to) necklaces, bracelets, and earrings are made from found objects and hand-picked crystals. These crazy creations are one-of-a-kind and totally cool.

For their photo shoot, both Beth and Meghann dressed in Cairo clothes and accessories, and wore some of their favorite pieces from their own collections. Come in to Cairo or go to their websites to get your hands on some of this fresh spring equipment.








*see more photos here:
here


What is your sign?
B- I'm a virgo with a scorpio rising and a Pluto moon.
M- I'm a leo with a double scorpio.

What is your spirit animal?
B- a bee.
M- a horse. I do horsey things…like fall asleep standing up.

How did you both start designing jewelry?
B- I started working at the bead shop. Then I hired meghann, too.
M-yeah...

Where were you born?
B- San Diego, CA
M- Cincinnati, OH

Who is your favorite local musician or band?
B- IT WAS WET PAINT DMM. NOW I HATE EVERYTHING. No, now I would say any
project involving Phil Elverum.
M- Addarra.

Who or what is your biggest inspiration?
M- Beth Martini.
B- Definitely Meghann. But I like to think of myself as a
craftsperson, as opposed to an artist. I do this thing where I look
at myself in the mirror and say, “I’m not Bauhaus.” I'm inspired by
the gem or crystal I'm currently working with.

Most fascinating place you’ve ever visited?
M- probably Arcosanti.. Its this commune village halfway between
phoenix and flagstaff. It looks like Tatouine from star wars.
B- Garden of the gods in Colorado springs.

What is the worst nickname you've ever had?
B- Liz the lizard in middle school. Its not too bad, but its why I
changed my name to Beth.
M- megzaur I think. That’s my Pokemon nickname.

Brilliant Colors, Gun Outfit, and M. Women tomorrow night!

Despite the lack of a show tonight, Cairo's still committed to making your weekend more awesome. Saturday night, San Francisco trio Brilliant Colors will be swinging by for a set of their fizzy, Euro-styled garage pop. Tomorrow also heralds the triumphant return of Olympia band Gun Outfit, and local favorites M. Women will also be performing. Obviously, it is going to rule. Doors are at 8 PM, admission is the usual $5.

Fun fact: Brilliant Colors' catchy tune "Absolutely Anything" is about "vaginal imagery in art." Go figure.

Roll Over in Your Grave, Baby.

Last Saturday afternoon, one quarter of goth-punk band Grave Babies ambled towards Cairo, American Spirit and American mullet in tow. ("I just started smoking like, 4 or 5 months ago")

We spent the day dressing him up in Cairo jewels, T-shirts, and backpacks, Danny eventually adopting the "welcome back to school, asshole" mentality midway through his photo shoot. The last look featured a wooden staff, suitable for traversing great lands OR impersonating Britney. Also, it must be noted that I haven't ever seen anyone get so excited about a Chicago Bulls T as Danny...

The antisocialite, along with the other 75% of Grave Babies can be listened to/creeped on here. If you want to get serious, go to the Funhouse on APRIL 29TH for the ggnzla Movie Premiere Night to see them perform IN PERSON.

Check out the guest appearance by beloved Frank C below!




Sign:
Libra

Favorite local band:
I don’t think I can pick a favorite… Grave Babies.

First concert:
It was a co-headlining tour with MC Hammer and Boyz II Men, in Champaign, IL.

Musical Influences:
Nirvana, Roy Orbison, and Master P.

Where are you from:
I’m from Champaign, Illinois.

Spirit animal
Oh, I don’t know. A human being I guess.

First song you made out to:
Well it was in an elevator, so I guess elevator music.

Song playing when approaching the pearly gates:
I don’t believe in god.

Most bizarre occurrence at a show:
My friend once sold smut out of his trench coat at my show at the Holy Mountain…

Exciting piece of trivia:
Oh! I can spin a basketball on every finger, including my thumbs.

next SILKSCREENING WORKSHOP is TUESDAY, APRIL 26th

$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 hosts some South Sound riffers this weekend

Saturday night, Cairo's got a kickass show scheduled featuring pothead-country-psych-rippers The Family Stoned as headliners, Pitted Youth (not to be confused with Seattle's So Pitted) bringing the hardcore party-punk vibes, and Young Strange (aka Cario Pythian, late of Catatonic Youth), who is both young and strange.

Doors will be at 8 PM with a $5 entry, as per usual. The eye-catching poster for Saturday's show was designed by none other than Robert M. Wolfe:



For more info on the performers, check out Wild Animal Kingdom records.

To RSVP to the show, check out the Facebook event page.

Mahalo!

Cairo Digital Mixtape #01 is Online Now

We here at Cairo are launching an online "digital mixtape series" featuring killer mixes put together by store managers, employees, friends, and other generally rad people. This is just the first of what will hopefully be many, and we already have another couple in the pipeline. In the meantime, feast your ears on this 45-minute excursion into luminescent, aquamarine waters--it's my predictably summery, feel-good mix. Enjoy.
-Jason

UPDATE: The Soundcloud link is down, but you can download the mix directly here. Thanks.

"Digital J-Card":



Tracklist:

01. Want You Still (ft. Kilo Kish) (excerpt) - Jet Age of Tomorrow
02. Gloomy Guts (ft. Craft Spells) - Mickey Mickey Rourke
03. Smoke and Mirrors - Adventure
04. (Caribbean) Dreams - Okay Colour!
05. I'm Loaded (ft. E-40) - Droop-E
06. Wild Horses - Prefab Sprout
07. Kaputt - Destroyer
08. Por Medio De La Lectura - Los Amparito
09. Future Step - Pictureplane
10. Final Program (ssllooww edit) - Baby Sloth Spirit
11. Space Vacation - Beat Connection

Decorating My Binder with STICKERS

Last weekend, (sort of) local wondertrio Stickers dominated Cairo's racks for a few hours.
They succeeded in pulling out every gem and kitty sweater in stock, impersonating everyone from Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman" and Tom Cruise in "Risky Business", and ultimately depleting the store's supply of baseball jerseys. (Thanks Emily)

Gabi (sax/vocals), Emily (drums), and Troy (bass) interviewed and photographed like champs (or cheerleaders?)





Sign
T Capricorn
G Leo
E Capricorn

Spirit Animal
T Beagle
G I can’t pin it down on just one. I say I need all of them, for different days of the week.
E Raccoon.

Born/Raised
T Reno
G Connecticut
E Seattle!

Worst Job
T I worked at a tennis court in Reno. It was really hot and I worked in a trailer dealing with old people.
G I was a magician’s assistant, but I had to quit because he was a pervert.

First Concert
T MC Hammer...with my babysitter.
G Peter, Paul, and Mary at an outdoor theater in CT.
E Nirvana and Butthole Surfers in Seattle.

Favorite Local Band of All Time
T Ponytime! Ponytime Ponytime Ponytime Ponytime. Ponytime.
...and King Dude. Gotta keep it in the family.
G I just fell in love with Puberty. It’s pop gold.
E I’m gonna go with Grave Babies.


Stickers will be playing a show here at Cairo with Captain Ahab and FOOTWORK on MAY 13th. So you best be there.

Check out Stickers' music and more here.

Fancy Footwork.

This week, the gentlemen of local band FOOTWORK stopped by Cairo for inspiring words and dress up time.
Jim (Wet Paint DMM, Cut Loose, Half Gift), Taylor (Cut Loose, Secondary), and Pelly (Haunted Horses) make up the coolest trio of shorties in Seattle.

Check out the special appearance by Peter Lowe, another member of the "5'5 and Under" club.





Sign:
J- Leo
T- Aquarius
P- Libra

Favorite Northwest Band of All Time:
J- I Cant decide!
T- Why I Must Be Careful
P- Cut Loose. Funny, but it’s true.

Spirit Animal:
J- Dolphin.
T- I have no spirit animal. I was born without one.
P- Llama! L-L-A-M-A. Llama.

Favorite Current Seattle Band:
J- Naomi Punk and Masters & Johnson
T- U
P- U, but fuck Travis Coster! No just kidding.

Song Playing When Approaching the Pearly Gates:
J- Black Angel’s Death Song, covered by Clock DVA
T- The Electrician by The Walker Brothers
P- 6 Underground by Sneaker Pimps

First Concert:
J- Bush…Wax opened. It was at the Electric Ballroom in Tempe, AZ.
T- Missing 23rd, a hardcore show in the Bay Area.
P- I saw Korn in Los Angeles. At the Hollywood Bowl.

Major Musical Influences:
J- Post- Punk and No Wave
T- DNA and Phantom Smasher
P- Volcano!



Check out FOOTWORK's tunes here!

Tonight: Witch Gardens, DUZHKNEW, Cousins, and Neighbors

More great live music tonight, as per usual. Local pop quartet Witch Gardens--fresh off another recording sesh and the debut of their new 7" artwork--will headline a show that includes visiting Nova Scotians DUZHEKNEW and Cousins. Neighbors open this all-ages show. Doors at 8 pm, $5 to enter. Here's some more dish on our Canadian guests:

DUZHEKNEW

Adam O'Reilly is a self-styled "weird Canadian" (is there any other kind?) who plays under the alias DUZHEKNEW. His brand of indie pop is sort of jagged and frantic, but marked by a charismatic joyfulness, making him an ideal companion to Witch Gardens. Sometimes his songs take on more of a sparse, melancholic dimension with heart-on-your-sleeve earnestness and elegiac guitar sounds, and other times they're peppy and boisterous. For live performances, O'Reilly has recently been joined by a pair of other jammers.



Cousins

Novia Scotians Cousins ply strained, triumphant indie rock in a fairly traditional (not nonetheless exciting) mold. While their recordings are a little more restrained, apparently Cousins are genuinely raucous live, and brimming with fuck-it-all brio. When the duo came in to record a live session for the folks at Daytrotter during the POP Montreal festival, Sean Moeller was compelled to write, "We appreciate that we have a young band like this to believe in, one that makes you feel like you're living down by the train tracks, tooling around on dirt bikes and skateboards, drinking Mountain Dew, thinking about bad news girls and feeling that you've got an itch that you just can't scratch."

Molson and Labatt night! See you there!

New Column! Fashion Photo Blog.

Hey friends!
Cairo will now be posting photos and short interviews of friends/artists/bands in the local community.
All interviewees are dressed (mostly!) in Cairo fashions and photographed in-store.

First up, Marius Mazilu of Eel Eater and Romanian fame.



Sign:
I’m a Leo.

Born/Raised:
I was born in Romania, but I grew up in Burien.

Current favorite Seattle band:
I guess... M. Women?

Favorite PNW band:
Botch!

First Concert:
The last RKCNDY show in ‘99… Blood Brothers played with Kill Sadie, Botch, and Bali Girls.

Most memorable show ever:
Probably Oops! The Tour in 2002. It was the first time I saw Lightning Bolt.

*Shirt, Jacket, Belt, and Boots courtesy of Cairo.


Photos/Interview by Liv.

All the happenings at Cairo this weekend!

Cairo's got a jam-packed weekend on tap for you all, starting with a show tonight featuring fizzy Seattle/Olympia rippers Naomi Punk, and esteemed Oly players American Vacuum and Gun Outfit. I'm just a little excited about this show, as you can see from these two articles (1,2). 8 PM tonight, all-ages, $5 at the door.

Tomorrow night, the good times continue with a concert whose awesome roster includes Charles Leo Gebhardt IV, Lindseys, and So Pitted (a new-ish group featuring members of SPURM and the Fabulous Downey Brothers). The fun starts at 8 PM, with the usual $5 entry and all-ages open-door policy.




Finally, on Sunday, Cairo is hosting a one-of-a-kind event: "The Mixtape Reading Series." While there won't be any actual cassette tapes played, shared, or sold, nine authors will be reading from their work, with the afternoon's guests divided into a "Side A" and "Side B." The event starts at 2 PM Sunday and will include:

Brandon Scott Gorrell
Tom DeBeauchamp
Jamey Braden (late of Wet Paint DMM)
Frances Dinger
Tara Atkinson
Ben Blum
Summer Robinson
Willie Fitzgerald
Matt Nelson

We hope to see you at one or all of these events!

Silkscreening Workshop, Monday, April 4th 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 or stop in to reserve your spot!

Also: Lightning Bolt tickets available now!

We're stoked to be one of the only sources in the city for tickets to the April 9th Lightning Bolt concert at Healthy Times Fun Club with Cairo faves Flexions and the Planets. Stop on by the store if you'd like to pick some up--they're going fast!
UPDATE!!! These are SOLD OUT at Cairo. Please check out Hollow Earth Radio and Sidecar for Pigs Peace.

Some more photos from Friday night

Zak de Gorgue took these awesome black-and-white snaps at Friday night's Foot Village concert. It truly was a great show!

Photos from last night's epic Foot Village show

Photos by Aimee Butterworth. If you weren't there, you missed an amazing performance!

Last-Minute Reminder: Foot Village Tonight!

Be sure to get to Cairo on-time tonight (8 PM)for sets by locals Footwork and USF before the night's estimable entree: the legendary Foot Village of sunny Los Angeles! This will be their first Seattle show in nigh on two years, and if their last jaunt through town gives any indication, it will be incredibly memorable. RSVP on Facebook now. Remember: all of Foot Village's concert proceeds are going to Japan earthquake relief efforts.



Foot Village – http://footvillage.org

Foot Village are a thunderous drum-n-shout assembly from Los Angeles – a thick forest of whirling limbs beating out rhythms for whispers and hollers to leap and dive through. Featuring members of Gang Wizard, Friends Forever and the infamous International Voice of Reason, Foot Village are pure hardcore spirit without the spark of electricity. Erecting civilization with drums and voices alone, Foot Village are a concept band about the first nation built after the foreseeable apocalypse. Don’t get this self-imposed restraint confused with some neo-luddite stance however, as Foot Village only want to inspire others with the wide potential of rock music. When pretense has been banished, freedom can take wing and the doors can be flung open to everyone. Foot Village is a nation unlike any other and only by visiting can you really know.

This Weekend's Concert Action

Cairo's got a stellar line-up ready for this Spring Break weekend. For starters, Friday night we play host to LA's legendary Foot Village. On this "Totally Tour Tour," the band has elected to donate all proceeds from shows to the Japan Relief Fund established by the Boredoms' Shinji. Opening for Foot Village are USF and the fast-rising trio Footwork, which features members Secondary, Haunted Horses, and Wet Paint DMM (RIP).

Saturday night looks to be just as special, as it will be the release party for Secret Colors' new Lunar LP, which has been pressed to vinyl by Belgian imprint Aguirre. Opening are Firehouse faves Masters and Johnson and Zephyrs, with Firehouse impresario Casey Catherwood assisting Secret Colors with extra axe-work during his sure-to-be cosmic set.



RSVP to Friday's show here, and Saturday's here.

Can You Spot the Cairo Comp in this NPR Story?

Look closely, and you'll see Cairo's Cold Jungle compilation on display at the Mexican Summer co-op in NYC in this photo for NPR's article on vinyl records' semi-recent resurgence in popularity.



If you prefer your news with a caustic, irony-soaked bent, try this story about the story on Hipster Runoff.

Photos from Last Saturday's Shows

Liv, a local shutterbug and Cairo store employee, took these photos from last Saturday's Cassie Ramone/Fergus & Geronimo daytime concert and Silk Flowers/Flexions/U nighttime concert.



Fergus & Geronimo





Silk Flowers

Late Notice for an Early Show

This Saturday, March 5th, Cairo will be hosting a rare daytime-hours concert featuring Cassie Ramone of the Vivian Girls and Hardly Art's Fergus & Geronimo. Admission will be the usual $5, with music starting at 3 PM. This show should make for a nice warm-up to Saturday's other Cairo show (U, Flexions, Silk Flowers). Come party with us all day long!



Don't forget to RSVP to both Saturday shows on Facebook here and here.

CAIRO presents Wild Nothing, Abe Vigoda & M. Women, Sunday the 27th at The Vera Project

Just a reminder about the Abe Vigoda, Wild Nothing, and M. Women show originally at Cairo, now sponsored by Cairo but at the Vera Project. Show is This Sunday, at 8 pm! We will be down there of course, with some special LIMITED EDITION t-shirts for the show, designed by the wonderful Beth Corry.

All tickets purchased at Cairo will be honored, just bring your I.D. to verify all you info at Will Call.

SEE YOU THERE!

Poster for Saturday's Show is the Stranger's "Poster of the Week"

Props to our pal Dale Metteer, who's design for Saturday's Cairo concert with King Dude, PWRFL Power, Fables, and Posse is the Stranger's "Poster of the Week!" It certainly is a sharp design.

"Sometimes—sometimes—it's great to come across a poster image that makes you unsure of just what exactly you're looking at. This photo collage by Dale Metteer is an excellent example, drawing you into its strange little world."

Who are Footwork?

This Friday, there's a great show going down at Cairo with Weed, Mega Bog, and Secret Colors that doubles as the Seattle debut of new trio Footwork. Just who are Footwork, anyway?

Footwork is a local trio comprised of Taylor Wingett (Secondary), Myke Pelly (Haunted Horses), and James Scheall (Wet Paint DMM, Half Gift). Their sound is—perhaps unsurprisingly—not unlike a weird, mutant hybrid of Haunted Horses’ grand guignol and Wet Paint DMM’s singularly clanging brutality. The bass and guitar shriek, stab, and throb with the distorted angularity of German Expressionism, and Pelly’s thunderous jungle drumming rolls and rattles throughout the band’s rapidly-shifting song structures with positively tidal force.

We're really looking forward to seeing these guys live. So should you! To RSVP to the event, click here.

Video From Saturday's Purple and Green Show

Adam Forkner wonders, who was better: Teddy Riley or Terry Riley?

Another Show Review: Friday's Megabats, Hair and Space Museum, and High Wolf show

The Stranger's Dave Segal had some nice things to say today about Friday's night's psychedelic showcase featuring local bands Megabats, Midday Veil side project Hair and Space Museum, and enigmatic French jammer High Wolf:

"High Wolf only did three pieces in 30 minutes (I greedily wanted at least three hours), but they filled the tiny space with strange radiances and rhythmic undulations. The whole thing—mesmerizing hand percussion loops, guttural utterances garbled into alien textures, wah-wah’d and flanged guitar humidity, and Chambers’ Univox and Juno-60 keyboard coloration—was made up on the spot by two guys who’d never met before. Though frustratingly short, the performance thoroughly entranced."

Read his full review on Line Out. This weekend's shows were both momentous, in volume and in quality.

Purple and Green Show Review

There's already a review of last night's performance by Purple and Green (aka Adam Forkner/White Rainbow and Justin Green) online at the Seattle Weekly's "Reverb" blog.

Eric Grandy writes:

"J Green stood to his side, mic in hand, singing and doing dance moves seductive enough to move an art gallery full of stiff-limbed indie kids into hands-in-the-air revelry...
Forkner played keys, triggered the rhythm tracks, and manipulated J Green's vocals, adding delay or looping samples on the fly. At the set's peaks, he would send the songs into an almost-screaming psychedelic pitch, synths ping-ponging between speakers, noise and feedback and delay swelling ecstatically."

You can read his full review here. Last night's show was a special one--maybe the loudest ever at Cairo, with TWO PA systems on full blast and an impeccable mix by Brain Fruit's Jon Carr. We will update as/if more reviews/photos/videos come in.

Some Photos from Saturday Night

Thanks to Sam for sending these in our direction. Please remember to hit us up with photos and video from the shows--we would love to post them here whenever possible.

Half Gift



Grave Babies



Psychic Feline

This Just In: Panabrite to Join High Wolf for Friday's Show

Friday's sure-to-be-awesome concert with High Wolf, Hair and Space Museum (members of Midday Veil), and Megabats will also feature local synth guru Norm Chambers aka Panabrite. Panabrite's put out some great material on local cassette label Gift Tapes, as well as way-cool imprints like Bum Tapes and Digitalis (who released his stunning, hypnotic Contemplating the Observatory).

Chambers will be contributing to High Wolf's must-see set, adding some local flavor and far-out synth textures. High Wolf operates behind a nigh-impenetrable veil of mystery, so it's remarkable word about this guest appearance was able to get out.

Gift Tapes founder Jason Anderson has described Panabrite's music as a "submerged journey toward a glowing pearl," and said of a recent live set that Chambers "[created] some truly vintage new age scores to a fantasy landscape degraded on VHS.”

The Road Goes Ever On echoed this sentiment, saying Panabrite "makes electronic music that could score 1970’s National Geographic films of coral reefs and deep sea exploration."

This is great news, and if you'd like to hear some of Panabrite's trippy sounds for yourself, Contemplating the Observatory is available as a free download from this link. We look forward to seeing everyone on Friday--it's going to be a mind-expanding experience.

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

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