NEW WEBSITE

UPDATE YER SELF

http://templeofcairo.com

NYC 1, Seattle 0

If you live in Seattle and have a vague interest in "music", it's likely you've met Ian Judd.  He's that breezy guy you saw at the last show, affable and well versed in many topics, most especially music...

Cairo has been fortunate enough to call Ian our booker for the last 3 years.  If you are reading this, you already know that he's done an amazing job exposing Seattle to new sounds, and doing what has always been Cairo's mission, by providing a great spot for touring bands to not only play, but make connections to our scene, and bands we love and represent here in Seattle.

We could say a lot of things about Ian (that hair! that Sade shirt!!), but really it comes down to this: For the last three years, Ian has helped us achieve and surpass Cairo's goal of creating a place for artists to gather, collaborate, coalesce, and be given a PROPER platform from which to present.  We've been honored to work with him, and also be apart of his growth as an artist and friend.  We're gonna miss this dude, but we can't wait to see what he does next.

Come down to the show tonight and wish him well, as he moves to New York November 1st!

What's next for Cairo Booking you ask?  We've got some great shows coming up, and "a crew" of new  music bookers.  More on that SOON!

SINCERELY,

Joel, Aimee, and the entire Cairo gang

Summer BLUEZZZ brings FALL reign

TIS WITH HEAVY HEART that we must announce the closure of our silkscreening studio to the public.  For the past 3 years we've been teaching folks of all ages the in's and out's of one of the simplest/accessible art forms known to humans...

This announcement comes after some careful consideration and much discussion, but ultimately the cost of running an open studio (replacing equipment due to constant use), when coupled with our own need of the space to satisfy our GROWING wholesale business, left us with no choice.

Individuals looking to use an open studio should look no further than the Vera Project, who were doing it long before us, and will be doing it long past the rest of em ... More info HERE.

In addition, this transition allows us to take on projects for hire, something we've been getting contacted about with greater and greater frequency.  For pricing and more information about getting high quality tees printed for you band, store, restaurant, chess club, prison camp, rodeo, or taco shack, please email us directly at alchemy.of.time@gmail.com

Grey Matter

CAIRO is pleased to announce the newest art exhibition for the month of October, titled GREY MATTER. This October showcase features individual works of photography, photo-media, and collage by local artists Tara Atkinson, Max Cleary, Eleanor Petry, Ed Silverstein, Jules Vezzetti, Joe Rudko, Jarod Faw, and Rachael Lang.

poster by Jacob Muilenburg 

Join us Thursday, October 10^th for art, drinks, and conversation, 7-9 PM!

AN INTERVIEW WITH COCK & SWAN

In anticipation of their Secret Angles release show this Saturday at Cairo, our music intern Cameron McCreery conducted an interview with Johnny Goss and Ola Hungerford of local dream-pop duo Cock & Swan. In which, they discuss influences, contemporaries, and awesome local boy bands.

In your words, what is Cock & Swan and how did it start?

Johnny: Cock & Swan is a recording project that Ola Hungerford and I work on. We take inspiration and help from our friends to try and make some riffs that'll surprise us.

Ola: Basically it started when we met on Livejournal and started hanging out and united our 4-tracking interests.  We started feeling like a band when we got together with our friend Robert, who plays drums and guitar. Johnny had 2-3 big vintage organs and we would write songs crammed together in a trailer.  We used to be called Cadaver Dogs and I played guitar too for a while until I fully migrated to the synth world.

Where does the name "Cock &Swan" come from, and what significance does it hold to you?

Johnny: Our name, and logo, come from a 1950's psychology textbook that I found in an abandoned house in high school. It has a lot of experiments, one of which was a memory experiment involving the reproduction of a drawing... a cock and swan. One symbolic significance is the idea that we are a couple of clueless animals pecking around.

How would you describe your relationship with/connection to the Seattle music scene?

Johnny: We are somewhat insulated from the music scene as a band, since we prefer the studio to bars, but we do work with a select group of misfits on recordings and as backing musicians. Shana Cleveland (La Luz, Curious Mystery, SC and the Sandcastles) is a long time collaborator of ours. Recently we worked with Charlie Smith (Pollens) at Studio Nels to mix Secret Angles. I'm currently doing some fun recording projects, one of which is with Lonesome Shack.

Your new record "Secret Angles" draws a lot sonically from early Warp Records artists like Boards of Canada and Broadcast - were those influences intentional in the writing process, and what other influences did you draw from?

Johnny: Our BoC and Warp record influences were rooted into us before we started making music. We are often inspired by music in a more roundabout way. The album was finished pretty fast, but at the time we drew some specific rhythmic inspiration from my old band The Curious Mystery. We also just spent a lot of time thinking about bells and their role in music. That actually had a strange influence on what we did (and didn't do) with chords.

Ola:

The album was also influenced by Johnny going on tour last year (with the Curious Mystery) -  after all that separation we were ready to get back to business and finish the album.  That tour was tough to get through but it also gave us that inspiration that comes from not taking things for granted, and the change of scene that let us try new things like different ways of writing lyrics.

Is there a specific song on the record that stands out significantly for any reason for either of you?

Johnny: “Melt Down” is interesting to me. The other day I was listening to a demo, and it was much more of a hard rock song, with my demo drums unmuted and a fully distorted bassline all the way through. It turned into a borderline ambient song to my ears. Either way it still feels like the same song which is pretty cool.

Ola: I also like how “Night Valley” turned out because it incorporates some of the goofing-off and weird noises I make when I don’t think anyone is listening.  Johnny is a pro at capturing those moments.

What current artists, in Seattle or otherwise, have you been listening to recently?

Johnny: Lonesome Shack, La Luz, and Heatwarmer for sure. In my mind Heatwarmer is actually this awesome boy-band. All those dudes are really awesome musicians, really nice and easy on the eyes. Aside from that we wore out that new Flaming Lips record pretty fast. Lana Del Rey is funny too.

Ola: It depends on what mode I’m in.  At home we really like to dig into an album together and enjoy vinyl records.  We’ve also been listening to the soundtrack to “Only God Forgives” (which has one of the best-scored fight scenes in recent memory).  At work I get musical ADD. Spotify claims I’ve been listening to: Kendrick Lamar, AlunaGeorge, The Growlers, Lamb, Disclosure, and Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti.

How would you describe your upcoming album release show to someone who has never heard C&S before?

Johnny: To reference a recent album review in three words: Vampire opium den.

Ola: “occasional acoustic arpeggios hypnotic dream-pop but never monotonous melodies” (Thanks to an Italian blog for this one)

Cock & Swan play Cairo on September 21st with IG88 and Benoit Honore Pioulard. Secret Angles is out now through Hush Hush Records.

New at Cairo: Rachel Ravitch Jewelry

Currently featured at Cairo is jewelry by local designer Rachel Ravitch. Each item is handmade into shapes that denote ideas of movement and fluidity. Come by today to snag your own one-of-a-kind piece!

New Product at Cairo

Check out these great new animal themed BAGGU pieces, currently at Cairo!

now HIRING part-time position at PRISM in ballard

PRISM is pleased to offer a P/T opening for employment. 

Applicant at minimum should possess the following:

 - Sales experience

 - Friendly & welcoming disposition 

 - Organized & cleanly

 - Self-motivated 

Additional experience helpful in:

 - Social media

 - Online sales

 - Blog management

This is a part-time sales position, potential employees can expect to be responsible for customer service, up-keep of existing social media accounts, creation of new social media accounts, online sales delivery, and maintaining an exceptionally organized and clean space.

Hourly rate + bonuses, commensurate w/ experience.  

Job Posting open through Monday August 12th.  Interviews to be scheduled August 14th & 15th.

SEND RESUME AND SHORT STATEMENT OF INTEREST TO alchemy.of.time@gmail.com

Restocked: Greentree Jewelry

Currently Cairo is carrying these beaded necklaces and rings by local designer Greentree Jewelry! These beautifully simple pieces will compliment any outfit, so stop by today and try some on!

http://www.ilikemytreesgreen.com/index.html

Next Silkscreen Workshop is Tuesday, August 20 at 7 pm

Make your own t-shirts, posters and more! $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.  Stop by or email cairosilkscreening (at) gmail.com to reserve a spot!

New Product Alert

NEW: silkscreened Yin Yang shirts now at Cairo!

Featuring: Some Product Apparel

Fashion student Shay Troy, of SAIC, came by the shop today to model some of our Some Product Apparel items in the store. Some Product Apparel was founded by Dave Briker, out of Vancouver, Canada. Each item was made in Canada and holds prints that are inspired by graphic design and street fashion.

JULY ART SHOW AT CAIRO: ROUGH CUT with ADAM BOEHMER, JUSTIN DUFFUS, AND BENNETT SCHATZ

Hey All! Cairo is very excited to announce ROUGH CUT, a multidiscipinary art show featuring paintings by Justin Duffus, a video/installation by Bennett Shatz, and tangible objects by Adam Boehmer. Justin is a painter living in Seattle. He attended Pennsylvania Academy of the Arts, and 2-D work ranges from painting to collage, figurative to abstract. Bennett has just graduated from DX Arts (a video and design program) at UW, and was the tech manager for the college radio station. Bennett's art and music utilizes intricate composition and surreal subject matter. Adam is an artist, musician and writer living in Seattle, WA. His visual art is sculptural and assemblage-based, and stems from the desire to arrange and bind objects in a powerful way, recontextualizing building materials, masculine accoutrements and ephemera. Join us on Thursday, July 11th for drinks, art, and conversation! Hope to see you there! poster by Bennett Schatz

FEATURING: Baleen Jewelry

Paired with one of our vintage tops is a necklace by local designers, Baleen Jewelry. Handcrafted in Seattle, Baleen is simple, beautiful and goes great with any outfit. Cairo carries earrings, necklaces and bracelets by Baleen. Each piece is minimal enough to be layered with other jewelry, yet still unique and looks fantastic on its own. Stop by today and have some fun trying on our selection of Baleen pieces!

summer 2013 STYLING internship

To apply, send a short paragraph about yourself and why you'd be an ideal candidate to alchemy.of.time@gmail.com

summer 2013 MUSIC internship

 To apply, send a short paragraph about yourself and why you'd be an ideal candidate to alchemy.of.time@gmail.com

Next Silkscreen Workshop is Tuesday, June 25 at 7 pm

Make your own t-shirts, posters and more! $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. Stop by or email cairosilkscreening (at) gmail.com to reserve a spot!

Dragging an Ox Through Water: 5/24 at 8PM

'Sup friends and lovers,

we're so looking forward to seeing Brian Mumford of Dragging an Ox Through Water this weekend. This unique sound maker puts on a quietly beautiful show - full of subtle fuzz, folk rhythms, and electronic mild-melding.

Brian will be joined by a novel and never-heard-before collab between Seattle's The Numbs and Secret Colors: they're called Huge Rock and they are #rare. Additional support by Marcus Price (The strange sounds of lift-off) and Pill Wonder (WS Murdoch's trill thunder)



Show begins at 8 PM, $5 at the door and all-ages always and f o r e v e r ~~~

check out the facebook event page here

XOXO,
CAIRO 

SUMMER 2013 INTERNS

Want your summer to look like this.



Come chill at Cairo this summer as one of our interns.

Fashion Intern will work 3-7 hours a week. Music Intern will work 5-10 hours a week. If you're interested please send us one paragraph about why you would be an awesome intern and any related experiences, also please include full name and contact info to: ALCHEMY.OF.TIME@gmail.com

weekend forecast: heady vibes and TWO Cairo shows

Hey gang --

We know when an especially good weekend is coming up it's never too early to start thinking about your plans - this weekend at Cairo we're hosting two extremely rad shows and here's your heads up!

///FRIDAY\\\
5/17/13 - 8PM
Little Wings, Heavy Hawaii, Stickers & Mega Bog




A rare night with Kyle Field, an accomplished visual artist and the brain behind Little Wings, and one of the more enduringly beautiful musical projects of the last decade. Crossing paths with him are San Diego upstarts Heavy Hawaii along with two tribes of Seattle wild childs - Stickers & Mega Bog!

buy your tickets here
and find more info at the facebook event page


///SATURDAY\\\
5/18/13 - 8 PM
White Rainbow, Airport, & USF




Months after a recent expatriation to Los Angeles, the West Coast's most renowned doctor of pizza makes a triumphant return to the Northwest. Come join us for a special night at Club Cairo with White Rainbow, accompanied by two of Seattle's perennial rhythm conductors. These kids are gonna kill ya with sound kindness.  

find more info at the facebook event page



Shows are all-ages, always+forever

Here's to sun, slurpies, and sssonic jams. We'll see you at the spot.

Interview with May artist Troy Ayala

Introducing Troy Ayala, local artist and musician of the bands Stickers and White Coward, and Cairo's featured artist of the month!

Troy's show, titled Pussy Light: Wicklified, kicks of TONIGHT, May 9th, from 7-9 PM. 

Read up on Troy's influences and art practice, and then come tonight for art, drinks, and conversation!

Tell me a little about the art in this show.

The art in this show mostly consists of collage work based off of old magazines and books (lots of vintage penthouses) mashed together to form disturbing, crass, and funny characters with a little drawing included to add to the eye candy.

Who/what/which other artists inspired this work? 

My work has been influenced by the hilarity I find in vintage advertising, celebrities, and nudie magazines.  My primary influences are Art Chantry, Omar Pierce, and especially for this show Emily Denton, Gabriella Page Fort, and Colin Dawson...aka close buds and bandmates.

When did you start making art? 

I started making art about five years ago when I had a ton of free time on my hands and thought I was capable of making art just as good as other artists I'd watched over the years.  I'd always doubted my technical abilities but had the realization that it wasn't the most important attribute when creating something.

How would you best describe your creative body of work, thus far? 

I consider my work to be taken pretty lightly as I aim to make people have a giggle when they see it.  I just really enjoy making weird, awkward, sometimes crass characters that people can stare at for a long time.  I don't take myself too seriously and currently think of myself as the Riff Raff (rapper) of the Seattle art community. ;)

What is a medium you would like to try, but haven't yet?

I would try my hand at making and editing videos and I'd love to get back into photography which is something i used to love to do.

How has this city influenced your work? 

The city has really given me confidence to show my work in public and just be free to make anything that my brain wants to cook up.  I've had some amazing encouragement from amazing people throughout the years and am so thankful for what Seattle has done for me...it's pretty much made me not give a fuck in the best way ever.

See you tonight!

Next Silkscreen Workshop is Monday, May 20 at 7 pm

Make your own t-shirts, posters and more! $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. Stop by or email cairosilkscreening (at) gmail.com to reserve a spot!

Beach Fossils ^ Naomi Punk ^ FF // april 27th at Cairo

Two of Captured Tracks finest under one roof, get advance tickets HERE.  They are going VERY fast, and space will be limited.

April 27th, 8 pm All-Ages, RSVP via facebook HERE

Next Silkscreen Workshop is Tuesday, April 30 at 7 pm

Make your own t-shirts, posters and more! $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. Stop by or email cairosilkscreening (at) gmail.com to reserve a spot!

Group art show this Thursday!

Hey all!

We have our monthly art  show coming up this THURSDAY, April 11th at Cairo, 7-9 PM.

The show, titled Portrait, features six photo and collage artists, including:

Mario Lemafa 
Roman Camarda 
Jake Muilenburg  
Leena Joshi 
Leland Swarts 
Alyssa Volpigno 

Click here to see the Facebook invite. 

Hope to see you there!

Interview with Alex Ruder of Hush Hush Records

What's up Cairo fam?

We at Cairo are super stoked to tell you more about the Hush Hush showcase event happening this Saturday, March 16th - here to do it is Alex Ruder, aka DJ Alex over at KEXP, and founder of Seattle's label Hush Hush Records!

Hey Alex! Can you tell Cairo blog readers a little about yourself?

Heyyyyy! My name is Alex Ruder. I'm a DJ and assistant to the music director at KEXP, host the monthly DJ night Hush Hush, and also run Hush Hush Records.

What is the origin story of Hush Hush Records? What inspired you to start it?

Hush Hush began as a DJ night in February 2012 when I was invited by Josh Roberts (aka DJ Verse) to start a new monthly at the now-closed Living Room on Capitol Hill. I wanted to do a night to showcase beats that weren't necessarily dancefloor-oriented but more vibe-heavy, sounds that fell into a new(ish) term to describe a certain type of music called "night bus," basically music that's cinematic, atmospheric, slow, sexy, contemplative, nostalgic, etc. -- music/beats where the emphasis is more on a feeling (one of listening to music at night on headphones alone on a bus) than a particular genre. I was already a  big fan of Seattle artist Kid Smpl (Joey Butler) after hearing his 2011 EP 'Ghostsuit' (released by the future bass label Car Crash Set run by DJ/producer/homie supreme Ill Cosby), and his music perfectly fit into the "night bus" realm, so I asked him to be the night's inaugural guest. Joey had been sending me new, unreleased tracks that he was working on towards the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012 for KEXP airplay consideration, and by early spring of 2012 it got to a point where I felt he had enough high-quality cuts for a full-length album. Some early attempts to get established labels involved never panned out, so I half-jokingly mentioned that his music made me want to start a label, and that soon turned into sitting down over lots of cups of coffee at Vita and actually figuring out how to start a label and get a plan in the works to release his debut album.

What do you hope to bring to the Seattle music community with Hush Hush records?

Initially, simply placing a spotlight both on "night bus" music in all its various guises and on the artists working in this realm in the Seattle area, although I'm not exclusively working with local musicians. I feel a lot of the artists that make this type of music are typically introverted, often making music solo in their bedrooms and on their laptops, so I hope to give them a comfortable platform and environment for them to feel confident about their music and potentially sharing it with a larger audience. With the night beginning as a DJ night and quickly blossoming and extending into a label with a growing roster of artists, it's been wonderful to see DJs, artists, friends, and fans coming together on an equal level at the Hush Hush nights to cool out, meet each other, and vibe to music that's usually reserved for more personal listening sessions. I hope to continue to build upon that foundation.

Has anyone in the Seattle community or beyond played a major role in Hush Hush's growth or development - artistically or otherwise?

Kid Smpl/Joey Butler has played a super significant role, as he was the first guest for the Hush Hush monthly night and his music was the motivation behind launching Hush Hush as a label. Ill Cosby has been a critical connector of a lot of Hush Hush-related figures during his days here in Seattle running the Car Crash Set label and hosting various DJ nights. I picked his brain a lot about the necessary things to know in order to start a label. Allen Huang (aka DJ Hojo of JK Pop) has been an integral philosopher and supporter of the "night bus" idea/sound since its early days and helped solidify and push-start the idea behind Hush Hush. Josh Roberts (aka DJ Verse) planted the seed when he invited me to start a monthly DJ night at the adventurously-booked Living Room. And graphic designers Erika Miyagiwa, Matt Heinzler, and Skip Buringrud, as well as webmaster Benny Phanichkul, have all been massive in their help with establishing the visual aesthetic of Hush Hush. Shout outs to all those lovely, talented, supportive people.

Tell us a little about the artists that will be performing at the showcase at Cairo this weekend - what can listeners expect? 

Kid Smpl (Joey Butler), DJAO (Alex Osuch), and IG88 (Branden Clarke) will all be performing live sets and I'm sure DJAO will throw in some of his trademark screwmixes. They're all amazingly talented local producers that make beautiful, complex, emotionally-packed electronic music. Decibel Festival's David Kwan will be on-hand to provide live visuals throughout the night too! I also encourage you to check out the artist's Soundcloud pages to hear their lovely musical creations: Kid Smpl, DJAO, and IG88

Is there a song by a Hush Hush artist that you are incredibly stoked on right now?

Well, if we're talking about a song that's already been released, and not going down the ALL OF THEM road, I might lean towards Kid Smpl's "But I Don't" or "Star Ocean." Those are personal faves from his debut album 'Skylight' and both those tracks in his live performance carry such a beautifully heavy emotional resonance. His new original productions for an upcoming EP are stunning and showcase a thrilling evolution within his style. In addition to his upcoming EP, there's quite a lot of other forthcoming Hush Hush releases with songs I'm really stoked to get out into the world. Beat tapes, EPs, remix collections, even an LP by summertime.  Actually the next LP that Hush Hush will be putting out I think will be a special one that might surprise a lot of people. It's the next full-length album from local duo Cock and Swan and it'll be a self-titled record. It'll also be the first Hush Hush release with prominent live, non-sampled vocals, and the most pop-oriented release, yet it's still a dark, mysterious, enveloping record that I feel fits perfectly into the "night bus" vibe. So yeah, lots of goodies in store. Stay tuned :)


Check out Hush Hush Records to stay up to date with releases and news, and join Cairo's Hush Hush showcase event page here.

We'll see you dreamcats Saturday night, March 16th at 8PM -
$5 at the door and all-ages, always!

Interview with March Artist Shannon Perry!

Tonight (Friday, March 8th) is the opening of Hanz/Haus! 

This show, open until mid-April, features work by artists/musicians/housemates Shannon Perry and Lelah Maupin.

Shannon will be showing drawings and sculptures of hands.

Lelah will be showing drawings and paintings about Spruce House.

Set up at Cairo

Check out this interview with Shannon and come to Cairo tonight!

Can you tell me a little about your inspiration for this show? 

Over the last couple years, I've been doing a lot of hand-related art, so this show seemed like a good opportunity to bring that recurring idea into fruition in a more solid way.

Do you prefer collaborating for art or going solo? 

Well, when it comes to making music, I'd say I like to collaborate, but visually, I usually fly solo. I'm not sure if that's because I prefer it that way, or if it's just been the way things have worked out so far. I'd certainly say I'm open to collaborate on things; I certainly do a lot of collaborative type work when trying to create custom work for tattoos. People tell me what they want, and I try my best to create something I can be proud of that they like as well... Does that count? :)

What brought you to tattooing?

I bought a tattoo kit off EBay years ago because I didn't want to pay high prices to get the simple line-type tattoos I tend to cover myself with. I figured I'd save money, and that I was decent enough at drawing to pull it off.  It worked for a while until my left side started to become disproportionately covered. Eventually I enlisted Lisa Orth to help me with my right side, and we hit it off. I told her about my home tattooing, and she asked me if I'd ever thought about taking it more seriously, as she had seen and liked my artwork. It was an awesome opportunity, and I had to take it. I graduated from my apprenticeship last week, and I'm very happy to now call myself a tattoo artist!

How is it better/worse than other creative mediums? 

It's better because it feels like there's a lot of room to play with what kinds of things people might typically get as tattoos. It's worse because tattoo culture can tend to dampen the perception of the art. I think it's cool though. I love incorporating my sense of humor into my work, and I like to take simpler, less "serious" pieces more seriously. I like a real sketchy, hand-drawn style.

Is there something you would never tattoo on an individual (other than the obvious hate-speech or discriminatory images/phrases)?

Oooh, that's a tough question. I'm very lucky to have a lot of friends with great taste, so I'm not often confronted with what I would consider to be awful ideas. I'd really have to take it on a case by case basis. I haven't yet turned anyone down based upon my personal taste, but I've only been doing this for under a year, and I haven't been asked to do anything real extreme yet.. We'll have to see...

You, like many artists, work in the service industry. What is the worst service industry job you've ever had? 

I'm happy to say that I just quit my service industry job, and I'm going full time tattoo artist at Alleged Tattoo! The worst food service job I've had was at a Greek restaurant, that shall remain nameless. The owner suggested I wear more make-up. I would say that Red Robin was the worst, but I had a lot fun wearing the bird costume.

Join us for drinks and good conversation.

Hope to see you there!

CAIRO 

507 E Mercer 

98112

Interview with Jeff Johnson of The Numbs

Hey Cairo homies and lovers!

We're so pleased about the show this upcoming Saturday, 2/16, with MarkMcGuire, Spencer Clark, The Numbs, and Marcus Price.

I was able to sit down with Jeff Johnson of the band The Numbs, to discuss his music, his influences, and his sordid past (a hardcore band in high school with a name you're just going to have to ask him in person).

Hi Jeff Johnson.

How long have you been playing music?

As a kid I played piano, but I wasn’t very good because I didn’t put very much effort into it, I didn’t like practicing. But that’s when I started playing music, if you want to be specific.

What about experimenting in non-classical music/soundmaking?

I was in this hardcore band in high school, which was really funny.

What was it called?

I don’t wanna say, it’s so bad. [laughs] After high school I moved to Seattle to go to the University of Washington – where I didn’t really play music, but then I started getting some pedals and stuff and I would just make weird noise. I never really planned to play in front of anyone; I was just fucking around.

What musical project(s) have you been part of prior to The Numbs?

I was in "U" – that was with Travis Coster [of Naomi Punk]. That was really cool – I think that’s when I started being in a real band, in the sense we played some real shows.

Did you like the way that felt, to perform?

I don’t know, I still don’t know why I perform – its kind of weird. I just get tripped up about it, you know, like standing in front of people making weird noises. I overanalyze it.

Where are you from originally?

Eastern Washington – Pullman. There are some parts of it I really like. I feel like there’s more sense of adventure – of course I was younger then, and maybe you have more of a sense of adventure when you’re younger – but you go out into the countryside and it’s semi-lawless and you can run around and do whatever. And in the city it’s harder to feel that, it’s harder to get into weirder places. One cool thing about growing up in Pullman is that the campus there would be really empty in the summer, and there would be so many weird buildings that we’d explore. It’s harder to find that stuff in Seattle. I do miss that.

What were your influences when you were making music for your current project, The Numbs?

A lot of people say that it's really influenced by Black Dice.

Do you yourself think that?

It’s like one of my favorite bands, so, of course it’s gonna be influenced by that. I listen to a really wide variety of music, and another band I has really been influencing me, especially lately, is called Coil – I’ve been obsessed... yet my influences are unspoken, they are just what has come out. Creative output is always a sum of your creative input; it’s what you listen to and do that influences you.

The name of your band is The Numbs – when I first heard it I thought it sounded like a band of multiple people or a punk/post-punk outfit. Can you speak more to the name?

That was really a lot of it - that it’s really misleading. I like the idea of pretending I’m in a post-punk band with a lot of people, but it’s actually just me. And that’s just the ring of it. Maybe you can make some argument about like, apathy or something – or actually I don’t think that’s true. I just like the word too. It’s sort of like the idea was establishing a sort of mythology of the band – it’s evocative of something, and I kind of like that.

I think with band names, people hear it, and sometimes they’re like, oh that’s a dumb name, or it gives them an idea of what it’ll sound like, and then they hear the band and the name now means something completely different to them.

Can you describe what it’s like when you make a song, or the process?

It had been really slow – I think I went into a big lull maybe because it’s wintertime – but now it’s mostly over. I’ve been feeling really creative. I think my songs start with a seed, like when I’m jamming or messing around just making some sounds. That’ll become the seed of the song and I’ll build the song around that– a lot of building the song happens at random points when I’m out and about and I’ll have an idea of what I could do with the song. A lot of the songwriting happens outside of actually physically working on it. I’ll have a lot of ideas outside of working on it, and then I’ll go to my practice space and I’ll find that I can’t get to that previous idea, but then I’ll discover something else in the process.

I’m bad about trying to like, write the perfect song, I always try to stop myself because it just makes it so I don’t write any songs.

Would you call yourself a perfectionist, or someone who’s always trying to achieve an ideal sound?

Yeah but it’s really dumb because songs are temporal – you hear them and maybe they’re good in that moment and maybe they’re bad later. I think I am a perfectionist in almost...in a bad way. It’s like crippling.

Yet I think a listener wouldn’t guess you were a perfectionist because your music almost has a –

A messy feeling?  Yeah it’s funny - I wanna make some like, perfect song, but when I’m really in control of the songwriting process where I really feel like I know exactly what’s happening with it, then I usually won’t like the song. So if I am being a perfectionist then I usually won’t like what comes out – in fact having some unpredictability to it or messiness, is more enjoyable for me.

Check out a track by The Numbs below, and if you're craving more, the now-defunct duo "U" Jeff was a part of once put out a very radical digital mixtape - find it over at Cairo Records. 

Catch Jeff's set and all the action this Saturday, February 16th. 

The show begins at 8PM and is $5 at the door.

All-ages, forever!