There is a legendary radio station in Seattle called KEXP and it just so happens they (collectively, it seems) have become big fans of a band that is full of people I call my friends. This band is called Wild Sweet Orange. KEXP asked the band to come out to Seattle to play a New Years Eve show with Jeremy Enigk (of Sunny Day Real Estate and The Fire Theft fame) and I weaseled my way into going with them to document the trip which was a perfect way to relieve my stir-crazy head. Too long in one city! My experience getting out there was....uhm...creative, we'll say. I'll sum it up by saying "lots of connections" and "hmm...am I going to get on this flight?". I got there a couple of hours shy of going with them to the KEXP studios for a little on-air time (which honestly I was a bit sad about. I like to shoot everything, and I have a affinity to behind-the-scenes stuff, in general) but oh well.
In addition to the radio bit they played two nights at Chop Suey co-headlining (second billed, but still!) with Jeremy.
That is the inside of the front door of Chop Suey. Would that it had Wild Sweet Orange on the marquee.
One of the most exciting things for me was haphazardly meeting a man who makes music that makes my heart want to weep with distant longing pain and yet jump around with glee at the same time. Damien Jurado can make a song take me to these odd recesses of my mind where I live in this alternate universe where things are warm and sunny and happy and I work with my hands breath air that is clean, but have something in my past that haunts me sometimes. Something rough and troubling, but ultimately surmountable. Okay, I'm weird. Whatever. Shut up. The point is Damien Jurado is important to me and my brain. I had written him an email that, through 600 words of rambling, essentially said that I'd be in Seattle and if he was to be around, I'd love to photograph him. I never got a reply to the email (Which is fine. I'm sure I was a bit creepy in it, AND they'd just gotten back from an overseas tour) but sort of secretly held out some hope. We had all headed down to the venue for the guys to do a line check that apparently never actually happened and as we all meandred back towards the van, I saw a dude (yes, Dude) donning nothing short of a lumberjack's jacket. ! I walked up to him and asked if in fact he was who I suspected. He confirmed and I was happy. I'm pretty sure everyone in the band made sure to meet him, and I made sure to force upon my cellphone to talk to friends of mine. Proof, you see.
Here is Matt in front of him. Thats my phone he is on. That fact makes me happy. Note that I am not at all prone to being star-struck. It is only people who move me or I respect that get me nervous. [Suffice to say...] Not even the president gets a flutter.
Okay, enough blabbering. Here are some photos from the weekend.
And another bonus of being in Seattle is seeing an old friend Azurae and her new husband Danny.
