TVMOTMC

R.I.P. Christopher Reimer

2012-02-22T16:34:00.001-08:00

Christopher Reimer was the guitarist for noise-pop band Women from Calgary, Canada. He was 26. His sister Nikki has created a memorial website to honor his life. He will be missed.

Tender Validations + Luxe Riot Screen Print Studio

2012-02-22T14:33:00.000-08:00

Tender Validations has been hard at work making precious ephemera to put in with the packages we mail out to participants. Thanks to Luxe Riot Screen Print Studio, we were able to print some stickers with our own two hands. They turned out pretty nice, if I don't say so myself!

The process was pretty intense, mostly due to the fumes.

But we managed to pull it off, regardless of our altered state.

Many thanks to Eric Green for his generosity.

Remember, if you'd like a sticker in the mail, the due date for the next assignment is February 29th (in one week)!

XO ♥ TVMOTMC

Whitney's Valentines

2012-02-15T10:18:00.000-08:00

Making Valentines for Whitney

2012-02-12T14:56:00.000-08:00

Whitney Houston was a star, there is no denying that. Born into a soul family that included cousin Dionne Warwick, spiritual elder sister Chaka Khan, and godmother Aretha Franklin, Whitney started her larger than life singing career when she was only 21 years young. She has touched countless lives with the music she created and spread positivity throughout the world through her lyrics.

To thank Whitney for her contribution to our lives, I am asking that you make her a Valentine. Tell her how she touched your life. Thank her for sharing her talents. And wish her well in the afterlife.

Please share your handmade and/or digital Valentines with us by emailing a jpeg to tendervalidations@gmail.com. We will be posting submissions on February 14th in her honor.

Here is my Valentine to Whitney:

I remember listening to The Greatest Love of All over and over on a mix cassette tape in the summer of 2001. I sang along at the top of my lungs in my car almost every day. It made me feel good during a time that for me wasn't so great.

Thank you, Whitney.

XO, Leigh

Read a great obituary written by Ann Powers here.

NEW PHOTOS BY DOUG NEWMAN AT RE-BAR 02.13.12

2012-01-25T14:11:00.000-08:00

New photos by Doug Newman

Re-bar 1114 Howell Street
FREE!

Doors at 8M
Jokes by Victoria Liss at 9PM
Slideshow at 9:30PM

Dance party hosted by Tender Validations to follow!
DJ Invisible Tambourine
DJ Stay-at-Home Dad
& DJ Pretty Baby

This is a night NOT TO BE MISSED! Tell your friends, and see you there!

RSVP on Facebook here!
Check out Doug and Lynda in the shop making the beautiful letter pressed posters here.

Pillow Fight Designs is back in action!

2012-01-23T13:09:00.000-08:00

http://www.etsy.com/shop/pillowfightdesigns

Pillow Fight Designs is the creative brainchild of Seattle-based artist Leigh Riibe. Starting in 2003, Leigh set out to create accessible art in the form of handmade clothing and accessories including shirts, screen printed tee shirts, totes, and more.

Pillow Fight Designs has transformed itself many times over the years. As a tee shirt company all the designs are conceived and executed from start to finish by Leigh. Meaning the designs are created by her, transferred to film, burned to screens, printed by her hands and sold by her online or otherwise. Pillow Fight as a freelance design gig means working with businesses including High 5 Pie, Fuel Coffee, Molly Moon's Ice Cream, Cafe Flora, Marination Mobile, and Don't stop Believin Records to create tee shirt designs, posters, print ads, design websites, and layout album art for bands like Triumph of Lethargy, Pony Time, and Strong Killings...

Pillow Fight Designs is currently creating one-of-a-kind photo blocks. Using the increasingly popular iPhone app Instagram, Leigh prints photos she has taken in her everyday life, mounts them onto 4" x 4" wood blocks, and resin coats them. They were on exhibition in a collaborative show called "we like you" with Mika Loudon at Fuel Coffee in Seattle from Oct-Nov 2011. Below is a brief description:

"“We Like You” is an attempt at taking something so instant, accessible, and disposable back to a time that was more tangible, artistic and appreciated."

JANUARY - FEBRUARY ASSIGNMENT I wanna make love in this club: songs you wanna hear out.

2012-01-08T20:55:00.000-08:00

Due: February 29th, 2012

As a present to you in this brand new year, we here at TVMOTMC Headquarters have decided on a theme that is pretty much wide open. Since getting our toes wet in the DJ thing, we thought it would be a good idea to get some ideas from you what we should play at our next gig.

With this assignment, you can pretend you are the DJ, and make the perfect set list for your DJ night at your favorite club. Maybe you want to go to a dark saloon and hear all the saddest music in the world while you sip on bourbon and reminisce of past loves and losses. Or perhaps you'd like to go to the local goth club and listen to 90's industrial music all night long. Maybe
you'd like to find a nice quiet library in some small town that you can swoon along to your favorite folk records. Or maybe you want to dance all night at a 3-story club in the gay neighborhood and get laid.

No matter what you decide, we hope you have fun with this assignment. And please don't forget to make beautiful cover art, include a track list, and send $3 with your mix.

Objective:
♥ Share music, make art, and keep post alive.♥

How it works:
Following the assignment and the rules, make a mix and submit it by the deadline. The submissions will be made into a compilation, mixed and matched to other Tender Validators, and mailed out the following week. Participants receive an anonymous mix, a compilation, and other various tender validations. Be sure to include (on a separate sheet of paper) the mailing address you’d like your mix to be sent.

Rules:
→ 12 song minimum, 1 disk/tape maximum
→ Track list must be included
→ Cover art required
→ Return address provided (on a separate sheet of paper, please! )
→ Please keep mix anonymous (you can use an alias)
→ $3 for postage

Drop Locations:
→Zebra Club 1901 1st Ave. Seattle, WA (1st & Stewart by Pike Place Market)

Mail In:
→Leigh’s Apartment (message me on FB, or email me at tendervalidations@gmail.com for address)

CRIMINAL INTENT: songs about doing bad things

2011-11-19T13:01:00.000-08:00

The clock is winding down for this month's assignment. Here is some inspiration to get you across the finish line.

Das Racist Review Neumos 11/9/11

2011-11-13T12:47:00.000-08:00

Besides like one person, I don't really know anyone else who loves Das Racist like I do right now. I can't stop listening to them. The lazy stoner rhymes, underground flow and viewpoint from a brown person living in America is what I like. With beats by Diplo, punjabi hooks and political street raps, they had me at “Yo the government is lies son, United States of Google Verizon!”

At one point during the set they were like, “Who is gonna write a bad blog post about this show?!” Then they were all, “Who is going to write a positive review on a blog about this show?!”

I raised my cup up, so here we go. Mine is positive.

Das Racist encourages me to write shit how I feel. I feel like, these dudes are just saying whatever the fuck they want and it's cool, so why can't I? It's definitely a positive thing to be in the crowd at the Das Racist show. It feels like how it felt when I went to local punk shows as a teenager. Love.

The guy with the band T shirt in the front row, sucking face with an Ani Difranco look-a-like, would have to agree. I was trying not to watch them, but it was like one of those train wrecks where you can't look away. Thank god for the AIR HORN!!!!! There was definitely a fair amount of air horn to hyphy the crowd at the show. Towards the end of the set, Das Racist jumped off the stage and walked into their merch section to sell shirts while they rapped. True hustlers, I have mad respect for the ruckus they brought.

Or like the person who commented this vid on you tube says, “It’s like getting laid in the back of my favorite Indian restaurant.”

-BMOREFREE

Tenderly Yours hosted by Tender Validations

2011-11-13T12:36:00.000-08:00

The second installment of Tenderly Yours is here! Mark your calendars!
Sunday, December 4th from 9pm-2am. FREE!
at Pony | 1221 East Madison Street | Seattle, WA

With guest DJ's:
DJ Bmore Free
DJ Invisible Tambourine
& DJ Stay-at-Home Dad

We will be spinning great tunes from past assignments, tunes of new and old, and everything in between. Hope to see you there!

we like you. photos by leigh riibe & mika loudon

2011-10-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

we like you.
photos by leigh riibe & mika loudon
on display through october 31st, 2011
at fuel coffee 610 19th ave. east | seattle, wa

opening on saturday october 8th from 6-8pm

a collection of over 150 photographs taken on their iPhones, mika loudon and leigh riibe capture the beauty of their everyday lives with a new technology that is quickly becoming a large part of our society. we like you is an attempt at taking something so instant, accessible, and disposable back to a time that was more tangible, artistic and appreciated.

both mika loudon and leigh riibe are fuel coffee veterans. leigh riibe helped open the first fuel coffee on capitol hill back in 2005, and poured espresso for the next five years behind the bar. she now works as the in-house designer for fuel coffee. mika loudon has been a staple of the shop since 2005, religiously waking up at the crack of dawn to pour her dedicated customers their morning coffee. this is the first time either of them has shown their art in public.

mika loudon

a limited number of reproductions will be made of each piece. artworks can be hung alone, as well as in sets and are not limited to being displayed on your walls alone. the wood blocks can be set in windowsills or used as coasters. maybe you can think of a creative display for them?

leigh riibe

each piece is constructed of 4” x 4” wood frame, resin, mod podge, & digital print.
$20/piece* $20/frame *each piece sold separately, special pricing available for multiples.

contact: leigh.riibe@gmail.com or mika.loudon@gmail.com for sales inquiries.

-----------------------------------------------------
SNEAK PREVIEW!

artworks by mika loudon on north wall

artworks by leigh riibe on the south wall

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER ASSIGNMENT Criminal Intent: Songs About Doing Bad Things

2011-10-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

First assignment since summer break!

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER ASSIGNMENT
Criminal Intent: Songs About Doing Bad Things
Due: November 30th, 2011

It's that creepy time of the year again! I don't know about you, but it's our favorite time of year. We have decided on a theme that was up for vote last spring as the next assignment theme. Since it came in second place in the poll, (first place was a tie between body parts and foreign languages, if you remember correctly), we thought you'd be into it.

Let's expound on this theme, Criminal Intent, shall we? There is a smorgasbord out there of what is considered to be "doing bad things". Remember how in some states it's still illegal to have gay sex? And speaking of gays, it's still illegal for them to get married in the majority of states in this country. You can't sell your own body for money, you can't do drugs or sell drugs, you can't kill people, you aren't supposed to jaywalk, speed in cars, make lots of noise, and apparently, you get arrested for occupying wall street. Fuck that shit (except killing people isn't any good--don't do that).

So, as you can see, Criminal Intent can include a multitude of behaviors. Now, get to work finding songs about doing bad things!

Please don't forget to make beautiful cover art, include a track list, and send $3 with your mix. For some inspirational examples of cover art, go here.

Objective:
♥ Share music, make art, and keep post alive.♥

How it works:
Following the assignment and the rules, make a mix and submit it by the deadline. The submissions will be made into a compilation, mixed and matched to other Tender Validators, and mailed out the following week. Participants receive an anonymous mix, a compilation, and other various tender validations. Be sure to include (on a separate sheet of paper) the mailing address you’d like your mix to be sent.

Rules:
   → 12 song minimum, 1 disk/tape maximum
   → Track list must be included
   → Cover art required
   → Return address provided (on a separate sheet of paper, please! )
   → Please keep cd anonymous (you can use an alias)
   → $3 for postage

Drop Locations:
→Fuel Coffee 610 19th Ave. Seattle, WA (19th & Mercer on Capitol Hill)
→Zebra Club 1901 1st Ave. Seattle, WA (1st & Stewart by Pike Place Market)
Mail In:
→Leigh’s Apartment (message me on FB, or email me at tendervalidations@gmail.com for address)

Orcas Island: Murder Mystery Vacation

2011-07-14T15:38:00.000-07:00

MURDER MYSTERY VACATION

Twin Peaks Theme ANGELO BADALAMENTI

Hummingbird DENGUE FEVER

Love, Please Close The Door EARTH & FIRE

If You Go Away SCOTT WALKER

Audrey's Dance ANGELO BADALAMENTI

A Knock Upon The Door CASS MCCOMBS

Kidnapping KARL HEINZ SCHÄFER

The Green Leaves of Summer NICK PERITO

Falling ANGELO BADALAMENTI

Download the Murder Mystery Mix here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

PART I: The Inn (narrated by Leigh)

I took a trip to Orcas Island last weekend with my girlboyfriend. We decided to stay at the Old Trout Bed & Breakfast because it felt like the perfect mix of hippie-country-grandma, and that was the vibe we were feeling.

When we arrived, we were greeted by an older Frenchman by the name of Henri. In the entryway was a fish tank that had been drained and filled with a little dirt and about 20 different fairy figurines in a magical forest scene. On top of the tank there was a book about fairies. Classical music was blasting. We were taken to what seemed to be the living room of his house, and told to sit down at a table while he got everything together for us. There were brochures for whale watching expeditions, a few fliers with information on where you could dine out on the island, and a printed email from the whale watching folks announcing a newborn calf named K-22 all spread out for us to look at.

Then Henri came back from the kitchen and sat down with us for a little while to ask us a few questions and get better aquainted. He asked us what we would like to drink with breakfast in his thick French accent,

"Would you prefer apple juice or orange juice?"

We both replied, "Orange juice, please."

He told us about how you had to pay a fee to drive in Moran State Park, and disliked the poor budget choices the government had made for this to have happened. He wondered if this was our first visit to the island, and I explained I had been there several times, but it was Jude's first time in the San Juans. He talked about his garden, the common areas, and a few of the rules of the B'n'B. After the check in process was over, he showed us to our room, The Greenroom. We got up from our seats, expecting to walk a bit of a distance, but instead were taken to the door about two feet away from the table where we were just seated. He unlocked it, gestured to us to go on in, and came in behind us to show us around.

The bed was a Queen and super high off the ground. There were step stools on either side, which we appreciated since we are both pretty little dudes. The bedspread was floral, and the bed frame was carved and wooden with acorns decorating the tops of the posts. There was a throw blanket draped over the foot of the bed that had different kinds of flowers all over it with their names next to their picture. In the middle of the bed was a silver fish tray full of candy and a bunch more brochures about what to do on the island. There was a Bats Maru CD player and a stack of CDs including Bette Midler, and Ray Charles, and the TWIN PEAKS SOUNDTRACK, which we would listen to on repeat during our stay at the Old Trout. It just seemed appropriate.

The actual greenroom was on the southeast side of the house and overlooked the pond. It was a step down from the bedroom, behind the bathroom. This room was full of all sorts of country treasures including a vase-slash-teapot that was intricately designed to look like a charming little country cottage with cats and rabbits all around. There were several cacti, a jade plant, and a whole shelf full of mini wicker baskets. The TV-slash-VCR was in this room along with a pretty wicked collection of VHS from the late eighties/early nineties.

The bathroom was small, and there was a rainbow trout painting hung above the toilet. There was a window joining the bathroom to the greenroom adorned with homemade floral print drapes. Each room had just the right amount of thrifted country grandma goodness which was creepy and "charming" all at once.

When we were left alone to explore the Bed and Breakfast, we realized the walls in our room were paper thin. You could hear as much as a sneeze from the next room over, not to mention word-for-word conversation of anyone in or near the common area. We headed out on the wrap-around deck to the garden that Henri had spoke of during the check in process, full wine glasses in hand.

PART II: The Garden (narrated by Jude)

Henri, Henri quite contrary. How does your garden grow?

We didn't need to be on mushrooms to feel like we were trippin' balls in a psychedelic nursery rhyme as we strolled through garden. The only difference was this nursery rhyme read:

There was an old inn keeper who lived in a shoe, he only had a couple of guests so he knew what to do. He gave them some broth and a piece of bread...kissed them all gently and put them to bed.

Henri did knock ever so gently that night when he came to our door to call us to dinner. The dinner was somewhat pleasant. Awkward conversation in close quarters with a couple on their 7^th wedding anniversary. Bad jokes, inquiries about employment and pass times. We brought our own bottle of champagne, which we were quickly informed would not go with the salad because of the combination of vinegar and bubbly.

“I thought champagne went with everything!”, exclaimed Leigh.

“To you, maybe. Enjoy”, uttered Henri.

We wound down the night in our room with the Twin Peaks soundtrack on repeat, as usual. Prior to the questionable circumstances of the bed and breakfast and inn keeper, we had a fabulous day seeing the sights of Mount Constitution. We took so many pictures during our exploration and were looking at them in our room after dinner. One creepy thing stood out. When we came across a picture we took near a pond, we noticed what looked like a person in a robe surrounded in blue light in the middle of the woods. Could it be an apparation? It kind of looked like Jesus, or a catholic saint.

Needless to say, after this day we were wiped out. I fell asleep early, but woke up to Leigh tapping my shoulder. With a whisper, she woke me up.

“Someones been knocking and trying to get in”.

It was midnight. When I listened, I heard the same quiet knocking on the door as before. Spaced out about one measure apart and gentle.

“What is Henri doing?”, I asked myself.

Then I heard the keys jingling. He was trying to open the door. I jumped out of bed panicked in fear and said aggressively,

"HELLO?"

A soft, docile voice said hello back. I said loudly in my fight/flight mode,

“What are you DOING?”

The keys stopped jingling and there was no reply.

Silence.

Feeling vulnerable and frozen, we stood there looking at each other. Leigh acted fast and grabbed all our belongings. I put on my shoes and we headed for the only other exit in our room, which was a screen door leading to a wrap around porch that went to the front of the house where our car was parked. We bolted through the darkness, slammed the car doors and peeled wheels down the shadowy island roads.

What in the hell was going on? Why didn’t he answer me? What was he going to do? Why was he trying to unlock our door at midnight? If I was bigger, or a man, I would have opened the door to see who it was and if it was trouble I’d punch him in the face. But we were like gazelles in the Savanna; maintaining speeds as high as 50 miles per hour upon sensing a lion or tiger.

There was no getting off the island in the middle of the night. We drove to where we knew. The ferry landing. We slept in the truck at the ferry landing that night. Inner tubes that were in the back were our pillows. Sweatshirts as blankets enveloped random body parts as we dreamed of bears attacking the truck and swat teams surrounding the Old Trout.

Six am rolled around and I attempted to do the same with my neck. Our muscles were frozen from the cold and we were in a terrible mental/physical state. We thought about hopping on the ferry back to Seattle but he had our debit card info and we needed to return the key. So, since it was daylight, we felt safer and decided to go back to confront Henri.

The gravel crunched under our wheels as we crept back into the driveway. Walking carefully back around the porch and through our sliding door back into our room, we felt nervous. Leigh immediately walked past the bed and over to the door where the mystery person had been knocking and trying to get in with a key six hours earlier. She turned the handle and opened it. It was unlocked. Someone had come in.

We were beyond happy about our decision to leave earlier. It was pretty mind blowing that someone had actually opened the door and come in. Also, they left it unlocked? WTF?

All we could do now was sleep for 3 hours and wait for the creepy knock at 9 am when Henri was scheduled to bring us breakfast.

And that’s exactly what we woke up to.

I opened the door and was ready to confront him immediately. I let him put the tray of food down before I went for it. By his shaky hands and unsure glance into my eyes, he seemed guilty already. I watched “The First 48”, a reality TV show documenting the first 48 hours of crime investigations, religiously last year so I knew all the tactics of investigating potential suspects. How they deny, don’t make eye contact, create a scenario to blame someone else, and eventually put themselves at the crime scene.

Henri did all of that.

“What happened last night?”, I said. Henri returned a shrug and confused look.

“With the door. You were knocking on it and trying to get in with a key?”, I accused.

“No it wasn’t me. It must have been another guest. Partying, he got too drunk and went to the wrong room”, Henri replied.

We were told there were only two other guests, with whom we had a pleasant dinner with that night I might add. They weren’t partying. Their cottage wasn’t even attached to the house. It was separate, across the yard. It was an elaborate explanation and it didn’t make sense.

I looked at him suspiciously and he bid us adieu with his usual, “Enjoy”.

We didn’t touch the breakfast and packed the rest of our stuff. I walked out into the dining room and said, “We’re ready to settle up”. He was surprised we were leaving so soon. Leigh asked him again, “You really have no idea about the knocking and the keys last night?”

He was putting on the act like he was flabbergasted we would think he would come in. “Why would I come into your room?”

Leigh was raw in emotion and without censoring, listed all the reasons women fear unwanted men coming into their room. We offered no apologies for our reaction and demanded answers. He said there was another guy, who was staying downstairs that must have done it. He said he asked him, just a minute ago, if he went into the wrong room last night and the guy apparently replied, almost.

Henri’s wife came out from the kitchen and they spoke French to each other. She said, “Henri saw the light come one last night when you left and went to check it out”. Henri said, “Yes, I saw the light go on from when you left out the screen door last night. It woke me up so I went to check it out”. That’s when he put himself at the scene of the crime. Also, his room was across the house. I don’t see how he could have seen the light go on.

I said, “So, you were outside by our room last night at midnight when this was happening? You saw a light by our room go on at midnight? You were awake then?”

He got flustered and denied being there. We wanted our night comped but he’s not that type of guy so we left.

An eerie phone call from the Old Trout came up on Leigh’s caller ID as we drove to the ferry. It was a man’s voice. It sounded forced and scared.

“I’m sorry for going to the wrong room last night and ruining your stay. I’m sorry."

It seemed as though Henri made the supposed basement guy apologize to us. Who’s to say what really happened that night.We're just glad we made it back alive.

MY MIXTAPE ARCHIVES 1994-2000

2011-06-12T17:15:00.000-07:00

My sister went to school in Olympia. Yeah, I said it. Leslie is 12 years older than me, and I looked up to her when I was younger. I still do. I would write her letters all the time and mail her care packages with photos and mix tapes.

I remember the first time I ever heard Heavens to Betsy, Bikini Kill, and Bratmobile. It was 1994, and I was 13. Leslie was visiting from her liberal arts school and brought with her some records from Kill Rock Stars that she thought I would like. I immediately fell in love with the sound. Kathleen Hanna was a god. It was exactly what I needed as an anghsty teenage girl trapped in the suburbs and stuck in catholic school for a few more years. I felt so full of rage. It was comforting to know I wasn't alone. It was empowering to hear girls out there making music. I dreamed of making music. Or singing on a stage in front of a huge audience. I used to tell people I wanted to be a rock star when I grew up.

Kathleen Hanna's autograph from Leslie's garage sale on Capitol Way in Olympia. - July 1997

Music has been a passion of mine ever since I can remember. My five year old self would listen to this mix I had with Madonna, Tiffany, Miami Sound Machine, and Janet Jackson on it. I would practice lip synching to Jimmy Jimmy on My First Sony so I could perform for Leslie in the living room. I would set up chairs and sing into my fake microphone.

This is for Leslie. Thank you for showing me there was a world outside of the one that I was stuck in. Thank you for nurturing my dreams and aspirations. I love you.

Below are a some of the mix tapes I sent to Leslie while she studied at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, and a few that I sent to her when she moved to Chicago. This collection of mixtape art and track lists is from my correspondence to Leslie between 1994 & 2000...

1997 What are you going to be?

*Mix made from my 7” collection.

- - - - - SIDE ONE - - - - -

Buck UN CUERPO EXQUISITO

Teachers UN CUERPO EXQUISITO

Alabama Song UN CUERPO EXQUISITO

Tiny Girls UN CUERPO EXQUISITO

I Love You a Lot SLANT 6

Rebel Rebel Bat Cat SLANT 6

We’re Having a Baby THE MAKE UP

This is…Young Vulgarians THE MAKE UP

Steppin’ on Bugs HUGGYBEAR

Limit 2 Surf HUGGYBEAR

Tuff Lovin’ HUGGYBEAR

- - - - - SIDE TWO - - - - -

She No Rattle My Cage GIRL TROUBLE

Riverbed GIRL TROUBLE

Jesus Almost Got Me ANITA LANE

Blume ANITA LANE

The World’s A Girl ANITA LANE

If I Die ANITA LANE

The Town Idiot KICKING GIANT (FEAT. SUE P. FOX)

She’s Real KICKING GIANT

2000 The Need The Need is Dead b/w Mocket Pro Forma

1998 Cat Power Myra Lee b/w What Would the Community Think?

1996 Heyday

*a bunch of songs taken from A Slice of Lemon

released on KRS & Lookout!

- - - - - SIDE ONE - - - - -

Good Girl SUTURE

Falling SUTURE

Pretty is SUTURE

Friggin’ in the Riggin’ SEX PISTOLS

Something Else SEX PISTOLS

Pretty Vacant SEX PISTOLS

No Fun SEX PISTOLS

Revolution in the Classroom SEX PISTOLS

Schools are Prisons SEX PISTOLS

I’m Fat WEEN

I’m Fat (Again) WEEN

Kiss n Ride BRATMOBILE

No You Don’t BRATMOBILE

Queenie BRATMOBILE

The Letter SLEATER KINNEY

More Than a Feeling SLEATER KINNEY

Generate! SOME VELVET SIDEWALK

- - - - - SIDE TWO - - - - -

Lezbophobia TRIBE 8

Easy Virtue TRIBE 8

Supreme Nothing TIGER TRAP

Nutritious Treat GODHEADSILO

Fuck Kitty THE FRUMPIES

Nights x Nine SLANT 6

Gauze KARP

Camden Town Rain MARY LOU LORD

Carnt Kiss HUGGYBEAR

Has Been HERION

Bunnies PANSY DIVISION

Omnivore NIKKI McCLURE

Water Cuts My Hands MECCA NORMAL

Come On CALAMITY JANE

Sony Radio GETAWAY CAR

Other’s Little Helper CHEESECAKE

Crazy Glue THE THIRD SEX

Bella THE THIRD SEX

Sorry Yer Band Sux COLD COLD HEARTS

Broken Teeth COLD COLD HEARTS

1994 Huggybear Mix

*a bunch of songs taken from these releases:

Main Squeeze, Taking the Rough with the Smooch, and Our Troubled Youth

1998 The Story of Living Happily Ever After

*a dubbed copy of Cha Cha Cabaret released by KRS

and KAOS Theory released by KAOS Radio 89.3FM in Olympia

1998 Kicking Giant Alien I.D. b/w Some Velvet Sidewalk Generate! b/w The Softies S/T

1998 Birthday Mix

- - - - - SIDE ONE - - - - -

Deliberate Indifference THE FRUMPIES

Big Big Lights SLEATER KINNEY

Scabies CYPHER IN THE SNOW

Tiny Girl UN CUERPO EXQUISITO

I Love You A Lot SLANT 6

Bait and Switch EMILY’S SASSY LIME

Schizaphrenia’s Got Me Down CAT POWER

96 Needles THE NEED

Funny Face KICKING GIANT

(untitled?) QUASI

He Walked By Night COMET GAIN

Breaking in a Brand New Broken Heart SARAH DOUGHER

Western Union Desperate MARYLOU LORD

Begin at the Beginning BONFIRE MADIGAN

Whatever Johnny Wantes RED AUNTS

Surf Song SLEATER KINNEY

Tuff Lovin’ HUGGYBEAR

Form Fitting STA PREST

(untitled?) RED MONKEY

Intertube Tomorrow THE FRUMPIES

- - - - - SIDE TWO - - - - -

Your Mother Wants to Know SCRAWL

Sitting on Top of the World THE HANGOVERS

Teachers UN CUERPO EXQUISITO

We’re Having a Baby THE MAKE UP

Held Down GOD IS MY CO-PILOT

Show Me KICKING GIANT

(untitled?) QUASI

Disappearing Lessons COURTNEY LOVE

Militia CYPHER IN THE SNOW

Any Resemblance to Persons Living or Dead is Purely Coincidental COLD COLD HEARTS

Crown THE NEED

Second False Start BONFIRE MADIGAN

Fire Starter LYNC

Carson EXCUSE 17

Paco RED AUNTS

1999 A Million Miles From Nowhere

*songs taken from Mocket Fanfare, The Make Up Destination: Love, Deep Lust (S/T),

The Vogue (S/T 7"), and The Cranium (split 7” w/The Make Up)

1997 International Hip Swing Compilation (dubbed for Leslie in 1997, released in 1993)

1997 International Hip Swing Compilation (cont’d) b/w Throw the Yo-Yo Studio Compilation

1997 Throw the Yo-Yo Studio Compilation (dubbed for Leslie in 1997, released in 1992)

1997 Throw the Yo-Yo Studio Compilation (cont’d) b/w KAOS Theory

Interview with Seattle's one and only Tony Buff

2011-05-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

Tony Buff © Derek da Silva

TV: First off, we'd like to congratulate you on bringing Raging Stallion and Fetish Force to Seattle. Most porn companies work out of California, what made you decide to bring it here?

TB: Thank you, it really is a dream come true. When I initially went into negotiations with Raging, they wanted me to relocate to San Francisco but that was a non-starter for me. I've been in Seattle for over twenty years now and have developed some amazing ties to the community here. Seattle is an exceptional place to live and I wouldn't want to give it up. Luckily, Raging agreed to let me base production for Fetish Force here in the Pacific Northwest. In actuality it makes perfect sense. We have one of the best fetish scenes in the world and the city is very queer positive.

Tony with Derek da Silva

TV: We are utterly impressed by your body of work. (No pun intended!) How did you get started?

TB: Wow. Again, thank you. That really means a lot to me. It's kind of been a labor of love. I never would have gotten into the industry if it weren't for my involvement in the fetish/Sm scene. I was at a run called Inferno sponsored by the Chicago Hellfire Club about four years ago when I met Derek da Silva. I didn't know it at the time but he had been working in the industry for a number of years doing SM and wrestling films. After a visit to Seattle, he asked if I would be interested in topping him for a video and suggested it would give us a chance to see each other again. Well, a few days after that conversation, Derek called to tell me Daddy Zeus was coming out of retirement to direct a trilogy, he had been cast in the first film and they were looking for a top. He put DZ and me in contact, I sent down some photos and before I knew it I was heading to Palm Springs to shoot my first adult feature.

Tony with Daddy Zeus

TV: Was it hardcore right off the bat? (hahahahahaha) What kind of porn do you prefer?

TB: Oh yeah, it was hardcore from the start. That first feature for Daddy Zeus was brutal and intense. Derek and I wanted to capture the essence of our play which was definitely on the edge. Like my taste in music, my porn preferences are all over the board. I watch the professional stuff, amateur content, gay, straight... the stuff that gets me off though is the stuff that captures a realness and connection in the content. Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot of that out there.

TV: Do you get to choose what music plays during a scene? If not, what kind of music would you prefer to be playing?

TB: No, there isn't generally any music playing on set when we are in production. That would make for an editing nightmare. All the music is added in post-production. The folks at Titan did a great job with the Rough line, but I'll have far more control over the work we'll be doing for FetishForce. We’ve had our first feature, Industrial Encounters, scored by Maxi for Remixlabs, a local musician here in Seattle. And the soundtrack is now available via Amazon and other internet music sites.

TV: What are some of your all time favorite bands?

TB: Belle & Sebastian, Bob Marley & the Wailers, the Damned, Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians, Guns N' Roses, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Nine Inch Nails, Pansy Division, the Pet Shop Boys, Pink Floyd... all over the place, right?

One of Tony's and our favorites.

TV: Is there anyone in the industry you want to work with/admire?

TB: I've been exceptionally blessed in my experience working in the industry. I've worked with most of the best directors of our time, including Daddy Zeus, Brian Mills, Chris Ward, Bruce Cam, Joe Gage and Tony Dimarco. I've also worked with some of the most talented performers, like François Sagat, Dean Flynn, Adam Killian, Roman Heart and many others. I guess I'm not really looking to work with one particular person in the industry now as much as I'm looking forward to recruiting some of the best players in the world and working with them to product real, edgy and intense content for FetishForce.

TV: We really like your queer approach to your body of work. Do you ever face adversity from other porn stars for being different?

TB: I guess I don't fit neatly into some people's preconceived normative ideas. I'm sure there are some who don't know what to make of me and know there are those who don't understand the nature of our work, but that hasn't really manifest itself in any type of adversity. But then with my 'fuck you' attitude toward things, I doubt I'd have noticed anyway.

TV: What do you think of gay for pay?

TB: I think it's a waste of good production funds. If I'm going to pay a performer, I'd rather spend the money on someone that enjoys the content we're shooting. Now if it were Gay for Pain, I might find that more appealing.

TV: Have you seen the Jeff Stryker or Colton Ford music videos? What do you think of porn stars having music careers? What would your music video look like?

TB: [Laughing.] Um, yeah... let's just say I fully support people exploring their creative endeavors. Derek is actually an accomplished punk producer and plays in his own band. I enjoy his stuff more than the pop stuff some of the others are doing.

TV: What is the leather community like in Seattle compared to other places you've been? Better? Worse? Supportive?

TB: The Leather community in Seattle is incredible. It's the primary reason why I wouldn't want to move. I've been able to travel throughout the US and Canada over the past few years and there are some great regional communities, especially in Chicago and Toronto, but the Pacific Northwest really is unique. Seattle has a queer ethos that I find very attractive. We have a strong players' community and I love the fact that the delineations between the men's, women's and het communities aren't as rigid here as they are in other areas.

TV: Best scene ever?

TB: Oh, that's a tough question. I love my scene with Derek and Tober Brandt in Fear. The scene with Will Parker from Folsom Flesh, which won the GayVN for Best Duo Sex Scene, is pretty spectacular. And I'd have to include the scene with my boy of nine years, Chris Yosef, from the first Rough feature, Fist and Piss.

TV: Worst scene ever?

TB: Clearly there have been some shoots that were more challenging than others, but I'm not going to point them out here.

TV: Any funny stories? (a la shooting porn)

TB: I would love to see the original take of my solo scene in Home Invasion where I'm standing in the doorway with the gun watching the action unfold between Tyler Saint and Enrique Currero. I was pretty much doing a little CBT on my cock with the business end of the hand gun before Joe Gage yelled, "Cut!" and explained to me that, "this isn't one of your movies." Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing but respect for Joe and I love working with him, but when I first read the script, I was expecting a different movie than the one that was shot. I mean, really, Tony Buff as the leader of a crew of criminals that invade a house occupied by a father and his sons... I was expecting something a little more... well, aggressive. I knew that wasn't going to be the case after I arrived on set, Joe pulled me aside and said, "Now, Tony... No pushing, no shoving, no slapping, no punching, no kicking, no biting, and especially, no porno butt-smacking." Still, the role earned me Best Actor nominations that year at both the GayVNs and the Grabbys so I can't complain.

http://grabbys.com/

TV: Would you ever do straight porn?

TB: Absolutely! I play with women quite regularly in my personal life, so doing it on camera wouldn't be an issue for me.

--------------------------------------------------

Stay up-to-date with Tony on his blog, or

follow Tony Buff on Twitter

TENDERLY YOURS FIRST EDITION

2011-05-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

Last night at the Wild Rose Tender Validations played their first ever DJ set under the DJ names Invisible Tambourine & Stay-at-Home Dad. Thanks to DJ BMOREFREE, we pulled it off like true champs! Thanks to everyone who made it out!

Here is our set list, and stay tuned for a free download of some of our favorite jams from the night!

Identity X-RAY SPEX

Let’s Be Friendly With Our Friends STA PREST

Collecting Dust ESSENTIAL LOGIC

She’s a Winner CEBE BARNES BAND

Dum Dum VASELINES

Show Me KICKING GIANT

Working Girl CHERI

Rock Hard SUZI QUATRO

C’Mon RUNAWAYS

DJ Invisible Tambourine in action!

Don’t Call it Love GIRL SCHOOL

Oh Yeah BABES IN TOYLAND
Don’t FIFTH COLUMN

Ask For It HOLE

Andre L7

Beg Waves PONYTAIL

Glamour Girl CHICKS ON SPEED

Lonely Sea ALEXIS

My Secret Lover PRIVATE

White Horse JESSICA 6

Hot Mess (Jokers of the Scene Remix) CHROMEO

Mediocrity Rules (41 Small Stars Mix) LE TIGRE

Talk Potty THE NEED

Bitchsy KIDS ON TV feat. MAGGIE MACDONALD

Monitress MOCKET
Everything Goes CRAMPS

Radical or Pro-Parental JULIE RUIN

Hopsccortch HUGGYBEAR

The More You Know

Jungle Jezebel DIVINE

Big Girls Don’t Cry EDITH MASSEY

Suck My Left One BIKINI KILL

Party X-RAY SPEXS

Rah Rah Replica! BIKINI KILL

Drunken Butterfly SONIC YOUTH

Hurt GLASS CANDY AND THE SHATTERED THEATER

I Eat Cannibals TOTO CIELO

She’s in a Rage PRIMA DONNAS

Precious Little Diamonds FOX THE FOX

Love is a Drug GRACE JONES

Mind Your Own Business DELTA 5

Two Guys For Every Girl PEACHES

Jump Up Step Back KINGDOM

Lively Crowd at the Rose!

Dawn TITTSWORTH

Hustler SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO

Hold On (Subfocus Remix) RUSCO

Running Up the Hill CHROMATICS

Can’t Shake This Feeling GRUM

You Make Me Like Charity THE KNIFE
Getting Over You DAVID GUETTA

I’m in Miami Bitch LMFAO


DJ Stay-at-Home Dad's Number One Fan!

It's The End of The World as We Know It. Do You Feel Fine?

2011-05-20T13:06:00.000-07:00

According to an Oakland evangelist [who's apparently really good at math], this was our last week together, folks. How did you spend it?

I'm writing this on a Thursday. The same Thursday that happens to be the second to the last day of the World. Or, the Universe? Wait, maybe its just humanity. Maybe it's just Evangelical Christians?

I'm not sure.

But what I do know is that something is going to happen on May 21, 2011. Something. Because billboards don’t lie. For now, I’m going to do my laundry. Laundry may seem futile in the event of an apocalypse but hey, it’s always nice to have a good stash of clean drawwws in case, no?

For your amusement, I'm passing along some things you might find useful for if you're waiting for Godot or just waiting for the second spin cycle to stop. With all due respect to REM, "Gimmie Shelter," "All Along The Watchtower" and the entire Metal genre, I give you: guidance, insight, predictions and comfort of the musical variety for the end times:

Our story begins with foreshadowing.

Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Bad Moon Rising"

This is not an anthem to start your day. It's a call to arms!

Europe - "The Final Countdown"

Have you contemplated your mortality yet? Has something stirred inside? Maybe you need to go make some phone calls. Don't worry, you still have time. Some time.

Talking Heads - "Road To Nowhere"

Wait. Whats so funny again?

Regina Spektor - "Laughing With"

For believers.

The Wailin' Jennys - "Long Time Traveller"

Cash layn’ down the law.

Johnny Cash - "The Man Comes Around"

Back into annihilation mode! Maynard and The Gang direct their destructive feelings more toward LA and less toward the World but hey, apocalypse is apocalypse so it made the cut. Hold on to yer intestines!

Tool - "Ænema"

Re-connect with your inner goth. It might come in handy to start getting you into the post-Rapture state of mind. Practice makes perfect.

Sisters of Mercy - "Black Planet"

The end of the world is not complete without lots of face paint, drums, cymbals that magically emit smoke clouds and overexposure. The original video for this song was better.

Florence And The Machine - "Dog Days"

If anyone can send you coasting into oblivion it's Steely Dan.

Steely Dan - "King of the World"

Tom Waits, the purgatory circus ringleader himself, doing what he does best.

Tom Waits - "God's Away On Business"

José says: it's okaaay, it's just rapture.

José González - "Save Your Day"

In the end, perhaps you should just say fuck it, put on some Dylan and transcend downstream.

Bob Dylan - "Wigwam"

Thanks to TVMOTMC for helping celebrating the last week of humanity and life as we know it. Be good to each other. Over and out.
-Nicole E. Leigh

Skeeter Davis - "The End Of The World"

ON VACATION: TENDER ASSIGNMENTS

2011-05-08T20:29:00.000-07:00

Currently, Tender Validations is taking an extended break from bi-monthly assignments to enjoy the weather, the beach, babes, and to learn some DJ skills. Stay tuned for the Tender Validations DJ Collective and a dance party that is off the hook!

Until then, please check back often for awesome mixtapes, and daily affirmations.

♥ TVMOTMC

JOHN WALKER: November 12, 1943 - May 7, 2011

2011-05-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

WE LOVE YOU, POLY STYRENE

2011-04-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

" I chose the name Poly Styrene because it's a lightweight disposable plastic. That's what pop stars should be: disposable."

Poly Styrene was a punk warrior. We dedicate this mix tape to her life + her music.

Oh Bondage, Up Yours X-RAY SPEX

Quality Crayon Wax O.K. ESSENTIAL LOGIC

Pretty Vacant SEX PISTOLS

I'm so Bored With the U.S.A. THE CLASH

White Nigger THE AVENGERS

Stand Up and Fight BUSH TETRAS

Mind Your Own Business DELTA 5

Off the Hook Y PANTS

You KLEENEX

Shoplifting THE SLITS

Politics! GIRLS AT OUR BEST

White Mice MO-DETTES

Orgasm Addict BUZZCOCKS

The Day the World Turned Dayglo X-RAY SPEX

Download HERE.

BODY PARTS & FOREIGN LANGUAGE COMPILATIONS!

2011-04-14T19:38:00.000-07:00

I GET TONGUE TIED: SONGS SUNG IN A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH

I think we’re alone now LENE LOVICH

Can’t you see VICIOUS PINK

Don Quichotte MAGAZINE 60

Vivre sur video TRANS X

Telex ALBERTO CAMERINI

Problemes d’Amour ALEXANDER ROBOTNICK

Tut mir leid das ich weine STELLA

Cicale HEATHER PARISI

Amicalement votre LOREDANABERTE/LOUDTONE

Marcia Baila RITA MITSOUKO

Toi mon toit CHRISTINA

Encore l’Amour GARCONS

Download HERE.

MORE THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS: SONGS ABOUT BODY PARTS

Harmony in my head BUZZCOCKS

10 fingers 11 toes PONYS

Barrel-chested baby COCONUT COOLOUTS

2^nd foot stomp CLINIC

Hollow hollow eyes CROCODILES

Wrists PASSIONS

Mouth of the desert ATLAS SOUND

Stomach song BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE

No pussy blues GRINDERMAN

Gut feeling/slap your mammy DEVO

Under my thumb ROLLING STONES

Over my shoulder I AM KLOOT

You make me weak at the knees ELECRELANE

Silver trembling hands FLAMING LIPS

Download HERE.

Prince Rama are my girlfriend.

2011-04-03T19:21:00.000-07:00

Prince Rama played the Lo-Fi last night and totally blew my mind. They were like all the best parts of a bunch of great bands all together in synchronicity: The Raincoats, The Slits, The Need, Gang Gang Dance, accompanied by howling wolves, goddess chants, eternal love, the moon, and raw power. Their performance and stage presence was undeniably the best I've seen in a long time. To try to explain it further would not do it justice. All I can say is magic is afoot!

Check out some footage of the show:

*video footage courtesy Judical ♥

FOREIGN LANGUAGES INSPIRATION

2011-03-19T14:48:00.001-07:00

DISMEMBERMENT PLAN REUNION @ SHOWBOX 3-14

2011-03-14T22:16:00.000-07:00

You are invited, by anyone to do anything. You are invited, for all time.

Sounds of self awareness and belonging were ringing out through the Showbox Theatre last night, as The Dismemberment Plan resurrected a pivotal moment in time when underground indie-math rock culture thrived in Washington, DC. I was immediately slapped in the face with a flash back to the teenage feeling of being isolated within a group of spazzy, awkward cool dudes who seeped with stupid scene cred. This time it didn't matter, because we all grew up.

The Dismemberment Plan invited emotion and unity into the crowd with explosive bursts of urgency and freedom. Clinging to each other we swayed and sang,

I lost my membership card to the human race, so don't forget the face, because I know that I do belong here.

The old wave of off time syncopated drums scattered over syrupy guitars, resonating like red wires/black wires plugged into the right ends. Some guy in the audience screamed “Black Cat! Black Cat!”. This means nothing to no one unless you went to shows in DC at the Black Cat. There was always a debonair dude out front spanging with a top hat, saying Black Cat, Black Cat, in a smooth rhythm. I felt a piece of home here. Memory Machine, Gyroscope, I Love a Magician and of course The Ice of Boston were all on the menu accompanied by full crowd stage takeovers, a bra thrown at the band and um...Travis made out with a boy named Paul on stage.

-Jude Miqueli

BEAST MEETS WEST: INTERVIEW WITH RADIO HOST GABE FAUBER

2011-03-01T10:39:00.000-08:00

Tender Validations recently had the opportunity to chat with Western Washington University's KUGS Beast Meets West Radio Host, Gabe Fauber. Here is what he had to say.

TV: Hello, Gabe. Thank you for joining us. I hear you’re big in Japan. Can you go into detail explaining exactly how that happened?

GF: It was 1997. I was in high school and my buddies and I found a shopping cart in an alleyway that was abandoned. We were high schoolers and we got to the point where I was in the cart and being pushed down hills. We were messing around with it and having a good old time. We ended up doing this for two days and on the second day one of my buddies brought a video camera, and on the first run of being filmed I got t-boned by a car, and the whole thing was on film.

TV: That’s crazy! Were you okay?

GF: I was fine. They type of car and the type of shopping cart were the perfect combination to protect me from injury.

TV: The stars were aligned.

GF: The stars were aligned, exactly. So it looks really brutal on film, but it’s not. I didn’t get any injuries; I didn’t even break any skin. But it was all so fast, it looks really intense. That was ’97. I had it on VHS for a long time, and I sent into Real TV in the year 2000. From there I just kept getting calls from production companies usually about once or twice a year asking for permission to use this footage on shows. In 2007 the clip had been on numerous shows, and I got a call from a production company out of San Francisco that deals with Japanese TV. They called me up, and wondered if they could use my clip, and how much money I wanted, and what time I was available and all that stuff I said “yes yes yes”. So they flew a director from Japan to Bellingham, and they flew a translator up from their office in San Francisco, and those two guys met up with me here in town and spent two days interviewing me, and filming where I lived, and what I was doing, and even some re-enactments. It was really thorough, really in depth. They even hired kids from the town to play my friends.

TV: They filmed a re-enactment of your life with people who weren’t really your friends?! That is so awesome. Is there anywhere you can see the footage [of the re-enactments] online? Or is it lost forever?

GB: I have a DVD of it. They ended up using some of the footage and made their own narrative and it went onto a TV show that is apparently really popular in Japan. It’s like a video contest show. You know #1-5 top videos and they have all these different categories, and I’m not sure what they are cuz I don’t speak Japanese, but mine was something like “Stupid Wacky Stuff that White People Do”cuz it was all stupid and wacky white people. They did a whole treatment and I’m in the process of getting it translated now finally, but ever since then I have been able to say that indeed I am big in Japan.

TV: I envy you. Is there anywhere on the internet you can see the Japanese show that got you huge?

GB: I ended up making a DVD compilation of all the shows that I’ve been on that I have copies of. So it’s on the DVD and it’s just a matter of putting it up online. The footage itself is on YouTube if you wanna just check out the clip. If you go to YouTube and look up “Idiot Kid Shopping Cart”.

TV: Speaking of Japan, do you think Japan or Scandinavia’s metal scene is better? Where is the metal mecca?

GB: The metal mecca…I would say the metal mecca is Scandinavia because there are more distinct styles of metal in a cultural geographic area. Like you have Norway, Sweden, Finland, and if you want to count Denmark just in the hinterlands area. And then you have midland Europe just a hop skip and a jump away. Japanese is definitely big and has a big influence. Asian metal is starting to emerge now but currently Scandinavia really has the best offerings.

TV: Which is gnarlier: Japanese or Scandandanavian metal?

GB: Gnarlier? OOOooh that’s a tough call. It depends on what you mean by gnarly.

TV: Like human sacrifice, cannibalism…like GNARLY.

GB: Scandinavia. The Japanese metal that I’ve heard is wild, it’s crazy, it unrestrained. It's not necessarily violent or evil or with ill intent. There always seems to be an undercurrent of fun. And that just might be the stereotype of Japan, but it’s not coming from the same place as say the Norwegian Black Metal scene which is a response to Christianity and their loss of culture.

TV: Good Answer. Next question: Have you always been a metal head or do you perhaps know all the words to “on bended knee” by Boys II Men?

GB: I don’t know “On Bended Knee”, but “End of the Road” I totally got.

TV: That was a beautiful moment in time.

GB: It was glorious. I remember it like it was just a week ago. But I pretty much always have been [a metal head]. Every 5^th grader gets a boom box--that’s just how it is, right? It’s like if you don’t have a stereo by the time you’re in 5^th grade, you’re gonna get one that Christmas. And I didn’t have one, so sure enough (as I’m sure is required by law) I got one Christmas of 5^th grade. There were there CDs I was given: U2’s Achtung Baby, Pearl Jam’s 10 and Metallica’s Black Album. I can tell you right now you know which one got the most play. It was Metallica and it was just because the guitar sound. The way it sounded. I can’t explain it. I couldn’t explain it then, I can’t explain it now. But it’s the sound that resonated in my mind. It’s the closest sound to the one that’s going on in my head-the frequency that’s going on in my head.

It all started with that. And then I just needed more. So then Megadeth, Fear Factory, Corrosion of Conformity …anything I could get my hands on. This was before Napster and all that shit so I just had to go buy dubbed tapes. And then 1998 I discovered Scandinavian scene with In Flames. Hearing In Flames The Jester Race for the first time took my metal to a whole new level and I’ve just been riding that wave ever since.

TV: Would you say Metallica is the gateway metal band for most?

GB: Easily, easily.

TV: For someone who is just trying to discover the metal side of them, what band besides Metallica would you suggest they listen to?

GB: That is a tough question.

TV: Because it’s such a broad spectrum, right? I’m interested in delving into the metal scene a little more. I mean Metallica and all the big name bands like that I’m familiar with, but as far as Scandinavian and Japanese metal and all that stuff I have no idea.

GB: There’s a distinction to be made as far as American thrash metal versus Scandanavian and all the rest, and that’s the vocal style. You’ve got the clean vocals where you can understand what the guy’s saying; you can sing along. And then there’s the predominate vocal style of metal which is growl. The death metal, Cannibal Corpse kind of sound. There’s the black metal shriek and everything in between. And with the growl, that really alienates a lot of people which is unfortunate because the best metal bands are the ones where you can’t understand what they’re saying unless you read the lyrics.

TV: Do you think people that are into that type of growl metal are sitting around reading the liner notes and trying to figure out what the hell they’re talking about?

GB: When I hear a new album from a band that’s growl, I look up the lyrics. Connecting with the lyrics is really important. Knowing what they’re saying is just as important as singing along to anything. The importance is still there, it just takes an extra step to get into it. So it’s almost like you have to earn it. If you know the lyrics, it’s not because you were high listening to the album and you just picked up on some, it’s because you went in and you read them, remembered them, and applied it. Metal, if you’re really into it, it’s a badge: it takes that extra step.

For someone who’s not really into metal who’s looking to get more into it, I recommend more on the clean vocal side of things versus the growl, because the growl’s hard to get into. So I would say Iron Maiden, Metallica for sure, early Pantera (like Cowboys from Hell specifically). From there there’s kind of rock and metal bands like Down, Corrosion of Conformity, Eyehategod...those are kind of clean vocals, definitely metal guitars, definitely had their point in history for being really popular in the late eighties/early nineties. If you dig on that, then you can move onto bands like Exodus, Megadeth, and you can also try some of the Scandinavian stuff. That’s for someone who’s never heard anything before, and is not used to growling vocals.

Now if you really want to be adventurous, I would recommend listening to Opeth. They are Swedish and they are like a progressive death metal band. They have jazzy really complex instrumental interludes, and they mix up a clean vocal style and a real harsh growl. There have been a lot of people, women especially, I have seen get into metal through Opeth.

TV: That is really informative. On the subject of women and metal, it seems like the metal scene has a reputation for being a big sausage fest. I know there are a bunch of women that are totally into metal, but it seems like the people playing the music are predominately men.

GB: Oh yeah, it’s a total sausage fest. I’ve seen women at shows, and there are women fronted metal bands. They’re rare, but they’re out there and they’re successful and they’re good. So it’s not just a novelty. The two shows that I’ve seen the most women in attendance are Opeth and Gwar.

There are also bands that are female fronted that are really really popular. Arch Enemy is one of them. That’s a typical screaming, growling kind of thrash metal Swedish band.

TV: Out of all the metal shows you’ve ever seen, which one stands out in your mind as the best experience at a show in your entire life?

GB: Well, crap.

TV: I mean you can choose a couple; it doesn’t have to be just one.

GB: The top two….shit. The best was At the Gates in Seattle at the Graceland--well, El Corazon 2008. It was because at the time At the Gates had been broken up since 1996 and had never come to the US, and had never given anywhere in the US a chance to see them. They reunited for one tour in 2008 and it was awesome because everybody was there. All the old metal heads that I knew in high school came down from Bellingham, everybody came to that show, and everybody knew the score. They did an awesome set and the energy was just amazing. So that was big. That was probably number one just because it was so rare to see At the Gates.

The other show was also at El Corazon, but back when it was the Graceland and that was In Flames the first time they came around in 2000. That was a monumental show because that was the first Scandinavian metal show to really make an impact. I was just out of high school and all the metal heads up here [in Bellingham] paraded on down there, and you could tell from the band’s expression that they didn’t expect that kind of following. They didn’t expect the people at the Graceland to know their stuff that well, to be so into it. And they fed off of it, and it created this once in a lifetime show. It’s so intimate at the Graceland, and everything we wanted to hear, they played it. So that was truly amazing.

I guess the third one is I went to Europe in 2003 and I got to go to the Wacken Open Air festival which is the biggest metal festival in the world. The concerts themselves weren’t necessarily the best that I’ve ever seen, but to have that experience. It’s three days of camping, metal from 10AM-2AM every day, giant fairgrounds out in the middle of nowhere… it was truly truly amazing.

TV: Those all sound like great experiences. I wanted to ask you about your radio show. How long have you been doing Beast Meets West? Is this your first radio show, or have you done other radio shows before this?

GB: It’s not my first radio show. I had another metal show up at the same station here at the school [WWU] back in 2000. I was 19, didn’t know my head from my ass, went on and wasn’t the best DJ but I had a lot of fun. I co-hosted with a buddy of mine, didn’t take it seriously at all. But now, I’ve had Beast Meets West for a little over a year, and I’m trying to take it a little more seriously. Trying to get something new to play each week, trying to find stuff other people haven’t heard, stuff that I haven’t heard, and just trying to be a good introduction to metal.

If someone turns on the radio during my time slot and catches a song that gets them caught up in that same guitar sound that hooked me back when I first heard the Black Album...the chance the song I’m playing is the one that is going to have just the right sound to hook them…because as a metal head I know that once you hear that sound, whichever guitar tone it is, whatever vocal style that’s gonna get you, as soon as you hear it you can’t un-hear it. You’re forever on that train; you’re forever on that track. If I can be that person who puts it out there for someone to get on to their own metal track, the train’s already rolling after that. I don’t have to do anything. BUT it’s all about hearing that one sound, that one note, that one tone. That’s what keeps me going. I have a really shitty time slot this quarter and it sucks to sacrifice this much sleep and my time for it, but that’s what drives me is that I can introduce that one person to the sound that they’ve had in their head forever.

TV: You’re a good man. It’s nice to hear someone so inspired and driven by music. So what is your time slot, what is the radio station that you’re on, and can you hear it anywhere online?

GB: You can hear it online. The time slot is Wednesday morning from midnight till 2AM. It is on 89.3 KUGS FM here in Bellingham. You can stream it online at www.kugs.org.

TV: That concludes our interview. I appreciate and thank you for your time. Rock on!

GB: Totally! Thank you!

You can keep up with Beast Meets West on their Facebook page, or tune in on KUGS online to hear Beast Meets West streaming live.

Charlie has a Posse Benefit Party March 4th!

2011-02-23T12:43:00.000-08:00

It's Official! Charlie has a Posse Benefit is scheduled!

When: Friday, March 4th from 7-10PM
Where: Arabica Lounge | 1550 E Olive Way | Seattle, WA 98102

Come enjoy coffee, wine, music, and the company of friends and strangers! Special guest appearance by Charlie, the lady of the evening.

DJ's
Riff-Raff
Res
Smooth Ride
& Bmore Free
spinning tunes all night!

Pick up your Posse Gear and get a free gift bag from Babeland!
Tote Bags for $10
Toddler Tees for $15
Unisex Tanks for $20

Sponsored by:
Pillow Fight Designs http://pillowfightdesigns.com/
Tender Validations http://tendervalidations.blogspot.com/
Luxe Riot http://luxeriot.com/
Ruckus http://www.facebook.com/RuckusSeattle
Babeland http://www.babeland.com/
A very special thanks to Shan Thorson for helping organize this event!

ABOUT CHARLIE:
Charlie is a 5 year old French Bulldog rescue. If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her, she is a total sweetheart.

A few months ago, Charlie tore a ligament in her knee (CCL) and is in need of surgery. The surgery alone will cost around $1300. The medical expenses that go along with her injury and recovery are seemingly impossible to afford. As her provider, I decided to get creative since giving her up is not an option for me.

All proceeds from Charlie has a Posse Gear will go into Charlie’s Medical Fund so she can get the care she needs and deserves. Anything raised above and beyond her needs will be donated to non-profit organizations Cascade Bulldog Rescue and Itty Bitty Kitty Comittee.

http://charliehasaposse.com/
http://www.cascadebulldogrescue.org/
http://www.theittybittykittycommittee.com/

Hope to see you there!
♥ Leigh & Charlie

♥ CHARLIE HAS A POSSE.COM

2011-02-12T16:05:00.000-08:00

Hey Everybody!

My dog is injured and in need of your help! Please help us spread the word, and reach our goal of raising $3000 to help pay for her medical expenses. Plus, you can get a super awesome tank top, tote bag, or toddler tee!

Visit the official website: charliehasaposse.com

Charlie is a 5 year old French Bulldog. If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her, she is a total sweetheart.

Charlie and I found each other about a year and a half ago with the help of friends and fate. She made her way to Seattle by means of Lisa Orth who united the two of us. Lisa had rescued Charlie from a vet where she had been abandon in Southern Washington, and was looking for the perfect forever home for her. I was the lucky lady who got to take her home for the price of a promise to always love her. Charlie has been through a lot in her short life, and I plan on making the rest smooth sailing.

A few months ago, Charlie tore a ligament in her knee and is in need of surgery. The surgery alone will cost around $1300. The medical expenses that go along with her injury and recovery are seemingly impossible to afford. As her provider, I decided to get creative since giving her up is not an option for me.

All proceeds from Charlie has a Posse Gear will go into Charlie’s Medical Fund so she can get the care she needs and deserves. I am hoping to raise around $3000 to help pay for the medical expenses leading up to her surgery, the surgery itself, and her after care.

♥ We appreciate your support!

BOATING WITH CLYDE!

2011-02-11T14:00:00.000-08:00

Clyde Petersen of Your Heart Breaks, Cold Lake, and Do it for the girls Productions is raising money for an internet series Boating with Clyde!

From Boating with Clyde Kickstarter Page:
Combining the rich tradition of Fishing with John, Captain Puget, Pee-Wee's Playhouse and The Muppets, Boating with Clyde brings focus to the waterways of Puget Sound and the artists that dwell nearby. Boating with Clyde, a free internet-based program of video shorts, will feature Northwest and touring musicians and artists, performing and storytelling, while adrift on an 8-foot dinghy in the brackish waters.

Check out the trailer:

We think this is an awesome project and look forward to watching the "webisodes" to learn more about the Puget Sound's aquatic species as well as bands from around the region. Plus a fish puppet named Pinky BottomFeeder will give special underwater reports with his friend from Anacortes, Karl Blau.

Please donate and/or pass this on!

DAY OF THE DEAD COMPILATION

2011-02-06T21:53:00.000-08:00

For each assignment completed, Tender Validations takes a song or two off each submission to create a compilation. Participants of the assignment not only receive another participant's submission, but also a copy of the Tender Validation Compilation.

The Day of the Dead Compilation from the October-November 2010 assignment is now available for download here.

The Weather Report

2011-02-05T15:16:00.000-08:00

February-March Assignment: Body Parts vs. Languages

2011-02-04T15:13:00.000-08:00

The results from the blog poll came in at noon on Tuesday. A pretty good turn out (84 people voted), though I think we can do better next time. Here are the results:

1st Place is a TIE!

I Get Tongue Tied: Songs in a Language Other Than English
vs. More Than the Sum of its Parts: Songs About Body Parts

This means you get to choose between Body Parts and Languages for the theme of your next mix!

Some things to consider:

• You must pick one or the other for a single mix. (No mixing songs about body parts with songs in different languages!)

• You can participate in both assignments, but we ask that you send $3 for each mix you turn in.

• Regardless of whether you choose one or the other or both to participate in, you are still required to follow the rules of each assignment.

Read carefully!

DUE MARCH 31st, 2011

THEME OPTION 1--
More than the sum of its parts: songs about body parts.
Make a mix of songs about body parts.

...There are many different ways people describe parts on their body or other people's bodies. There are also many different words for the same part. Take for example a vagina. Some people might call it a pussy, while others call it a kitten, and still others may just say OPP. You get the idea. Get creative, and have some fun!

THEME OPTION 2--
i get tongue tied: songs in languages other than english.
Make a mix of songs that are sung in different languages.

...Are you a linguist? Eartha Kitt was. But you don't have to be to enjoy the many different languages this world has to offer, especially when they are put to music. Music is the universal language, am I right? Maybe you'll learn a few new words along the way!

____________________________________________________________________

...Please don't forget to make beautiful cover art, include a track list, and send $3 with your mix.

Objective:
♥ Share music, make art, and keep post alive.♥

How it works:
Following the assignment and the rules, make a mix and submit it by the deadline. The submissions will be made into a compilation, mixed and matched to other Tender Validators, and mailed out the following week. Participants receive an anonymous mix, a compilation, and other various tender validations. Be sure to include (on a separate sheet of paper) the mailing address you’d like your mix to be sent.

Rules:
→ 12 song minimum, 1 disk/tape maximum
→ Track list must be included
→ Cover art required
→ Return address provided (on a separate sheet of paper, please! )
→ Please keep cd anonymous (you can use an alias)
→ $3 for postage

Drop Locations:
→Fuel Coffee 610 19th Ave. Seattle, WA (19th & Mercer on Capitol Hill)
→Zebra Club 1901 1st Ave. Seattle, WA (1st & Stewart by Pike Place Market)

Mail In:
→Leigh’s Apartment (message me on FB, or email me at tendervalidations@gmail.com for address)