Past Shows
2010
08.14.10 – Shadowland – 4458 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116 - Lincoln solo
Setlist: Sunny Afternoon (The Kinks) / Blessed Are / Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie) / Don’t (Settle Your Debts on the Phone) / You Don’t Mean It (The Minus 5) / Showponies / Liar’s Dice / Perfect Day (Lou Reed) / 22 Rose Petal Place / Diana / Time to Slow Down / So Long, Radiant Flower / Town Cryer (Elvis Costello) / set break / Where Were You (Vic Chesnutt) / Lying Out Loud / Starboard Meets the Sound / Different For Girls (Joe Jackson) / Hard on Me (Tom Petty) / Nighttime (Big Star) / Take Care (Big Star) / And Your Bird Can Sing (The Beatles) / Biblical Forgery / Hang on to Your Purse
A fun, low-key solo gig at a very hip West Seattle neighborhood joint, unfortunately blighted by some gastric distress. Still, it was great to trot out some songs that hadn’t been played in a long time (”Ashes to Ashes”) or ever (”Diana” [!]). The food at Shadowland is terrific, the staff and ownership are very nice, and I hope to be back (sans-bellyache) very soon!
08.04.10 – NEUMOS – 925 E. Pike Street, Seattle, WA 98122 – Lincoln & Patrick duo w/ Langhorne Slim & Palmer Electric
Setlist: Nightcrawler / Spanning Time / 22 Rose Petal Place / So Long, Radiant Flower / Stay Inside (Vic Chesnutt) / Fascinated
When a last-minute opportunity arose to open for NYC troubadour Langhorne Slim, we couldn’t say no, even though we knew Andy would be out of town. So, Patrick and I took the stage as a duo tonight, something that I always enjoy. As much as I love playing with the band, more than anything, it’s nice to play in this stripped-down setting…you can *hear* everything so much better, and I feel like Patrick and I have been playing together long enough that we can follow each other around pretty well. (Read: he isn’t thrown off by my all-too-frequent deviations in pitch and tempo.)
It was pretty hot in Neumos, and the crowd was a little lethargic, but we still had a damn good time. It’s hard not to in that room. Locals Palmer Electric tore up the stage after us…hope to play with them again sometime. Thanks to Alicia, all at Neumos, and Langhorne Slim (+ band) for a wonderful night.
07.31.10 – Sun Valley Brewing Company – 202 N. Main Street, Hailey, ID 83333
Setlist: Lincoln solo > Say You Love Me (Fleetwood Mac) / 22 Rose Petal Place / Lincoln & Patrick duo > Nightcrawler / Stay Inside (Vic Chesnutt) / Fascinated / full band > Stay Golden / Spanning Time / Showponies / Philistine / Finest Worksong (R.E.M.) / Childish Things / Early Followed You / set break / The Pose / Blessed Are / Deseret News / Such an Easy Thing / So Long, Radiant Flower / Godzilla (BOC) / Sarah / Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young)
This was our first visit to the sleepy mountain resort town of Hailey, and it’s a truly gorgeous place. Sean and all at the Sun Valley Brewery have a good thing going, with a regular schedule of touring bands and really great beer. The crowd was a little lackluster, and our motor motel was truly dismal, but this was still a really fun night. Looking forward to our next trip up ID-20!
07.30.10 – Visual Arts Collective – 3638 Osage Street, Garden City, ID 83714 - w/ Thomas Paul & New Transit
Setlist: The Pose / Blessed Are / Showponies / Philistine / So Long, Radiant Flower / Stay Golden / Godzilla (BOC) / Sarah / Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young)
Oh, Boise. The Visual Arts Collective is a beautiful venue and a true credit to its scene, but it sits a little outside downtown Boise (in Garden City), and it’s tough to get people out there, even when it’s a weekend night and a terrific bill (if we do say so ourselves). Couple that with Jaialdi (a pentennial Basque festival that we’re told is a *really* big deal) and a New Pornographers show across town and you’ve got yourself a pretty light turnout. Not as bad as our last show at the VAC, mind you, but light nonetheless.
Still, we played a great set, met some cool folks (including longtime e-friend and RJM supporter Amy Atkins of the Boise Weekly), and enjoyed killer sets from our friends New Transit and Thomas Paul. Matt’s grandparents even showed up! We topped it off with the traditional late-night trip to Los Betos and called it a night.
07.29.10 – Great Pacific – 403 S. Main Street, Pendleton, OR 97801 – w/ Thomas Paul
Setlist: So Long, Radiant Flower / Such an Easy Thing / The Pose / Spanning Time / Blessed Are / Stay Golden / Sarah / Showponies / Early Followed You / Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young)
What an incredible surprise! Our buddy Thomas Paul has been raving about Pendleton (and the Great Pacific in particular) for years, and we’d stopped there overnight several times en route to Boise, but we’d never played there before. I sure hope this isn’t the last time…by far the best show of the tour, and a terrific way to kick things off. (I can’t forget to mention that this was our very first show with new bassist Matthew Cunningham…welcome, Matt!)
After our buddy Thomas warmed up the crowd (joined by cellist Melissa Watson), we started ‘em off nice and easy with a couple of pedal steel numbers (something we hadn’t done in a while), and gradually ramped up the rock factor, to enterprising effect. The audience was generous, attentive, and enthusiastic. Best of all, when we finished things up with “Cinnamon Girl,” they swarmed the merch table! We sold a boatload of CDs and t-shirts and met a bunch of great folks (of all ages). Thanks, Pendleton – we will most certainly be back.
07.03.10 - Darrell’s Tavern – 18041 Aurora Ave. N, Shoreline, WA 98133 – w/ The Devil Whale & Jones Family Fortune
Setlist: Blessed Are / Spanning Time / Always a Friend (Alejandro Escovedo) / Such an Easy Thing / So Long, Radiant Flower / Stay Golden / Sarah / The Pose / Showponies / Early Followed You / Cinnamon Girl
Darrell’s is a proud example of a classic ‘old man bar’ (their slogan is “where your Dad used to drink”) located on Aurora Avenue North in Shoreline, WA (just north of Seattle proper). Seattleites will be well aware of the connotations this locale carries with it, and they’re all true. That’s not to say this place is without charm – quite the contrary. This place is a dive-bar afficionado’s wet dream—they’ve got $2 Hamm’s on tap, and the walls are plastered with antique beer ads (and covered with carpet!). It’s quite a vibey little place.
All that said, I’m not sure it’s really the ideal venue for Red Jacket Mine (or our SLC buddies the Devil Whale, who shared this bill). Subtletly doesn’t necessarily translate well here; consequently, our set-ending thrash through “Cinnamon Girl” was a big hit…”Such an Easy Thing,” a bit less so. Still, it was a fun night, and Dan (the owner/bartender) is an awesome guy. I look forward to swilling Hamm’s and playing guitar (with other acts) here in the future. ¡Viva Aurora!
06.25.10 – The New Frontier Lounge – 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, WA 98421 – w/ The Riffbrokers & Jones Family Fortune
Setlist: Blessed Are / Spanning Time / Always a Friend (Alejandro Escovedo) / Such an Easy Thing / So Long, Radiant Flower / Sarah / The Pose / Stay Golden (w/ Todd on keys) / Showponies (w/ Todd on keys) / Early Followed You / Cinnamon Girl
It’s been a while since we had a truly stellar (attendance-wise) show at the New Frontier, but we keep coming back, mainly because they’re so damn hospitable. I’ve said it before, but if this bar was in my neighborhood, I’d hang out there. Despite a sparse crowd, we played a raging set that included a guest appearance from our buddy Todd (of JFF) on keys and an extended noise jam on “Early Followed You.” We closed out the night with a savage reading of “Cinnamon Girl” that went over quite well, too. (People love that song, and I don’t blame ‘em.) See you next time, Tacoma.
06.08.10 – THE ROUND at the Fremont Abbey Arts Center – 4272 Fremont Ave N., Seattle, WA 98103 – Lincoln solo w/ Ken Stringfellow & Rebecca Gates
Setlist: Starboard Meets the Sound / Time to Slow Down / Lying Out Loud / Such an Easy Thing / Nightcrawler (plus all of Ken & Rebecca’s tunes!)
One of the highlights of my musical life thus far, to be sure. Impossible to summarize in a paragraph, really, but let’s just say that spending the afternoon sharing music with some of my favorite singers & songwriters, then performing each other’s songs together in front of a spellbound audience in the cathedral-like environs of the Fremont Abbey added up to a magical experience. Highlights were too numerous to count, but I had a blast playing a brand-new tune, “Lying Out Loud,” with vocal assistance from the assembled cast. Singing with Rebecca Gates was an incredible experience. And Ken slayed the audience with an off-mic, incredibly dynamic performance of one of my favorite songs of his (or anyone’s), “Lover’s Hymn.” You can download a couple of my songs (the aforementioned “Lying Out Loud” and “Such an Easy Thing”) on the Web Exclusives page. Maya Hao Li took some beautiful photos that you can check out on MySpace. Rumor has it video was captured, so stay tuned for that!
05.21.10 – Conor Byrne Pub – 5140 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, WA 98107 – w/ Nathan Wade & the Dark Pioneers
Setlist: Blessed Are / The Pose / Always a Friend (Alejandro Escovedo) / Such an Easy Thing / So Long, Radiant Flower / Stay Golden / Spanning Time / Sarah / Showponies / Philistine (w/ Nathan Wade on guitar) / Cinnamon Girl (w/ Nathan Wade on guitar)
Now *that* is what I’m talking about! Nothing like a sweaty, loose rock show to get the endorphins flowing. And flow they did, along with a fair amount of bourbon whiskey and ice-cold Rainier. Sure, there could’ve been more stage space (we haven’t played Conor’s in over three years…we were a three-piece the last time), and there could’ve been more folks in the audience, and there could’ve been more money, but it’s tough to complain after a terrific, life-affirming set like that. The few folks who were in attendance were responsive and kind, and we reveled in their enthusiasm. Thanks to all who helped to make this a great – and greatly-needed – night.
05.04.10 – NEUMOS – 925 E. Pike St., Seattle, WA 98122 – w/ Reckless Kelly
Setlist: Spanning Time / The Pose / Blessed Are / Sarah / Stay Golden / So Long, Radiant Flower / Showponies / Early Followed You
Kind of a weird one (despite the fact that most of this show’s attendees were decidedly ‘middle-age,’ it was an all-ages gig…which meant no alcohol on the showroom floor…which meant that 100+ drinking adults were crammed into the balcony – and invisible to us – while we played to 20 or so in front of the stage), but it sure was nice to finally play on that stage! Looking forward to the next time. Thanks to our buddy Toby, who generously (and expertly) handled our FOH sound!
04.25.10 – The Crocodile – 2200 2nd Ave., Seattle, WA 98121 – Lincoln & Patrick duo w/ Jackie Greene
Setlist: So Long, Radiant Flower / Spanning Time / Such an Easy Thing / Stay Inside (Vic Chesnutt) / Showponies / Nightcrawler / Take Care (Big Star) / Stay Golden
Never a bad show at the Crocodile…especially when you get to play for 300 new folks! Andy wasn’t able to make this show, so Patrick and I did our “Porter and Barfunkel” routine, rocking out acoustic/electric duo versions of some RJM jams with a couple of choice covers thrown in. Jackie’s fans (not quite our usual demographic) ate it up, too! Thanks so much to all the kind folks who bought CDs, said hi, etc. – and thanks as always to Eli, Nathan, and the Croc for having us!
04.24.10 – The Brown Lantern – 412 Commercial Ave., Anacortes, WA 98221
Setlist: Spanning Time / Hanging on the Telephone (Blondie/Nerves) / Blessed Are / Breathe (Pink Floyd) / Such an Easy Thing / Philistine / Always a Friend (Alejandro Escovedo) / Sarah / Early Followed You / set break / Let’s Go (The Cars) / The Pose / Nightcrawler / May This Be Love (Jimi Hendrix) / Childish Things / Apricot Moon / Showponies / So Long, Radiant Flower / Stay Golden / Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young)
We’d heard that they’d moved the music back to the front room at the Brown Lantern, which sounded pretty good…until we realized that they still didn’t have a stage! Oh well – the show must go on. We did our best to rock a positively packed house, due to a couple of local weddings that day. Tuxedos and formal dresses aplenty, and lots of small-town folks gettin’ crunk. This was our first show with Brian Saunders filling in on bass, and he did an admirable job of learning 20-or-so tunes in less than two weeks! Altogether, a good night. Thanks to Tex and all at the Brown Lantern for having us.
04.15.10 – The Mix – 6006 12th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98108 – Lincoln solo w/ Jones Family Fortune & Gun Street Glory
Setlist: Showponies / Novelty’s Gone / Get Along / Different for Girls (Joe Jackson) / Time to Slow Down / Biblical Forgery
I dig Georgetown, I really do – lots of cool old buildings and funky shops. The people are nice. But it’s tough as hell to get folks to make the 5-10 mile trek from Seattle proper to G-town, and this night was no exception. The charmingly-nicknamed “Dead Baby Dave” and his friends have a cool thing going at The Mix, and I was grateful for the opportunity to try out a few new tunes in front of friends. But shortly after Gun Street Glory played, the 15-or-so patrons emptied out, and my friends in Jones Family Fortune played to three folks (including me), plus the bartender and soundman. A shame, that…but we’ve all been there!
04.09.10 – Slim’s Last Chance – 5606 1st Avenue S, Seattle, WA 98108 – w/ Lost Dogma & Bullitt County
Setlist: The Pose / Blessed Are / Spanning Time / Apricot Moon / Showponies / So Long, Radiant Flower / Stay Golden / Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young)
Our first trip to Slim’s, and a fun show, if a bit cramped onstage. Our set-closing rave up on “Cinnamon Girl” brought down the house! Thanks to our biker friends for showing up and crowding the front row, and thanks to our buddy Toby and his band Lost Dogma for having us.
04.02.10 – A Terrible Beauty Irish Pub – 201 Williams Ave S, Renton, WA 98057 – w/ Nathan Wade & the Dark Pioneers
Setlist: Childish Things / Blessed Are / The Pose / Venus (Television) / So Long, Radiant Flower / Breathe (Pink Floyd) / Such an Easy Thing / Let’s Go (The Cars) / Early Followed You / set break / Stay Golden / Spanning Time / Hanging on the Telephone (Blondie/Nerves) / Something (Beatles) / Sarah (w/ Nathan Wade on baritone guitar) / Showponies (w/ Sam on electric piano) / Philistine (w/ Nathan & Sam from the Dark Pioneers) / Cinnamon Girl (w/ Nathan & Sam from the Dark Pioneers)
Despite Patrick’s illness and a cold, rainy night, our maiden voyage to Renton was a lot of fun! The folks at A Terrible Beauty really have a nice thing going, and we wish them continued success. Thanks to Jenna & co. for making us feel so welcome. It was great to swap spit with brothers-in-arms The Dark Pioneers on our respective sets, as always. Thanks to all of our Seattle friends who made the trek to Renton, and special thanks to the kind folks at the West Seattle Funblog for introducing themselves, and taking some great photos! See you all again real soon.
03.30.10 – Hard Rock Cafe – 116 Pike St., Seattle, WA 98101 – Tuesday-Night Residency w/ Jake London, Amateur Radio Operator, Ben London & Rob Dent (Sanford Arms), and the Roustabouts!
Setlist: So Long, Radiant Flower (w/ Ron from the Roustabouts on guitar) / Showponies / Sarah (w/ Nathan Wade on baritone guitar) / The Final Last Time (w/ Jake London) / Shoot Out the Lights (Richard Thompson cover w/ Jake London) / Wallpaper (Sanford Arms cover w/ Ben London & Rob Dent) / Track the Changes (Sanford Arms cover w/ Ben London & Rob Dent) / Stay Golden / Let’s Go (The Cars)
The final night of our Hard Rock residency wasn’t as well-attended as we might’ve hoped, but it was a blast nonetheless. We pulled out all the stops, guest-wise, and it was great to have our friends Jake London and Ben London come down and sing a couple of their tunes with us. The partial Sanford Arms reunion was a special treat, as Patrick and I bonded over their record The Twilight Era during RJM’s early days. Patrick and I also joined longtime pals Amateur Radio Operator for a blazing workout on their tune, “The Face.” Good times…thanks to all of our friends for joining us during this whirlwind month!
03.23.10 – Hard Rock Cafe – 116 Pike St., Seattle, WA 98101 – Tuesday-Night Residency w/ Brian Saunders & The Satellite 4
Setlist: Take Care (Big Star) / The Pose / Blessed Are / Something (Beatles) / Such an Easy Thing (w/ Jeff from the Satellite 4) / Stay Golden (w/ Jeff from the Satellite 4) / Spanning Time (w/ Brian Saunders on mandolin) / Early Followed You (w/ Brian Saunders on electric guitar)
The best Hard Rock show thus far! Great lineup, top to bottom, and lots of fun collaboration. Patrick and I sat in with Brian Saunders for a couple of tunes, and the Satellite 4 positively tore it up! Jeff from the Satellite 4 was kind enough to sit in with us on B3 for a couple of numbers, and he sounded incredible…like he’s been playing those songs for years. Hope it’s not the last time! Finally, our buddy Brian sat in for a couple of songs to close the set, including an expansive jam on “Early Followed You.” Thanks to all of our wonderful guests, and all the friends in attendance!
03.20.10 – Sunset Tavern – 5433 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, WA 98107 – EARLY SHOW (7pm) w/ Thomas Paul (Boise)
Setlist: Take Care (Big Star) / The Pose / Blessed Are / Such an Easy Thing / Stay Golden / Femme Fatale (VU) / Showponies / Early Followed You
A really fun show – too bad no one was there to see it! Our friends from Boise, the Thomas Paul Trio, played a fantastic set, and ours wasn’t too shabby, either. We opened the show with a cover of Big Star’s “Take Care” (one of my all-time favorite songs), in tribute to the recently-departed Alex Chilton, and played a Third-inspired version of “Femme Fatale” later in the set, too. “Early Followed You” made its first appearance in years, too, to rousing effect. Thanks to the faithful who were in attendance. Watch this show on SyncLive.
03.16.10 – Hard Rock Cafe – 116 Pike St., Seattle, WA 98101 – Tuesday-Night Residency w/ Phil O’Sullivan & Big Sur
Setlist: Bundle Up Your Bones / Childish Things / Nightcrawler / Venus (Television) / Apricot Moon (w/ Steve Norman on pedal steel) / So Long, Radiant Flower (w/ Steve Norman on pedal steel) / Showponies (w/ Steve Norman on pedal steel) / Spanning Time (w/ Phil O’Sullivan on guitar) / Always a Friend (Alejandro Escovedo cover, w/ Phil O’Sullivan on guitar and vocals)
Round 2 of our rock ‘n roll circus was a hoot! Big Sur was an incredibly pleasant surprise – beautiful, moody Americana. They opened their set with a cover of “Wave of Mutilation,” for chrissakes! Our buddy Steve Norman was kind enough to learn a few of our tunes and sit in on pedal steel, freeing up Patrick to play guitar. It was wonderful to rock the five-piece, and Pat’s Rickenbacker 12-string made a rare (first-time?) live appearance, to great effect. Later on, our buddy Phil took the stage with us to play guitar on “Spanning Time” and duet with me on Alejandro Escovedo/Chuck Prophet’s “Always a Friend.” A spirited performance of a great tune, and truly appropriate for this occasion. Can’t wait for next week!
03.12.10 – The New Frontier Lounge – 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, WA 98421 – w/ Sirens Sister & Me vs. Myself
Setlist: The Pose / Blessed Are / Stay Golden / So Long, Radiant Flower / Showponies / Philistine / Childish Things / Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young)
The New Frontier keeps getting better! It was a lot of fun to share a show with our longtime friend Frank’s band, Me vs. Myself. They opened the show with a terrific set, and then Sirens Sister set the place ON FIRE. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a louder band…but they truly kicked ass. Our set was great fun, and we met some really nice locals…can’t wait to get back!
03.09.10 – Hard Rock Cafe – 116 Pike St., Seattle, WA 98101 – Tuesday-Night Residency w/ Patrick Porter & Nathan Wade and the Dark Pioneers
Setlist: Cinnamon Girl (w/ the Dark Pioneers!) / The Pose / Blessed Are / Stay Golden / So Long, Radiant Flower / Apricot Moon / Showponies (w/ Sam from the Dark Pioneers) / Philistine (w/ the Dark Pioneers) / White Light/White Heat (w/ the Dark Pioneers)
The first show ever at Seattle’s Hard Rock Cafe was an unequivocal success! A full room of friendly folks, and lots of great music. Thanks to our very own Patrick Porter for opening with an acoustic set of Explone material, joined by his compadre Kyle Stevens. Nathan Wade & the Dark Pioneers kicked up dust in the way only they can, and Patrick and I joined in for a handful of gems from their forthcoming record. The RJM set was a sprawling, glorious mess, with guest Pioneers on several tunes. Thanks to everyone who attended and contributed…here’s to a great month! Facebook users can check out some beautiful photos by our pal Seth Wonner.
02.28.10 – Tractor Tavern – 5213 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, WA 98107 – Vic Chesnutt tribute w/ Ian Moore, Marc Olsen, David Bazan, many more!
Setlist: Where Were You / Stay Inside
It was an honor to pay tribute to the memory of Vic Chesnutt by playing a couple of his beautiful tunes alongside friends and Seattle luminaries like Ian Moore, David Bazan, Marc Olsen, and Damien Jurado. A beautiful evening, start to finish—and we raised $1000 for Vic’s family! Thanks to all who were there. Check out some videos on the Videos page!
02.03.10 – Softly Now at the Rendezvous – 2322 2nd Ave., Seattle, WA 98121 – Lincoln solo w/ J. Michael Jochum (Elder Mason) & Norman Baker
Setlist: Liar’s Dice / Get Along / Layin’ Claim to Home / Me Too / It’s Different for Girls (Joe Jackson) / Novelty’s Gone / Pharmacists / Town Cryer (Elvis Costello) / Hang On to Your Purse
A very intimate performance, shall we say. Maybe it was the in-between set time (not exactly happy hour, not late), or the big Elton John/Billy Joel show down the street at Key Arena, but attendance was sparse for this one. I didn’t let that deter me from giving it my all, though, and had a blast playing a handful of brand-new tunes, plus a couple of choice covers. Mike and Norman both turned in excellent sets as well. Thanks to Levi for setting up the show, and thanks to the folks who came (and stayed to the very end)! Also – special thanks to Paul Constant at the Stranger for his very kind Up & Coming piece!
01.19.10 – The Lone Microphone at Marcus’ Martini Heaven – 88 Yesler Way, Seattle, WA 98104 – Lincoln solo w/ Ben Bruce & Todd Shaw
Setlist: Starboard Meets the Sound / Liar’s Dice / Hang On to Your Purse / Don’t (Settle Your Debts on the Phone) / Town Cryer (Elvis Costello) / So Long, Radiant Flower / Novelty’s Gone
Last-minute solo show, at the behest of my buddy Ben Bruce, and a lot of fun. I tried out three brand-new tunes, dusted off a couple of oldies (I probably hadn’t played “Starboard” once in three years!), and threw in a cover of Elvis Costello’s “Town Cryer” for good measure. This show was particularly special because I was able to get my good friend Todd Shaw on the bill; he hadn’t played out in over two years! Everyone sounded great, and the audience was full of friends and kind strangers. Thanks to Ben for having me, and thanks to the audience for voting me the winner! I’ll put the money to good use, I promise.
01.08.10 – High Dive – 513 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA 98103 – w/ Richmond Fontaine & Norman Baker
Setlist: Spanning Time / The Pose / Nightcrawler / So Long, Radiant Flower / Apricot Moon / Showponies / Bundle Up Your Bones / Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young) / Stay Golden
What an honor to share the stage with one of our favorite bands, Richmond Fontaine. Those guys didn’t disappoint, either – in addition to turning in an absolutely lovely set to close the evening, every last one of them seemed to be a genuinely great guy. As Patrick pointed out, though, how could they have maintained the same lineup for over ten years if that wasn’t the case?
For our part, it felt really, really good to get back on stage, and I think we turned in our best performance in a good while to an absolutely packed house. It was a blast to play “Cinnamon Girl” and try out a new tune (”Bundle Up Your Bones”) for the first time in nearly a year. Expect a lot more of that in 2010! Thanks to everyone for being there!
2009
11.20.09 – Canoe Social Club (at Theatre Off Jackson) - 409 7th Ave. S, Seattle, WA 98104 – Lincoln solo w/ Downpilot, Flatpack, Jake London
Setlist: Let That Show (Pernice Brothers) / Bundle Up Your Bones / Quiet Darling / Skip James / It’s Different for Girls (Joe Jackson)
A couple of choice covers, a couple of new tunes, and a damn fun night at the Canoe. Much better than September’s set, when I had a raging ear infection, I was thankful for the opportunity to redeem myself and give “It’s Different for Girls” another go. It went off without a hitch…thanks to Jake for having me back, and thanks to all of the other performers, including my good buddy Paul Hiraga, who played a lovely set. Can’t wait for the next Scratch ‘n Sniff Performance Buffet!
10.17.09 – Velour Live Music Gallery – 135 North University Ave., Provo, UT 84601 – w/ The Devil Whale, The Archer’s Apple, & Moses
Setlist: Blessed Are / The Pose / Venus (Television) / Showponies / So Long, Radiant Flower / Stay Golden
A study in contrast with the Boise show, our debut performance at Velour was a rapturous good time. Corey Fox (Velour’s owner) is doing a wonderful thing down there in Provo, and we feel very lucky to have taken part in such a wonderful night of music. Our longtime friends The Devil Whale put on an absolutely fantastic show, filled with terrific new songs they’re preparing to record for their second album. Two very promising younger bands, The Archer’s Apple and Moses, rounded out the bill — ones to watch for sure. The crowd (mostly 19- and 20-year old college kids, it seemed) were incredibly attentive and kind, and we sold a boatload of merch. Pretty much as good as it gets…thanks to our friends old and new for making it happen!
10.15.09 – The Bouquet – 1010 W. Main St., Boise, ID 83702 – w/ Thomas Paul & Matt Hopper & the Roman Candles
Setlist: Sarah / Blessed Are / The Pose / Hangin’ on the Telephone (Blondie/Nerves) / Apricot Moon / Showponies / So Long, Radiant Flower / Stay Golden
Quite possibly the worst show in RJM history, but I refuse to take the fall for this one. (Read all about it on Patrick’s blog.) Still, thanks to our buddies Thomas Paul & Matt Hopper (and the staff–not the ownership–of the Bouquet) for doing their best to make us feel welcome. Suffice to say we will not be playing the Bouquet again. Onward!
10.08.09 – Tractor Tavern – 5213 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, WA 98107 – CD RELEASE w/ Downpilot & Sweet Secrets
Setlist: Stay Golden / So Long, Radiant Flower / Such an Easy Thing / Blessed Are / The Pose / Deseret News / Venus (Television) / Apricot Moon / Showponies / Hangin’ on the Telephone (Blondie/Nerves)
Unlike our last CD release show (which was blighted by techincal snafus and the resultant jitters), this show was just about all we hoped it would be—stellar attendance, good friends (onstage and in the crowd), and positive vibrations all around. Sweet Secrets were a wonderful surprise, and I hope we can share another show with them sometime. Very professional, nice folks. Downpilot played a fantastic set of numbers new and old; the vocal harmonies of Paul Hiraga and Jeff Brown were as great as they’ve always been. And RJM’s set was loose and fun, highlighted by an impomptu take on Television’s “Venus” (which we hadn’t played in months, but threw together at soundcheck). Thanks to all of our friends for staying late and making us feel so good, and thanks to the Tractor, as always, for having us.
09.19.09 – The Brown Lantern – 412 Commercial Ave., Anacortes, WA 98221
Setlist: Stay Golden / Childish Things / So Long, Radiant Flower / Apricot Moon / Showponies / Blessed Are / Deseret News / Hangin’ On the Telephone (Blondie/Nerves) / The Pose / BREAK / Spanning Time / Something (Beatles) / Such an Easy Thing / Philistine / Sarah / Let’s Go (The Cars) / Godzilla (Blue Öyster Cult) / Blessed Are (reprise)
It would’ve been another fun, whiskey-soaked night at the Brown Lantern if it hadn’t been for my wicked ear infection…actually, it was still fun and whiskey-sooaked, just a bit different than usual. My severe vocal limitations forced me to get a little creative in my delivery, and depend on the other guys for a little more support than usual. But we made it through, and had a hell of a time, with a few Neil Diamond/Tom Waits interpretations thrown in (that night’s octave-down version of ”Sarah,” in particular). And as usual, a small-but-ebullient group of locals were digging it! Again, I’ve gotta chalk this one up as a character-builder…sometimes you’re not at your best, and you’ve gotta improvise. Of course, I’m glad it was the Brown Lantern and not Madison Square Garden…but the lesson remains.
09.18.09 – Canoe Social Club – 409 7th Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 – solo show w/ Patrick Porter, Nathan Wade, Jacob London, more!
Setlist: So Long, Radiant Flower / Blessed Are
An experience I’d never had before…having to sing when your voice is just GONE. I’d practiced at home, of course, and I knew it was going to be rough. But sucking at home is different than sucking in front of a mic! It shook me up, to be sure, but I’ve gotta thank my buddies Patrick Porter and Jake London for encouraging me to solider on, after botching my version of Joe Jackson’s “It’s Different for Girls.” So, I opted for a couple of tunes I knew better, and did the best I could. The Canoe is a great little room, and I’d like to come back and play when I’m feeling 100%. I hadn’t done a solo show in a very long time, and it scared me…in a good way, I think.
08.30.09 – Doug Fir Lounge – 830 E. Burnside, Portland, OR 97214 – w/ Cabinessence & Norman
Setlist: Stay Golden / Spanning Time / So Long, Radiant Flower / Apricot Moon / Showponies / Sarah / The Pose / Hangin’ on the Telephone (Blondie/Nerves)
This was a weird one. It’s real hard to have a bad show at a venue as great as Doug Fir, and we played just fine. But the locals who bothered to show up were…odd. We seemed to be playing with some fairly-popular local bands, but I guess Sundays are tough for everyone. You could hear a pin drop during our set, which was unnerving…but we did the best we could, and after 1500 miles in the Holy Van that weekend, it’s fair to say that everyone’s mind was pointed homeward when our set was over. Imagine my surprise, then, when we sold a handful of merch after the show! Shocking, but great. Thanks to Eric from Norman for kindly selling our stuff while we were busy sulking. All things considered, not a bad night at all. Sure was nice to sleep in my own bed that night, though.
08.29.09 – Visual Arts Collective – 3638 Osage St., Garden City, ID 83714 – w/ Shark Speed & Matt Hopper & the Roman Candles
Setlist: Stay Golden / Spanning Time / So Long, Radiant Flower / Apricot Moon / Showponies / Sarah / The Pose
Wow! What an incredible room, and what a huge contribution to the Boise music/arts community. Sam and all at the VAC are doing a wonderful thing, and it was an honor to play their venue. Unfortunately, attendance was pretty darn sparse…apparently, there was a big show at Neurolux that took a lot of our crowd. Still, we had a great time, and played a fine set for the folks who hung out til the bitter end. Righteous burritos and tacos at Los Betos after the show (jesus, I wish they’d open one of those in Ballard) made it all better. Thanks to Sam, Thomas, and all our other Boise pals for their unfailing hospitality! Can’t wait to come back.
08.28.09 – Sam Bond’s Garage – 407 Blair Blvd., Eugene, OR 97402 – w/ Drew Grow & the Pastors’ Wives & Dan Jones and the Squids
Setlist: Stay Golden / Spanning Time / So Long, Radiant Flower / Apricot Moon / Showponies / Sarah / The Pose / Hangin’ on the Telephone (Blondie/Nerves)
Strange town. RJM had never played Eugene before, and it might be a while before we make it back. Don’t get me wrong – Sam Bond’s is a cool venue, and I think that one could have a great show there on the right night. But this wasn’t it…strange vibes were afoot. Both Drew Grow and Dan Jones (with their respective troupes) turned in great sets, but the mojo wasn’t really working for RJM. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. And you draw a lot more than either one…this show was one of those.
07.31.09 – The Crocodile – 2200 2nd Ave., Seattle, WA 98121 – w/ Alejandro Escovedo
Setlist: Stay Golden / Spanning Time / So Long, Radiant Flower / Apricot Moon / Showponies / Sarah / Nightcrawler / Hangin’ on the Telephone (Blondie/Nerves) / The Pose
What an incredible night! When you get a last-minute, totally unexpected call to open for the legendary Alejandro Escovedo, there’s no way you can say no. It was great to be back in the deluxe environs of the new Crocodile for sweaty night of rock ‘n roll. RJM didn’t fare to shabbily, if I do say so myself! It was great to play “Nightcrawler” again, after a couple of months away from it, and the Blondie cover went over even better than at the Tractor show. The crowd was extremely warm and appreciative. We sold a ton of merch, and gave away even more singles. And we finally got to meet KEXP DJ Stevie Zoom face-to-face! He’s been incredibly supportive of RJM, and is just as cool in-person as you’d imagine.
Colin Gilmore (son of Mr. Jimmie Dale) took the stage after us, playing a set of beautiful, infectious tunes (with, to these ears, a strong Buddy Holly influence – never a bad thing). For their part, Alejandro’s band was absolutely savage…consummate rockers. They pulled out some awesome covers, too – “All the Young Dudes,” “Beast of Burden,” and the Gun Club’s “Sex Beat” (!) among them. A really unforgettable night…hope we have occasion to share a stage with Mr. Escovedo (and Mr. Gilmore) again, soon!
07.18.09 – Tractor Tavern – 5213 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, WA 98107 – w/ The Minus 5 (CD release!)
Setlist: Sarah / Spanning Time / Childish Things / Such an Easy Thing / Apricot Moon / Hangin’ on the Telephone (Blondie/Nerves) / Stay Golden / So Long, Radiant Flower / Showponies / The Pose
This show was every bit as good as I’d hoped it would be…a real dream come true. Scott, Peter, and company are every bit as kind as you’ve heard, and they put on an absolutely fantastic show. Probably the best I’ve seen ‘em, honestly, with a sprawling six-piece PDX/Seattle lineup that breathed new life into a career-spanning selection of songs (and a few Nuggets gems, namely “Little Black Egg” and “Strychnine”). The crowd for our set (led by Mr. McCaughey himself, up front and stage left) was attentive and very appreciative…almost unnervingly so, with applause followed by near-silence between songs. The Blondie/Nerves cover went over really well, we sold a boatload of merch (thanks to the expert assistance of Deby!), and gave away a bunch of the free album-preview singles we’d brought. Altogether, one of the best shows we’ve ever played, and a real highlight of my musical life thus far. Hope we can share another show with those guys soon!
06.20.09 – Sunset Tavern – 5433 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, WA 98107 – w/ Radio Nationals & Michael Dean Damron
Setlist: Stay Golden / Childish Things / Spanning Time / So Long, Radiant Flower / Philistine / Showponies / Sarah / The Pose
Watch this show, archived on SyncLive.com!
Another great night at the Sunset. Our new friend Michael Dean Damron started the night with a beautiful set, comprised largely of songs from his new record, Father’s Day (buy it!), plus a wicked Thin Lizzy cover. (Was he challenging us to a Lizz-off?) Mike is one of the nicest guys we’ve ever encountered, and we can’t wait to play with him again.
This set was broadcast live on the internet, thanks to the folks at SyncLive…so if you don’t believe it was great, see for yourself! Maybe not our tightest set ever, but a rip-roarin’ good time nonetheless…tons of fun.
Lots of great friends showed up, and it was a delight to see our friends in the newly-reformed Radio Nationals take it home in style. Thanks to all who came to the show, or tuned in online!
06.13.09 – New Frontier Lounge – 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, WA 98421 – w/ Burning Rivers & Gavin Guss
Setlist: Childish Things / Spanning Time / Something (The Beatles) / Showponies / Philistine / So Long, Radiant Flower / The More You Ignore Me (Morrissey) / Stay Golden / Sarah / The Pose
After some truly bizarre local press (Counting Crows? Are you kidding?) and some general weirdness from the club immediately prior to the show, we weren’t sure what to expect from the New Frontier this time around (see our last show, in March, for an example of a REALLY GOOD Tacoma show). Turns out, we played a really great set for approximately eight patrons! Ah, well…such is life. It’s always a blast to play with our brothers in Burning Rivers, and the New Frontier is still a gem. We hope to be back soon! Thanks to Steve Dunkelberger for taking some photos and giving the locals a glimpse of what they missed.
05.07.09 – The Crocodile – 2200 2nd Ave., Seattle, WA 98121 – w/ The Banyans, Amateur Radio Operator, & Mostly Dimes
Setlist: Stay Golden / Spanning Time / So Long, Radiant Flower / Showponies / Apricot Moon* / The More You Ignore Me* (Morrissey) / Sarah / The Pose / Fascinated / Jailbreak (Thin Lizzy)
* – with special guest Ian Moore on electric guitar
Wow! I must say, they did an incredible job remodeling the Crocodile. Red Jacket Mine LOVED that old place, dearly, but the new venue is really something to behold, particularly for those on the performing end. This was an incredible night…great crowd for a weekday local show, stellar sound, and good vibes all around. Thanks to all of our friends for showing up and staying until the glorious conclusion! Special thanks to our buddy Ian Moore for making the trek from Vashon Island and showering our tunes in his six-string prowess. There’s so much more I could say, but really, this show’s gotta live on in the memories of the band and those that were kind enough to share it with us. Here’s to many more great nights at the resurrected Croc!
05.02.09 – Yakima Sports Center – 214 E. Yakima Ave., Yakima, WA 98901 – w/ Elder Mason
Setlist: Stay Golden / Spanning Time / Childish Things / Jailbreak (Thin Lizzy) / So Long, Radiant Flower / Apricot Moon / Showponies / The More You Ignore Me (Morrissey) / Sarah / The Pose
Dan Craig & company really have a cool thing going out in Yakima, and we can’t wait to get back. We’ve wanted to play the Sports Center for several years, and we were super-bummed when we had to cancel an appearance in early 2008 due to inclement weather (and subsequent mountain pass closure). So needless to say, we were stoked to finally make it over there. We rolled into town early (the drive from Roslyn to Yakima only takes an hour or so), checked into our hotel after being thoroughly cross-examined, and headed to the venue so Patrick could watch Game 7 of the Celtics/Bulls playoff series.
The show itself wasn’t quite as exultant as we might’ve hoped, due to an inexplicably light crowd (even with an enormous Cinco de Mayo festival going on literally right outside the club doors). Still, we had fun, and the sound was great. Unfortunately, the place cleared out even more by the time our new friends Elder Mason took the stage, which is a damn shame, as they were incredible! Without a doubt our new favorite local band, and probably the best fit with RJM that can be found in Seattle. They laid down a masterful original set (accompanied by a slightly inappropriate smoke machine), took a short break, then returned to the stage a laid down a song-for-song rendition of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon! No kidding! We were all going nuts, with the dozen-or-so lucky locals who had the foresight to stick around. The only thing that would’ve made this night better is about 100 more folks in the crowd…but we had a blast, and made some new friends in the process, so we can’t complain. Thanks to Dan, Cary, and all at the Sports Center for making us feel so welcome. We’ll see you again, soon!
05.01.09 – The Brick – 100 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Roslyn, WA 98941 – w/ Nathan Wade & the Dark Pioneers
Setlist: Jailbreak (Thin Lizzy) / Stay Golden / Spanning Time / So Long, Radiant Flower / Such an Easy Thing / Showponies / The More You Ignore Me (Morrissey) / Fascinated / Sarah / Childish Things / The Pose
Playing the Brick is always a bit of a surreal experience, and this show was no exception. The venue itself is quite a change of pace from your typical urban rock club…the structure itself dates back to the 19th century, the Brick proudly proclaims itself the oldest operating bar in Washington state. Then there’s the crowd, or the lack thereof. It sometimes seems impossible to get the locals occupying the ‘bar’ side of the building to migrate to the ’stage’ side, no matter how loud/quiet/confrontational/accessible the music. When you do get someone’s attention, hilarity almost always ensues. If you’re still curious, you’ll just have to make the trip out there with us next time! Our set was fun, loud, and rocking, and it was great to dust off a few tunes that we hadn’t played in a while. Patrick and I sat in with Nathan Wade & the Dark Pioneers for a few tunes as well. Thanks, all, for the good times!
04.18.09 – High Dive – 513 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA 98103 – w/ Mark Colety’s Gypsies Americain, New York Rifles, Will Wakefield & the Congress Hotel
Setlist: Stay Golden / Spanning Time / So Long, Radiant Flower / Apricot Moon / Showponies / Nightcrawler / The Pose
Kind of a weird night, but our set was fun, and it was great to share the stage with Mark Colety & Co., celebrating the release of their new album. Four-band nights that start late are inevitably rough on the headliner, so we cut our set short by a few songs so the Gypsies Americain could take the stage as early as possible (12:30!). Thanks to all the folks who came out to this one!
03.07.09 – New Frontier Lounge – 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, WA 98421 – w/ Friday Mile & Luke Stevens
Setlist: Sarah / Spanning Time / The Pose / Showponies / Apricot Moon / So Long, Radiant Flower / Kissing Cousin / Stay Golden / Godzilla (Blue ?yster Cult) / Breathe (Pink Floyd) / Let’s Go (The Cars)
It’s incredible that this was our very first time playing in Tacoma, a mere thirty miles south of Seattle on Interstate 5. Aside from a good general vibe via email, we really had no idea what to expect from the New Frontier, Tacoma’s newest music venue, but it’s safe to say that our expectations were met and thoroughly exceeded! Neil and Lesley have an absolutely wonderful thing going down there…in fact, at several points during the night (before our set, which was fantastic), we all stated that if this bar were in our neighborhood, we’d hang out there all the time! Great jukebox (a sampling from my playlist: Television’s “Marquee Moon,” Thin Lizzy’s “Cowboy Song,” BOC’s “Burning for You,” and more that I can’t remember), pool tables, friendly staff, great decor (not too fancy, but not too divey, either…classic neighborhood bar with some hip touches)…oh, and killer live music! What more could you want?
We were overjoyed to discover that Chuck Dula from the Weekly Volcano had given us an extremely kind write-up for the show (read it on the Press page, or on the Volcano’s blog, Spew). Despite the last-minute cancellation of our local openers, Friskey, there was a great crowd all night, thanks in large part to our Seattle pals Friday Mile, who have Tacoma roots that go way back. Big thanks to Luke Stevens, who stepped up at short notice to open the show with a lovely acoustic set. Friday Mile kicked out some serious jams from their forthcoming album, and it was really great to share a show with them again (the last one being almost three years to the day ago, at Seattle’s spacious Showbox).
RJM’s set was very much in keeping with the Tractor show two nights prior…loud, rambunctious, and confident, but never sloppy, with plenty of good-natured audience-baiting throughout. In fact, when we finished our set (with our impossible-to-follow reading of BOC’s “Godzilla”), they simply wouldn’t let us go away, so we decided to lull them to sleep with our version of Pink Floyd’s “Breathe,” but they still weren’t satisfied! This audience was hungry for more rock. We finally closed the night with a raucous version of The Cars’ “Let’s Go” and proceeded to toast a wonderful evening with the locals until closing time. Sincerest thanks, Tacoma! We hope to be back very, very soon!
03.05.09 – Tractor Tavern – 5213 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, WA 98107 – w/ Everest (LA) & Burning Rivers
Setlist: Sarah / Spanning Time / The Pose / Showponies / Apricot Moon / So Long, Radiant Flower / Stay Golden / Godzilla (Blue Öyster Cult)
Wow…we really needed this! Perhaps our best show yet, this blustery Thursday night at the Tractor was magical top-to-bottom, with the good vibes (and whiskey) flowing freely and lovely music from open to close. As an actively-gigging band, it’s not often that you experience absolutely NOTHING negative. Usually there’s something—sound issues, the classic staredown between bands, money drama, etc. But not tonight. I had a blast playing my official live debut with pals Burning Rivers…perhaps a little tentative at times, but I have no doubt that great things are ahead. RJM’s set was an absolute killer, if you ask me (and if you can’t take my word for it, check out the trio of YouTube videos by clicking the links above, or heading over to the Web Exclusives page). Loose, confident, and joyful. As for the Everest guys…well, if you didn’t make it to this show, you really missed out. These guys are stellar musicians and incredibly kind souls, deserving of every bit of success they’ve seen (and much more to come, I’m sure!). Thanks to EVERYONE (so many of you!) that caught this incredible show!
02.13.09 – Comet Tavern – 922 E. Pike St., Seattle, WA 98122 – w/ Massy Ferguson, Power of County, & The Banyans
Setlist: Childish Things / Kissing Cousin / Spanning Time / So Long, Radiant Flower / Showponies / The Pose / Stay Golden
Our first Comet experience certainly bore the divey hallmarks that had kept us away for so long (less-than-ideal stage conditions, etc.), but it wasn’t entirely bad, either. It seemed like a bit of a slow night, which was a bit of surprise considering that the last Comet show I’d caught (also featuring Massy Ferguson in the headlining slot) had been packed to the gills, but the folks who did attend were very kind indeed. By the time we took the stage at 11:45 or so, things were running very late, so we cut our set short by a few tunes, but that was probably for the best, as I’m not sure the Comet’s clientele were ready for space jams like “Apricot Moon” or “Breathe,” anyway! Big thanks for Michelle for asking us to be a part of this show.
02.07.09 – Holocene – 1001 SE Morrison St., Portland, OR 97214 – w/ The Dimes, Casey Neill & the Norway Rats, & Giantess
Setlist: Childish Things / Kissing Cousin / Spanning Time / So Long, Radiant Flower / Apricot Moon / Showponies / Nightcrawler / The Pose / Stay Golden
Our return to Portland was a long time coming (our last PDX trip was in March 2008, for a great show at Doug Fir), but incredible nonetheless! Holocene is an excellent venue—visually stunning, full of modern design touches, with a cool stage and surprisingly great sound, despite a very live (and rather shallow) showroom. After a beautiful, delicate warm-up set from Giantess (including a very cool version of “Tonight You Belong to Me,” which most of you will know from Steve Martin & Bernadette Peters’ duet in The Jerk!), we took the stage to a filling house and proceeded to kick out the jams.
We had a fabulous time, and it was great to see some familiar faces (even some from Seattle!) in the audience. After the set, Andy & I had the good fortune of feasting on some prime taco wagon fare, and we made it back in time to catch our pals The Dimes playing to a packed house. Thanks to them (and their managers, Ryan and Joe) for having us down! Looking forward to returning the favor, and making it back to the Rose City sooner than later!
01.24.09 – The Rogue Hero – 1313 N. State St., Bellingham, WA 98225 – w/ Lost Dogma & Echo India
Setlist: Childish Things / Kissing Cousin / Spanning Time / So Long, Radiant Flower / Showponies / Breathe (Pink Floyd) / The Pose / Let’s Go (The Cars) / Stay Golden
It’d been almost a year to the day since we’d last played in Bellingham…far too long, in my estimation, as we always have a great time there. After a short drive from Anacortes (and a brief detour to take in the majesty of Deception Pass), we arrived in town early and spent the afternoon kicking around this cool little college town. I scored an amazing shirt that is sure to be seen at an upcoming show…you’ll know it when you see it. We had a great dinner at Boundary Bay Brewery (where we played last time) and then hit the Rogue Hero, meeting up with our Seattle pals Lost Dogma in the parking lot.
The Rogue is clearly a local favorite, and we had a great time. It’s a shame there aren’t any stage lights, though! We’ll definitely have to find some of our own for the next show…oh well. Our set was pretty much the same as the last two shows; I only chose to switch out the dreamy “Apricot Moon” for our raucous cover of the Cars’ “Let’s Go”…a very wise decision, as this crowd wanted to dance! Lost Dogma put on a great show, followed by locals Echo India…great guys with killer tunes. Looking forward to making it back to the Rogue! Thanks to Bucketz for setting up the show.
01.23.09 – The Brown Lantern Alehouse – 412 Commercial Ave., Anacortes, WA 98221 – w/ Paramount Styles
Setlist: Childish Things / Kissing Cousin / Spanning Time / So Long, Radiant Flower / Apricot Moon / Showponies / Breathe (Pink Floyd) / The Pose / Stay Golden
The last time we visited the Brown Lantern, over two years ago, my beloved Alamo amplifier caught on fire mid-set. This trip wasn’t quite so eventful, but all the better for it! The Brown (as the locals call it) is a great little joint, full of hospitable folks, stiff drinks, and killer food. After a monstrous dinner, we set up in a little corner of the bar and kicked out another incredible set, in my estimation. Wednesday’s set had worked out so well that I decided not to make any changes…I’d intended to throw in a few extra covers, but we were already running late. Paramount Styles ended up rocking until we were finally shut down at after 1am, even reprising a few tunes…but the patrons didn’t care! Thanks to the generous, helpful Mike Rothmeyer for making this show happen. We hope to be back in Anacortes very soon!
01.21.09 – Sunset Tavern – 5433 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, WA 98107 – w/ Paramount Styles & Robert Roth
Setlist: Childish Things / Kissing Cousin / Spanning Time / So Long, Radiant Flower / Apricot Moon / Showponies / Breathe (Pink Floyd) / The Pose / Stay Golden
Alas, attendance was a little sparse for this one…and it’s a real shame, as it was a great show for us! After a restul month-long break, we were glad to be back and firing on all cylinders. The first new tune since the last album batch, “Spanning Time,” made its debut, and we also busted out a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Breathe” to a stunned audience. In a good way! We had a great time, and it sure was nice to meet the kind New Yorkers that comprise Paramount Styles. After hanging out a bit and taking in their moody, beautiful set, we were really looking forward to Friday’s show at the Brown Lantern in Anacortes. Thanks to Barbara Mitchell for setting this one up!
2008
12.06.08 – Red Bicycle Bistro – 17618 Vashon Hwy SW, Vashon, WA 98070 – w/ Nathan Wade & the Dark Pioneers
Setlist: Stay Golden / Kissing Cousin / So Long, Radiant Flower / Apricot Moon / Showponies / Finest Worksong (R.E.M.) / The Pose / Nightcrawler / Childish Things / Something (The Beatles) / Let’s Go (The Cars)
Despite another night of sparse attendance, we had a great time at the Red Bike, and can’t wait to get back. The stage sound (provided by one of two Petes) was frighteningly good, so much so that I had trouble acclimating at first! But once we’d gotten comfortable with the…shall we say, intimate…audience, we played a great set, I think, and met quite a few very kind islanders. We’re incredibly grateful to Pete Welch for all of his hard work promoting the show. Thanks to Nathan & the Dark Pioneers for sharing a fantastic weekend!
12.05.08 – The Brick Tavern – 100 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Roslyn, WA 98941 – w/ Nathan Wade & the Dark Pioneers
Setlist: Childish Things / The Pose / Venus (Television) / Listen to Her Heart (Tom Petty) / Deseret News / Showponies / So Long, Radiant Flower / Kissing Cousin / Stay Golden / Something (The Beatles) / Let’s Go (The Cars)
Our first trip to the legendary Brick was a rocking good time, if a bit sparsely attended. Still, we met some very kind folks and made the most of it. I could tell right away that this wasn’t going to be one of those ‘masterfully subtle’ shows (not that we’ve ever had one of those…ha), so we went nuts, baiting the audience, rocking out cover tunes, and doing anything we could to engage the few patrons who had showed up. It worked! Thanks are due to Barbara Mitchell for setting up the show. Special thanks to Lucky and all at the Brick for being so wonderfully hospitable…it sure was nice to wake up in Roslyn after a late night of whiskey drinkin’ and guitar pickin’ and get some breakfast at the Pastime before a gorgeously-sunny drive back to the city (soundtracked by a selection of Heart’s greatest hits). We’re looking forward to our next trip to your beautiful mountain town!
11.22.08 – Sunset Tavern – 5433 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, WA – w/ Kate Tucker & the Sons of Sweden, Caught in Motion, By Sunlight
Setlist: Childish Things / The Pose / Showponies / Apricot Moon / So Long, Radiant Flower / Stay Golden / Nightcrawler / Let’s Go (The Cars) / Deseret News
Always nice to be back at the Sunset, and on a packed Saturday night, it’s hard to find anything to complain about! We might not have been at our very best (see our High Dive show in October), but our set was sweaty and fun, particularly in its rockin’ first half. I’m afraid we started to run out of steam around the mid-point, but it was 12:30! It occured to me, upon reflection, that folks that routinely play midnight sets might lead a somewhat-different lifestyle than yours truly. But no matter…we had fun, and it seemed like the ample audience did, too. Thanks to all of our friends and fans for an incredible 2008…here’s to an even greater 2009!
10.23.08 – High Dive – 513 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA 98103 – w/ The Devil Whale (SLC) & Grand Hallway
Setlist: The Pose / Childish Things / Nightcrawler / Showponies / So Long, Radiant Flower / Stay Golden / Deseret News / Finest Worksong (R.E.M.)
In a year of incredible shows for RJM, this one is going to be tough to top. We’ve been friends with The Devil Whale for years, but haven’t been able to share a show until now…I must say it was worth the wait, though! It had all the makings of a truly memorable night–a full house, packed with friends; a top-to-bottom great bill of kind and generous folks; killer sound onstage and off (sincere thanks to Toby!). After the somewhat-crippling technical limitations we faced at our REVERBfest show, this show was positively euphoric. And we even got tacos from the brand-new wagon down the street afterward! Special thanks to The Devil Whale for making the trek, and to Grand Hallway for capping the evening with a lovely performance. Thanks to all of our friends for being there to witness it!
10.04.08 – Seattle Weekly REVERBfest – Lock & Keel stage – 5144 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107
Setlist: Apricot Moon / Showponies / Stay Golden / So Long, Radiant Flower / Childish Things / Nightcrawler / Finest Worksong (R.E.M.) / The Pose
Well, we’ve had better shows. A way-too-tiny stage (even without Porter’s pedal steel rig, which he wisely chose to leave at the practice space, adapting his typical steel parts to guitar) and abysmal stage monitoring (not the soundman’s fault…he didn’t have much to work with) conspired against us here. Still, we did our best to rise above, and by all accounts turned in a solid performance…apparently, the sound in the venue was much better than the stage sound suggested. We met a lot of great folks, though, and even sold some CDs, so I still count this one as a success. It was an honor just to be a part of such a great event…thanks to the Weekly and all who saw the show!
09.25.08 – Sunset Tavern – 5433 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, WA 98107 – Barbara Mitchell’s Birthday Bash w/ many bands!
Setlist: Policy of Truth (Depeche Mode) / Finest Worksong (R.E.M.) / Let’s Go (The Cars)
It was an honor to be invited to play this birthday bash for our pal Barbara Mitchell…and it was an absolute blast to rock some of our favorite ’80s gems (though I’m afraid we didn’t really fit the ‘mopey’ bill, with the possible exception of our Stonesy version of “Policy of Truth”). We had a riotous good time, though, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see these tunes pop up in our regular set! Thanks, Barbara…hope you had a great one!
09.20.08 – Sunset Tavern – 5433 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, WA 98107 – w/ The Dimes & Nathan Wade & the Dark Pioneers
Setlist: Apricot Moon / Showponies / The Pose / Nightcrawler / So Long, Radiant Flower / Stay Golden / Childish Things / Sarah / Fascinated
Our first headlining show in many months was a great success! Despite a creeping illness on Andy’s part, and some questionable wonton soup on mine, we turned in a strong set, and it’s rare to play on such a top-to-bottom great bill. Our friends The Dimes represented the Rose City in style, and Nathan Wade & the Dark Pioneers set the place on fire in celebration of the release of their Chroma Session EP. Big thanks to all involved, and thanks to YOU for being there!
08.29.08 – High Dive – 513 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA 98103 – w/ Pickwick & Steve Carson Band
Setlist: So Long, Radiant Flower / Showponies / The Pose / Nightcrawler / Apricot Moon / Stay Golden / Fascinated / Sarah
View photos from this show, taken by the fabulous Seth Wonner!
A really great night, and our first show with longtime pals Pickwick (you may remember our thwarted attempt to play the dearly departed Crocodile back in January) and their LA friends Steve Carson Band. Andy’s favorite RJM show thus far…the shows just keep getting better and better. New faces in the audience, which is always nice, and we even had time to bust out a couple of slow-jams from the forthcoming album. Thanks to everyone who made it out!
08.02.08 – Sunset Tavern – 5433 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, WA 98107 – CHOPPERFEST benefit w/ Duff McKagan’s Loaded, Guns & Rosetti, Girl Trouble, The I Love Myselfs
Setlist: So Long, Radiant Flower / Showponies / The Pose / Childish Things / Jailbreak (Thin Lizzy!) / Stay Golden
Chopperfest was a gas! So many kind folks came out to support our good friends John & Donna Fisher in their time of need, and we couldn’t have been happier to be a part of it. Our set was a rip-roarin’ good time, kicking off with a swaggering version of “So Long, Radiant Flower” and never letting up. I had a blast channeling Phil Lynott on our cover of Thin Lizzy’s “Jailbreak,” too. I don’t think such loud, brash, hectoring good times haven’t been had since the Pistols played Winterland! Or at least since our last show…
07.11.08 – High Dive – 513 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA 98103 – w/ Retribution Gospel Choir & David Karsten Daniels
Setlist: Apricot Moon / Showponies / So Long, Radiant Flower / Childish Things / Stay Golden / Venus (Television) / The Pose
In my opinion, this was an absolutely masterful performance, one that ranks with (and quite possibly surpasses) our very best. From the stage, it really felt like we were firing on all cylinders: my voice felt great, the guitars sounded marvelous, the rhythm section was tight, and the crowd was very receptive. It didn’t hurt to have Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker (from Low) watching in the wings, either!
Retribution Gospel Choir were a thunderous beast of a rock and roll band, as loud as I can imagine a three-piece ever being, loose-limbed and spitting fire. Alan even took a tumble (while screaming into the pickups of his Les Paul) and knocked over his Traynor head & speaker cabinet, but he took it like a pro! A deafening, cathartic experience, and it was an honor to play with such kind, talented folks. Hope we can do it again really soon…thanks to all of the new friends we met that night!
06.26.08 – Tractor Tavern – 5213 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, WA 98107 – w/ Ian Moore & Kristen Ward
Setlist: Stay Golden / So Long, Radiant Flower / Showponies / Apricot Moon (w/ Ian Moore) / Venus (Television cover) / The Pose
We’ve been buds with Ian for quite a while now, so it was high time we finally shared a show. And what better time than the present? We even manged to coax him onstage, sans-rehearsal, for “Apricot Moon” (the song he played guitar & sang on during our recent recording sessions). We also debuted a new cover, which at least 75% of the band is totally stoked on…Television’s “Venus” (watch the video on YouTube).
After May’s boot camp experience, I feel we’re sounding better than ever, and we’re certainly having more fun. Ian and his band were devastating as well. Pretty humbling! Thanks to them, and to everyone who came out for this great night of music.
05.31.08 – El Corazón – 109 Eastlake Ave. E, Seattle, WA 98109 – w/ Teitur (Sweden) & Jessie Baylin
Setlist: Stay Golden / So Long, Radiant Flower / Showponies / The Pose / Nightcrawler / Apricot Moon
Fresh out of the studio, with no rehearsals in the interim (but fifteen or more in the earlier part of the month), we elected to play all new songs for this, our first all-ages gig in a LONG time. And it was great! The crowd was extremely receptive; we sold a ton of CDs and met a lot of new folks, young and old. Here’s hoping we can set up another all-ages show in the near future so we can play for all of these kind folks again! Special thanks to Teitur and his wonderful band for having us on the bill. Also, file under nice surprise: Andy and I unexpectedly ran into our friend Tim Young, an incredible guitarist who moved to LA a couple of years ago and just happened to be playing (a beautiful, quirky ’60s Hofner that we sold him during our season at ECG) with both acts on the tour. Marvelous!
04.26.08 – Sunset Tavern – 5433 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, WA 98107 – w/ Burning Rivers & North Twin – CD RELEASE
Setlist: Sarah / Stay Golden / So Long, Radiant Flower / The Pose / Blessed Are / Philistine / Kissing Cousin / Deseret News
Sometimes the best-laid plans…get thrown out the window when your guitar won’t work and people keep putting whiskey in front of you! Seriously, that makes it sound much worse than it was. With the amount of time (nearly a year!) leading up to the release of our debut album since its completion last summer, we were bound to build this show up in our minds a little…and a pesky technical issue—in this case, a bum patch cable between my tuner & another pedal—was bound to throw everything a bit askew.
After a protracted soundcheck and a life-saving suggestion from a friendly fan (thanks, Paul!), though, we were on our way, sans-tuner, and it really was a pretty great show. We played a bunch of new tunes, including “The Pose,” which made its live debut. The performances were rocked-up, a little ragged, crackling with nervous energy, but by all accounts quite enjoyable. Our friends Burning Rivers and North Twin both turned in fantastic sets. And it was so, so nice to see all of the friendly faces in the crowd! Big thanks to Kris Hooper and Carrie McNeely, who made the trip down from BC for the show, and Sativa and Keith, who came all the way from the wilds of Grays Harbor to get a copy of the CD for the Stiffy’s jukebox! Many other thank-yous are in order…you know who you are!
The only truly unfortunate consequence of our somewhat-poor planning, in my mind, is the fact that many of the show’s attendees failed to get their promised copy of the album. We apologize for this oversight! I know that many of you already had a copy of the album, but if you didn’t get yours, please contact us and we’ll do our best to make it right. Thanks so much to everyone who helped make this such a great show. We’ll see you in a couple of months!
03.15.08 – Doug Fir Lounge – 830 E. Burnside, Portland, OR 97214 – w/ Chris Robley & the Fear of Heights & Jonah
Setlist: Blessed Are / Philistine / Stay Golden / So Long, Radiant Flower / Childish Things / Sarah / Kissing Cousin / Deseret News
Wow. We all love Portland, and we’ll jump at any chance to visit, but this was a show to remember. We’d been jonesing to play at the Doug Fir Lounge for a couple of years now, and it was all we’d hoped it would be. Our set was fantastic, the sound was top-notch (thanks, Nick!), and everyone made us feel extremely welcome. We can’t wait to come back, and not just because of the fantastic buffalo burgers…though they’re certainly a factor! Thanks so much to our buddy Chris Robley for setting up the show. Thanks also to the kind and generous cats in Jonah, and all of the friends old and new who helped to make it such an incredible night for us! I know I’m given to hyperbole, but this was probably our best show thus far…and after last month’s Sunset show, that’s saying something. Here’s to new heights!
02.09.08 – Sunset Tavern – 5433 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, WA 98107 – w/ Chris Robley and the Fear of Heights & The Maldives
Setlist: So Long, Radiant Flower / Stay Golden / Sarah / Blessed Are / Kissing Cousin / Philistine / Childish Things / Deseret News
Thanks to all of the kind folks that conspired to absolutely PACK the Sunset! This was an incredible show, certainly one of our best ever. A bit ragged in spots, but impassioned throughout. The new tunes (particularly “Stay Golden”) are really finding their feet, too…a great feeling, especially when you’re playing them to a packed house! Special thanks to our Portland pals Chris Robley & the Fear of Heights, who turned in a fantastic opening set, and Ballard celebrities the Maldives, who rocked into the early morning hours!!! Red Jacket Mine loves the Sunset!
01.25.08 – Boundary Bay Brewery – 1107 Railroad Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225 – w/ Pastiche
Setlist: Philistine / Blessed Are / Kissing Cousin / Childish Things / Stay Golden / So Long, Radiant Flower / Sarah / 22 Rose Petal Place / Deseret News
Our maiden voyage to Bellingham, and a successful one, at that! We’ve been dying to visit these fine northern folks for quite a while now, and when Boundary Bay (purveyors of delicious beer and tasty food) came knocking, we knew the time was right. The well-dressed lads in Pastiche brought a great crowd and played a fantastic set. Ours went really well, and included the live debut of “Childish Things,” which is likely to appear on the next record. We met a lot of very friendly music fans and can’t wait to come back! Thanks to everyone who made it out!
01.04.08 – High Dive – 513 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA 98103 – w/ Stella by Starlight & Reed
Setlist: Philistine / Blessed Are / Kissing Cousin / Sarah / Stay Golden / So Long, Radiant Flower / 22 Rose Petal Place / Deseret News
Our first show of 2008 was an absolute killer! One of our best ever, honestly. Our buddy Greg Garcia, who books at the High Dive, was kind enough to hook us up with this show when the Crocodile Cafe up and closed its doors in mid-December, leaving us (and countless other bands) out in the cold. Thanks, Greg!
We’d spent our two-month vacation working up tunes for the next record, and we busted out a few at this show, including band favorite “Stay Golden.” The house was packed with friends and it was a truly beautiful night. Thanks to everyone who came out!
2007
10.11.07 – Sunset Tavern – 5433 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107 – w/ The Lonely H & To the Glorious Lonely
Setlist: Philistine / Blessed Are / Sarah / Kissing Cousin / For a Rainbow / 22 Rose Petal Place / So Long, Radiant Flower / Deseret News
View photos from this show, taken by Seth Wonner!
What a fantastic show! The crowd started rolling in just a little late, but the house was pretty full by mid-way through our set, which is to be expected for the opener. Our friends from SLC, Band of Annuals, made it by, and it was wonderful to see them. We pulled out a brand-new song, “So Long, Radiant Flower,” and played the whole set with tremendous vigor and authority. What we might’ve lacked in precision was certainly compensated in spirit! A truly beautiful night…thanks to all who were there!
09.25.07 – Crocodile Cafe – 2200 2nd Ave., Seattle, WA 98121 – w/ Oakley Hall (from NYC!) & Whalebones
Setlist: Don’t (Settle Your Debts on the Phone) / For a Rainbow / Philistine / Blessed Are / Kissing Cousin / 22 Rose Petal Place / Deseret News
Check out four live tracks from this show on the Web Exclusives page!
We played incredibly well at this show, as I believe the live tracks on the Web Exclusives page will attest, but something wasn’t quite connecting with the crowd. Could’ve been the huge cover ($12!) on a Tuesday night, who knows. At any rate, the attendance wasn’t bad, the sound was great, and we had a blast. Whalebones absolutely killed it! The progress they’ve made in the last year is astounding. And the Oakley Hall crew were kind and rocking, as usual. Always wonderful to play at the Crocodile. Thanks to Jim for recording our set!
09.23.07 – The Round at the Fremont Abbey – 4272 Fremont Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98103 – Lincoln & Patrick acoustic
This wasn’t a real RJM show; instead Patrick & I brought out the acoustic guitars and traded songs from the Red Jacket Mine & Explone catalogs with our very good friends Ben London & Joshua Medaris from Burning Rivers. I busted out a couple of brand-new tunes, “So Long, Radiant Flower” and “Stay Golden,” and Patrick played a couple of new ones as well. We also got to enjoy the poetic stylings of Karen Finneyfrock and some wonderful live painters. Everyone at the Abbey is so kind and helpful! Thanks for a wonderful night. (For more info, visit theround.org.)
09.01.07 – John’s Alley – 114 E. Sixth St., Moscow, ID 83843
Sorry—no setlist!
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Well, not the worst, really, but our maiden voyage to the border town of Moscow, Idaho, was a humbling experience indeed. We rolled into John’s Alley early, around 5:30 or so, after an absolutely breathtaking drive along Washington’s two-lane Highway 26. At first glance, the club seemed like your typical small-town bar, albeit one with a nice stage and good sound system. We thought the crowd would neatly conform to our stereotype—rowdy, a bit oblivious, but enthusiastic and appreciative nonetheless. Boy, were we wrong.
We enjoyed Moscow’s sleepy downtown before the show, tasting (and buying) some wine at the Camas Prairie Winery and having a great dinner at the Sangria Grille. We returned to the club and got soundchecked, and everything seemed great. After a short opening set from a gentleman named Simon, we kicked things off with a rousing version of “Philistine,” and everything seemed be going well, until the dust settled and…nothing. No applause, no shouting, no heckling, even! Just faint chatter. This continued to be the case after the second song, third song, etc., ad infinitum. I tried to get the crowd going with some of my trademark between-song non-sequiturs, to no avail. I even tried baiting them outright, taking a page from the book of my buddy John Roderick, with no luck at all.
Eventually, we accepted our fate and played through the rest of our tunes with little fanfare. When the music ended around 2am, quite a few locals came up afterward and expressed the enthusiasm and appreciation that seemed so lacking during the set, which was nice. Every place is different, I guess! We returned to the hotel, Ryan tried to open a bottle of wine with some needle-nose pliers before passing out in the van, and we called it a night.
08.30.07 - Tractor Tavern – 5213 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, WA 98107 – w/ Andrew Norsworthy & John Weinland
Setlist: Philistine / Family Man / Kissing Cousin / Blessed Are / 22 Rose Petal Place / Jesus’ House / Deseret News / Sarah / Don’t (Settle Your Debts on the Phone) / Early Followed You
This was our first headlining show at the Tractor, so the pressure was on, but we ended up having our best show ever, performance-wise, despite a last-minute scare when we pulled Patrick’s ‘61 AC30 head out of the road case and heard a disturbing rattle, only to find one of the transformers rattling around inside. Oops! Good thing Patrick’s guitar/pedal steel space-station rig includes another amp, my ’50s Alamo combo, which works nicely for guitar as well.
While the weeknight-before-Bumbershoot crowd was hardly a sellout, the room felt warm and full, not cavernous like the Tractor can be on a rough night. Our good friends Andrew Norsworthy and John Weinland (who had a gear-scare of their own, and ended up tracking down an AC power cord for their keyboard next door at Bop Street Records, of all places) both put on wonderful shows, too. Thanks so much to all of our friends for coming out and making this such a special night for us. Historians, take note: this show marked the debut of “Deseret News,” a brand new rave-up destined for the next Red Jacket Mine album. Stay tuned for more!
07.27.07 - Crocodile Cafe – 2200 2nd Ave., Seattle, WA 98121 – w/ Amateur Radio Operator & Sneaky Thieves
Setlist: Sarah / Don’t (Settle Your Debts on the Phone) / Philistine / Kissing Cousin / Blessed Are / 22 Rose Petal Place / Jesus’ House / Early Followed You
Oh, that they all could be weekend gigs at the Crocodile with your best friends sharing the bill! Luckily, some of them can be just that, and this show was a shining example of just how nice a Crocodile show can be (although we’ve yet to have a bad one!). This night felt particularly triumphant because we brought a great crowd in spite of some stiff competition: the Capitol Hill Block Party was raging across town, and Ryan Adams was making the Moore Theatre swoon right down the street! Our buddies Amateur Radio Operator and Sneaky Thieves both played wonderful sets, and ours wasn’t half bad, either! Many t-shirts were sold, many stickers were given away, many drinks were consumed! Thanks to everyone who contributed to this wonderful night.
07.21.07 – Neurolux – 111 N. 11th St., Boise, ID 83702 – w/ Kris Doty & Thomas Paul
Setlist: Sarah / 22 Rose Petal Place / Philistine / Kissing Cousin / Blessed Are / Afterhours / Don’t (Settle Your Debts on the Phone)
We did the Boise trip right this time, leaving on Friday night and stopping halfway in the quaint little town of Pendleton, Oregon. Three and a half hours of drive-time on a show day is just about right…much better than getting up at 7am, loading the van, and driving for eight hours straight (losing an hour on the way…damn you, Mountain Time!), getting to the club just in time, setting up, rocking out, loading out, and crashing! Consequently, we were able to roll into Boise around 4pm, have a great dinner at the Bitter Creek Alehouse, peruse the Record Exchange (picked up one of the recent Grant Lee Buffalo reissues), leisurely backline our gear, and enjoy a great opening set by our buddy Thomas Paul before having to get into “rock-out” mode. And rock out we did, despite the somewhat-light attendance. (Apparently, there was a big-deal bike race in town that weekend, and weekend shows at Neurolux begin at 8pm, while it’s still light outside, so this may have had some adverse effect.) Patrons began to filter in during our friend Kris Doty’s barnburning set. If you haven’t heard her music, please do yourself a favor and check it out—she’s an amazing talent with an unbelievable band (augmented on this particular night by our buddy Thomas on electric guitar!). Despite the light attendance, this was a great show. Neurolux is a beautiful club and we look forward to coming back very soon. Thanks to all of our Boise pals, old and new, for making it such a fun night!
07.13.07 – The Fox and Goose – 1001 R Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 – w/ The Foreign Cinema & Alas, Alak, Alaska
Setlist: 22 Rose Petal Place / Jesus’ House / Time to Slow Down / Philistine / Something (the Beatles) / Don’t (Settle Your Debts on the Phone)
Well, after our triumphant Portland experience, and the subsequent eight-hour drive in 100-degree heat (no AC going up the mountain passes in southern Oregon and northern California…), it would’ve been easy to raise the white flag and phone in a mediocre show in Sacramento…especially when we rolled into the Fox and Goose at 9pm, proceeded to unload, and found out that its “stage area” (just a corner of the bar/restaurant with no tables) wouldn’t be able to accomodate our (admittedly massive) typical stage setup. After some long sighs, however, we decided to strip down our gear, tone down the ‘rock’ quotient, and ended up playing a cool, low-key set to a full house and winning over some very gracious locals. All in all, a good experience. Thanks to Dustin from the Foreign Cinema for setting up the show, and thanks to Ben Hoke for doing sound and being such a nice guy!
07.12.07 – Mission Theater & Pub – 1624 NW Glisan St., Portland, OR 97209 – w/ John Weinland & Small Sails
Setlist: Sarah / 22 Rose Petal Place / Philistine / Kissing Cousin / Blessed Are / Afterhours / Don’t (Settle Your Debts on the Phone) / Early Followed You
What an incredible experience! This is one of those rare shows where everything comes together: a lovely, accomodating venue; brilliant billmates; wonderful sound (despite the fact that the Mission very rarely hosts rock shows); and an enthusiastic, receptive audience of a couple hundred REAL listeners! And all this at our very first Portland show? Imagine our good fortune! Given these optimal conditions, we rose to the occasion and played a pretty great set to boot. Thanks so much to Adam from John Weinland for working so hard to make this a wonderful show. We can’t wait to play in Portland again…soon and often! Thanks for making us feel so welcome.
06.10.07 – High Dive – 513 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA – w/ Octoberman & Troubletown
Setlist: Afterhours / Jesus’ House / 22 Rose Petal Place / Blessed Are / Sarah / Family Man / Kissing Cousin / Philistine / Don’t (Settle Your Debts on the Phone) / Early Followed You
To be quite honest, this wasn’t quite the homecoming I had hoped for, but I guess that’s what you get on a beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon show, preceded by eight hours of intense driving after very little sleep. I’m ashamed to say that my perception of the (relatively) poor turnout soured my mood enough to ruin the gig…for me, at least. A number of people in the crowd, including our good buddies in Octoberman, thought it was a great show. I just wasn’t at my wisecracking, shit-talking best, and for that I apologize. As a result, we plowed through the tunes with little fanfare. Hell, for all I know, this is what our fans have been waiting for all along! (Shut up and play some music!) Thanks so much to everyone who DID make it out—I owe you big time! Come out to the next one and let us make it up to you! Thanks to our friends in Octoberman for sharing the weekend with us!
06.09.07 – The Bouquet – 1010 W Main St., Boise, ID – w/ Octoberman & The Econolines
Setlist: Sarah / Blessed Are / 22 Rose Petal Place / Jesus’ House / Afterhours / Family Man / Kissing Cousin / Philistine / Early Followed You
Our weekend mini-tour with our good friends from Vancouver, Octoberman, was a bit of logistical nightmare from the beginning. Our original plan for a Friday-night Spokane show fell through, which made the work thing easier (no vacation days needed), but it also made for an eight-hour drive both ways! We left town at 10am Saturday…the Octoberman guys had to leave at 6:30! It was nice to get out of town, though…the show was rather lightly-attended, but the kind locals who did show up really enjoyed the show, I think. We can’t wait to come back and play Neurolux next month! Thanks so much to Pollyanna for setting up the show…oh, and did I mention we had to take three cars??? Haven’t bought a van yet…the road is hard!
05.04.07 – Sunset Tavern – 5433 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, WA – SEATTLE DOES ELVIS w/ Downpilot, the Transmissionary Six, and many more!
Setlist: This Year’s Girl / Sleep of the Just (both Elvis Costello covers)
It’s no secret that I’m a HUGE Elvis Costello fan, so when Paul from Transmissionary Six asked us to be a part of this tribute night (to benefit 826 Seattle), it was a no-brainer. The hardest part was deciding which songs to play! After contemplating it for a bit, we chose two of our favorites, and judging by the incredible response, I think we chose wisely! We had a great time, and there was a real family vibe the whole night…lots of friends in the house. Thanks so much to Paul and everyone at 826 for allowing us to be a part of it.
04.18.07 – Sunset Tavern – 5433 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, WA – w/ Carrie Biell & Chrisopher Blue
Setlist: Sarah / Blessed Are / Afterhours / Something (the Beatles) / 22 Rose Petal Place / Family Man / Kissing Cousin / Philistine / Early Followed You
This show, the CD release party for Chrisopher Blue’s new album, was a lot of fun. After playing several cover/compilation nights at the Sunset, it was nice to finally play a full set (and get paid at the end of the night!). Though the heat on-stage was a bit disorienting (especially for Patrick, who ill-advisedly chose to wear a black sweater over a white button-up shirt onstage), we played a great set to a receptive crowd, which is about all you can ask for. It was also great to finally share a show with our buddy Carrie Biell. Thanks to Chris and everyone at Sarathan Records for the opportunity to play!
04.14.07 – Stiffy’s Pub & Grub – 207 8th St., Hoquiam, WA – Sativa’s birthday party!
Sorry—no setlist!
Being the maiden voyage to Grays Harbor County for at least half of the band, we didn’t know quite what to expect of this show, but we ended up having an absolute blast. Hoquiam came out in hordes and their hospitality was astounding. It was also a blast to play “Something” and “Go Your Own Way” for the first time! Thanks so much to Sativa for letting us be a part of her celebration!
03.24.07 – Crocodile Cafe – 2200 2nd Ave., Seattle, WA – w/ Downpilot & The Stares
Setlist: Sarah / Blessed Are / Afterhours / Jesus’ House / 22 Rose Petal Place / Family Man / Kissing Cousin / Philistine / Early Followed You
This show was an absolute blast—probably our best ever, performance-wise. We’d managed to whip the RJM four-piece into a well-oiled machine in the two months since our debut (also as the Croc) and we were feeling confident and absolutely buoyant. Besides, what’s better than playing a killer set at your favorite club in town, then relaxing with a beer (or several) while watching a couple of your favorite bands? Our very good buddies Downpilot and the Stares turned in magnificent sets as well. Attendance might not have been what we hoped (there was a crowd, but it wasn’t PACKED like Saturday nights at the Croc can be), but this was still an incredible night. Thanks to everyone who came out!
01.26.07 – The Pink Door – 1919 Post Alley (Pike Place Market), Seattle, WA – w/ Red Heart the Ticker (from Philadelphia!)
Setlist: Philistine / Blessed Are / Afterhours / Don’t (Settle Your Debts on the Phone) / You Must Build a Fire (Crooked Fingers) / Family Man / Kissing Cousin / 22 Rose Petal Place
While this wasn’t Red Jacket Mine’s finest hour (after spending the last couple of months fully settling into our new role as a real rock band, the mellow, acoustic thing felt a little weird…not to mention the fact that we were rather under-rehearsed), it was an absolute pleasure to share the show with our good friends Red Heart the Ticker. Their set was wonderful, absolutely spine-tingling, and it was great to spend some time chatting it up about their west coast tour and the like. The packed Pink Door bar was positively enchanted by their beautiful harmonies and telepathic chemistry, so despite the fact that we might not have blown many minds on this particular night, sometimes spending some time with new friends and taking in a great show is enough. Thanks to Chris at the Pink Door for setting up the show, and special thanks to Ty, Robin, and Joel from RHTT for making the trip out. Can’t wait to share a show again!
01.13.07 – High Dive – 513 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA – w/ Sneaky Thieves & Manplus
Setlist: 22 Rose Petal Place / Afterhours / Jesus’ House / Time to Slow Down / With a Smile in a Suit (Sneaky Thieves) / Blessed Are / Family Man / Kissing Cousin / Philistine / Sarah
Despite a very un-Seattle-like cold and snowy night (and a consequently thin crowd), this show was a blast. It was great to finally play with our good buddies the Sneaky Thieves; we were so excited that we decided to work up a version of our favorite song of theirs, “With a Smile in a Suit,” much to their bewilderment! This show wasn’t quite the elating experience the previous weekend’s Croc show had been, but it was mighty fine for a short-notice show on a snowy night!
01.06.07 – The Crocodile Cafe – 2200 2nd Ave., Seattle, WA – w/ Memphis Radio Kings & the Young Sportsmen
View photos from this show by Seth Wonner
Setlist: Afterhours / Time to Slow Down / 22 Rose Petal Place / Blessed Are / Family Man / Kissing Cousin / Philistine / Sarah
Our first Saturday night at the Crocodile was an incredible success! The new RJM four-piece (featuring Ryan Chapman on bass and Patrick switching off on guitar and pedal steel) rocked mightily, and the songs from the new record were enlivened by the multi-layered arrangements the new lineup made possible. Sure, there were a few of false-starts and flubbed notes—this is a very new band, after all—but the energy onstage and coming from the crowd was positively inspiring. Thanks so much to all of our friends who came out and helped share this very special show with us. Special thanks to our good buddy Seth Wonner who took some beautiful photographs…check them out!
2006
12.16.06 – Sunset Tavern – 5433 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, WA – London Calling tribute night - w/ too many bands to mention
Setlist: Lover’s Rock
The cover nights at the Sunset are always a bit of a schmooze-fest, but that’s what makes them fun—you get to see a bunch of folks you haven’t seen in a long time and attempt to catch up amid the din of whoever’s on stage at the moment. We did some of that, but this night was special for us, despite Patrick’s suspicious absence (Clash-hater!), because it was the first time we got to rock out onstage with brand-new bassist Ryan Chapman. Rock out probably isn’t quite the appropriate term; we re-envisioned “Lover’s Rock” as a shoegazey slow-jam, replete with dissonant, droney guitar chords and a languid pace to match. After a night of (mostly) straight punk-rock covers, I’m not sure the audience knew what hit them, but they seemed to dig it, and we certainly did.
12.09.06 – Jules Maes Saloon – 5919 Airport Way South, Seattle, WA – w/ Burning Rivers & the Zero Points
Setlist: Time to Slow Down / Starboard Meets the Sound / Monotone / Jesus’ House / Dark End of the Street (Percy Sledge) / Family Man / Philistine / Femme Fatale (VU)
It was a cold night in Georgetown, and not a creature was stirring, but this was still a fun gig because we got to play with one my favorite new bands in town: Burning Rivers. They’re the brainchild of Ben London (ex-Sanford Arms, one of my favorite Seattle bands, ever) and Joshua Medaris (ex-Citizens’ Utilities), and their songs, voices, and musicianship are stellar. It was also an opportunity to bid adieu to my friend Mike Squires, who was leaving town for Portland, OR, the next day. Bye, Squires!
Oh yeah, and this was a weird one because, for the first time in months, we had to play as a two-piece! Porter was out of town, visiting our friends Palomino in Provo, UT. So we dusted off a few oldies for the occasion. It wasn’t too bad, but we were certainly glad to have him back!
11.24.06 – Tractor Tavern – 5213 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, WA – w/ Tim Seely & the Quiet Ones
Setlist: Time to Slow Down / Afterhours / Sarah / Blessed Are / Family Man / Kissing Cousin / Philistine / 22 Rose Petal Place
As our buddy Rick Cranford likes to say, there’s no such thing as a bad show at the Tractor, and this was certainly no exception. We’d been planning to do a show with Tim Seely for a good long while, and despite our supposed “break” for recording, when Tim graciously offered us the support slot for this show, it was just too good to pass up. It was insanely cold that night—we were wearing scarves and coats onstage—but we had a blast, the other bands were great (and nice people to boot), and the place was packed. What more could we want? A great way to spend the day after Thanksgiving…
10.05.06 – Tractor Tavern – 5123 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle (Ballard), WA – w/ Oakley Hall (from NYC!) & Whalebones
View photos from this show by Seth Wonner
Setlist: Afterhours / Sarah / Time to Slow Down / Jesus’ House / Family Man / Kissing Cousin / Blessed Are / Philistine / 22 Rose Petal Place
This show was outstanding. Red Jacket Mine has loved the Tractor from afar for a good long time—we’re friends with the booker, and nearly every worthwhile show that comes through Seattle stops there. It’s just a good place to be. But we’ve patiently waited for the better part of a year to make our debut there—until an appropriate bill had an opening, until we had a sufficient fanbase, etc. Well, it all came together this night. The crowd wasn’t quite as huge as at the Crocodile (scroll down to June), but it was big enough to make us quite happy. Best of all, the music that actually came out of us was far better. Mr. Patrick Porter, formerly confined to a stool in front of the pedal steel, was able to roam the stage freely for half the set with his ‘65 P-Bass strapped on. Yes, people, Red Jacket Mine now has bass. Booties, commence shaking. We played five never-before-heard (in Seattle) songs, and I feel that they came off incredibly well, surprising a lot of long-time fans and whetting a lot of appetites for the new record (which we start recording next week). The Tractor staff was awesome, the other bands were awesome (thanks, Whalebones, for the great flyer!), and thanks to Seth Wonner, our friend and trusty photographer, for bringing his camera that night. Click here to witness his prowess. See you all the Tractor on the day after Thanksgiving! Can’t wait!
09.23.06 – The O Lounge – 2208 Queen Anne Ave., Seattle, WA – solo show w/ Patrick Porter of Explone (and RJM!)
09.16.06 – High Dive – 513 N. 36th St., Seattle (Fremont), WA – w/ The Swains & Memphis Radio Kings
Setlist: Patience Comes to Those Who Wait / For a Rainbow / Starboard Meets the Sound / Time to Slow Down / Jesus’ House / She’s a Mystery to Me / 22 Rose Petal Place / Kozy-Mo / Philistine
Saturday nights in Fremont are usually pretty fun, and this show was no exception. The crowd was a bit scant, and we had the obligatory money drama, but these things are to be expected. We played a good set, and people even danced a little (!) during “Jesus’ House.” What more do you want?
08.26.06 – Cup N Cork – 46 Main St., Cape Girardeau, MO – solo show w/ Angus Elex
Setlist: Time to Slow Down / Starboard Meets the Sound / Afterhours / Sister Parsimony / Every Time That I’ve Tried / Don’t (Settle Your Debts on the Phone) / Useless Thing / Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie) / Early Followed You / Monotone / set break / Blessed Are / Family Man / Kissing Cousin / Philistine / True Currency / Jesus’ House / She’s a Mystery to Me (Roy Orbison) / 22 Rose Petal Place
Well, I presumptuously billed this show as my *triumphant* return to southeast Missouri, and luckily, it turned out to be just that. The turnout was magnificent, perhaps the best Cup N Cork’s ever seen, and I have a feeling it would’ve been even greater if there had been more seating available. I certainly can’t complain, though; I had a rapt audience of friends, family, and fans that I hadn’t seen in years, and I had a lot of fun playing two sets composed primarily of songs slated for the new record. They all came off pretty well, too, I think. It was also a joy to share the stage once again with my close friends in Angus Elex. Thanks to Barry at Cup N Cork and everyone who made it out! I can’t wait to see you all again.
08.18.06 – Conor Byrne Pub – 5140 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle, WA – w/ The Harborrats
Setlist: Time to Slow Down / Jesus’ House / Starboard Meets the Sound / Patience Comes to Those Who Wait (instrumental) / For a Rainbow / Philistine / She’s a Mystery to Me (Roy Orbison) / Kozy-Mo / 22 Rose Petal Place
This turned out to be a really fun show. It was great to play with our friends in The Harborrats, who seem to get better each time I see ‘em, which is remarkable when you consider the fact that it’s usually an entirely different group of musicians each time. Somehow, though, Sam Russell manages to corral these renegade garage/soul journeymen (and women) into a visceral, exciting rock band. I don’t know how he does it. We tried out our epic new instrumental, “Patience Comes to Those Who Wait,” and Sam sat in with us for a Roy Orbison tune. Sam was also kind enough to have me up to sing one of my favorite songs, “Waltz #2 (xo),” during his set. Thanks, Sam! Hope we can do it again sometime.
08.04.06 – Skylark Cafe & Club – 3803 Delridge Way SW, West Seattle, WA – w/ Jeff Fielder & Patti-Anne Mathison
Setlist: 22 Rose Petal Place / Starboard Meets the Sound / Monotone / For a Rainbow / Jesus’ House / You Owe Me That / Time to Slow Down / Philistine / Kozy-Mo
A rock club in West Seattle that isn’t the Rocksport, eh? The Skylark has many things going for it—good food, cheap drinks, parking, two of the coolest-ever Kate Bush posters in the downstairs/backstage area—but my prediction is that its days as a “rock” club are numbered. You all know that Red Jacket Mine’s “rock” quotient is fairly low, but even with the RJM dour-trio’s relatively-low stage volume, this show was a bit of a sound-reinforcement nightmare. We pulled it off and had a little bit of fun in the process, but if we ever play there again, it’ll be a very stripped-down affair, much like our friend Jeff Fielder’s stellar set that night. I don’t mean to dis the place, though—they’re very nice, and like I said, those Kate Bush posters are bitchin’.
07.20.06 – Sunset Tavern – 5433 Ballard Ave., Seattle, WA – Ball of Wax Audio Quarterly Volume 5 Release Party
Setlist: Philistine / 22 Rose Petal Place / Jesus’ House
The release party for the fifth volume of Levi Fuller’s Ball of Wax Audio Quarterly was a huge success. The other bands were great, and we had a blast. Not much else to say. Thanks to our fellow Ball-of-Waxers who played that night: Virgin of the Birds, R. B. Reed, The Music of Grayface, Amy Blaschke, Cock & Swan, Plan B, and Dept. of Energy. Special thanks to the one and only Levi Fuller for making it all possible.
07.18.06 – Can Can – 94 Pike Street (in Pike Place Market), Seattle, WA – w/ Robert Roth & James Hall (of the Pleasure Club)
Setlist: Family Man (*) / Kissing Cousin (*) / 22 Rose Petal Place / Starboard Meets the Sound / Monotone / Time to Slow Down / Jesus’ House / Philistine
(*) – Lincoln solo
Our buddy James Hall’s most recent trip to Seattle was quite a success for a Tuesday night. I tried out a couple of the new tunes, with moderate success (thanks to some dubious sound-reinforcement), but it was fun playing them, anyway. James’ crack band, composed of our good friend and frequent show-mate Robert Roth (who played a handful of his own stellar tunes), bassist Graig Markel, and drummer extraordinaire Chris Friel, dig a bang-up job, and everybody had a lot fun. Cool, creepy vibe at the Can Can…check it out sometime.
07.01.06 – The Brown Lantern – 412 Commercial Ave., Anacortes, WA – w/ The Lonely Forest
Setlist: Monotone / Starboard Meets the Sound / Time to Slow Down / For a Rainbow / Jesus’ House / You Owe Me That / Philistine / Kozy-Mo / 22 Rose Petal Place
RJM’s first trip to the northern wilds of Anacortes, WA, was wonderful. Mike and all of the folks at the Brown Lantern have a great thing going, and we hope we can visit again very soon. Our show was quite loud and raucous, by RJM standards, but we had fun. The evening was blighted only by the unfortunate combustion of my vintage Alamo tube amp, on its maiden RJM voyage, no less. Patrick was playing pedal steel through it (and sounding quite gorgeous), when it gave up the ghost (and a huge plume of smoke) during “Jesus’ House.” No worries, though—it probably hadn’t been serviced in 40+ years, and it’s going to be getting quite a workout in the coming months. These things happen. Mike saved the day by plugging Pat into the PA, and we finished the show without another hitch. To those of you who’ve never visited Anacortes, you really must—it’s a beautiful little place, especially in the summertime. Special thanks to the (deservingly) likely lads in The Lonely Forest for opening up the show—you’ll be hearing more about them in the months to come.
06.22.06 – The Crocodile Cafe – 2200 2nd Ave., Seattle, WA – w/ The Cloves & North Twin
Click here to view the flyer, lovingly designed by the folks in North Twin!
View photos from this show by Seth Wonner
Setlist: Time to Slow Down / Starboard Meets the Sound / Jesus’ House / Monotone / For a Rainbow / You Owe Me That / Philistine / Kozy-Mo / 22 Rose Petal Place
Our first show at Seattle’s legendary Crocodile Cafe was a huge success, thanks to YOU—especially if your name is Kurt Reighley. Kurt writes a roots-fixated music column called Border Radio for Seattle’s weekly paper The Stranger, and he was gracious enough to give us a very kind endorsement for this show in the Up & Coming section…which couldn’t have hurt. Whatever the cause, the house was full with very friendly faces, the other bands on the bill were wonderful people and musicians (all too rare), and we had what probably ranks as our best-ever show so far. Our good buddy Seth Wonner made it out to take some wonderful photographs, which you can view by clicking the photo link above. I’m sure there’s a lot I’m forgetting (it was nearly a month ago), but suffice to say it was a great night that none of us will soon forget. Thanks!
06.03.06 – The Main – 4210 Main St. (at 26th), Vancouver, BC, CANADA – w/ the Black Sea & the Desolation Sound
Setlist: True Currency / Every Time That I’ve Tried / Time to Slow Down / Sister Parsimony / Monotone (*) / Jesus’ House (*) / Starboard Meets the Sound (*) / Kozy-Mo (*) / Philistine / 22 Rose Petal Place
(*) – featuring Kris Hooper on lap steel
My latest solo cross-border trek went surprisingly well, considering that it was on the same weekend that some nuts tried to cross over at Windsor and behead the Canadian Prime Minister. But surely no one had heard about that when they packed into the Main on a breezy Saturday night in East Van. Solo sets from the Desolation Sound (Curtis from Speaking of Devils) and the Black Sea (Chris from Panurge)—nice chaps, both—warmed the crowd up, and then I took the stage and cooled them right down. “Sister Parsimony” made its first appearance, and Kris Hooper made his second, adding tasty lap steel to four tunes. As always, thanks to Ida, all at the Main, and especially Kris Hooper and Carrie McNeely for their unfailing hospitality. See you all next time.
05.20.06 – University Street Fair – Tower Records – 4518 University Way NE Suite 100, Seattle, WA – w/ Levator, Robert Roth, PartMan PartHorse, & Macklemore
Setlist: Time to Slow Down / Starboard Meets the Sound / Monotone / Jesus’ House / Philistine / 22 Rose Petal Place / Kozy-Mo
This in-store performance in the heart of U-District Street Fair bedlam marks one of Red Jacket Mine’s best. This may be a miracle, considering the fact that I was getting shocked by the microphone every few minutes (when I ventured too close, for one of those intimate moments between the audience and I) and the sound, despite the gracious Travis Anderson’s best efforts, was less-than-ideal, but there you have it. The three-piece was mighty, I must say, and I’m obviously not accustomed to rocking like we do during “Philstine,” because I was spent! I could hardly catch my breath to sing the last two songs! Pathetic, I know. I’m working on some endurance training, a la the “stairs” scene in Rocky. Until then, I’ll just have to stay on the oxygen and fondly remember this show. Our good friends Robert Roth and Levator both brought down the house, as well. Thanks to Travis and all at Tower for such a wonderful day.
05.07.06 – Mars Bar – 609 Eastlake Ave. N, Seattle, WA – w/ Southerly, Patience Please, & Aheartlesssolution
Setlist: Starboard Meets the Sound / Monotone / Time to Slow Down / Jesus’ House / For a Rainbow / Philistine / 22 Rose Petal Place / Kozy-Mo / True Currency / Every Time That I’ve Tried
A great show on an OK Sunday night. We certainly had a lot of fun…”Philistine” made its full-band debut, as did my brand-new ‘61 Danelectro/Tele hybrid sturm-und-twang machine. The Mars Bar is always a nice place to play. Thanks to Matt at NadaMucho.com for setting up the show.
04.26.06 – The Green Room – 1426 1st. Ave., Seattle, WA – w/ Bill Patton & the Credentials
Setlist: True Currency / Starboard Meets the Sound / Oh My Love (John Lennon) / Time to Slow Down / Monotone / Jesus’ House / Philistine (solo) / Kozy-Mo / 22 Rose Petal Place / You Owe Me That / For a Rainbow
Rather anti-climactic for a birthday party, I must say, but on any other Wednesday night, it probably would’ve been counted a success. “Philistine” made its live debut before the other guys had had a chance to learn it, but I just couldn’t wait to unveil my snazzy new D6 tuning. “Oh My Love” was very fun to play, and our very good friends Bill Patton & the Credentials turned in a great set, as expected. Thanks to all of you came out, and if you’re reading this and missed the show, you missed out on the super-limited-edition photocopied demo CD I passed out…tasty 4-track stuff. Too bad for you! Thanks to Glen at the Showbox for setting up the show.
04.08.06 – The County Line – 8456 Dallas Ave S., Seattle, WA – w/ Amateur Radio Operator & Johanna Kunin
Setlist: True Currency / Starboard Meets the Sound / Time to Slow Down / Monotone / Every Time That I’ve Tried / You Owe Me That / Jesus’ House / 22 Rose Petal Place / Kozy-Mo
I knew our first visit to South Park would be interesting, but I would’ve never guessed it would be so much fun. It’s always a pleasure to play with our good friends Amateur Radio Operator, and in addition to shining brightly on their home turf, they made us feel incredibly welcome. Thanks so much to the South Park arts community, in addition to the County Line’s regulars, for being so warm and kind (even though we didn’t know how to play “Johnny B. Goode”). If you haven’t heard Johanna Kunin yet, go do so, right now. I certainly hope it isn’t the last time we visit South Park. Thanks to all of our new friends for making it such a joyous experience. For more info on South Park’s vibrant arts community, check out the Living Barge!
03.24.06 – ToST Lounge – 513 N. 36th St. Space E, Seattle, WA – w/ Cassandra Speaks & Scott McChane
Setlist: True Currency / Starboard Meets the Sound / Monotone / Time to Slow Down / Every Time That I’ve Tried / Second Chance (for a Third Square Meal) / For a Rainbow / Jesus’ House / 22 Rose Petal Place / Kozy-Mo
I hear we were sabotaged by a Huskies game. (What do they play again? Baseball? Football?) At any rate, the Friday-night-in-Fremont crowd wasn’t quite as big as we expected, but the people that did show up were very kind. We played “Time to Slow Down” for the first time, and that was fun…I think it’s a keeper. Thanks so much to Cassandra Speaks for setting up the show, and being so nice.
03.11.06 – The Showbox – 1426 1st Ave., Seattle, WA – w/ Friday Mile & Sambusa
View photos from this show by Seth Wonner
Setlist: Every Time That I’ve Tried / Second Chance (for a Third Square Meal) / Starboard Meets the Sound / Monotone (*) / Jesus’ House (*) / For a Rainbow (*) / You Owe Me That (*) / 22 Rose Petal Place (*) / Kozy-Mo (*)
(*) – featuring Patrick Porter on pedal steel guitar
Our big night at the Showbox was absolutely wonderful. To ALL of our friends who came out to the show, we really can’t thank you enough. To those of you that couldn’t make it, I feel sorry for you—you missed an incredible performance by Mr. Patrick Porter on pedal steel guitar, as well as the debut of my beautiful sonic blue Jazzmaster. Thanks so much to the other bands, as well as the Showbox’s incredible staff (special thanks to Glen, the production manager, for his enthusiasm). Be sure to check out the incredible photos from the show, taken by the gracious (and talented!) Seth Wonner. Thanks, Seth!
02.21.06 – The Rendezvous – Jewel Box Theater – 2322 2nd Ave., Seattle, WA – w/ The Swim Team & The Pope is Dead
Setlist: Every Time That I’ve Tried / Monotone / For a Rainbow / Second Chance (for a Third Square Meal) / Jesus’ House / Kozy-Mo / 22 Rose Petal Place / Starboard Meets the Sound / True Currency
You know those apocryphal tales of bands playing to empty rooms? Well, occasionally, unfortunately, they’re true. Still, we played pretty well, considering, even if only the members of the ever-faithful Swim Team were there to see it, my new Fiesta Red Telecaster made its live debut, and it was Amos’ birthday! Oh well…see you guys at the Showbox!
02.16.06 – High Dive – 513 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA (Fremont) – w/ Sweet Jesus & Weather
Setlist: Monotone / Starboard Meets the Sound / Second Chance (for a Third Square Meal) / For a Rainbow / You Owe Me That / She’s a Mystery to Me (Roy Orbison) / Kozy-Mo / 22 Rose Petal Place / Jesus’ House
The High Dive is a great club—clean, great sound, nice stage, nice staff. But this was kind of a weird night. We played well, I think, but the response (despite a lot of friendly faces in the crowd—thank you for being there) was muted, to say the least. But that’s OK. Our set went well, although we’d planned for another couple of songs. The other bands were great; if you haven’t checked out Weather or Sweet Jesus yet, do so. Thanks to them, and to Greg at the High Dive for setting the show up.
02.11.06 – The Main – 4210 Main St. (at 26th), Vancouver, BC, CANADA – w/ Octoberman & Tailor Island
Setlist: True Currency (aborted – technical difficulties) / Second Chance (for a Third Square Meal) / You Owe Me That / 22 Rose Petal Place / She’s a Mystery to Me (Roy Orbison) / Kozy-Mo (*) / Monotone (*) / Starboard Meets the Sound (*) / Night-time (Big Star) (*) / Jesus’ House / Every Time That I’ve Tried
(*) – featuring Kris Hooper on lap steel/guitar
A great night and a darn good set, I think, only blighted by an intermittently-dead microphone during the first song. My good buddy Kris Hooper sat in with me on lap steel and guitar for part of the set (to see him in action, check out the video of Monotone on the Music page), Tailor Island made its live debut, Octoberman played a bunch of new songs, and I (hopefully) made a bunch of new friends. It was a lot of fun to play “Night-time,” too. Thanks to Marc for setting up the show, thanks to Ida for booking us, and most of all, thanks to Kris & Carrie for their hospitality.
02.03.06 – The O Lounge – 2208 Queen Anne Ave., Seattle, WA – solo show w/ Explone (Patrick solo) & Nathan Wade
Setlist: Every Time That I’ve Tried / Monotone / Kozy-Mo / True Currency / You Owe Me That / Jesus’ House / Second Chance (for a Third Square Meal) / She’s a Mystery to Me (Roy Orbison) / 22 Rose Petal Place / Starboard Meets the Sound
The O Lounge keeps getting cooler and cooler. This was probably my best solo show yet…lots of friends in the audience, great sound. It was very cool to see my friend Nathan Wade live for the first time (be careful, though—his guitar playing is so damn captivating that it’s bound to distract your attention from his carefully-considered songs), and my buddy Patrick (from Explone) was outstanding as always—a gentleman, scholar, and first-rate crafter-of-songs. Thanks to everyone who came, listened, and made it such a memorable show. (Special thanks to Bre from Daylight Basement for bringing her entourage!) Thanks to Joshua for making it all possible.
01.28.06 – Mars Bar – 609 Eastlake Ave. N, Seattle, WA – CD RELEASE w/ Octoberman & Robert Roth
Setlist: Home Motel (Willie Nelson) / Second Chance (for a Third Square Meal) / Starboard Meets the Sound / Monotone / You Owe Me That / Kozy-Mo / 22 Rose Petal Place / She’s a Mystery to Me (Roy Orbison) / True Currency / Every Time That I’ve Tried
Our CD Release party at the Mars Bar was, by all accounts, quite a success. Tons of support from the local music crowd—special thanks to David from Pedro the Lion, Drew & Angie from The Stares, Aaron & Josh from The Plains, all of the Swim Team, David from Cassandra Speaks, Dave from Ionesco, Fish from the Bourbonites, Mark from Amateur Radio Operator, Nathan Wade, and TM Anderson for being there. Also, thanks to all of our friends old and new who came and bought CDs. Octoberman brought the house down, and Robert Roth turned in a jaw-dropping set (replete with covers of “Killing Moon” and “Celluloid Heroes”). For those of you who missed it, he brought out the Wurlitzer! (We also got to hear about Goddess Kring.) To everyone who was came, bought, or played, thanks so much. Thanks to Matt from NadaMucho.com for setting up the show.
01.22.06 – Pig ‘n Whistle – 8412 Greenwood Ave. N., Seattle, WA (Lincoln solo)
Setlist: Starboard Meets the Sound / You Owe Me That / Every Time That I’ve Tried / Just Like a Woman (Dylan) / Second Chance (for a Third Square Meal) / True Currency / 22 Rose Petal Place / Kozy-Mo
Brief, very informal solo set at an employee party for the Outback Steakhouse at Lake Union. It was fun to play “Just Like a Woman”…not quite the triumphant return to the USA that I’d planned, thanks to the Candy Bar’s untimely closing the week prior, but a fun little show, and a chance to play to some new faces. Speaking of which…will the quiet gentleman that found me on MySpace and made his way out to this show please come forward? CDs will be available shortly, and I’d love to send you one.
2005
12.20.05 – ToST Lounge – 513 N. 36th St. (Space E), Seattle, WA (Fremont) w/ Woodrush & Rejoice
Setlist: Starboard Meets the Sound / Monotone / Every Time That I’ve Tried / Second Chance (for a Third Square Meal) / You Owe Me That / True Currency / 22 Rose Petal Place / Kozy-Mo
Despite a strangely varied bill, this show at Fremont’s ToST Lounge was a huge success. The set was short and sweet, sans-covers, and aside from a few flubs during “Kozy-Mo,” we killed. I think. We played to a packed house, thanks in part to the huge Rejoice crew, and had a wonderful time. Special thanks to Anna, Patrick, Fish, Nathan, Jade, Alex, Wade, and Justin for coming out…along with anyone else we might’ve missed. It was a great way to end a great year for Red Jacket Mine.
12.09.05 – SS Marie Antoinette – 1235 Westlake Ave. N, Seattle, WA – (Lincoln solo) w/ TM Anderson & Levator
Setlist: True Currency / Every Time That I’ve Tried / Monotone / Starboard Meets the Sound / Second Chance (for a Third Square Meal) / For a Rainbow / You Owe Me That / New Age (Velvet Underground) / 22 Rose Petal Place / Kozy-Mo
To quote an attendee’s apt description of this show, it was a “coldfun” evening. I really couldn’t say it better. The inhabitants of the SS Marie Antoinette are truly wonderful people; their enthusiasm is refreshing and infectious. I’d love to play there again, as often as possible. But I don’t know if I could do it in the winter (or late autumn, to be exact) again. That said, tonight’s show was a success in my book…plenty of friendly new faces in the crowd, a great response, and a great bill. I trotted out a cover of “New Age” (VU) for the first time, to great effect, and managed to make it through the set despite my frozen fingers. You should’ve seen (literally) the breath billowing out of my mouth as I sang. You get it…it was cold. Thanks to Sky (and all of Levator) and TM Anderson for sharing the show, thanks to Travis for setting it up, and thanks to Malaki and everyone at the good ship SSMA for being there and being so cool.
12.05.05 – Chop Suey – 1325 E. Madison St., Seattle, WA (Capitol Hill) – w/ The Dirty Slippers, Amateur Radio Operator, & The Upper Hand
Setlist: Every Time That I’ve Tried / Starboard Meets the Sound / Second Chance (for a Third Square Meal) / Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie) / 22 Rose Petal Place / Kozy-Mo / True Currency
A rather sleepy Monday evening, but hell, it was Chop Suey and it was fun. We played rather well and the sound was great, thanks to Alex. Our very good friends Amateur Radio Operator brought down the house, and hopefully we made a couple of new friends in The Dirty Slippers and The Upper Hand. Everyone was very nice and played a great set. Thanks to Glen, John, Kate, and David for coming out, and thanks to Colin at Chop Suey for making it possible.
11.29.05 – Nectar Lounge – 412 N. 36th St., Seattle, WA (Fremont) – w/ Sweet Jesus
Setlist: Every Time That I’ve Tried / Monotone / You Owe Me That / Starboard Meets the Sound / Second Chance (for a Third Square Meal) / For a Rainbow / Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie) / Kozy-Mo / 22 Rose Petal Place / Sleep of the Just (Elvis Costello) / True Currency
Elation! This show was a huge success, thanks in no small part to Nectar’s incredible staff and “surly soundmen.” (Thanks, Cory and Mike!) The Nectar Lounge is a wonderful room–just the right size and beautifully designed–and 105 bodies managed to squeeze themselves in on this nippy autumn night. 105! That Sweet Jesus must have a lot of friends…I think we made a few new ones that night, too. The new songs went off without a hitch and we had a blast. Thanks to all of our friends who came out, and thanks to all of our new friends who will come out to the next one(s). Special thanks to Greg at Interface Booking & Management for making this show possible. Happy birthday, Greg!
11.03.05 – J&M Cafe and Cardroom – 201 1st Ave. S, Seattle, WA (Pioneer Square) – w/ Thomas Paul & Six Foot Savage
Setlist: Starboard Meets the Sound / Every Time That I’ve Tried / Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie) / Monotone / For a Rainbow / Beaujolais / You Owe Me That / True Currency / Sleep of the Just (Elvis Costello) / 22 Rose Petal Place
This show will be remembered as the very first Red Jacket Mine show with drums. Percussion! A beat! Imagine! And oh, what a beat it was. My wife, clearly impartial, declared this show “the greatest Red Jacket Mine show ever,” and as silly a title as it might seem, I can’t disagree with her. I finally got to haul out the ol’ AC30/Fender combination, and what a glorious din they created. I wish you could’ve been there. But enough of that. Thomas Paul again made the trek from Boise, and it’s always a pleasure to see him, especially when he turns in a great set like the one last night. Fine form, I say. Thanks to everyone who came out, and thanks to Brian and everyone at the J&M Cafe for having us.
10.10.05 – The Rendezvous – Jewel Box Theater (Lincoln solo) w/ The Swim Team, Manplus
Setlist: Starboard Meets the Sound / Monotone (aborted) / You Owe Me That / Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie) / For a Rainbow / True Currency / Every Time That I’ve Tried / 22 Rose Petal Place
This show, a part of NadaMucho.com’s ongoing New Music Monday series, was blighted by my beloved Fender Champ’s decision to blow a power tube during the second song. Luckily, Amos from The Swim Team (super-nice people and great musicians)saved the day by allowing me to plug into his Roland JC-120—a much different beast, no doubt, but it did the job. After this unpleasant surprise, I took few chances and plowed through the rest of the set. Not one of my favorite shows, but I made it. The turnout was truly remarkable, though—THANK YOU to everyone who came out to see me tremble…and thanks to NadaMucho.com for giving me the opportunity.
09.29.05 – The O Lounge – Seattle, WA (Lincoln solo) w/ Amateur Radio Operator & Thomas Paul (from Boise, ID)
Setlist: Starboard Meets the Sound / Every Time That I’ve Tried / Monotone / Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie) / Beaujolais / True Currency / You Owe Me That / I Love You Back / For a Rainbow / Sleep of the Just (Elvis Costello) / 22 Rose Petal Place
This was my first show in Seattle, booked about a week in advance. It was a great opportunity to try out a bunch of new songs in front of an audience, and I think it went pretty well. This much is certain: my little ‘79 Fender Champ sounded awesome! (Thanks, Jay!) My friends Mark Johnson (Amateur Radio Operator) and Thomas Paul played great sets as well. Big thanks to Joshua Westfall and all at the O Lounge for having us.
