About Jimmy the Pickpocket

Born in the shadows of the evergreens and the cornstalks. Born to howl sad songs at the stars to the wheeze of the blessed accordion. They call me The Pickpocket. Look for me by the train tracks. Cheers!

Next Stop….White Center

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That’s right. Our annual visit to lovely White Center, brought to you by the nice folks at Big Al Brewing happens this Saturday, July 30th.

They let us take over their stage and play our sad, sick songs. Best part of this show, besides being free, is it’s all ages. Lots of kiddies dancing. They’ve got great beer and you can bring food and eat it on the patio (we recommend Proletariat Pizza or Zippy’s Giant Burgers down the street) and the whole thing runs from 6pm – 9pm. We usually do two sets and bump vintage reggae and ska when we’re not on stage. Summer fun with your Bad Things.

After this we’ll be at Doe Bay Fest but it’s sold out so, if you were lucky enough to get tickets, we’ll see you there. We’ll try and post a report from this very unique and prestigious festival in the beautiful San Juan Islands.

Punk As Folk Returns to Ballard!

That’s right kiddies,

Punk As Folk is almost upon us once again for its 5th year. It’s an all Pacific Northwest lineup again this year and once again we return to Conor Byrnes Pub in Ballard. We’ll be reunited with or old buddy Danbert Nobacon as well. Gonna be a hell of a night and tickets are available herePAF16

Death of the Inferno….with a Freakin’ Choir!

Jimmy and Austin had the esteemed honor to perform and record a choral version of “Death of the Inferno” with the Singing in the Rain Family Choir last month as part of their “Sing Local” series. The result is one of the most gorgeous versions of this Bad Things classic you may ever hear. Here’s a video from the live performance. Stay tuned for more info on the CD release.

Just Announced! Lucky Liquor in April.

12670043_1186670031360680_8333721719566863652_nIn the 14 years of The Bad Things existence, the band has played a variety of venues; from swanky cabarets and concert halls, to music festivals, breweries, schoolhouses, underground speakeasy’s and punk rock dive bars.

The latter has always been the true spiritual home of the band however. The character’s that inhabit their songs are daily drinkers that spend their last pennies at working class bars in an effort to black out the work week. The band’s first shows were at places like the 9LB Hammer, at the time a sole outpost of underground culture in a neighborhood that Seattle forgot.

Boy have times changed. Georgetown has become a hipster mecca and true dives are becoming harder and harder to find. This in a city that once boasted some of the dingiest shit holes known to man. A port town whose central business district was once dominated by strip bars, porn and gun shops, prostitutes and hustlers. Now you’d be hard pressed to find a dive bar not filled with ironic moustaches, tweed jackets and trust funders drinking PBR and Old Crow in an attempt to mimic authentic working class culture.

That’s why this show at Lucky Liquor, a punk rock dive bar if there ever was one, feels special. Located on the far south end of Boeing Field, on the shores of the Duwamish, one of the most polluted waterways in the United States, this feels like a homecoming of sorts. A return to the real south end, yet to be compromised by gentrification and hipster entrepreneurs, to gritty old Seattle, the true spiritual home of the Bad Things universe.

It’s made even better as they’ll be joined by fellow purveyors of vintage Northwest grit: Bakelite 78 and The Mongrel Jews.

Come celebrate Friday night and bask in an irony-free haven for the real working class. This will be the real deal my friends.

The Bad Things
Bakelite 78
and The Mongrel Jews
Friday, April 22, 2016
at Lucky Liquor – 10325 E Marginal Way S, Tukwila, WA 98168
Doors at 8pm. Cover is $8 advanced/$10 at the door.

Friday! The Bad Things Return to the Funhouse.

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Don’t miss The Bad Things final appearance of 2015. It’s also the band’s first show at the new home of The Funhouse in the lounge of El Corazon. Joining us will be two of Seattle’s best Americana acts: Annie Ford Band and The Crossroads Exchange.

We recommend getting advanced tickets as space is tight. You can get them here.

Also, the holidays are here. If you have someone in your life that you think would dig our tunes, why not gift them our entire digital discography? Right now, over at our Bandcamp page, the entire discography (minus the Danbert Nobacon record) is available for the low, low price of $28.90. Get it here!

Speaking of Danbert Nobacon, check out his latest single “To Be Or Not To Be” featuring Jimmy the Pickpocket and Lord Kamke from The Bad Things.

That’s all for now. See you all on Friday. Get your tickets before it sells out.

Halloween Is Tomorrow! Cabaret Macabre is Tomorrow!

CabaretMacabre2015_Poster_v01bAhhhh. The rain has returned. The leaves are dying all around. The clouds loom overhead. Must be our favorite time of year again. That’s right kiddies, Halloween is tomorrow and you know what that means! It’s time once again for our annual Halloween hoedown Cabaret Macabre.

Seems like every year the excitement is upped a bit and this year is no exception. Tickets sales are surpassing all year’s past, we’re getting mentions in the Seattle PI and The Sunbreak. Halloweeners from the south end and beyond are strengthening their livers and compiling gruesome costumery as we speak.

It’s a great lineup this year with many newcomers performing for the first time. Breaking their macabre cherry as it were. Super excited to have the Balkan powerhouse that is Bucharest Drinking Team, who will take the stage at 10pm. Sinner Saint Burlesque will tantalize audiences with their sultry shenanigans between bands and we’re excited for the ragtime sounds of the Jug Banditos, who will be opening the night at 8:30pm. Not only that, our dear friends The Mongrel Jews will be performing a set on the sidewalk and in the Bourbon Bar before doors even open. That’s right! Get there around 7:30pm and catch them. They’ll also be joining The Bad Things on stage as part of The Bad Things’

Bad Things circa 2007 at the 4th Annual Cabaret Macabre at Jules Maes Saloon in Georgetown.

Bad Things circa 2007 at the 4th Annual Cabaret Macabre at Jules Maes Saloon in Georgetown.

Cut-throat Cabaret Choir, which will also include members of Bakelite 78, The Debaucherauntes and Bat Country (RIP).

Baby Gramps will be back for his twelfth year and is bringing accordionist Stevhen Koji Baianu with him. Bad Things fans may know him for his work with his project The Dolomites, as well as stints with Gogol Bordello and Balkan Beat Box, to name a few. Sounds like Gramps is bringing a whole crew of freaks up from Portland, so be sure to catch his set at 9:15pm.

And then, at 11pm, The Bad Things will hit the stage for a long set of our more macabre numbers. We’ll be sadly missing Stanislav the Gypsy this year but I imagine you’ll be able to spot him around the neighborhood. Special guests will appear throughout the night, as well as our Choir, which I mentioned earlier.

Also, let’s not forget the “bitch in charge,” your host for the last several Cabaret Macabre instalments. She always gets the drunken audience all riled up for us and it wouldn’t be the same with out her. Buy her a drink when you see her. Ladies and gentlemen, Diva Le Deviant!

We’ll also be selling a limited-edition commemorative t-shirt at the show and over half have been claimed already, so get to the merch table and pick up one before your size is gone. They’re $20 or $23 for a t-shirt/poster combo (while supplies last). Cash only please.

As I said earlier, excitement has been a little more intense this year and ticket sales are already surpassing the last couple years. I think there will be tickets at the door but can’t guarantee it, so pick yours up here before they’re all gone. Today is traditionally our biggest day of ticket sales.

Get A Limited Edition Cabaret Macabre T-Shirt With Your Ticket Purchase!

WtfC1TNOE-z-Y6pstuswm2-00xSgCkdS4Xu2wQSybhQAFe5tIOQT-P7pnqA0VHiWsJPb798MdkvphBmYSC6H5-SzoVNPMY6_hkMKo-n51Xlw1iHJBg-4Ny0yVUawrUJg6uLJPXqZXEtyM1NtdORS3_qqxEMs6ZPrQZG0WTl9nPFZ3Aw2vMEpjBwNzhsSjmcvxg2OZjld-UPo4mf4zoPrHmop3z6DXfM2MThat’s right friends. We’re offering this amazing, limited edition t-shirt designed by Robert ‘Nix’ Nixon and a show poster with your purchase of a Cabaret Macabre ticket. For just $40, you get into the best show of the year, get an extremely limited edition t-shirt (less than 30 will be made) and the amazing poster to remember this night by. What more can you ask for.

Just specify your shirt size when prompted during the ticket purchase process and we’ll have it waiting for you at our merch table the night of the show. Better get them quick ’cause they won’t last long.

You can get tickets here: http://cabmac2015.bpt.me

Lineup Announced for the 12th Annual Cabaret Macabre!

Cabaret Macabre LogoThat’s right kiddies. The Bad Things return to the Columbia City Theater for their annual Halloween bacchanal, Cabaret Macabre, celebrating its 12th anniversary.

This year’s lineup is set to be a humdinger, with Baby Gramps returning for his annual appearance, Balkan misfits Bucharest Drinking Team bringing their bombastic take on Eastern European party music, the gin-soaked rag-blues of The Jug Banditos and interspersed throughout the evening, burlesque and dance performance from Sinner Saint Burlesque and Miss J9 Fierce, co-producer of Cabaret Macabre. Diva Le Deviant returns as our host and closing out the night, will be your own Bad Things.

Tickets go on sale on Tuesday, September 1st at 10am at Brown Paper Tickets, unless of course you were lucky enough to attend in the past or are on The Bad Things mailing list. If that’s you, check your inbox for a special fan club pre-sale. The rest of you hang tight and get them tickets quick before they’re gone on September 1st!

Still need some convincing? Here’s us performing with J9 Fierce last year:

We’re Baaaacckkk!

Big-Al-BrewingYep, that’s right. 4/6ths of The Bad Things will be making an appearance in Seattle on Saturday, July 11th for our annual summer show at Big Al Brewing in the White Center neighborhood. This show has always been an opportunity for us to play to family and friends. The shows always have a great laid-back feel to them and we bump our favorite early reggae/ska cuts between sets, so it really gets the outdoor dancehall feeling going.

The show is all ages and free and there’s plenty to drink for those that need to imbibe. Also tons of great food in White Center. Why not wander around and grab some great local grub, a great local beer and enjoy your favorite local band, The Bad Things?