Tag Archives: music

Last Seattle Bad Things Show Until November!

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That’s right, we’ve been hitting Seattle hard this year getting the new songs and band members up to speed but it’s time to take a break. We have another batch of songs we got to get ready before recording in early 2025, so it’s back to writing mode. But, don’t worry, we have a fun return to Seattle planned for November 1st at the legendary Swedish Club. Stay tuned on that.

The show at Tim’s is not to be missed though. Not only are we joined by our old friends and former practice space roomies The Jesus Chords and the always incredible Vito, but the show is all ages, meaning my kid can come and yours too if you have ’em. What better way to warp their young minds?

The show also has to be wrapped up by 10pm due to noise curfew in White Center so even better for us old folks. But that means we’ll be going on much earlier than normal. I would plan on us hitting the stage by 8:30pm or so.

Advanced tickets are only $10 so I would get those here.

We’re going to be focused on some other regional markets when we return in the fall so look for shows in Carnation, Portland and Tacoma, hopefully. Live outside of Seattle and want The Bad Things to come to your town? Let us know and we’ll try and make it happen.

Happy Summer everyone! Hope you can come party with us on the 15th.

P.S. We will have our amazing new stickers available to hand out. Please vandalize at will and spread the love. We are also going to have prints of Kathy Moore’s amazing poster art for sale. This one’s a framer for sure.

Punk As Folk Is Back!!!

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In 2009, I was asked by the Northwest Folklife festival to help curate their first Folk Punk showcase. At that time, folk punk was largely associated with bands/artists like The Pogues, Billy Bragg, Attilla the Stockbroker, some of Chumbawamba’s early material, Mekons, The Levellers, Men They Couldn’t Hang, Violent Femmes, etc. Now the genre is more closely associated with bands like Blackbird Raum, Days N’ Daze, Bridge City Sinners and Mischief Brew. So, the lineup that played in 2009 was probably closer to the GenX definition of folk punk: us, The Wages of Sin and Meisce. Over the next three years, I started to see the evolution of the genre as incredible bands from all over the country came to busk at Folklife. They were more influenced by anarcho-punk and hardcore and they brought a new heaviness to the sound. Eventually that was the sound that dominated the Folk Punk stage and the genre really evolved into what it is today.

I started Punk As Folk as a way to help those traveling bands make some money and play a show for a drinking audience in a punk-friendly venue, The Funhouse. At the time, it was right across the street from Seattle Center. So close that some of the traveling crusties set up camp in front for the duration of the three day showcase. That inaugural three days featured us, Blackbird Raum, Barons of Tang from Australia, Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra from Canada, Chervona from Portland and a ton of others. Most notably, it was the last performance of God’s Favorite Beefcake as two of the members were killed in the Cafe Racer shootings just two days later. RIP Drew and Joe.

I continued to host it annually; moved it to Conor Byrne and started having bonified folk punk legend (his picture is on the Wikipedia page for Folk Punk) and Chumbawamba co-founder Danbert Nobacon act as MC and between-band entertainment and The Bad Things would close out the night, doing a few songs with Danbert. As the years went on, the wave of crusties with accordions and banjos diminished and Punk As Folk lineups became less focused on national/international acts and more PNW focused.

We’ve had some incredible bands over the years and this year is no exception:

Danbert Nobacon, Mister Ink and the Straight Razor Syndicate (featuring Kevin Incroyable from The Peculiar Pretzelmen), Nil Desperandum, Fun Forest and Phantom Pines. Oh, and The Bad Things closing out the night, of course.

We had to move from Conor’s to The Funhouse when we heard Conor’s was closing. Sounds like it’s open again but it’ll be nice to return to the birthplace (though in a new location) of Punk As Folk, after a five year, pandemic-induced hiatus.

See you there! Get advanced tickets here.

Back to the Market with the Rusty Cleavers – April 27th

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That’s right, we return to our birthplace, the Pike Place Market for a special night of junkyard cabaret and “queer-loving, Black Lives Matter proclaiming, progressive pickin’ from the heart of Tacoma” from The Rusty Cleavers. Here they are doing their bluegrass tribute to The Misfits.

We have a decades-old history with The Rabbit Box Theatre, having played our first shows there when it was Patti Summers Cabaret and then flexing our theatrical muscles in the aughts with the Can Can Castaways. Tonight we promise a night of new songs, favorite covers and timeless classics.

We will also have copies of the amazing poster art from Kathy Moore. These are definitely frame-worthy and continues our tradition of collectible posters for the Rabbit Box shows from Kathy. Get yours and get some Bad Things on your walls.

Tickets are $15 advanced / $18 day-of-show so get yours now at: https://givebutter.com/TheBadThings-April-27

For Shane!

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Tomorrow night we play tribute to a man that influenced this band probably more than any other. Shane MacGowan’s band The Pogues’ ability to sound like a traditional Irish band infused with punk rage and rebellion was exactly what I wanted to do with The Bad Things. It was too easy to stick a loud electric guitar in the mix to give it a “punk” feel….Shane did it all with words and attitude. He distilled Irish folk music down to its core and overlayed stories of excess (of all kinds), misery, romance and horror. We didn’t pick Irish music as our base but pretty much took everything else from what that late great London band taught us.

Tomorrow night we will be joined by an all-star cast of Seattle musicians and singers who will each pay tribute to this great man in their own way. We will be headlining the last part of the show and will have a host of guest singers and musicians joining us for our favorite Pogues tunes. Expect much singing and drinking….let’s make Shane proud.

This is looking like it will sell out so if you want to attend, we HIGHLY RECOMMEND BUYING ADVANCED TICKETS!

All proceeds will go to two charities that Shane raised money for and donated to:

One in Four – a charity organization that helps end the trauma of childhood sexual abuse in Ireland.

Childline – a 24/7 hotline that Irish children can use in crisis.

Halloween Is Tomorrow! Cabaret Macabre is Tomorrow!

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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.

Tractor on Wednesday! CD Release Coming!

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10438692_10203007575884254_2037135582_nThis Wednesday, July 23, we’ll be playing a very cool show. Legendary post-punk drummer Martin Atkins will be giving a lecture on the current state of the music business from the perspective of an independent musician who has done time in Public Image Ltd., Killing Joke, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails & Pigface.

Martin will give his lecture at 7:30pm followed by The Bad Things. Stick around after our set as we’ll be followed by Lynval Golding of The Specials’ new band Gigantor and Seattle’s own horror-punk stalwarts Spiderface closing out the night. Get tickets at Brown Paper Tickets and pay no service fees.

We’ll have download cards of the new album for sale so you can download the new record After the Inferno the second it comes out on Tuesday, September 16.

Speaking of, we also want to announce that the CD Release party for After the Inferno is happening on Friday, September 19 at Columbia City Theater. We’re still working on the opener but should be announcing that soon. Advanced tickets are available here.

We’ll also be playing some regional dates in celebration of the release:

Thursday, September 25 – Bellingham, WA at The Green Frog with Rattletrap Ruckus

Friday, September 26 – Portland, OR at The Alberta Street Pub with Chervona. Advanced tickets available here.

Saturday, September 27 – Olympia, WA at TBA.

Look for more regional dates soon. Also, we’ll be at Big Al Brewing in White Center on Saturday, August 9th. Also, look for an announcement of a new music video we’ve been brewing up. So many exciting things!

P.S. If you didn’t fill out our survey, please do. It will help us determine our next moves in terms of travel and booking. If you already filled it out, we love you. Thanks.

Goodbye Daniel Adam Driskill. We’re Sure Gonna Miss You.

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1506430_10152407283107146_9047259591095658957_nSeems like this band has played too many memorials in the last two years.

It was at the memorial for the Cafe Racer shootings at The Neptune Theater that Daniel Adam Driskill told me he’d been diagnosed with brain cancer. It seemed like somehow, this special little community we’d built was disappearing around us that night, for all the wrong reasons. Ironically, this was happening on a night when so many of those bands in that community were playing to probably the biggest audience they’d ever played to.

The thought of Daniel not being in the front row of Bad Things shows, closing his eyes, bobbing his head, holding his beer to his chest, looking content and totally wrapped up in our songs, that’s the ultimate compliment you can pay to a musician, just listening and appreciating what you do. And Daniel gave that to us every time, for years, pretty much from the beginning. He made us feel special and for that, we all had a special place in our hearts for the guy. Reading the posts on his Facebook page, I see he had that effect on a lot of people and definitely with a lot of other bands. A true fan of the music. Tried and true.

Tomorrow, we will get together at The Highline on Capitol HIll with an army of fellow musicians and friends and family to remember this gem of a man. Folks like Bakelite 78, Bucharest Drinking Team, Chaotic Noise Marching Corps, Mongrel Annie, Melissa Cerise, Diva Le Deviant and more will be providing entertainment. Sure to be a big night of music, tears, memories, smiles, more tears, more beers and drunken singalongs….something Daniel loved. It’ll be strange not to see him swaying arm and arm with the drunks during “Death of the Inferno” but, you know what? I’m betting he’ll be there all the same. He wouldn’t miss it.

Love you buddy and we’ll see you on the other side.

P.S. If you’re coming to the show tomorrow, bring cash. His family and loved ones were left with some stiff hospital bills and expenses that need to be taken care of. All proceeds of the door are going to the cause but bring extra so that Daniel’s loved ones can focus on their grieving.

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Daniel Adam Driskill in all his glory! Friday, January 13, 2012 at The Comet Tavern. Photo by Jon Roy.

Second Stop on our North to South Seattle Tour? Eastlake!

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March 2014Thanks to everyone that came out to Conor Byrne’s last Thursday. We had a great time. Gold Hope Duo were great. Gramps was his usual amazing self and we did what we do to a happy, dancing Ballard audience.

Now that the first leg of our North to South Seattle Tour is complete, time to start preparing for our next couple appearances in town. First of all, we’ll be headlining an amazing bill at Lo-Fi Performance Gallery in Eastlake on Friday, March 28 with our old buddies The Dolomites. The Dolomites and The Bad Things go back into the Midnite Choir days, when we were just two of maybe four bands that were doing this kind of music in the Pacific Northwest. After travels to Japan, Europe and Mexico City, Stevhen Iancu, essentially the only consistent member of the band, is back to rock out on his accordion with us and Wenatchee’s Jipsea Party, who we have not seen yet but are confident will start things off in a most raucous way.

After that, we’ll be hitting Columbia City with Northern California’s amazing El Radio Fantastique on Saturday, April 5th. But, more on that later.

Get advanced tickets to the Lo-Fi show here and be sure to pick the Artist Ticket option as it benefits Cafe Racer Love and gets you a very cool collectible ticket, all for a mere $0.25 extra.

Black Friday with The Bad Things!

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November 2013This Friday, we’ll be gracing Darrell’s Tavern in Shoreline with the “Power Quartet” version of the band. Joining us will be Bakelite 78 and The Debaucherauntes. Join us won’t you?

Also on Friday, we’ll be selling all our merch, physical CDs and downloads for 50% off. We’re just feeling that Black Friday spirit this year or something. Give your friend some Bad Things that don’t involve antibiotics.