Well, the time is upon us. The big anniversary show is tomorrow and we’re anxiously preparing for what is sure to be a night of old friends, new friends, singalongs, tears, beers and more beers.
For the past couple weeks, I have been digging through old boxes of photos, scanning some of my favorite shots of the band and sharing them on our Facebook page. It’s been a great way for me to actually start tracking the dates of gigs that I was too drunk to remember. Took some research, some Google searching of old Stranger calendars, trying to read faded dates on the backs of old drugstore-developed photographs. Continue reading →
Hard to believe that it was a year ago that we played at The Funhouse with Professor Gall, Red Stitch Circus Phenomenon and God’s Favorite Beefcake, on what would be their last show. But, here we are again. Punk As Folk 2013!
The Funhouse is gone, our boys our gone but the music lives on. This year, I compressed the lineup to the cream of the crop from last year’s four day extravaganza. The legendary Blackbird Raum, our home town buddies The Mongrel Jews, San Francisco’s amazing Sour Mash Hug Band, our co-conspirator and folk punk legend Danbert Nobacon (who will also be acting as MC for the evening) and, closing out the night, your Bad Things. Also, a young lady named Porch Cat will be busking out front…who knows, we might even join her. Continue reading →
Yeah, that’s right! 11 years! Hard to believe, isn’t it? Well, here we are and we’re going to celebrate godammit!
We missed our 10th year anniversary last year as things just got too crazy after our practice space fire and the Cafe Racer shootings. I, honestly, didn’t even think about it until it had come and gone. So, why not an 11th year anniversary party? We always were a little “different” anyway.
The show is going to feature a whole slew of old friends and guest performers. Already slated to perform are opening bands Miss Mamie Lavona and her White Boy Band and Bakelite 78, both bands feature Bad Things members, are old friends and we can’t think of better openers. Armitage Shanks, our old compatriot from way back in the Midnite Choir days, will be hosting the show. The gals from Sinner/ Saint Burlesque will be performing throughout the night and guest performers include: former Bad Things MC/concertinist Danny Dead (!!), Danbert Nobacon, Melissa Cerise-Bullock (Bat Country), members of Orkestar Zirkonium and more.
And, in homage to the horrible tragedies of last year, we will be donating $1 of advanced ticket sales to the Victims of Cafe Racer Shootings Memorial Fund. Nancy, the organizer, told me that for the year anniversary of the shootings she hopes to transform the fund into a more general fund for all victims of violent crime and their families. Hopefully, we can help her get that started.
The shindig goes down on Thursday, June 27th at The Crocodile. You can get those advanced tickets here and I advise you do as this is sure to be a packed house.
9th Annual Cabaret Macabre. Photo by Justin Hills.
So, here we are. 2012 is over. It’s been a strange year for The Bad Things, to say the least.
We opened the year with a great show at The Comet, played on TV, visited our buddy Danbert Nobacon in Twisp for his 50th birthday, lost our practice space and thousands of dollars worth of equipment in a fire, had a busy and inspiring Folklife weekend and Punk As Folk showcase featuring, amongst other incredible acts, the last live performance of God’s Favorite Beefcake.
The week that followed was one of the worst weeks ever experienced within our Seattle artistic community, but, somehow, in the middle of it all, Mad Wilcox had an amazing marriage ceremony, lifting our spirits for a night. That beautiful night was followed by a month of fundraising shows, playing through multiple tears and multiple beers, and remembering our lost friends. Continue reading →
I was just sitting here putting together the set list for Monday’s show with Firewater and thinking how lucky I am to share the stage with a major musical influence for the second time.
Back when I was in A Midnite Choir, there weren’t a lot of gypsy punk or klezmer punk or steampunk or punk cabaret or whatever-the-fuck-you-want-to-call-them bands. There was some interesting stuff coming out of Denver like 16 Horsepower, the Denver Gentlemen and Devotchka, some cool stuff from Boston, mainly Reverend Glasseye and his Wooden Legs, a few great bands out of the South like the Pine Hill Haints, the collection of weirdness that was starting to assemble in the Pacific Northwest….and, of course, New York had Firewater!
The Bad Things have a show coming up on October 1st with the amazing band Firewater at the Crocodile. Don’t miss this show. These two bands couldn’t complement each other more, and the combined entertainment will prove a rare, and likely magical night. Tickets are $15 in advance, and available here.
I met with Jimmy “the Pickpocket” Berg, lead singer and accordion player for The Bad Things in Georgetown. I met him on his home turf to find out about how they are finding their way in the wake of two disasters. The Bad Things are post-apocalyptic depression era music. What they do crushes your heart and gives you a new one made out of whiskey. They’re high in the running for the most fun live show in Seattle any night they play. Though this past year has been fraught with tragedy, they are powering through with the help of the community. Continue reading →
The Bad Things 