ACRL National Conference Amanda Hornby and Anna Bjartmarsdóttir Sveinbjörnsson Beyond grunge Engage in Seattle’s real music scene he 14th ACRL National Con- hood in the early 1900s.1 During Tference provides librarians the 1920s and 1930s, Seattle was with the opportunity to engage in also home to a politically radical Seattle’s vibrant culture. Grunge folk music scene, and folk singer rock made Seattle’s music scene Woody Guthrie regularly stayed famous, but Seattle’s current local in town. music scene is as diverse as it is Seattle’s Jackson Street jazz innovative. Seattle’s jazz and rock music past scene flourished from the late 1930s to the (and present) is characterized by independent 1950s, and dozens of jazz clubs prospered thought, unique musical collaborations, and along Jackson Street, thanks to the talent a sense of place. We hope of musicians like Ray that this article will help Charles and jazz singer Er- you understand the rich nestine Anderson. Seattle history behind Seattle’s experienced considerable popular music scene and growth during the 1930s provide you with a guide and 1950s, and soldiers to going out and enjoying and workers, looking for it. Whether it’s indie rock, a good time, helped make jazz, classical or hip hop, Seattle a boomtown for Seattle’s music scene has bootleggers and live mu- a dizzying array of live sic. Seattle’s Chinatown music venues and genres also played host to a to choose from. We invite dynamic after-hours jazz you to engage in one scene, particularly the Jazz musicians playing at local club, of Seattle’s most thriving celebrated Black and Tan Seattle, 1961. Copyright: Seattle Post-Intel- enterprises: the live music ligencer Collection, Museum of History and Club. Seattle’s music scene scene. Industry began to receive more na- tional attention in the 1950s Seattle’s early music scene: Vaudeville, when local band the Fleetwoods produced jazz, and the “Northwest sound” the first national pop hit from the Northwest As a remote Northwestern town, Seattle’s live musical entertainment in the early 1900s was largely imported from across the United Amanda Hornby is media and technology studies librarian at the University of Washington Bothell/ States. Seattle soon became the center of Cascadia Community College Campus Library, e- rowdy vaudeville touring circuits and several mail: [email protected], and Anna Bjartmarsdóttir theater chains, including the Moore Theatre. Sveinbjörnsson is Nordic studies librarian at the University of Washington Libraries, e-mail: as23@u. An active jazz community began to develop washington.edu around Seattle’s Jackson Street neighbor- © 2008 Amanda Hornby and Anna Bjartmarsdóttir Sveinbjörnsson C&RL News October 2008 530 white kids in the Northwest seized upon black R&B with a manic, almost awkward ferocious- ness, epitomized by the Kingsmen’s anthem, ‘Louie Louie.’”3 This influential scene also helped to inspire Seattle native Jimi Hendrix’s innovative electric rock guitar sound, music producer Quincy Jones, and many others. As a major university town, Seattle expe- rienced its share of the hippie activist move- ment, including folk music, underground newspapers, an active Black Panthers chapter, and the outdoor music festivals of the 1960s and 1970s.4 In addition to groovy disco acts The Kingsmen loading instruments into such as Ze Whiz Kidz, the most well-known trailer, Seattle, 1964. Copyright: Seattle Post- Seattle rock group to emerge in the 1970s Intelligencer Collection, Museum of History and was the band Heart, fronted by sisters Ann Industry and Nancy Wilson. and Seattleite Ron Holden’s soul ballad 1980s Seattle: Garage rock and hip “Love You So” reached the national top-ten hop Billboard list.2 In the 1980s, heavy metal music grew out of During this time period, a “Northwest Seattle’s garage rock scene, and Seattle heavy sound,” heavily influenced by Seattle’s jazz metal band Queensrÿche gained national scene, began to emerge with the garage rock attention. In the ‘80s, Seattle’s First Avenue music of local bands the Wailers, the Kings- became home to many punk rock and hard- men, the Sonics, and Paul Revere and the core music hangouts; major bands from this Raiders. Seattle jazz historian Paul De Barros scene included The Fastbacks, Green River, remarks that “in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Solger, TAD, The Gits, and more. The punk Live music What bands are playing while you’re Live indie rock and pop music in Seattle at the ACRL National Confer- • KEXP Concert Calendar, kexp.org ence? Consult these online resources for /events/clubcalendar.asp up-to-date information and live music • The Stranger Music Listings, new. concert listings. Seattle’s exciting live thestranger.com/music music scene awaits, no matter what your musical tastes. Live jazz music • Ear Shot Jazz Calendar, www. Live music–all types earshot.org/Calendar/calendar.asp These sources include live hip hop, jazz, • KPLU Music Calendar, events. classical music and opera, indie rock, and publicbroadcasting.net/kplu/events. world music. eventsmain • Seattle Post-Intelligencer Live Be sure to visit the ACRL Conference Wiki Music Calendar, seattlepi.nwsource.com for more live music information, ACRL confer- /wh/livemusic.asp ence details, and Seattle’s best music and res- • Seattle Weekly Music Calendar, taurant picks at wikis.ala.org/acrl/index.php www.seattleweekly.com/music/ /ACRL_14th_National_Conference_Wiki. October 2008 531 C&RL News and hardcore music scene embraced a do- the band’s distorted, feedback-heavy sound. it-yourself, anti-corporate attitude infl uenced Sub Pop and other promoters of the “Seattle by local music zines and independent news- sound” publicized a very particular image of papers, like the Rocket and Desperate Times, grunge music: “long hair, flailing heads, slam and local independent radio stations.5 dancing and stage diving, beer, cynicism, male The rapper Sir Mix-A-Lot emerged in the bonding, feedback, ear damage, smoke…no 1980s out of Seattle’s small but vibrant hip politics, no R&B, no women in sight.” This hop scene. Sir Mix-A-Lot cofounded a hip depiction was an “inaccurate portrayal of all hop record label in Seattle bands,” but the 1983 with DJ Nasty music press and the Nes, who also hosted media at large eagerly Seattle’s fi rst hip-hop accepted the image.9 radio show; Sir Mix- Following the suc- A-Lot promoted the cess of bands like Nir- Seattle hip hop sound, vana and Pearl Jam, and produced his own the media and fashion tracks.6 Sir Mix-A-Lot world flocked to Se- gained national notice attle to cash in on the with his single “Posse music and style, and on Broadway,” which the flannel shirt (worn referred to Broadway by grunge bands for Street in Seattle. Sir The Showbox marquee in Seattle. Copyright: Photo its cheapness and courtesy of Joe Quercia Mix-A-Lot later collab- durability) became orated with Seattle rock groups Mudhoney and symbolic of the high-fashion grunge look. Presidents of the United States of America. Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder unwillingly typified the grunge Seattle sound and look in “Grunge” music: The new Seattle sound the mainstream media by being featured on Seattle had a thriving underground garage the cover of Time magazine under the headline rock scene in the 1980s and 1990s, and grunge “All the Rage.” emerged as a term for the music in 1991-1992; the grunge rock movement in Seattle (and be- Seattle’s other music scenes yond) represented authentic rock in opposition Even as the grunge scene took a more aggres- to “rent-a-culture,” yuppies, packaged bands sive, masculine tone, many female musicians promoted by major music record producers, were making waves in Seattle and beyond. and overblown arena rock excess.7,8 Many of the female bands were outspoken The record label Sub Pop is widely credited feminists and radicals, especially the bands with introducing Seattle grunge music to na- and zines associated with the “Riot Grrrl” scene tional and international audiences. In the late centered in nearby Olympia, Washington.10 1980s, Sub Pop record label founders Jonathan The band Bikini Kill was among the most Poneman and Bruce Pavitt (the author of a well-known of the “riot grrrl” music scene. music zine called Subterranean Pop) released Courtney Love’s Olympia-based band, Hole, recordings of new Northwest bands like Nir- was re-formed upon her move to Seattle in vana, Mudhoney, Girl Trouble, and Sound- the early 1990s and straddled the labels of garden. The resulting widespread interest in “grunge” and “riot grrrl.” the grunge sound, which also included Pearl Enthusiasm for grunge music began to Jam and Alice in Chains, soon made Seattle’s wane in the later mid-1990s, and many Seattle music scene famous. The most well-known music fans hoped for the death of grunge so of the grunge bands was Nirvana, recognized that a greater diversity of Seattle music could for its charismatic lead singer Kurt Cobain and be heard, including bands like Sky Cries Mary, C&RL News October 2008 532 Live music venues Jazz Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., Seattle, WA Downtown Seattle 98122, (206) 709-9467, www.neumos. Musiquarium Lounge (at the Triple com Door), 216 Union St., Seattle, WA 98101, Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison, Seattle (206) 838-4333, www.thetripledoor.net WA, 98122, (206) 324-8000, www.chop- Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, 2033 6th Ave. suey.com # 255, Seattle, WA 98121, (206) 441-9729 Comet Tavern, 9822 E. Pike St., Seattle www.jazzalley.com WA, 98122, (206) 323-9853, www.myspace. Tula’s, 2214 2nd Ave., Seattle, WA com/thecomettavern 98121, (206) 443-4221. www.tulas.com Highdive, 513 N 36th, Seattle, WA 98103, (206) 632-0212, www.highdivese- Indie rock, alt-country, hip hop, and attle.com more The Triple Door: 216 Union St., Se- Ballard neighborhood attle, WA 98101, (206) 838-4333 www.