He spins an eclectic mix of old and new, and sometimes rocknroll, that gets the entire bar dancing.

The atmosphere gets a rating of 3 here, thanks in large part to Mondays host DJ, TigerBeat. The atmosphere is pretty average for your Capitol Hill dive bar, but the bartenders are fast and they do not overcharge on drinks (which is all a gal can really ask for these days).

Score!Īlthough I dont venture to Chop Suey for more than the occasional concert, I have to recommend it as the best place to party on a Monday night - even if it means tackling Tuesday with a hangover. Getting there a bit early guarantees you a table and unfettered access to the photobooth near the bar. They manage to keep the place (even the bathrooms) surprisingly clean for a club, and the staff remains friendly. If youre in it for the music, there should be something up your alley: punk shows, Bootie mash-up, Bollywood jams, and pretty much anything else is fair game. If mixed drinks arent your thing, they usually have a few decent beers on tap as well. It makes a nice chillout room, or just a place to enjoy your drink - which, as mentioned, is likely to be strong. The kitschy Asian theme doesnt seem to extend very far beyond some paper lanterns and other window dressing, but its still a comfortable place to kick back - especially if the lounge area near the front is open. Rounder (but really this jam session was my favorite because I just wanted it to keep going on forever.Kickin dive bar with a pretty good sound system, strong pours, and a variety of programming. It was at this point Cass took off his satin white smoking jacket and according to Garrett the music changed)īig Wheel (my favorite jam session of the night) Laughter is the Best Medicine (epic jam session)Ībsentee (again, a trio with Sam Evian and Frank LoCrasto)Īmerican Canyon Sutra (the turning point according to Garrett, who is not that into jam music. I’ll definitely be listening to A on my drive to Portland today) He sounds exactly the same as he does on the recording which was put out in 2003. What Isn’t Nature (this is off A and I don’t think I’ve ever heard him play it live, so amazing. On this tour, in particular, his vocals are no longer simply a component that rounds out the melody, they are no longer solely the deliverer of a message (even though yes, he’s a poet and an auteur): his vocals have transformed to being the only ticket out of the chaos-the only ticket to ride out the meandering euphony and find the mainline back to the selfhood and the exclamation of the human spirit. I took away many truths last night, the two primary truths being 1) there is no wrong way if you are harnessing your own talented energy, luxuriating in it, and giving it back to the world in sheer joy-and that’s what I’m trying to do with my life, mostly through rare books and archives and 2) Cass uses his voice as an instrument just as much as he uses the guitar. Cass himself looked good, good haircut holding up, and his white shirt was emblazoned with a Pilot logo, giving credence to his own truck stop persona-life on the road as a musician sometimes equals wearing Pilot t-shirts out of necessity like any normal long-haul trucker. Last night Sam Evian again joined Cass and the band for a run of several songs, starting with What Isn’t Nature (some of the pics are of that number), but the long faced drummer from Sam’s band did not drum for CM last night. Cass was smiling, his body language was authoritative and playful and he would lean sideways this way or that, delivering his unwavering falsettos with squinted conviction.

People kept yelling “THANK YOU” and “I LOVE YOU” at Cass and it was pretty much true for all of us. In our case, the back was a place from which to better survey the crowd, their pluck, a better place from which to project cheers and whoops and to reflect energy back to the front. The venue itself has a low ceiling and a feeling of intimacy with performer and audience, a good bar with Seattle Dry Cider on tap, and a kitchen that serves sandwiches and burgers (in this case by a speed goth). Karen and Garrett, my friends from San Francisco who recently relocated to Seattle, accompanied me last night and they brought the enthusiasm, first falling in love with Sam Evian’s tunes and then later, facilitating the CM love when we unwittingly got caught in the very back of the room (hey, the view was good). Back in the US, back to a crowd more colorful, more varied, more down home American. Hell yeah we got fired up last night at Chop Suey in Capitol Hill in Seattle.

Chop suey seattle phone number