Hardly Raining

Seattle music and culture blog. Features concert photos, show reviews, artist interviews, local events, and more.

Os Mutantes

Photos from Freakout Festival 2022

2022-11-13 Hardly Raining Seattle’s Freakout Festival returned to Ballard on November 10-13, 2022. This tenth iteration spanned four nights and six venues, along with a new outdoor stage that featured popular Seattle artists. It was a fantastic lineup from around the world, emphasizing bands from Latin America and the U.S. West Coast. On-brand for Freakout, …

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Modest Mouse performs at The Showbox in Seattle on November 23, 2022 (photo: Lisa Hagen Glynn).

Modest Mouse (w/ Sun Atoms) at the Showbox

2022-11-23 Hardly Raining Portland indie-rockers Modest Mouse played three sold-out nights at The Showbox on November 21-23, 2022. Formed in Issaquah in 1993, the group has been integral to the Pacific Northwest alternative music scene. Their The Lonesome Crowded West tour commemorates the 25th anniversary of their 1997 album by that title. Most recently, Modest …

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Alex Dugdale What We Have On Tap

Photos from the 2022 Earshot Jazz Festival

2022.11.07 Hardly Raining The 34th annual Earshot Jazz Festival returned to Seattle from October 8–November 6, 2022. This autumn’s festival featured 37 jazz shows across a dozen Seattle venues. Headliners included Grammy-winning artist Dianne Schuur (vocals, piano), and NEA Jazz Master Charles Lloyd (saxophone) with his Ocean Trio. Resident artist Alex Dugdale (saxophone, tap dance) …

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Gary Smulyan and Paul Rauch, outside Tula's jazz club in Seattle (photo: Jim Levitt).

Grateful Dead Meetup at the Movies: Confessions of a Modern Jazz Journalist

2022.11.01 Paul Rauch, special to Hardly Raining The Grateful Dead have always defied convention, when it comes to the more commonly accepted protocols of American entertainment. Their refusal to be pop stars despite immense popularity is part of the allure, just a group of six guys playing music without any sort of show business glitz. …

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Anders Trentemøller performs at The Showbox.

Trentemøller at The Showbox

2022-09-16 Hardly Raining Danish electronic artist Anders Trentemøller kicked off his North American tour at The Showbox on September 16, 2022. Based in Copenhagen, Trentemøller is a composer, musician, and producer. Joining him were Icelandic artist DíSA (vocals, guitar), Silas Tinglef (drums), Brian Batz (guitar), and Jacob Haubjerg (bass). Trentemøller creates techno that draws on diverse musical influences. …

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Earshot Jazz Festival digital banner 2022

2022 Earshot Jazz Festival Begins Tomorrow

2022-10-07 Hardly Raining The 2022 Earshot Jazz Festival kicks off tomorrow. The 34th annual event runs October 8–November 6 at venues throughout Seattle. Like last year, the festival will offer both in-person and virtual attendance options. Headlining is saxophonist Charles Lloyd’s Ocean Trio, which includes Anthony Wilson (guitar) and Harish Raghavan (bass). This year’s artist …

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Greg Gonzalez of Cigarettes After Sex.

Cigarettes After Sex at Showbox SoDo

09/12/2022 Hardly Raining Cigarettes After Sex returned to Seattle for the fifth time on September 12, 2022. The El Paso-then-Brooklyn-based dream-pop trio includes Greg Gonzalez (vocals, guitar), Jacob Tomsky (drums), and Randall Miller (bass). Like most of the band’s shows, this one was sold out. An hour-long entry line wrapped around the block outside the …

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Wet Leg

THING Festival Returns to Port Townsend

2022-08-26 Hardly Raining Three years after the inaugural event in 2019, the second THING Festival returned to Port Townsend on August 26-28, 2022. THING is sponsored by the nonprofit Seattle Theatre Group. This year’s THING featured a curated lineup of musical artists from around the world, with a focus upon western Washington. Headlining were Connecticut …

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Alessandra Rose

Women in Song at Volunteer Park

2022-08-18 Hardly Raining The Volunteer Park Summer Series at the Amphitheater closed out its season with Women in Song, featuring Star Anna, Eugenie Jones, and Alessandra Rose. Ellensburg-based Americana artist Star Anna (vocals, guitar) kicked off the evening. Her band The Oracles included Mark Pickerel (drums), Omar Schambacher (guitar), and Tyrah Dunning (bass). Although the …

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