The Andy Aupperlee Explosion 5000

Aurora Avenue bisects the heart of northern Seattle. From They Battery Street Tunnel to 224th Street, Aurora is the designation given to Washington State Route 99. Heading north, Aurora climbs Queen Anne Hill until it reaches The George Washington Memorial Bridge. After crossing Lake Union, Aurora charges through Fremont and slices through Woodland Park Zoo. I took this south facing photograph of Aurora Avenue and the George Washington Memorial Bridge from the 41st Street pedestrian bridge. The Space Needle is partially obscured by Queen Anne, and the Seattle skyline sits to the east (left of the photo). Yachts moored on Lake Union are also visible in the far left of the photo.
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This weekend the folks at Seattle’s Bold Hat Productions staged the seventh annual Hop Scotch Spring Beer and Scotch Festival in Fremont. Over 50 microbrews and imports, along with Scotch and Tequila samples were featured at the event. The tasting is a benefit for the Seattle International Film Festival.

So to summarize:
Lots of beer.
Fremont.
Cool charity.

Of course The Andy Aupperlee Explosion 5000 was there.
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For most Americans, soccer is about one of two things: you’re either a fan or a player. Most soccer players are little spaz-kids jacked up on Capri Sun who roam in packs, chasing a ball and kicking each other in the shins. Most soccer fans in this country are the parents of the aforementioned spaz. You probably drive a mini-van/SUV and alternate with the other parents on who brings the post game snack. But wait… there’s another kind of fan: the PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL, er soccer, fan. You pay money to go to matches, wear your team’s colors, and pretend you live in Europe/South America. These are the kinds of fans, check that, hooligans, that give soccer such a great reputation internationally. Americans have some catching up to do, but someday I believe we can be as obnoxious as our international counterparts.

Enter the Seattle Sounders FC. The Sounders are a football club that gives everyone in Seattle something they have always longed for: a reason to act like they live in a socialist European country. It also welcomes a departure from the AYSO standard of behavior; hello boozing and fighting!
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Shawn Glassford of Starfucker live at The Vera Project in Seattle, WA. April 10, 2009.

Starfucker is on the road again. So is the Andy Aupperlee Explosion 5000. I recently caught the cleverly named poppers in both Seattle and Chicago. I saw Starfucker twice before on their Fall 2008 tour, once in Washington DC (blog post here) and again several weeks later in Seattle. Over the winter Starfucker added a full-time drummer, Keil of Guidance Counselor, and recorded an EP titled Jupiter.
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The night kicked off at the District Lounge in the Hotel Deca. I know what you’re thinking… a little classy for this group. We are talking about the same collection of people who demolish boots of beer, turn quiet mountain cabins into dance parties and carelessly jump off giant logs in unison. Everyone was on their best behavior, although this quickly changed as the night progressed.
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This is a post about future posts. Sometime soon, you’ll see photos on this blog that look similar to the one above. Sure, you’ll see new boat owner, Nick, at the helm. You might even see Emily rigging a sail. What you will not see are pea coats and clouds. This pleasure-craft is meant to be enjoyed in the Seattle summer, and I can guarantee you that the Andy Aupperlee Explosion 5000 will be there to cover it. Look for a title something like: Despite alcohol, sun; Andy photographs from water—avoids disaster.
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Spiritualized.
Neumos. Seattle, WA.
September 14, 2008.
EXIF.

On my 27th birthday (September 14, 2008), the Spiritualized tour rolled through Seattle. Unlike most bands that play Neumos, Spiritualized parked buses, not vans, on the street outside the Seattle club. After nearly two decades of music, front man Jason Pierce and Spiritualized at least deserve the extra leg room and air conditioning that a luxury tour rig provides. It had been at least six years since my last Spiritualized concert. Chris Brown and I drove to Detroit and Chicago during the early part of the decade to witness Spiritualized live. While the performances were great, I’ll never forget a girl in the audience who sat on the floor and read a book during an entire show in Detroit. (continue reading…)