Updates, reviews, ecetera

Welcome to the new URL! Scrimshaw Music News is now here. I'll still probably only post something new every six months, but you get the idea. On that note...

It's been a busy summer! I fell in love, helped some good friends get hitched, moved apartments, took my share of road trips, worked at the restaurant and freelanced a bunch.

Just before it folded its print publication, I began writing for Paste. It was a thrill to see my byline on the website, and I'm sad I won't see it in print. But I did squeeze these few reviews in before the indie tastemaker threw in the towel:

J. Tillman: Singing Ax

Latetitia Sadier: The Trip

Dead Confederate: Sugar

I'm still waiting to see if my interview with Ishmael Butler (formerly of Digable Planets, currently of Seattle's Shabazz Palaces) makes it up on the site's "Best of What's Next" section, where it was slated to run. From what I read on the web, on September 1, all the folks I was working with at Paste were given two hours to clean their desks, and I haven't heard from anyone since. I know Prefix is interested, so hopefully the short Q&A will see the light of day soon.

Paste also ran a small feature called "Ten September Albums Worth Checking Out" which contained an excerpt from my Laetitia Sadier review. It's here:

Ten September Albums Worth Checking Out

I've been doing some work with City Arts as well. I reviewed a mellow jazz show at Jazz Alley back in June (Music Review: A Long Night with Dave Peck Trio) and wrote a few band biographies promoting the upcoming City Arts Music Festival, which will feature more than 60 bands playing Seattle venues October 20 - 23. I'll post those bios when they go up, but for now, here's what you need to know about the festival: City Arts Fest Homepage.

And to top things off, I've been working on updating Seattle Weekly's club and bar database. The pieces are short, informational snippets about various venues around the city, but it's been keeping me busy and I've been having fun doing it. I'm almost up to 20 entries - too exhaustive to list here - but if you ever get to reading about a random venue on Seattleweekly.com, chances are I might have authored it (and taken the accompanying photos).

I think that catches y'all up. Until next time, people!