Glitterbang

Bold new bands fronted by LGBT folks are busting open Seattle's music scene, which has long had a reputation as the epicenter of a sound dominated by plaid-wearing indie rock dudes. We talk with the organizers of Seattle's 'Mo-Wave queer music and arts fest, get music picks from queer music podcast Homoground, and talk with show-stopping Seattle band Glitterbang. This episode pairs well with our recent QueerShake mixtape, which features bands like THEESatisfaction and Magic Mouth. - Bitch Media

We asked the world famous DJ, Marco Collins, what his favorite Seattle albums of 2013 were – and in classic Marco form, he gave us a plethora of information, including his top 25 albums, and which records he’s looking forward to for 2014! Also, he let us know a little info about his upcoming acoustic holiday show, which he’s hosting in Ballard this month!

– Jake Uitti, Managing Editor, The Monarch Review



Marco Collins: What a great year for Seattle music. It only took me a month to put together this list of the Top 25 Seattle Records of 2013 and I pray I didn’t miss anything. This is, of course, a list of MY favorites (most listened to) and records I felt were important to the scene. There were several records on this list that I thought should have received WAY more attention than they did: Glitterbang, Nissim, Jaymes Young and my number one record of the year, Timothy Robert Graham! (A few of these are EPs (The Flavr Blue & Mary Lambert) and one is a record that came out in 2012 (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis). I included “The Heist” because it hadn’t really made an impact on me until this year).

1. Timothy Robert Graham – The Hidden Rose
2. Pickwick – Can’t Talk Medicine
3. Rose Windows – The Sun Dogs
4. Mary Lambert – Welcome to the Age of My Body
5. Glitterbang – Occasionally, Love Is War
6. Hobosexual – Hobosexual II
7. La Luz – It’s Alive
8. Nissim - Nissim
9. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – The Heist
10. The Flavr Blue – Brite Vices
11. Hey Marseilles – Lines We Trace
12. Jaymes Young – Dark Star
13. Nacho Picasso – High & Mighty
14. Campfire Ok – When You Have Arrived
15. Ra Scion – The Sickle & The Sword
16. Walking Papers - Walking Papers
17. Monogamy Party – False Dancers
18. Moondoggies – Adios I’m a Ghost
19. Cock & Swan – Secret Angles
20. Grave Babies – Crusher
21. Cumulus – I Never Meant It To Be Like This
22. Ravenna Woods – The Jackals
23. Mudhoney – Vanishing Point
24. Aaron Sprinkle – Water & Guns
25. Pearl Jam – Lightening Bolt - The Monarch Review

This is the second night of a three-night extravaganza of underground art, performance, and live music that’s curated by—and an homage to—local artist Tara Thomas. Expect a dizzyingly chaotic array of art, video installation, bingo, contests, and hot dogs. The list of bands and performers appearing over these three days is hundreds of miles too long to fit in this space, but it does include Ade, Collide-O-Scope, Glitterbang, Jackie Hell, Crypts, Cap Lori, the Space Needles, Spencer Moody, Sylvia O’Stayformore, Tranny-Saurus Wrecks, Vintage Youth, and the Witches Titties. (Re-bar, 1114 Howell St, www.rebarseattle.com, 9 pm, $6, 21+)

by KELLY O
- The Stranger

Glitterbang, one word, is one of Seattle’s most promising bands in the fast-rising electronic pop scene, emerging mostly from Capitol Hill. A duo comprised of Nicki Danger and Joey Veneziani, they specialize in catchy, dance-oriented pop and have a perfect female singer who can command the stage and fully express the lyrics. Or as Danger summed up when asked what to expect from a Glitterbang show in an interview, “People can expect to see an amazing set of songs that two people have put their heart and soul into and they’re going to dance they’re asses off.”
Veneziani and Danger met each other as their previous bands were winding down their time and found a musical compatibility that works. On stage, he creates most of the music while she sings (and sometimes plays guitar). Off stage, the process is collaborative. When they write songs, Veneziani said, “It’s a lot of back and forth. Some songs are stripped down ideas, like Nicki will have an idea or a sketch of something in Garage Band and I’ll try to remix it and throw the kitchen sink at it and see what works. There’s not any sitting in a room around a fire with a guitar, or anything like that. It’s very much like putting a puzzle.” He described it as “lots and lots of ideas”.
What makes Glitterbang such and exciting band, though, is that each song could change between performances and doesn’t remain constant. As Veneziani told me, “That’s the other thing about the music we make and how we design our performance. We don’t ever want to be playing the same thing the same way over and over, so we’re constantly remixing our songs and a whole new element may come out of it. When we record something, after playing it live for four months, it becomes a whole new thing.” He added “that has a lot to do with our reluctance to finish an album. We know it’s always going to be changing in the future.” There is much to be said for a band that constantly evolves and seeks to improve their sound, even if there are only a small handful of songs available online.
The amount of time spent on each song can be difficult to gauge. As Veneziani explained, “The lines are so blurred between writing and producing that I don’t know how long it takes. I could work on the same drum beat for like six months and out of that a whole new part may come from it. I’m obsessed with it. I gotta hear what hears what happens if you throw a Diana Ross beat under this track, I have to hear it how it works.” He added, “Nicki is the same way. She’s always coming up with different ideas. I don’t think there’s a set amount of time a week we work on it. It’s having ideas and jotting down notes and trying to pull them off.” She notes, “We do spend some time on songs.”
The duo has a lot of ambitious ideas for their music, including making a video, releasing an album (though probably not an LP initially) and touring, but nothing has been set in stone yet. Veneziani says, “We’d love to do a full-length, but we’d rather not rush that and rather have like five really good songs and put out singles, we’re fine with that. I’d rather not try to have eleven songs just because that’s what you need for an album.” The pair started playing shows a little over a year ago and has improved each time, resulting in the great (and improving) live show they have now. Danger says, “I think we’re more syncopated. I’m a lot more comfortable and know the music so well. It’s just feels so good.” Venziani adds, “The comfort level is there and we can tell the times in the set where people lose interest or whatever. You can gauge that in a live setting and I think we’ve gotten better and better at the flow of the set and building up the tension.”
While the band’s music evolves and their live show improves, it also coincides with growth of Seattle’s dance pop scene. The music is celebratory and catchy and a lot of fun. Danger says, “I’ve had enough of the sadness, let’s see some fucking dancing in the city. I’m really glad that there are dance bands emerging like Sports and Beat Connection and Noddy and Secret Shoppers. There is just so much fun.” Veneziani agrees, saying “It just seems like this scene we’re playing in is really fun and everyone is really positive and just wants to have a good time. There’s not a lot backstabbing or anything like that. It’s very refreshing.” There are a lot of similarly-focused bands who are now playing shows together and collaborating with one another. And they’d like to see more of it. As Joey Veneziani said at the end of our interview, “People should come see us and if they are interested in remixing our music or having us remix their music, please get in touch with us. We’re always open to that. I want to build that community of like-minded artists.” - Another Rainy Saturday

Glitterbang, one word, is one of Seattle’s most promising bands in the fast-rising electronic pop scene, emerging mostly from Capitol Hill. A duo comprised of Nicki Danger and Joey Veneziani, they specialize in catchy, dance-oriented pop and have a perfect female singer who can command the stage and fully express the lyrics. Or as Danger summed up when asked what to expect from a Glitterbang show in an interview, “People can expect to see an amazing set of songs that two people have put their heart and soul into and they’re going to dance they’re asses off.”
Veneziani and Danger met each other as their previous bands were winding down their time and found a musical compatibility that works. On stage, he creates most of the music while she sings (and sometimes plays guitar). Off stage, the process is collaborative. When they write songs, Veneziani said, “It’s a lot of back and forth. Some songs are stripped down ideas, like Nicki will have an idea or a sketch of something in Garage Band and I’ll try to remix it and throw the kitchen sink at it and see what works. There’s not any sitting in a room around a fire with a guitar, or anything like that. It’s very much like putting a puzzle.” He described it as “lots and lots of ideas”.
What makes Glitterbang such and exciting band, though, is that each song could change between performances and doesn’t remain constant. As Veneziani told me, “That’s the other thing about the music we make and how we design our performance. We don’t ever want to be playing the same thing the same way over and over, so we’re constantly remixing our songs and a whole new element may come out of it. When we record something, after playing it live for four months, it becomes a whole new thing.” He added “that has a lot to do with our reluctance to finish an album. We know it’s always going to be changing in the future.” There is much to be said for a band that constantly evolves and seeks to improve their sound, even if there are only a small handful of songs available online.
The amount of time spent on each song can be difficult to gauge. As Veneziani explained, “The lines are so blurred between writing and producing that I don’t know how long it takes. I could work on the same drum beat for like six months and out of that a whole new part may come from it. I’m obsessed with it. I gotta hear what hears what happens if you throw a Diana Ross beat under this track, I have to hear it how it works.” He added, “Nicki is the same way. She’s always coming up with different ideas. I don’t think there’s a set amount of time a week we work on it. It’s having ideas and jotting down notes and trying to pull them off.” She notes, “We do spend some time on songs.”
The duo has a lot of ambitious ideas for their music, including making a video, releasing an album (though probably not an LP initially) and touring, but nothing has been set in stone yet. Veneziani says, “We’d love to do a full-length, but we’d rather not rush that and rather have like five really good songs and put out singles, we’re fine with that. I’d rather not try to have eleven songs just because that’s what you need for an album.” The pair started playing shows a little over a year ago and has improved each time, resulting in the great (and improving) live show they have now. Danger says, “I think we’re more syncopated. I’m a lot more comfortable and know the music so well. It’s just feels so good.” Venziani adds, “The comfort level is there and we can tell the times in the set where people lose interest or whatever. You can gauge that in a live setting and I think we’ve gotten better and better at the flow of the set and building up the tension.”
While the band’s music evolves and their live show improves, it also coincides with growth of Seattle’s dance pop scene. The music is celebratory and catchy and a lot of fun. Danger says, “I’ve had enough of the sadness, let’s see some fucking dancing in the city. I’m really glad that there are dance bands emerging like Sports and Beat Connection and Noddy and Secret Shoppers. There is just so much fun.” Veneziani agrees, saying “It just seems like this scene we’re playing in is really fun and everyone is really positive and just wants to have a good time. There’s not a lot backstabbing or anything like that. It’s very refreshing.” There are a lot of similarly-focused bands who are now playing shows together and collaborating with one another. And they’d like to see more of it. As Joey Veneziani said at the end of our interview, “People should come see us and if they are interested in remixing our music or having us remix their music, please get in touch with us. We’re always open to that. I want to build that community of like-minded artists.” - Another Rainy Saturday

‘Mo-Wave, a new music festival highlighting the rebellious, trendsetting, and wild side of queer culture is coming to Capitol Hill April 12-14th. The brainchild of Jodi Ecklund of Chop Suey, Pony’s Marcus Wilson, musician Seth Garrison, and composer Barret Anspach, the festival aims to shake up safe, mainstream ideas of homosexuality.

“We organizers come from a school of homosexuality that’s a bit rowdy and rock-and-roll, and we think our festival will remind you that this school is alive and well,” organizers tell CHS. They hope to curate and encourage queer-centric music and art that challenges and inspires at venues across the Hill.

The performances will take place at Chop Suey, Pony, and Wildrose. One of the goals is to simply highlight these venues.

“Queer friendly (or just outright GAY), these places invest in our culture daily, by giving us all safe spaces in which to meet and share our talents,” writes Ecklund. Many notable Hill acts are already booked, such as the electro-pop duo Glitterbang, sultry dream pop quartet Night Cadet, and art-punk trio Ononos, to name a few. Look for more announcements — it’s early, yet. - Capitol Hill Seattle Blog

Tonight! Eight Local Bands Cover the Pixies! Bonus Pixies (Without Music!) Clip!
posted by KELLY O on FRI, AUG 23, 2013 at 12:19 PM

Tonight at Chop Suey there's a Pixies cover night! And, jeez, who DOESN'T love the Pixies? Nobody, that's who! The eight bands feature members of:

MIDDAY VEIL / ONONOS / CHARMS / NODDY / KITHKIN / TEA COZIES / BAD MOTIVATORS / GLITTERBANG

As and added bonus, check out this creepy-and-weird-as-f*ck rendition of Pixies' song "Deabaser." Some wisecracker took out all the instrumentals, leaving only the vocals of Sir Black Frances. (More on the Buzzfeed) Tis' creeeeeeeepy! - The Stranger

Tonight! Eight Local Bands Cover the Pixies! Bonus Pixies (Without Music!) Clip!
posted by KELLY O on FRI, AUG 23, 2013 at 12:19 PM

Tonight at Chop Suey there's a Pixies cover night! And, jeez, who DOESN'T love the Pixies? Nobody, that's who! The eight bands feature members of:

MIDDAY VEIL / ONONOS / CHARMS / NODDY / KITHKIN / TEA COZIES / BAD MOTIVATORS / GLITTERBANG

As and added bonus, check out this creepy-and-weird-as-f*ck rendition of Pixies' song "Deabaser." Some wisecracker took out all the instrumentals, leaving only the vocals of Sir Black Frances. (More on the Buzzfeed) Tis' creeeeeeeepy! - The Stranger

SATURDAY 7/28
NIGHTRAIN PRESENTS HOODSTOCK'S FIFTH ANNIVERSARY EXTRAVAGANZA

When I saw that local two-piece Glitterbang—who are headlining the Central District extravaganza known as Hoodstock—listed glam/synth pioneer Gary Numan, morose post-punk legends Joy Division, and Bonjour jeans commercials as influences, I got excited. If you're not familiar with the '80s jeans adverts, they are disco-saturated and ultra-tacky; the ending of one, which compares them to a sports car, reads "Bonjour action jeans: beautiful... but dangerous." After listening to them, I found Glitterbang were more danceable than I expected; their debut Piano Fight EP packs the glitchy electropop punch to get your rump knockin'. They will be closing Hoodstock, an all-day event featuring 14 local acts curated by the ladies of local "locomotive punk" band NighTraiN. Hitting the stage at 6:40 p.m. are Sports, Seattle's least Google-friendly band. Contemporaries of sizzling electronic acts like Beat Connection, Sports are awash in glo-fi production (think hazy beaches + disco) and baby-making beats.

Stranger Personals
Lovelab

dust83: Women seeking Men
Lustlab

bondagefun
Lovelab

superMutantmagic: Women Seeking Men
Also worthy of checking out: the venerable DJ Riz, host of long-running KEXP electronic show Expansions, kicking everything off at 3 p.m. Set to take the stage following Riz, all-male Seattle trio Branden Daniel & the Chics branded the city with the phrase "Chic Shit" for a gazillion months to promote the release show for their first self-released LP, Keep Em Flying. I'm not sure whether or not to get offended by the phrase "Chic Shit," but they appear to be well-intentioned, whether they are "sheiks" or "chicks" (on their website, they say they are neither in this cryptic message: "Oh, and it's not Brendan Daniels & the CHICKS, not SHEEKS, not SHEIKS........just Chics-shit!"). I still see the damn posters around, although Keep Em Flying came out May 8. The album, 10 tracks of pure '60s-garage-rock worship, seems to have swallowed an entire Nuggets box set. I couldn't escape the image of paisley blouses while listening, and I bet you all my lavender there will be some onstage. With James Lanman, Bob & the Dangerous Brothers, Strong Like Woman, Minirex, Christina Orbe, the Connerys, Side Pony, Cizl, the Black Tones, and Hobosexual. Milky Way House, 3–9:30 pm.

by Brittnie Fuller - The Stranger

FRIDAY 9/2
PEACHES

This is THE big event this week, and not to be missed unless (a) you are on fire, or (b) you are MORE on fire. Peaches is the headliner (she'll be DJing her own beats and performing her little head off), but the lineup of openers is equally stellar: the sexy, sexy Secret Shoppers (yes, sexy, SEXY), the inimitable Ononos, glitterbangy Glitterbang, and even DJ Colby B is flying in from NYC just for it. Here's to Peaches—and her big, sexy, inimitable, glittery, flight-bound opening! Neumos, 8 pm, $20, 21+.

by Adrian Ryan - The Stranger

FRIDAY 9/2
PEACHES

This is THE big event this week, and not to be missed unless (a) you are on fire, or (b) you are MORE on fire. Peaches is the headliner (she'll be DJing her own beats and performing her little head off), but the lineup of openers is equally stellar: the sexy, sexy Secret Shoppers (yes, sexy, SEXY), the inimitable Ononos, glitterbangy Glitterbang, and even DJ Colby B is flying in from NYC just for it. Here's to Peaches—and her big, sexy, inimitable, glittery, flight-bound opening! Neumos, 8 pm, $20, 21+.

by Adrian Ryan - The Stranger

Glitterbang, Ononos, Wishbeard, Posse, the Fancy, Amateur Youth

(Funhouse) Maybe after watching the Gay Pride Parade, and then jumping around with a bunch of half-naked people in the Seattle Center fountain, you feel like retreating to a nice, shady bar filled with some foxy, rocker queers? Maybe you wanna drink a cheap beer, and pull off your wet clothes (the fountain, remember?), and dance around in your underwear. You can do that at the Funhouse—it's all in FUN at the Funhouse! This early afternoon bill ranges from indie to electro-weirdo-pop. Don't miss Ononos and Glitterbang, who both have new songs that'll make you wanna tear your clothes off, whether they're wet or not.

KELLY O See also The Homosexual Agenda, page 83. - The Stranger

Have you ever made your booty pop? I don’t mean silicone-padded underwear that makes your butt look higher and rounder or some weird brand of microwave popcorn. The BP is a dance move. I recommend practicing to Keaira LaShae’s “How to Booty Pop” video on YouTube, and then going to this show to bust your new moves with Seattle’s number one “lady-wolf gang”—DJ/MC/dance troupe Hoot N Howl. The BP would also work nicely with Glitterbang’s experimental electronica and Double Duchess’s campy, queer, and hilarious electro-hop. Pop-pop and you don’t stop! (Chop Suey, 1325 E Madison St, chopsuey.com, 9 pm, $10, 21+)

by KELLY O
- The Stranger

Have you ever made your booty pop? I don’t mean silicone-padded underwear that makes your butt look higher and rounder or some weird brand of microwave popcorn. The BP is a dance move. I recommend practicing to Keaira LaShae’s “How to Booty Pop” video on YouTube, and then going to this show to bust your new moves with Seattle’s number one “lady-wolf gang”—DJ/MC/dance troupe Hoot N Howl. The BP would also work nicely with Glitterbang’s experimental electronica and Double Duchess’s campy, queer, and hilarious electro-hop. Pop-pop and you don’t stop! (Chop Suey, 1325 E Madison St, chopsuey.com, 9 pm, $10, 21+)

by KELLY O
- The Stranger

GLITTERBANG
Glitterbang are a dance-inducing, infectious electro-pop duo made up of DJ/keyboardist JV and commanding lead singer Nicki Danger. The band came together about four years ago, when current Chop Suey booker Jodi Ecklund saw Danger play with her previous band and told her she was playing with the wrong people. Ecklund (who now acts as the band's manager) introduced her to JV, and the two quickly became sonic soul mates. Glitterbang's inspirations hit everything from Giorgio Moroder and Kraftwerk to LCD Soundsystem, Parliament, and Jay-Z, and Danger said her vibrant vocals and pop instincts can be traced back to listening to Whitney Houston's first record on repeat, along with early Janet Jackson and a wide variety of hiphop. We talked with Danger about tedious album making and party spandex.

Your album Occasionally, Love Is War came out earlier this year. How long did that take to come together?

Our record took a long fucking time to create. We are freakishly OCD about every little detail. We rewrote and remixed each song at least a dozen times; we had a tough time knowing when to let songs go or when to be "done." I'm also kind of a slacker, so that may have added time—JV and Jodi have definitely had to crack the whip on my lazy ass. We make all of our own loops, so pretty much everything that is played live was created by either me or JV. We do use a couple of samples—three to be exact; I will never tell what they are.

Where did you record?

Some stuff was recorded in my apartment, some in JV's studio, and some at London Bridge Studios. Most everything we do is at home. London Bridge is pretty cool, though—they have the same board that everyone was freaking out over in the Sound City documentary. You can really tell how special it is when comparing tracks that were mixed there.

Does Glitterbang's queer identity inform your lyrics?

Being queer has definitely impacted my writing. I mean, I'm not writing about fucking and/or falling in love with dudes.

What's your take on Seattle's Pride festivities?

I think that Pride is really great and important for the community. I miss it being on Capitol Hill—I don't really connect with the parade or the mainstream path it has taken. I do like that thousands of homos get together to let their hair down; I just wish it was in Volunteer Park.

Ever been to another city's Pride fest?

We played Control Top Gayass Party last weekend in Portland with Ononos and Double Duchess. It was awesome.

Got a special outfit planned for Pride?

It will probably involve fluorescent printed party spandex! - The Stranger

If Robyn and Peaches had the most club-ready baby in the world, it would be Glitterbang. This February, Joey Veneziani and Nicki Boedigheimer’s LP Occasionally, Love Is War shimmied its chrome butt out among the public and shook it hard enough that you couldn’t help but take notice. Best listened to with lots of neon and lasers surrounding you, the album features some of this city’s slickest, most body-rocking tracks, and will walk you up and down the dance floor without asking twice. Album opener “Witch Disco” ascends to Donna Summer levels of late-night glory, while “Set Us Up” mixes things up with an acoustic guitar-driven track that sounds like wearing your sunglasses after dark feels. The duo was a crowd favorite at its performance at this year’s Mo Wave festival, and is poised to rule the city’s dance floors. - Seattle Weekly

If Robyn and Peaches had the most club-ready baby in the world, it would be Glitterbang. This February, Joey Veneziani and Nicki Boedigheimer’s LP Occasionally, Love Is War shimmied its chrome butt out among the public and shook it hard enough that you couldn’t help but take notice. Best listened to with lots of neon and lasers surrounding you, the album features some of this city’s slickest, most body-rocking tracks, and will walk you up and down the dance floor without asking twice. Album opener “Witch Disco” ascends to Donna Summer levels of late-night glory, while “Set Us Up” mixes things up with an acoustic guitar-driven track that sounds like wearing your sunglasses after dark feels. The duo was a crowd favorite at its performance at this year’s Mo Wave festival, and is poised to rule the city’s dance floors. - Seattle Weekly

GLITTER GLITTER BANG BANG

Tonight it is out of the theater and back onto the dance floor where we damn well belong, with Nicki Danger and Joey Veneziani, who are also known as Glitterbang. We haven't heard from Glitterbang for a spell, which is tragic, so if you've forgotten (as if), what they are is dark drizzly sex disco with electro pop edgings that make not dancing physically and psychologically impossible. With DJ Res, DJ Amateur Youth (who is really Lisa Orth), and DJ Porq (who is really Marcus Wilson). Really! Chop Suey, 9 pm, $10 suggested donation, 21+. - The Stranger