The buzz around Seattle’s music scene has not died down since the 1950s and has given rise to artists like Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Jimi Hendrix, The Wailers, Queensryche, Soundgarden, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam. While the last major movement in the city was more than a decade ago, musicians are still churning out innovative sounds in the likes of Modest Mouse, Sunny Day Real Estate, Minus the Bear, and Death Cab for Cutie, which are all getting national recognition. However, there are still undiscovered gems of all forms to be found in the rain-slicked alleys and vertiginous streets of the Emerald City and its surrounding neighborhoods.
The musical menu of Seattle is quite diverse; on any given night, listeners can experience hard rock, avant-garde experimental, electronica, country, rockabilly, jazz, hip hop, and one hundred subsets of each one of these styles.
Get Your Rock Off
There are small venues in town that are hip enough and well equipped to supply stage and sound for national acts as well as local up-and-coming bands. Downtown Seattle has Showbox at the Market and Showbox Sodo, The Crocodile, Studio 7, and El Corazon catering to primarily hard rock acts of many levels. The Experience Music Project Museum also has a magnificent indoor performance space, known as Sky Church, that showcases local talent. In addition to these, there are at least 50 more clubs ranging from small, converted saloons whose wooden floors have been soaked with beer to ritzier bars with modest yet quality lighting and sound.
Step beyond the borders of downtown to find more venues and bands. Capitol Hill has The Comet Tavern, Chop Suey and Neumos, Fremont has The White Rabbit and High Dive, Ballard has The Sunset Tavern and The Tractor, to name but a few, and the University District is populated by many bars and clubs catering to high energy, loud music.
All That Jazz
Hard rock is not for everyone. Seattle has always been a hotbed for jazz players and continues to support this American style with killer venues like Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, where devotees of the genre can hear new-comers and legends alike while dining in style in a modern setting. Similarly, The Triple Door also offers a variety of jazz talent and good eats, though in a more plush environment. Both are located in the heart of downtown. The Triple Door also features The Musiquarium, a sizeable open space for lesser known pioneers, near the upstairs bar. Less fancy or trendy options are available in the Owl ‘N Thistle, the Seamonster Lounge and The Rendezvous / Jewelbox Theater. There is also the 88 Keys Dueling Piano Bar, where blues bands and jams take place multiple times per week, playing host to a monthly live radio broadcast.
Casinos and Cover Bands
Another way to catch some great live music entertainment is at any number of casinos in the area. The Emerald Queen, Muckleshoot, Tulalip Resort, Red Wind and Seven Cedars casinos all have venues within that not only bring national touring acts of all genres but also recruit talented cover bands that will have attendees dancing all night. From multi-decade covers of Rock, Disco, and Rhythm and Blues hits to tribute bands, which are bands that look and sound nearly identical to the act whose music they play, more music is available in the wild halls of high stakes and chance.
Without question, the city has plenty of coffee shops, cafes, lounges, bars, pubs and stages that give musicians a space to speak their minds, bare their souls and blister their fingers. Visitors will have no trouble finding them, and they can learn who is playing where by picking up a copy of the Seattle Weekly or The Stranger. These free weekly newspapers are readily available all over town. Local music enthusiasts are usually eager to share their opinions and make recommendations as well, so, feel free to use them as a resource. Whatever your taste in music may be, you will find that the bounty of the Northwest music scene is as rich with life and diversity as the vast wilderness surrounding the city.
