Bloglander

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The Beastie Boys — hardcore-punks-turned-rappers — somehow have preserved their youthful punk rock mentality across eight near-perfect albums, gigantic world tours and films. Slowly, surely, with ironclad beats and hilarious, cutting lyrics — the Beastie Boys chipped away at the discussion of race and street cred in the hip-hop world, becoming one of the most trailblazing groups of all time. But today, the band lost it's conscience. Adam Yauch — MCA, a gruff voice among his much more nasally friends — died today. Yauch, 47, had been undergoing treatment for cancer since 2009.

The news was a gut punch to many of us writers here at the Inlander — which tells you a lot about our general age range and racial backgrounds. Mostly children of the 1980s, we watched as hip-hop trends rose and fizzled: gangster rap, joke rap. But the Beastie Boys never played into any of those trends. They were always unique, and always themselves.

We've collected some of our favorite memories of the legendary hip-hop trio  as a way of paying our respects to Yauch. Feel free to add your own in the comments.

"As long as I've had headphones, the Beastie Boys have been there. There was Paul's Boutique — back when I still had a pink bedroom and a giant Walkman and an older brother with an allowance. There was Ill Communication — a tape I wore out in my old Volvo as I peeled out of parking lots with my friends. I'm almost positive that was on during my first fender bender. Hello Nasty carried me from high school until college — and made me realize, with samba songs like "Song for Junior," that a good band can really, truly do whatever the f—k they want.

It was around that time that the Beastie Boys became more than twitchy rappers from New York City. They became activists: celebrities telling all us kids that the world was so much bigger than we were. Adam Yauch took it one step further, founding the Milarepa Fund and the legendary, absolutely perfect Tibetan Freedom concerts. I'll never forget seeing a photo of Yauch standing in a crowd of tiny, bald Tibetan monks — a white silk scarf tied around his neck. He was, until the end, in solidarity with the Tibetan people. A punk rock kid from the dirty New York streets — he was changing the world until the very end."

— LEAH SOTTILE, Music Editor

"I remember I used to sing "Girls" with my friend Samantha. We would run around our parents houses screaming "Girls! I like the way that they walk! And it's chill to hear them talk!" It was maybe the second time my mother asked if I was a lesbian..."

— JORDY BYRD, Listings Editor

"Back in 1998, I saw the Beastie Boys at Key Arena in Seattle on the Intergalactic tour. I had essentially planned my entire summer around this show because, after all, it was the freaking Beastie Boys and I was 15 years old. After a devastatingly incredible opening set from A Tribe Called Quest, the Boys came out onto a rotating stage dressed in matching jumpsuits and proceeded to turn the floor of the arena into a frenetic whirlpool of mosh pit insanity. I was a willing and enthusiastic participant of said mosh pit. Later in the set, they dropped their microphones and played an instrumental set of funky jazz numbers. I remember being blown away with how Yauch played a stand-up bass. These guys weren't a gimmicky rap group, they were musicians, I realized.

I saw the Beastie Boys again in Long Beach in 2004. It was amazing, but nothing like that show back in '98. Of the hundreds of live shows I've seen, that one still sits at the very, very top. I always thought I'd see the Boys again sometime, but now, obviously, I won't. We'll miss you MCA."

— MIKE BOOKEY, Culture Editor

"Licensed to Ill was the first tape I ever bought myself. My real first tape was a recording I made of my uncle's copy of Def Leppard's Hysteria, but I generally don't claim that. Licensed to Ill was the first I spent my own barely-earned allowance money on.

This would have been in '87, about a year after it came out. I remember I had seen the "No Sleep Til Brooklyn" video a million times on MTV and I remember trying to decide between Licensed and George Michael's Faith, which says something about what an interesting and varied time for mainstream pop music the '80s were.

It wasn't until way later — late '90s after I'd gotten into other hip-hop groups — that I went back and got their second album, Paul's Boutique. That album was and continues to be a revelation for me. I felt, upon hearing it, like I understood where the last decade of hip hop had come from. I'm not a hip-hop scholar, but that album feels like one of the moments that rap history hinges on. It took a few years, but the industry changed because of it."

— LUKE BAUMGARTEN, Staff Writer

"During the Jersey Shore summers of my early teenage years, I remember cruising around on my bicycle listening to the Beastie Boys' album, Licensed to Ill. It was the quintessential soundtrack for anyone with more hormones than brain cells: "Paul Revere," "Girls," "Fight for Your Right to Party," "Brass Monkey."  Spanish Fly? What?
I never got to see them live, though I was supposed to a music festival in 2009. They'd canceled because of Yauch's cancer, and Jay-Z filled in, opening with a solid take of "No Sleep Till Brooklyn."

Solid, yes. But no replacement."

— JOE O'SULLIVAN, Staff Writer

"I will always think of him in the "Fight For Your Right" video. That video is a masterpiece. I learned that nerds and parents hate to party."

— CHRIS BOVEY, Art Director

"I wake up to MCA's upside-down face every morning, my favorite part of my favorite poster. He will always be my favorite Beastie, the best word-spinner in the group, and that voice... I can't even remember not knowing who he was. His verse in "The Sounds of Science" is among the group's finest recorded moments, and I don't know if I'll ever hear him spit the unforgettable "that's right, my name's YAUCH" without needing a brief moment of silence. I swear to Christ, if I see one person on Facebook complain about his eulogies, I will unload."

— JORDAN SATTERFIELD, Contributor

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"You guys are WAY better than Portland!" 

And, of course, everyone went crazy. That's what the singer of Tomten said to the voracious crowd last night at Mootsy's during The Inlander's Volume Pre-Party. 

Goddamn. That was a good time, right? We were stoked to see the place butts-to-nuts full with diehard music fans (including a few half-naked men?), and to hear three local bands (plus one amazing touring band) play the most precise and perfect sets we've heard in long time. 

If you missed it, we also announced this year's SIX Bands to Watch. That's right: six. This year, our committee — a group of local writers, bookers and unrepentant fans — had a hard time choosing the usual five. After two months of deliberation and research, we picked the 2012 Inlander Bands to Watch: 

Mirror Mirror

Losing Skin

BBBBandits

Thumper

Terrible Buttons

Tim Blood & the Gutpanthers

Local revivalists, French-inspired goth, a North Idaho rave DJ, a diehard group of Moscow punks, a horror folk band that's converting the masses and one of the hardest working metal bands in the Northwest. I'd say that's a great batch. You can read all about them in our May 24 Local Music Issue.

In addition to this year's Bands to Watch — who are headlining six shows at our first ever Volume Local Music Block Party — Patrick Kendrick, of Platform Booking, also announced some of the rest of the 35+ plus bands playing the June 1 extravaganza: 

Jacob Butcher

Liz Rognes

Ian Miles

Matt Mitchell

Dead Serious Lovers

Joey

Panda

Nude

Cathedral Pearls

House of Ghosts

Sales Wagon

The Soul and the Machine

BROTHERS OV MIDNITE

Silver Treason

Team Growl

Duck Duck Suckerpunch

Whiskey Dick Mountain

Space Movies

Rice Queen

Safe Word

David Plell & the Ultra Peach

Bandit Train

Belt of Vapor

Jazz

Drag Like Pull

Diamond Speedboat

Wristbands are just FIVE DOLLARS if you buy them in advance (they jump to $10 the day of the show), so get yours reserved now. Many shows ARE all-ages, and final schedule will appear in the May 24 issue. Watch inlander.com/volume for details as they emerge.

If last night was any indication of how fun Volume will be … lets just say you might want to bring extra pants. DANCING PANTS, SILLY.

We just realized something. The Inlander's office is literally in the heart of Spokane's local music scene. Every night of the week, there's live music happening right around us — and this year, we decided we want in on it. We're throwing a block party.

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For the past three years, we've thrown a one-night local music extravaganza on one big stage — and it was awesome. But we want more.

This year, in conjunction with our Local Music Issue, we're throwing a one-night festival on Friday, June 1 with THIRTY FIVE bands playing — including this years Inlander Bands to Watch.

For a five-dollar wristband, you get to run in and out of six downtown venues all night, seeing as many of those 35 bands that you want.

Simply put:

35 Bands

6 venues

5 dollars

1 night

Totally worth it.

We're partnering up with our buddies over at The Stranger to sell wristbands to this event — and you can click here now to buy yours now and pick it up the night of the show.

Tonight we're kicking off the block party with our FREE VOLUME PRE-PARTY at Mootsy's. That's when we'll announce the bands that we chose as this years Bands to Watch, too. And we'll let you in on a little secret: there's more than last year. Join us tonight at about 8 pm for performances by Ultra Peach, BBBBandits, Tomten (from Seattle) and Mirror Mirror.

Holy shit. This is going to be fun. Are you ready?

**Our block party will have several all-ages shows, but some venues will require a 21-and-over ID for entrance.

This week's all-ages shows around town —including a couple really big ones — are: 

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Thursday, 4/19

Forza Coffee, Mark Lee, One Match Left

The Hop!, DJ One Major

Object Space, Acid Mother's Temple & the Melting Paraiso UFO, the Phantom Family Halo, Hooves, Space Movies, the Earwigs

Nearly alone onstage, Kawabata Makoto was a hurricane. Last year, on tour all the way from Japan, he did everything short of making the paint peel off the walls at Spokane’s Object Space. Makoto, who plays as if he were Jimi Hendrix’s protégé, returns this week with his longtime psychedelic space-rock band, Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso UFO. They play first or second, so get off work early to make sure you catch them before they scoot out for Minneapolis. $5. All-ages.

Friday, 4/20

A Club, Battle of the Bands with Nixon Rodeo, Not for Now, the Sky Turns Red, the Function

Bing Crosby Theater, April Smith & the Great Picture Show

Fox Theater, Spokane Symphony

The Hop!, DJ Tony

Kave, Letlive, FAUS, A Pyrrhic Victory, the Ongoing Concept, Deviance

Knitting Factory, Benign CD Release Show, Immolate the Saints, Concrete Grip, All Gussied Up

Saturday, 4/21

4000 Holes, April Smith & the Great Picture Show, Gorilla, Rabbit & Chicken

Beasley Coliseum at WSU, 3Oh3!, Chingy

Just thinking about all the drinkin’, freakin’, strippin’ and sexin’ that’s bound to happen at this WSU Springfest show is enough to make anybody blush. The students pulled out a little bit of the mid-2000s for this year’s freakfest: the totally contagious joke-rap of 3OH3! and two-hit-wonder rapper Chingy. We’re sure the night won’t end without hearing “Right Thurr,” “Holidae In” and “Don’t Trust Me.”$12-$32. All-ages.

Bing Crosby Theater, Genticorum

Earth Day Celebration (downtown Spokane, on Main between Browne & Division), B Radicals, Angela Salmon, Angela Marie Project, Citizen Arms, Folkinception

The Hop!, A-Lo, Lei Majors, Nuthouze Projects

Sunday, 4/22

The Hop!, 20XX

Knitting Factory, Concept, Moe Davis, King Skellee, Mutha Hen, Justike, Tyrell

Riverfront Park, Vintage Swing Music

Monday, 4/23

Calypso's (CdA), Open mic

Tuesday, 4/24

The Hop!, Consumed by Silence, Aechoes, Multiplexer, A Year Today, A Cryptic Ending, Canary in the Coalmine

Wednesday, 4/25

The Hop!, Rod Mac, Dime City, M-Dub

Luxe Coffeehouse, Dennis Smith

It's a sad day for rock and roll fans.

Levon Helm, the singer and drummer of The Band, and a key influence to countless other musicians who came in his wake, including many younger acts touring today, passed away today at age 71.

His death marks the end of a nasty battle with throat cancer that began in 1998.

Take a moment and enjoy this rendition of "Up on Cripple Creek" from The Band's legendary Last Waltz concert film and listen to one of the greatest voices in all of rock music.

Ever since Karli Ingersoll's project, Cathedral Pearls, released their first EP back in December, we've found ourselves loving so many things about the band — but mostly the way a more rocking band lifts Ingersoll's light vocals up in a really powerful way. 

The band filmed a recent set of theirs over at Jones Radiator, and released a little video of one of the songs — "Doppleganger" — today. Kick back on your lunch, watch this little ditty and let Cathedral Pearls carry you into rest of your week. 

The team behind Elkfest — the free music festival that takes over Browne's Addition for one weekend each summer — released the full line-up for this year's event at a launch party on Friday night. 

The eighth Elkfest will feature performances by BBBBandits, Cathedral Pearls, Go Man Gos, My Goodness, DJ Case, Nude, Point Juncture WA, Real Life Rockaz, Emily Wells, Velella Velella, Whiskey Dick Mountain, the Camaros, Silver Treason, Folkinception, Cody Beebe and the Crooks, and — last but hardly least — the Globes. 

Start hydrating now.

TONIGHT!

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Nude, fresh off their big Seattle win in the EMP Sound Off!, takes the stage tonight at the Museum of Arts and Culture's Begin! soiree. Read all about the band's sneak-attack on the Northwest music scene here. Check them out tonight at 6 pm. All-ages.

If you're out and about on the Palouse, stop in to Mikey's Gyros tonight for an excellent set of punk bands, including Tim Blood & the Gutpanthers, Art Fad from Boise and King Elephant — featuring members of Goddammitboyhowdy. Just $5. All-ages. 9 pm.

Feeling more in the mood for a totally over the top, video-game themed DJ party. Head out to Northern Quest for Wii Rock, a DJ extravaganza that starts at 8 pm. $15. Gotta be at least 16 for this one. Yes, wear your Princess Peach costume.

SATURDAY!

Where local musicians sparkle brightly and fade sooner or later, there are some who just keep on shining. Like Josh “Beardo” Simon — a guy who’s xbeen holding it down for the 509 for years now in everything from blues bands to jam bands to salsa bands. He’s holding a giant ten-band, two-stage birthday bash this weekend featuring some of his own bands — Groove Patrol, Son Dulce — and some of his friends, including Rare Earth member Peter Rivera and local hip-hop group Flying Spiders. Really, there’s no way this could be a bad time. Ugly Betties. $10. Gotta be 21.

SUNDAY!

For their umpteenth visit here, Portland indie folk outfit Horse Feathers are back on Sunday to play the Red Room Lounge with locals Terrible Buttons. 8 pm. $12. Gotta be 21.

Lots of all-ages shows this week! As always, you can pick up a paper copy of The Inlander and look at our music listings for the blue stars: those shows are open to fans of any age. 

Thursday, 4/12

A Club, Guitar Night feat. Ewan Dobson, Gareth Pearson, Matthew Sintos, Craig D'Andrea

Baby Bar, Andrew Taylor, Ian Miles, Wombo Combo, True FO, Grew Up and Died

The Hop!, Word One, Aubrey Major, B Vicious, Brandon B, Jay Fleezy, Twitch MC

Friday, 4/13

A Club, KYRS Benefit feat. The Federales

The Hop! Scary Jane, Morbid Inc, Chouls Crypt, A Stagnant Motion, Mosaik USA, Dysfunktynal Kaos

Knitting Factory, Blistered Earth Metallica Tribute Band, Damn the Sun, White Knuckle

Mezzo Pazzo Wine Bar, Ken Davis, Danny Rodriguez

Mikey's Gyros (Moscow), King Elephant, Tim Blood and the Gutpanthers, Art Fad

Museum of Arts & Culture, Begin! feat. Nude (see story here)

Saturday, 4/14

The Hop! The Sammus Theory, 5 Times Over, Victims of Negligence, Faded Identity, Somatic, the Brown Notes, Tap Wielding Heathers

Sunday, 4/15

A Club, The Word Alive, In Fear & Faith, For All Those Sleeping, Casino Madrid, Adestria, Light Up the Sky

Monday, 4/16

The Hop!, The Ongoing Concept, Vultra, One Match Left, Hero Shine, the Monroe Divide

Knitting Factory, Lacuna Coil, Otherwise

Tuesday, 4/17

A Club, K. Flay (see story here), Jaeda, Cherub

Wednesday, 4/18

Scout, Eternal Fair, Liz Rognes

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Northern Quest Casino pulled back the curtain on this summer's outdoor concert series this morning — and they're upping the ante from last year, in my opinion. Here's the lineup:

June 15 - John Fogerty

July 13 - Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band

July 19 - Earth, Wind & Fire

July 29 - Journey featuring Pat Benatar and Loverboy

August 4 - Darius Rucker

August 16 - Sugarland

September 9 - Heart

Pretty awesome huh? Check out Northern Quest's website for ticket information. I'll be seeing you — front and center — at that Journey show.