Friday on My Mind: Big Upcoming Seattle Shows!

It’s time again for Friday on My Mind. Our weekly blog post where we look at videos centered around one common theme. This is a collaborative effort between KEXP and King 5 News. We here in Seattle are very lucky in that we always have the opportunity to see amazingly talented musicians, both national and local, on a very regular basis. With Spring upon us, and Summer around the corner, music festival season is approaching, but we’ve noticed the roster of touring artists that will be hitting the Seattle area within the next few months are particularly exceptional. In fact, some are outright seminal, which is why this week we’re looking at videos from a few of those artists. And now here are a few selections from the groundbreaking artists heading this way...Kraftwerk - Radioactivity The legendary Kraftwerk will be here in Seattle at The Paramount Theatre on Tuesday July 1, 2014. Forming in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 1970, Kraftwerk have been cited as an influence by many. The cold, computerized, looped blips that they produced were unlike anything heard by most people before, and they have served as an inspiration to the electronic music world ever since. With their futuristic synthesizer and taped sounds, they continue to sound relevant and Seattleites should jump at the opportunity to see them live. Radioactivity is the name of the album and the song that the band released in 1975. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdubMwbOndo Devo - Whip It The Ohio bred Devo are an absolute pop culture phenomenon. Depending on how you see it, Devo have proven both in spite of and/or because of their stage persona that their musical chops are to be reckoned with. They released their very first single back in 1977 and during the early days, were in danger of being known as just a flash in the pan due to nerdy campiness of their songs and now iconic stage outfits topped with plastic lego like hats and jumpsuits seemingly ready for an attack of nuclear contamination. Sadly, founding member Bob Casale passed away recently, but their current tour will continue on. Right here is the video that they are probably most well-known for, “Whip It”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIEVqFB4WUo

New Order - Regret New Order will be performing for Seattle at the Paramount Theater on Sunday, July 6th. New Order formed in 1980 out of the ashes of Joy Division following the suicide of Ian Curtis. The band is considered legendary, not just from their association to the storied Joy Division, but they proved to be an entire other force beyond their previous incarnation. Bernard Sumner stepped up to take over lead vocals, Stephen Morris and Peter Hook continued as the rhythm section, and keyboardist Gillian Gilbert was brought on to flesh out their sound. With decades having now passed, New Order continue to stay busy and sound as great as ever. After their current tour dates, they will begin the recording process for an album of new material. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRfmhHxV4z4

Honorable Mention:

Peter Hook & The Light

Peter Hook, the original bassist and founding member of Joy Division and New Order, parted ways with the others on less than pleasant terms. Hook has lambasted Bernard Sumner and the rest of the New Order members in a very public way. He has gone on to form his own band, Peter Hook & The Light. They will be performing New Order’s Low Life & Brotherhood live, plus an opening set of Joy Division material on November 18th at Neumos. And so now, this gives us a chance to share Joy Division footage, as well as yet another New Order video...

Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuuObGsB0No

New Order - Paradise

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vrh-y_cA_s