JASON GRIMES,

THE HIGH DIVE'S NEW TALENT BUYER

Booking events at the High Dive when it first opened three and a half years ago in the heart of Fremont, local music staple Jason Grimes has come home, recently filling the role of full-time talent buyer. Grimes is a perfect match for both Fremont’s arts-focused community and its premier venue, known for its supreme acoustics, great local support and seven nights a week of live music.

Q: Tell us about your booking experience prior to the High Dive.

A: I spent a number of years promoting different rock events. Art is a big part of the Seattle community, so I’d partner up with an artist and we’d put together like four bands and I’d float around from venue to venue. I kind of made a home in Fremont at the time, did a lot of early booking with the High Dive and the Nectar Lounge and then, of course, I booked on the Hill a little bit too. But I really found my niche in Fremont, and this opportunity came up and it was just cool because you go in and there’s some of the past shows I’ve done on the wall, it just feels like I’m going home.

Q: What about Fremont was accommodating?

A: Well [Capitol] Hill is so packed, there’s definitely a lot of good clubs up there and a lot of good music, but I just felt like there were a lot of good local bands that weren’t getting weekend shows and there’s just no reason for that — to not have a place where local bands can showcase their music. We’re a local venue first and foremost. We do love the touring acts when they come through, we’re more than accommodating, it’s just we’ve always had that strong influx of local talent.

Q: Do you plan on introducing any new styles of music to the High Dive?

A: I love the history of the High Dive. With The Crocodile going away, we need another rock club in Seattle to step up and the High Dive is just a great place and it’s another neighborhood. So you play on the Hill and you play in Fremont, and you get exposure to folks from both communities. I don’t think we’re looking to make any big changes. However, I did book my first hip-hop show ever, which was cool. And I’m into electronica — I don’t know how the room’s gonna be as far as that goes, but there’s definitely room to expand the flavors of music currently in there.

Q: What do you look for in the bands that you book?

A: This is going to sound lame, but I’m probably the anti-booker in the sense that I’m not looking to create that one perfect sound by blending three or four artists together. I want people who want to have a good time, who want to make it an event, who are willing to share their genre of music with others. So some of my bills are a bit more eclectic. I’ve never had a great ear for how one band sounds next to another, but I can tell you when I’ve been at a show that’s just awesome and I’ve just had this incredible feeling. I want every night to be like that. Tuesdays are the new Fridays!

www.highdiveseattle.com

SEATTLE DIY RESURGES WITH THE JOSEPHINE,

NEW ALL-AGES SPACE IN BALLARD

With the closing of the beloved S.S. Marie Antoinette last September, Seattle’s longest running DIY music venue, the Seattle DIY community has a new beacon of light, The Josephine. Located in Ballard and freshly christened, the large space features all-ages live music as well as theater, comedy, burlesque and indie film screenings. Since it opened its doors this summer, the space has been keeping them open and garnering praise for its great sound and recognition from outlets like The Stranger for its attractive lineups. The Josephine welcomes bands from around the city, the coast and the world, and was booked clear into next month at press time.

With traces of its predecessor, the S.S., around the room, like the old boathouse’s banner that hangs above the bands, and the former S.S. leaseholder Malaki Stahl at the helm, the space already has a trace of familiarity and the good response is palpable.

This wave of support extends to the rest of the Seattle DIY community as well, a local collective whose mission is to promote and support the do-it-yourself ethos and community in Seattle, and their highly successful Carousel Festival, which celebrated its third year this past August. Featuring 40 bands from the Pacific Northwest over the course of three days at six different DIY venues around the city, Carousel 3 was bigger and better than its predecessors; Kimya Dawson even turned down a slot at Bumbershoot to play the event.

With this latest addition of The Josephine and an incredible response from both community and artists, Seattle DIY is proving its endurance and itself in demand.

www.myspace.com/thejosephine

IN THE NEWS

On October 7, Suicide Squeeze will release the new album from Seattle rock quartet These Arms Are Snakes, Tail, Swallower & Dove. A month-long European stint with Russian Circles will commence on October 14 in support of the full-length release, the third for the band. In other Suicide Squeeze news, the Seattle label has signed all-female quartet The Coathangers out of Atlanta.

www.suicidesqu

eeze.net

On October 9, K Records will release the new album from recent signees Desolation Wilderness, of Olympia, titled White Light Strobing. Then on October 21 comes the third album from fellow Olympians, LAKE, titled Oh the Places We’ll Go. The two bands will team up for a West Coast tour this month then make their way east for a string of November dates.

www.krecs.com

On October 7, Phil Elverum will release his latest Mount Eerie project, Lost Wisdom, a collaboration with Julie Doiron and Fred Squire. Then on November 1, during the midst of a two-month North American tour, Mount Eerie will release another full-length album, titled Dawn. An “archival sample” from Elverum’s creations during a winter spent in Norway (2002-2003), the album will be released in two formats: as a 144-page hardcover book of writings and drawings plus a 19-track CD and 16 photo cards, and as a 12-inch white vinyl with the same 19 songs plus a special booklet of “scary self-portraits.”

www.pwelveruma

ndsun.com

Damien Jurado will conclude his national tour this month on the East Coast. The Seattle singer/songwriter has been touring for the past month in support of his early September release on Secretly Canadian, Caught in the Trees, and will embark on a European tour in November.

www.damienjurado.

com

Seattle new-wave/punk quintet The Girls recently released their sophomore album, Yes No Yes No Yes No, on Portland’s Dirtnap Records. The band immediately hit the road for a full West Coast tour, which will continue into October, crossing paths with The Pink Spiders and then Flogging Molly.

www.myspace.com

/thegirlsseattle

After their weeklong Villainaire Festival of Culture in support of recent releases, Villainaire and its prequel, the School of Villainy “mix-tape,” Seattle’s The Dead Science will tour the U.S. this month then head off to Europe for most of November.

www.thedeadscienc

e.com

On October 7, Sub Pop will release the new album from recent signee Daniel Martin Moore, titled Stray Age. The Kentucky-based singer/songwriter is a recent addition to the Seattle label, signed from an unsolicited demo.

www.subpop.com