Seattle Dispatch 5/10

I walked into the Sunset Tavern in Ballard after a lengthy bus ride from Capitol Hill on Saturday
night. Earlier in the day, I heard Sailor Mouth was playing a show, and while I wasn't sure who else was playing, I figured if nothing else I’d enjoy their set and leave happy and a little buzzed for the bus ride home. I was pleasantly surprised when Dogs of War, Gladiators and Caligula also took the stage and delivered the type of loud, heavy, rock and roll I was looking for.

The first band, Dogs of War, lived up to their name perfectly. Their stage presence is all about
power stances and vicious melodic assaults on the audience. Drum beats roll in like a B-52 bomber,
laying waste to the ground below it; guitars rattle away like machine guns before breaking into
harmonized riffs and break downs, all while lyrics are barked into the mic. I’m stoked to see these guys play again, and I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes open.

After the dogs, came the Gladiators. Gladiators Eat Fire, and their style of psychedelic post-
hardcore, are an amazing treat to watch live. The singer, Mark, bobs and weaves around the stage,
swaying alternating between screaming his lungs out and softly singing. The guitarist Brian hangs his head low, tapping along the fret board with his hair obscuring his face. There is sweat flying from the
drummer Ian's brow, James makes his bass rumble along. There is a spacey interlude, then speed, and
then, there is chaos. I managed to ask Brian if the band had any pre-show rituals, to which he responded with a smile, “Everyone gets high except Ian.” A perfectly reasonable course of action, considering Ian plays the shit out of those drums and drives the whole beast directly into the crowds collective chest.

Sailor Mouth, a band I've had the unfortunate pleasure to see on several occasions, is always a
sleazy rock and roll delight. If you want hard driving rock and roll with growling vocals that give way to heavy grooves and filthy ballads about your girlfriend who fucked your drug dealer, then Sailor Mouth is exactly what you’re looking for. Seeing what Kale, the lead singer, will do at the live shows is half the fun. Whether gyrating on the mic stand or leaping around like a maniac, he is an excellent front man who knows how to entertain.

Caligula was the only band I was not yet familiar with before the show, and I was pleasantly
surprised when the opening chords reverberated through my chest cavity. Feeding off of stoner metal
bands past, Caligula delivers heavy crunching chords mixed with elements of hard rock. Bass drums
abound and the crowd collectively banged their heads along. But, you know, in that Seattle slightly-
subdued-but-still-way-into-it kinda way.

The Sunset Tavern, located at 5433 Ballard Ave NW in Seattle, is a great venue with a decent bar
too. If you find yourself in Ballard and want to catch a good show, I highly recommend it. Shows are
booked almost every night in May. You’re sure to find one that suits your tastes at sunsettavern.com.
For next shows from each of these bands, check out the Fringe Music Calendar!


Written by: Pete GK
Peter “Rottentail” GK was born in a suburb of Philadelphia and spent much of his youth begrudgingly surrounded by Dave Matthews Band super fans. He has written music as “Peter Rottentail”, with 1 split CD released by the House of Filth Collective in Indiana PA, and has had 3 poems published. A punk, a poet, and a college graduate, Pete now resides with his girlfriend and roommate in Seattle. He spends his free time writing, petting his roommate’s cat, and softly banging his head while listening to Light Bearer.