Even the liberal elite media thinks you should celebrate our CD Release tonight
OMG. Today is like having a birthday, anniversary, holiday, and lottery winning all in one day. Ben, Jon and I are sooooooooooo excited for tonight's album release party. We hop you can join us. Here's how it's going to go down, in case you want to plan the appropriate outfit:
SeattleNoise: H is for Hellgate
CAREER DEBUT: "April 2006 at a party at my house," Henkensiefken recalls. "We played the six songs we knew for our friends before our first public show. Our set was ended by me nearly punching a drunk girl who grabbed my mike and insisted on singing 'With or Without You' through our entire last song."
MONIKER: "The solo project I had prior to H Is for Hellgate was called Henkensiefken, my last name. The joke of having a difficult band name was over after a year, so I decided to change the name. I wanted to have the new name have something with "H" and I wanted to give a shout-out to my hometown of Missoula, Mont., so I included the name of one of the valleys that leads into Missoula, the Hellgate canyon. The Hellgate is really beautiful, but usually delivers nasty weather into Missoula, and I thought those characteristics fit the moodiness of the band's music."
SEXISM: "I really try to ignore and not feed into attitude from guys on the occasions when I get it so I can at least try to keep my view of myself as an equal and not act from a defensive position. Sadly, it comes mostly from other musicians and sound guys, but often it's in the form of a backhanded compliment. For example, I was at a music store a few weeks ago buying drumsticks and this older guy said, 'Whoa, a female drummer! That's pretty neat!' I know he meant it as a positive statement, but I was being singled out because of my gender and belittled because, to him, it was remarkable that a girl plays the drums. ... We get put on bills all the time with other female bands even though stylistically we're totally different. It goes back to that absurd idea that "girl band" is a genre that all of us chicks play after our boyfriends write the songs."
RELEASES: 2007's debut "H Is for Hellgate" and this weekend's release of their second LP, "Come for the Peaks, Stay for the Valleys"
WHERE TO LISTEN:hisforhellgate.com
NEXT SHOW: A CD-release party tonight at the High Dive, 513 N. 36th St., with two excellent Seattle bands: the Apple War and Safer. Tickets: $7 at the door. Information: highdiveseattle.com
-- Shawn Telford
Safer, H Is for Hellgate, the Apple War, In the Empty City(High Dive, late) Despite what I may have thought of local rockers H Is for Hellgate after the band's less-than-memorable self-titled debut last year, I just had to listen to this year's follow-up, Come for the Peaks, Stay for the Valleys, after seeing the cover art—it's got two adorable flying puppies on it! Turns out the puppies aren't the only thing Peaks has goin' for it. Hellgate's pounding drumming and wiry guitar work nod to turbulent '90s post-rock, but some songs ("Blood," for instance) come with a somber Pacific Northwest vibe. "Copernicus and Me" is dark and drilling; "Dusk at Devil's Tower" is one part Jawbox, one part Bikini Kill. I came for the dogs, but stayed for the music. MEGAN SELING
H is for Hellgate CD release at the High Dive, Friday, December 5
I enjoyed H is for Hellgate’s first, self-titled album a bit but it was more revealing in its potential. There were great moments in there but it was obvious that this is a band that could make a truly excellent follow up. And a year and a half later, they did.
This show celebrates the release of their brand new record Come for the Peaks, Stay for the Valleys. It is a personal but still excellent and rocking record. Everything that the first album did right: well-written songs with unexpected time shifts and driving guitar parts, the second album does better. Lead Hellgate Jamie Henkensiefken has grown incredibly as a songwriter between records. Another point for H is for Hellgate: they wrote a love letter song to Tina Fey before the rest of America caught on.
Pretty, Pretty Princess with guest Lesli Wood
Dual Sunrise Over Magrathea
Dusk At Devil's Tower
Blood with guests Pam and Kerri from Danielli
Thunderbolt
Be Prepared To Die Alone
Copernicus and Me with Chrysti and Irene
City Hall
..and maaaaaybe Tina Fey if y'all ask nice and say "please and thank you."
Dual Sunrise Over Magrathea
Dusk At Devil's Tower
Blood with guests Pam and Kerri from Danielli
Thunderbolt
Be Prepared To Die Alone
Copernicus and Me with Chrysti and Irene
City Hall
..and maaaaaybe Tina Fey if y'all ask nice and say "please and thank you."
We've gotten some rad press today:
Venus Zine - feature article about my crazy progression through music.
SeattleNoise: H is for Hellgate WHAT: Certainly the heart and engine of this edgy indie-rock outfit is the electrifying guitarist and singer-songwriter Jamie Henkensiefken, whose determined voice is dauntless among the maelstrom of meaty riffs she is prone to disperse. The band leaves ample room for those magnetic melodies but never forgets the golden rule: to rock the H-E-double hockey sticks out of their audiences (when not humoring us with love songs like "Tina Fey"). Ben Baier (bass, vocals) and Jonathan Jacobson (drums) round out the band.
CAREER DEBUT: "April 2006 at a party at my house," Henkensiefken recalls. "We played the six songs we knew for our friends before our first public show. Our set was ended by me nearly punching a drunk girl who grabbed my mike and insisted on singing 'With or Without You' through our entire last song."
MONIKER: "The solo project I had prior to H Is for Hellgate was called Henkensiefken, my last name. The joke of having a difficult band name was over after a year, so I decided to change the name. I wanted to have the new name have something with "H" and I wanted to give a shout-out to my hometown of Missoula, Mont., so I included the name of one of the valleys that leads into Missoula, the Hellgate canyon. The Hellgate is really beautiful, but usually delivers nasty weather into Missoula, and I thought those characteristics fit the moodiness of the band's music."
SEXISM: "I really try to ignore and not feed into attitude from guys on the occasions when I get it so I can at least try to keep my view of myself as an equal and not act from a defensive position. Sadly, it comes mostly from other musicians and sound guys, but often it's in the form of a backhanded compliment. For example, I was at a music store a few weeks ago buying drumsticks and this older guy said, 'Whoa, a female drummer! That's pretty neat!' I know he meant it as a positive statement, but I was being singled out because of my gender and belittled because, to him, it was remarkable that a girl plays the drums. ... We get put on bills all the time with other female bands even though stylistically we're totally different. It goes back to that absurd idea that "girl band" is a genre that all of us chicks play after our boyfriends write the songs."
RELEASES: 2007's debut "H Is for Hellgate" and this weekend's release of their second LP, "Come for the Peaks, Stay for the Valleys"
WHERE TO LISTEN:
NEXT SHOW: A CD-release party tonight at the High Dive, 513 N. 36th St., with two excellent Seattle bands: the Apple War and Safer. Tickets: $7 at the door. Information: highdiveseattle.com
-- Shawn Telford
Safer, H Is for Hellgate, the Apple War, In the Empty City(High Dive, late) Despite what I may have thought of local rockers H Is for Hellgate after the band's less-than-memorable self-titled debut last year, I just had to listen to this year's follow-up, Come for the Peaks, Stay for the Valleys, after seeing the cover art—it's got two adorable flying puppies on it! Turns out the puppies aren't the only thing Peaks has goin' for it. Hellgate's pounding drumming and wiry guitar work nod to turbulent '90s post-rock, but some songs ("Blood," for instance) come with a somber Pacific Northwest vibe. "Copernicus and Me" is dark and drilling; "Dusk at Devil's Tower" is one part Jawbox, one part Bikini Kill. I came for the dogs, but stayed for the music. MEGAN SELING
H is for Hellgate CD release at the High Dive, Friday, December 5 I enjoyed H is for Hellgate’s first, self-titled album a bit but it was more revealing in its potential. There were great moments in there but it was obvious that this is a band that could make a truly excellent follow up. And a year and a half later, they did.
This show celebrates the release of their brand new record Come for the Peaks, Stay for the Valleys. It is a personal but still excellent and rocking record. Everything that the first album did right: well-written songs with unexpected time shifts and driving guitar parts, the second album does better. Lead Hellgate Jamie Henkensiefken has grown incredibly as a songwriter between records. Another point for H is for Hellgate: they wrote a love letter song to Tina Fey before the rest of America caught on.
posted by Jamie H at 11:48 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home