Searching for Beer and ... ELYSIAN SEARCH PARTY 2017 - Seattle, WA! 7/1/17
Elysian
Search Party
Benefitting the
Vera Project
Fisher Pavilion at
the Seattle Center
Seattle, WA
7/1/17
Greetings!
For those that have been following Eclectic Arts all
these years, you already know we have a long relationship with the craft
brewing industry, particularly here in Washington. We have featured in-depth interviews with a
few breweries as well as attended many a beer event over the years.
We of course have also been featuring music of all kinds
since our inception. Covering an event
that features both beer, music, and good vibes (profits were going to The Vera
Project) was a no brainer.
On Saturday July 1st, we headed down to the
Seattle Center. A VIP session was set up
for media to partake in the event one hour before the doors opened to the
public. With 4 VIP only beers to be had
(I tried three of them), and time to walk around the grounds of the event
unobstructed, it was a great way to see what lay ahead for the next 8 or 9
hours.
The barrel-aged “Loser” from Elysian was interesting –
very barrel forward for sure with that VIP beer. During the course of the day I had samples of
mostly Elysian beers with a few of the other local beers they had available (Counterbalance,
Flying Lion, to name a few).
We could not have asked for a better day. Sun and mid to upper 70’s, the stage was set
for a great afternoon/evening in Seattle!
Onto the music:
The first band of the day was Thunderpussy. Having built up a following through their
live performances, the band has a rabid local fan base that is growing every day. Having just returned from a UK tour, with a
stop in New York, the local days may be numbered as the band is gaining
popularity worldwide.
The band hit the stage for a 45 minute set of bluesy rock
guitar licks, thunderous bass lines, innovative jazz-rock drumming, and command
the stage vocals, Thunderpussy delivered the goods like they always do. A combination of fun, 70’s-ish rock,
tongue-in-cheek humor, and devil may care attitude, Thunderpussy are on their
way up. Everyone in Seattle knows it. Soon the whole world will. They are mixing their debut record which
should see the light of day soon. If you
haven’t seen them, go the next time they play your town. Year of the ‘Pussy, indeed!
The Texas duo Black Pistol Fire took the stage next. Drums and guitar/vocals along with a laptop
near the drummer, the duo raged on the stage sounding much bigger than two guys
and a computer. Blues influenced rock,
with a ton of energy – they did not disappoint and built upon what Thunderpussy
started. A short lived round of crowd
surfing occurred but didn’t last for very long – perhaps next time the audience
will understand how to surf someone “properly”.
Next up were The Struts who were arguably the most known
band on the bill. The London band had
many fans waiting at the rail before their set.
Once they hit the stage, it was pure musical bliss for many in
attendance. Singing along to the lyrics,
smiles abounded as The Struts played their brand of rock ‘n roll for the Search
Party goers. The band played with high
energy and conviction all throughout their hour long set. It was easy to see why The Struts had such a
following.
The last band to perform was also a welcome home to the
local but internationally known The Sonics.
The garage band that started it all in the 60’s, they have retired a few
members from all the recent touring, but they partied with the best of ‘em on
Saturday night. A pit broke out during
part of their set which gives you an idea of how pumped up people were (they
were also full of beer).
I grabbed another Thunderpussy shirt at the merch table –
it was a Large so I ended up gifting it to my mom. The story is that in December I bought two
other shirts from the band – both Large – because they were out of XL’s after
the show. I figured I could drop a few
pounds in the New Year and fit into those shirts without looking like a
sausage. Nope. So, they’ve been in storage, new as day, as
more mementos than anything.
I didn’t want to hang onto a shirt again for the majority
of the day on Saturday so I figured I’d wait again. Had I learned my lesson the first time, I
would have bought a shirt immediately.
Nope. Apparently I didn’t learn
anything. The XL’s of the new design
were gone by the time I got to the table.
I’ll remedy this at the next Thunderpussy gig I attend. I also should mention I got a cool little
button for $1.
I met some fun photographers – one I knew of from her
work and two I knew from their media outlets.
Non crowded photo pits are always a nice change of pace.
The proceeds from the event were going to the Vera
Project – which is a volunteer run program that assists young people with
gaining skills in the music and art world.
They put on concerts at the Seattle Center where they are based. As one member of my party noted, it would
have been good to have a MC mention the Vera Project in between the sets, to
raise more awareness. If you didn’t go
inside Fisher Pavilion, you wouldn’t have seen their tables nor would you have
necessarily known what the Vera Project was.
The attendance was moderate – great if you were there as
a consumer – room to walk, play games, eat, drink, and/or check out the
bands. There weren’t any long lines at
the beer stations, they had plenty of beer stations scattered throughout the
grounds, and the throwback aerialists were fun to watch (especially pouring station
specific beers) as well as the other little “Easter eggs” like the gold coin to
get the Wheat Wine. The Seattle Center
was busy that day too as Queen were playing at Key Arena and The Seattle Reign
also had a match that night.
This review is all over the place but let me say this –
the beer was flowing, the bands were strong (not one weak link in the lineup),
and the event was as smooth as could be.
I hope Elysian considers hosting this event every year!
Cheers!
Mark
EA
Special thanks: Sean
and his crew for the amazing hospitality.
They were consummate fun professionals and I hope I am involved with
future events with them.
Elysian for putting on a well done event.
The members of Thunderpussy for being so down to earth
and accessible.
Ruby from Thunderpussy for being amazing – thanks for
being so nice to my family, too.
Thanks to my fellow photographers for the
conversations.
I hope to see everyone at a similar event next year. I hope a lot of money was raised for The Vera
Project!
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