CONTEST HAS ENDED!

Stop emailing us mother fuckers!  It’s over!

We originally posted that we had 10 pairs of tickets to give away (5 for each show), but we worked with our contact at the Seattle Theatre Group to up that to 50 pair at each show (yep 200 tickets!)  and we’ve actually given all of those away too!  I recognize that we easily had 100 more entries that didn’t make the cut (basically, came in too late), but hey, we gave away a lot of free stuff and I personally compiled the list and emailed everyone.  It took all fucking day, so appreciate it!  If you’re bummed out that you lost… sorry, but damn a lot of people did win!  Congratulations!

It seems like Janeane Garofalo has been around forever.  Since the first time that I ever became aware of her as a cast member on the short-lived Ben Stiller Show (canceled in Jan. of 1993) her careers has taken multiple twists and turns.  She’s made some really shitty movies and she’s been a part of some really good TV shows.  Through it all, the one thing that has remained is her role in the stand up comedy game.  This weekend, Garofalo will be traveling to Seattle to perform 2 live shows at the historic Moore Theatre.  The Moore has operated as the location for multiple live comedy tapings in the past and this event will be no different.  The actress/comedienne will be utilizing her back to back shows to tape an upcoming DVD release and we are offering you an opportunity to attend the filming for free!  Who knows, maybe your crazy mug will be burned into a high grade plastic disc to be viewed via laser by future generations.

Our friends at the Seattle Theatre Group have again teamed up with Monster Fresh to offer us the opportunity to kick down a pair of passes to 8 of our readers.  That’s right 8 PAIRS!  That means that 16 of you will be able to see this show for free and, if you’ve never seen a live comedy show before and/or ever been to the Moore Theatre, this is your chance to check some things off of your tragically pathetic bucket list.

The shows will both take place on Saturday, May 8th.  There is both a 7:00 and a 9:30 show.  We are giving away 4 pairs of tickets to each.

HOW TO ENTER

We’re doing this shit real simple like.

First off, go to our official FACEBOOK PAGE and become a fan by clicking the “LIKE” button.

Next, just email us at MonsterFresh@gmail.com and tell us your facebook name (if different) and which showing you need a pair of passes to.  Winners will most likely be chosen based on how quick they email us but, if it’s close and you feel like sending us a shitty joke or something along with your entry, that might tip the scales in your favor.

Make sure to let us know which show you want tickets to and if you have a priority or not.  Keep in mind that, if you don’t have a preference, you will have a better chance of getting passes, but be honest.  We don’t want to get entries from anyone that will not be able to actually attend the performances.  We are offering you free passes, so don’t fuck someone else over just because you “might” go or because you like winning shit.  Leave these open for the other people would be happy to use these.  We will be holding contests in the future and all that you’re gonna do is make yourself ineligible, if we think you’re sketchy.

All right, that’s it!

Thanks jerks, and good luck.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Exactly a month ago today, it was my girlfriend’s birthday.  We spent the night downtown at the Moore Theater in Seattle.  Exactly one year before that, we celebrated in the exact same building by attending a performance by Antony and The Johnsons.  If you managed to read the review that I wrote of that show, you might remember that we were provided with seats in our very own balcony, among ancient stained glass windows and majestic statues.  The historic building felt as if it had been constructed specifically for just such an occasion.  Antony Hegarty‘s operatic vocals mixed with the vibrating piano chords and resonating strings of his stripped-down mini-orchestra; swirling up to the classic dome ceiling and filling every cement crack in the architecture.  It was a magically chilling experience that my lady has chalked up as her “favorite concert ever.”  Yep, “favorite“.  Yep… “magical“.  Yep, these are the standards that I’ve created for myself and was forced to live up to.  So, like I said, we returned to the same beautiful historic building as on that memorable occasion a year prior.  The major difference was that, this time, cellos and vibrato were exchanged for fake piss and weed jokes and the theater seats, previously occupied with an awe-struck audience so silent that you could hear a pin drop, were now filled with screaming white trash alcoholics. (more…)

Popularity: 2% [?]

I had a photography teacher in high school that would play a video of  The Eagles‘ “Hell Freezes Over” tour, almost every day in class.  Occasionally, it would be a Billy Joel concert video instead, but it was still pretty terrible.  Fortunately, I was in “advanced photography” and was able to avoid some of it.  This basically means that I would step past the rest of the class and puff chronic herbs out of Country Time Lemonade cans in the dark room.  One day I came to class and was surprised to see that the TV playing  We’re All Devo, a VHS featuring music videos and original SNL cast member turned voice-over actress, Laraine Newman.  It wasn’t too difficult to locate the kid who brought in the DEVO video, because he was the only one that was even paying attention to the screen.  Besides that kid, the only other person that I knew who was really vocal about their appreciation for the group, was my friend Crackbaby G.  It was the mid -90s, and nobody at my suburban high school really gave a shit about the, then defunct, band.  Thanks to Crackbaby, in 2006, I was finally able to achieve my dream of seeing DEVO live for the first time.  This month, I was finally able to combine my love of photography with an opportunity to witness the bands on- stage theatrics all over again.

Much like The Pixies, DEVO has set out on a limited city tour, scheduled to coincide with a deluxe album re-release.  The Ultra DEVO-LUX Ltd. Edition packaging will feature their debut album, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo, and the commercially successful Freedom of Choice.  The double re-issue will also contain unreleased material, 2 DVDs, a poster, and a yellow 7 inch vinyl.  The tour itself  involves a 2 night stop in each of 6 different major cities.  The first of the nights features the group performing Are We Not Men? in its entirety, while the second night involves them giving the same treatment to Freedom of Choice.  I knew that DEVO was scheduled to perform a pair of dates in Seattle, but I had also accepted that I was probably not going to be able to see either of them.  I tried to jump on it and request passes the day that the press release was sent out, but it was a difficult ticket to get and the comp. tickets were all accounted for by radio stations.  As someone who used to listen to Are We Not Men? religiously, I was disappointed.  When the day of the show approached and I hadn’t heard any good news, I all but put the concerts out of my mind entirely.  The first night came and went but, on the second/Freedom of Choice night, I received a last minute email informing me that I could be approved for a photo pass.  The problem was that there were no more reviewer passes left.  I’ve had issues trying to enter the venue without a ticket in the past, but I was assured that shouldn’t be an issue.  This also meant that, if I wanted to stay in the venue after the 3-song limit outlined in the photo-policy, I was going to have to do so on the sly. (more…)

Popularity: 2% [?]

CONTEST HAS ENDED!

Troubador, Will Oldham (aka: Bonnie “Prince” Billy) has performed and released albums under various different pseudonyms including, Palace and Palace Music. His music is beautiful and honest; so honest that, at times, some may even consider it vulgur. His fans vary as much as his monikers, which may be explained through his range of collaborations. Oldham has released musical projects with Tortoise and David Berman (Silver Jews) and has even featured vocals from film director Harmony Korine on his albums.

THE PRIZE
I am giving away 2 free tickets to the following performance
Thursday, March 26
The Moore Theatre
Seattle

TO ENTER:
The contest will focus around the title of Bonnie Prince Billy‘s latest release “BEWARE” and entrants will need to submit their best idea for a warning label or clever piece of life advice.

The contest will close on midnight Sun. March 22nd.
All entries will need to be posted on contest page.
Entries will be judged on creativity.

To Enter CLICK HERE

Popularity: 4% [?]

Moore Theatre Feb. 28th 2009
It was my girlfriend’s birthday.  We got to the Moore Theatre about 45 minutes before doors to meet up with the contest winner and hand over his limited edition silkscreen.  I got a call from him on the phone asking if there was any way for him to pick me out in the crowd that was out in front of the venue.  I let him know that I was the only guy out front with dreadlocks, wearing 2 cardigans and a holding a camera bag.  When he finally introduced himself and shook my hand, it was just after watching me argue with the will-call about the location of my tickets.

The winner received his passes from the will-call without issue, and he even tried to get the window attendants to hand mine over to me.  The workers were condescending as fuck to me, but my main concern was making sure that the winners got their passes and that was clear.  I told him and the friend he brought with him not to worry about it, “I’ll get in.”  Now the only problem was that the evening planned for my lady on her birthday was blowing up in my face.  The crazy part was that I was given my photo pass but there were no tickets in the envelope with it.  I convinced a door guy to help me out and he said he’d grab someone in charge if they walked by.  I see the guy who tried to put the kaibosh on my photography during the Buckethead New Years show but, fortunately, he keeps moving.  Eventually, a manager came out front who was extremely helpful.  He hopped on his phone right away and offered us two options due to the theatre filling up rapidly: We could wait for someone to come down and see if they could get us a spot on the floor or, we could head up to the second balcony because, “Nobody’s up there“.  We just wanted to head in, so we came through the front and then headed through a latched side door and up a staircase. (more…)

Popularity: 4% [?]

Much of Brian “Buckethead” Carroll’s popularity has risen through his temporary stint as the guitarist for AXL Rose’s makeshift post millennium disaster that he is still stubbornly referring to as Guns N Roses.   However, if you were a fan of Buckethead’s work prior to this, his inclusion in the group may have actually come as a surprise.  Being introduced to his music through previous releases such as  Bucketheadland (feat. Bootsie Collins and released on Avant-Jazz Sax legend, John Zorn’s label),  Monsters and Robots (featuring Les Claypool), and DJ Q-Bert’s animated turntable masterpiece, Wave Twisters, I myself was shocked by his involvement in GNR.  That is until I realized that, if Bon Jovi called me up and asked me to join him in a country-rap project, I would do it just based on the sheer novelty of the whole experience.  My friend Lars gave me a report on the GNR show that he saw featuring Buckethead on guitar by saying, “I still can’t tell if this is the best show I’ve ever seen or the worst“.  Based on what Lars had seen, he theorized that the tour wouldn’t last much longer due to Axl’s inability to restrain Buckethead or Carroll’s long-time collaborator, drummer Brian “Brain” Mantia, to his satisfaction.  Of course, his prediction was right yet, Buckethead seems to still be primarily associated with the corn-rowed has-been. I may be wrong in my assumptions but, I doubt that there are really too many consistent fans of Buckethead’s music.  His discography spans over 100 different albums in varying genres, including classic metal, electronic, funk, ambient, dub, jazz, and more.  This means that, even if you have heard multiple projects that the musician has been featured on, you still may not have a complete grasp of what he is capable of or that you have had much more than a glimpse of the overall scope of Carroll as an artist. (more…)

Popularity: 10% [?]