My First Seattle Show: Coyote Grace @ the Triple Door

First there was the guy who got on the #10 bus with two leashed ferrets in his arms, and then left a few stops later with them chilling out behind his head in his large trenchcoat hood.  Yeah, I too wish that I was a bit less timid and had snapped a photo.

Then I walk into the Triple Door and there’s a goddamn stingray tank.  I get to will call and I wait to be seated? The host is very friendly and shows me to my seat near the back, where I find a full menu, a wine list, a couple plates, and silverware… I’m thinking, “Uh, does he realize I’m just here for the band?”  So I sit down, get my bearings, and try to link this bizarre place to what I know.   Naturally, when heading out the Triple Door I had a picture in my head that it would be like Chicago’s Double Door – a classic, somewhat grungy rock bar with a great reputation.  Upon getting settled I realized that it’s much more like the reserved seating at Chicago’s Park West or like a really big Uncommon Ground, it’s just ALL tiered reserved seating: dinner and a show.  Luckily for my wallet, I ate before heading out, but I ordered a great regional draft and quickly befriended the wonderful couple sitting next to me, Jill and Lynn.

I was a little anxious about this first leap into the world of “just go to shows by yourself and meet people and make friends,” but this seating method actually made that a lot easier – mostly because Jill and Lynn were so friendly and welcoming (Thanks for that 2nd beer guys!!).  They were big fans of the headliner, Girlyman, but I could tell they would be new fans of Coyote Grace.

Oh, right.  There was music there too.  Really good music!  Thanks for indulging my story, on to the music review:

As I mentioned in my last post, I came upon this band via the AMAZING documentary “RIOT ACTS: Flaunting Gender Deviance in Music Performance,” and I was so excited to see a full set, albeit just 30 minutes as an opener.  Also, I did not realize that Coyote Grace got their start here in Seattle, busking at Pike Place Market to raise money for their first album, Boxes & Bags, making them a much more appropriate first Seattle review for this site than I anticipated.  Ha!  I win!

After being introduced by Nate from Girlyman, Ingrid and Joe of Coyote Grace stepped to the front of the stage, bypassing the mics, and immediately assuaged all of my skepticism about the venue.  They played “Runaround” totally unamplified and I could hear every word from my seat in the back of the house.  Triple Door = AMAZING acoustics.

It was a wonderful set by Coyote Grace – their music is just so beautiful and the harmonies so affective.  But I’d heard some tunes before, so the thing that struck me the most last night was the extremely endearing stage presence;  Ingrid dancing around with that huge upright bass,  Joe’s honest and heartfelt delivery that creates an instant bond of empathy, guest multi-instrumentalist Michael Connolly’s tasteful contributions… The whole set was a series of precious real-people-playing-music-in-a-room moments that felt both classic and unique.  Such a pleasure.

Ingrid and Joe gave me permission to put a couple tracks up on the Mid By Northwest Radio – so check that out, as well as the videos below.  Although the autobiographical elements of their amazing song “Guy Named Joe” are much more profound than my transition from Chicago to Seattle, last night Joe dedicated it to anyone starting a new journey.  Thanks, Joe.

Here’s the pretty music video for “Guy Named Joe”

Ah!!! Here they are playing at Tweet – one of my favorite places to eat in Chicago!