The UNDERBELLY
  • Home
  • About
  • Dirty Bars
  • Music Venues
  • Bowling Alley Bars
  • Restaurant Bars
  • Steakhouse Bars
  • Mexican Bars
  • Pubs
  • Lounges
  • Beachside Bars
  • Tiki Bars
  • Gay Bars
  • Casinos / Hotel Bars
  • Top Shelf
  • RIP Bars :(
  • Photos
  • Contact

Three Days in Seattle - Day 1

12/11/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
Two months ago, Pandora Radio re-introduced me to Alice in Chains. I made a Toadies station, because the Toadies fucking rock, and naturally, the station played a healthy dose of Alice in Chains.  These bands share a moody, creepy sound that I don’t hear much in today’s Rock music. Of course I remember AIC tracks like ‘Man in the Box’ and ‘Rooster’ all over the radio as a child, but I didn’t appreciate them like I do today. Growing up, my choice genre was 80s Metal (and I’m sure it always will be), so Grunge was off-limits.  Grunge murdered my Metal….

But listening to Alice in Chains today, I have to argue that they ARE a Metal band…and I simply cannot get enough. I cleared out Amoeba’s AIC section and have read just about every book about the Seattle music scene Amazon has to offer. Fuck, I bet my checking account balance is getting low.

I digress…


Picture
My best friend Anna lives in the University District of Seattle (OMG, that’s where Layne lived!?&^@&@!!!) and because I had just finished ‘Grunge Seattle’ by Justin Henderson, I was constantly harassing Anna with “have you been there?!” questions. Vaden Todd Lewis (Lead Singer, The Toadies) happened to be performing a one-man acoustic show at the Triple Door in Seattle, December 6th and Southwest was constantly bombarding my inbox with discount flight notifications.  Wanna get away?  Fuck yeah, I do.

So I did, and my three day stay in Seattle was amazing.


Picture
THE TRIPLE DOOR: The first drinking destination of the trip was The Triple Door, an intimate music venue with acoustics that will BLOW YOUR MIND. We took the bus to avoid drunk driving and parking difficulties, and arrived right as the opening act, Kate Lynne Logan, began to play. I’m not generally into folky singer-songwriter types, so I was pleasantly surprised when I enjoyed her angelic performance. Maybe it was the acoustics, maybe the booze, but I’m guessing Ms. Logan is just damn talented. I enjoyed some chicken pot stickers as she played.
 
Vaden Todd Lewis came on shortly after.  One song into his set, one of his guitar strings broke and he had to use Kate Lynn’s guitar for the remainder of the show. It was exciting being in that intimate of a setting, and the few technical errors only made the show more interesting, more human, and that much more memorable.

Aesthetically, The Triple Door is elegant and modern, without feeling pretentious. The starry black backdrop and vast stage enhance the majesty of the musicians. I don’t go to seated concerts very often, but given the nature of Vaden's performance, I didn’t feel any urge to head bang or stage dive. The waitresses are available when needed, but they truly don’t disrupt from the talent onstage. Cocktails aren’t terribly expensive, about $10 a drink and you have the option of ordering food if you get hungry.

Picture
ROYAL BAR: After the Vaden Todd Lewis show, it was impossible to call it a night.  Buzzed and ready to explore Seattle, Anna and I stopped in the Royal Bar, a UW hangout down the street from her apartment. The Royal Bar was nothing fancy and I probably wouldn’t recommend it to any future visitors, but it gave us an opportunity to drink and loathe humanity. The bartender was a novice and got really angry when I called his name off a Christmas stocking to get his attention. Once again, not the best bar experience of the Seattle trip, but it provided shelter from the 25 degree weather outside.


0 Comments

Read All About It!

12/10/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture

GET EXCITED, READERS!

We have tons of new reviews heading your way!

Chad and his friend Max road-tripped two hours north for a WEEKEND IN LOMPOC, a small town near Santa Barbara and home to Jasper’s, Playboy magazine’s sixth best dive bar in the US. When Jasper’s failed to impress to that standard, Chad and Max trudged on to The Wicked Shamrock
and Johnny’s Bar & Grill.  Stay tuned for how the boys played when Alyssa was away...

Picture
My grandparents probably would have disowned me if we didn’t fly home for THANKSGIVING IN SACRAMENTO this year. Although born and raised here, I didn’t spend any of my post-21 years in the area, so checking out the dive bar scene was new and exciting for both me and Chad. Club Raven was an obvious choice to visit…how can you resist the flapping wings on that gem of a neon sign? Within walking distance of the “dirty bird” is The Limelight and Cheaters, which provided pleasant scenery and impossibly inexpensive drinks before our very unexpected cab chase home. Yeah, you read that right, we were involved in a cab chase. Rounding out the vacation were visits to various Northern California wineries and a stop at Ernie’s Interlude, the geriatric-infested local dive that my parents and brother warned me to avoid.

Picture
THREE DAYS IN SEATTLE and I have tales to tell.  Currently in an obsessive Alice in Chains phase, all I want to listen to, research, and think about is Layne Staley.  The band that spawned this fascination is actually, The Toadies, whose lead singer, Vaden Todd Lewis, happened to be performing a one-man acoustic show at the Triple Door in Seattle, December 6th. Coincidentally, one of my best friends, Anna, is getting her Masters at UW, so I took this opportunity to kill multiple birds with one stone and fly in for a visit. Following Anthony Bourdain’s recommendation, Anna and I visited local dives Unicorn and 5 Point Café. Naturally, Anna showed me some of her favorites, The J&M Saloon, Royal Bar, and Cha Cha Lounge. To fulfill my “grunge” lust, we stopped in The Central Saloon, which is not only the oldest bar in Seattle, but the venue where Mother Love Bone played their last show.

Stop by soon to read all about it!


Xxx,
Alyssa



0 Comments

    Authors
    Chad (blue font)
    Alyssa (pink font)

    Archives

    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    January 2013
    July 2012
    March 2011

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

© 2015 AlyssaLouHeater. All Rights Reserved. Culver City, CA.