Sounds Like Seattle

"Seattle has one of the best live music scenes," claimed my friend Kristina.

"Really?" I asked. We were sitting at the High Dive, having just listened to a set by the band Ivan and Alyosha, a band that neither of us had even heard of before Thursday, but one we both found so enjoyable that we couldn't resist the CDs they were selling for five bucks apiece.

"Well, maybe not like New York, but..."

"How about L.A.?"

"I don't think L.A. can compare with Seattle."

I sipped my beer thoughtfully (if that's possible). To be honest, I really don't know if that's an accurate assessment or not, and those who are still mourning the loss of Seattle's indie music rag, The Rocket (despite the fact it departed almost ten years ago) may disagree. But just thinking about it made me feel pretty lucky to be sitting right where I was, listening to bands no one's ever heard of, but are nonetheless pretty darn good. I've been to a grand total of one live music show in L.A., and while the bands there were also unknowns, they actually deserved to stay that way. Not that this one experience is in any way indicative of the L.A. music scene, but it seemed to lend some credence to Kristina's assertion.

Unfortunately, I haven't always taken good advantage of what Seattle has to offer. This past week was an exception, as I made it to two shows in the span of seven days, the first one being the Supreme Beings of Leisure at Chop Suey this past Saturday. That night I was happy to groove to familiar songs, but there's a certain thrill that comes when taking a chance on something unfamiliar and being rewarded with great music. It's something I'd like to experience more often. And in Seattle, apparentely, I have plenty of opportunities.