Banner Photo by Dot Pierson
Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow of The Posies began writing songs together in 1986 while Stringfellow was attending the University of Washington. Over the past 30 years, The Posies have released eight albums, toured extensively, pursued individual musical projects, moved across the Atlantic, and even recorded a rewritten song for an episode of Bill Nye: The Science Guy. Included in Pitchfork’s “The 50 Best Indie Rock Albums of the Pacific Northwest,” The Posies’ first album in six years, Solid States, was released earlier this year following the deaths of long-time band members Darius Minwalla in 2015 and Joe Skyward in 2016.
Back in May, Auer and Stringfellow played a sold-out secret show at Hilliard’s Beer Brewery in Seattle for their Solid States album release party. Both tours this year have almost exclusively consisted of secret pop-up shows played in cool, alternative venues (they even played in the mouth of a cave last spring), the location of which is released 24 hours prior to show time. Although secret, intimate settings are fun, Seattle fans may be glad to hear that the band is playing at The Neptune Theatre this time around, a venue with a capacity of almost 3,000. Expect a show that oscillates between fan favorites, pop ballads, and some solid shredding. (I heard they rocked so hard last time, all six guitar strings broke in the last song.)
Jon Auer collaborated with Wednesday night’s opener, Seattle based Anomie Belle, on her 2011 album, The Crush. Trained in classical composition from a young age, Belle’s experimental sound is like nothing I’ve heard lately: full of soul, electric beats, layers of strings, and a sort of dark alienation, a dissolution of self. Flux, Belle’s third studio album, released this past August, will impress anyone who appreciates impeccable production. It’ll be interesting to see how it translates in a live show.
Catch The Posies and Anomie Belle on November 16 at The Neptune Theatre. Doors open at 7:00 p.m., with the show starting at 8:00 p.m. Get tickets here before they disappear!
EMMA PIERCE | A solar sister | KXSU Music Reporter