The Gonzaga Bulletin

Issue date: 9/8/06 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: myspace.com Seaweed Jack has had an eventful summer, playing venues throughout the Northwest. The band hopes to release a new album before next summer.

Regardless of what you did for the past four months, chances are Seaweed Jack had a better summer than you. According to guitarist Brian White, the band did "more work than we've ever done" this summer, and it paid off.

To start the summer off, the band planned a two-week tour to promote their first album, "The Captain." They bought a new equipment trailer and headed out to play some of the largest cities in the Northwest, including Seattle, Portland and Olympia.

"It was really fun, and it was our first real tour," White said.

The band's goal was to expand their fan base and secure opportunities to play at those cities again. In this respect, the tour was a success.

"They all seemed real excited to have us back sometime," White said.

The end of the summer saw Seaweed Jack's "best tour so far," White said. The band played for a little over a week with only one night off, also hitting Eugene and Olympia.

The Seattle show at The High Dive may have been the band's best. The venue was packed with a sea of people, and Seaweed Jack opened for two Seattle bands.

"It was a big thing for us," White said. "We'd been to Seattle four times at that point, and we'd become more popular than local Seattle bands."

The Seattlest writer Michael van Baker was so impressed with the band's performance that he compared Seaweed Jack to the Decemberists, arguing that there is "nothing wrong here; this band is ready to go swash some…buckles."

With Seattle's status as a music Mecca, such an achievement is no small feat for the Spokane band. According to White, the Seattle show alone paid for most of the band's tour expenses.

Seaweed Jack also had a great showing at this year's Pig Out in the Park. Though the crowd - filled with families and older adults - may not have been the target audience, the show exposed the band to hundreds of people who have never heard their unique sound before.

So, with a successful summer behind them, what is on the horizon for Seaweed Jack?

According to the band's Web site (www.myspace.com/seaweedjack), Seaweed Jack has a few upcoming concerts in the Spokane area, the first being Sept. 21 at CenterStage. The band will open for two California acts, Birdmonster and Division Day.

Perhaps most exciting, however, is Seaweed Jack's goal of producing another album by the end of the school year. The band will be working on the album throughout the year in a house on the South Hill, and they hope to start recording by spring break. If all goes according to plan, the album would be set for release before the end of the school year.

"It'll be much better than The Captain," White says.

The band hopes that with the forthcoming album they will be able to secure a record deal.

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