I know you want to stare at the band with your hands in your pockets, unmoving. It's the Seattle way, passed down through the generations. Maybe three-odd decades ago, some guy wondered what it would be like to just stare at Hendrix as he played, and a Northwest tradition was born.
But that kind of nonsense won't fly for Seattle Soundbite [1], an audio-masticatory extravaganza happening this Sunday at the SoDoBox. A lot of good bands will be playing -- folkies, funksters, rockers, hip-hoppers. Even the most blasé listeners are bound to find something in the program that gets their blood going. Plus, there will be excellent "street-style" food -- some of the best you've ever had at a concert.
Now we come to the payoff: The chefs who made that food and the performers making that music are one and the same. In order to get into Soundbite, each of the featured bands had to have at least one member employed in the food-service industry. If you don't feel like cheering the music, you'll definitely cheer for the food.
The talent roster is impressive. Scheduled to appear are Born Anchors, Disjointed Isotopes, Ian McFeron Band, La Isla All Stars of Picoso, Kate Graves, Sideways Reign and Sunday Night Blackout. Participating restaurants include Café Campagne, Coastal Kitchen, El Gaucho, Lark, Palace Kitchen, Purple Café & Wine Bar, Quinn’s, Ray's Café, Red Door, Serafina, Southlake Grill, Tango, Tavolata, Via Tribunali and Volunteer Park Café. Each restaurant will create a special dish exclusively for the event.
Dusty 45s front man and ever dapper gent Billy Joe Huels hosts this benefit for the Vera Project, ProStart and the Seattle chapter of the Washington Restaurant Association. Go and feast your senses, and remember to show your appreciation for the music. You don't want to annoy the people in the kitchen.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
