The magnolia blooms so sweet

Mark Lanegan rolled into town with his band earlier this month as part of his solo European tour, playing the Electric Ballroom in Camden.

In grunge terms Lanegan is probably best known as the lead singer of Screaming Trees, a band that brought a warm-toned, psychedelic-inflected spin to the burgeoning early 90s Seattle scene.

Where the most interesting stuff happens…

Tuatara. Barrett Martin is, umm, he’s, errr, you figure it out.

With his jazz background, Barrett Martin has always been a different type of drummer to other well-known Seattle mainstays wielding their drumsticks: during his time in Screaming Trees and with Mad Season, he revealed his ear for tribal rhythms, never better exemplified than how live he added extra depth, groove and propulsion to the lengthy jam of ‘All Alone’ and ‘November Hotel’ from the latter band’s timeless Above album.

Go hawks!

The Seattle Seahawks meet the New England Patriots in Arizona tomorrow night at Superbowl XLIX,* as they attempt to repeat last year’s 43-8 thumping of the Denver Broncos and become the first team since Denver in 1998 to win back-to-back Superbowls.

How far away we all are now

Mad Season back in the day (l-r): McCready, Saunders, Staley, Martin.

Mad Season are gigging at the end of the month, as part of the Seattle Symphony’s Sonic Evolution series; the event is taking place at Benaroya Hall on 30 January, and will feature orchestral and solo arrangements of some of their songs.*

Until you learn the meaning of trust

Shawn Smith has announced solo UK tour dates this spring, including a final date of the tour at West London’s enchanting Bush Hall that I’m really looking forward to attending.

Building the towers, belongs to the sky*

Have just returned from two weeks’ holiday, taking in the fresh – at times startlingly fresh – air of Purbeck (in Dorset? yes I’d heartily recommend it)**, and very pleasant it’s been to be away from work and the accompanying twice daily squash on the Piccadilly Line.

Instead: long country walks in the Purbeck countryside, many of them along the scenic and surprisingly hilly Dorset coastline; cream teas at the Worth Matravers tea room (a-ma-zing, if you’ll forgive the Craig Revel Horword-ism)***; squirrel watching on Brownsea Island; log fires in an old stonemason’s cottage; visiting Saxon and Norman churches.

A red squizzer, earlier.