Seattle is a city blessed to have an abundance of quality musicians, venues, promoters, bloggers and other amazing folks who make up our wonderful music community, so it should come as no surprise that the national media is beginning to take notice of what’s going on up here in the left corner of the continental U.S.
Both Shabazz Palaces and Fleet Foxes released albums that have more or less received universal acclaim and some of the city’s brightest (Macklemore, the Head and the Heart, Moondoggies) shined in front of flocks of national media at Sasquatch! But it’s not just the musicians and festivals that make what’s been happening here in Seattle so special. The people who put together shows and give artists opportunities to shine in front of live audiences, and the places where the shows happen are as vital a part of the scene as the music itself, and the national media is beginning to take note of that aspect of the local music community too.
Billboard Magazine recently named Showbox at the Market one of the 10 most influential clubs in North America. The Seattle scene mainstay is rightfully listed among national heavy-hitters such as New York’s Bowery Ballroom, Washington DC’s 9:30 Club and seven others as one of the premiere places to see a show in the country. Anyone who has been to a concert at the original Showbox (as opposed to Showbox SoDo) knows that its excellent sight lines, acoustics and historic feel (the venue was established in 1939) combined with its limited capacity (max capacity is 1,147) creates both an excellent atmosphere for a show and a great intimate feeling which makes Showbox at the Market one of the best places to see a concert not just in Seattle, but pretty much anywhere in the country.
But it isn’t just the Showbox itself that’s getting noticed by folks outside of Seattle. The Showbox’s booker, Chad Queirolo, was nominated by Pollstar Magazine for the Talent Booker of the Year award. His track record and reputation here in Seattle should have been enough to earn him the honor, but unfortunately the booker for the Bowery Ballroom won the award this year. And just in case you need a reminder of some of what makes him award-nominee worthy, within the past 18 months he’s managed to help bring the likes of Fistful of Mercy, Queens of the Stone Age, Soundgarden, Ke$ha, Social Distortion, the Hold Steady, Adele and dozens of other big-name artists to both Showboxes.
So a big Guerrilla Candy congrats to both Chad and the Showbox for not only being two of the many bright spots in the local music scene, but for also getting recognized for all the hard work you do to make our music community one of the best in the nation.
NOTE: An earlier version of this post had inaccurate information about the Pollstar Talent Buyer of the Year award.
