I wish I could make one of those web things describing the way in which all of Seattle’s best bands connect. If you ‘Continue Reading’, please be prepared for your head to explode, not just because what i am going to describe is very confusing, but also because the music contained within this post has been known to do that. This, of course, is all in celebration (Read: Promotion) of the fact that Past Lives is playing Situations on August 2nd. Nathan’s Myspace bulletin said “(ex-Blood Brothers/Shoplifting)” but I didn’t feel like that did Past Lives justice.

In the late 1990’s a band called The Vogue was started by a couple of guys by the name of Adam Miller, Hannah Billie, Johnny Whitney, Casey Wescott and Devin Welch. They were awesome, but it wasn’t until a few years later (after Casey left the band) that they became the amazing Soiled Doves in 2001. Soiled Doves’ Soiled Life was highly regarded as something ‘fresh’ and ‘unique’. To this day, Soiled Life is one of my favorite records of all time, but after that band disbanded in the same year, many more projects were spawned.

The Vogue – As Brass And Satin (Full album download)

Soiled Doves – Various Tracks

One that many forget was a lo-fi-noise-dance band (hey, I reminded you!) The Chromatics, who in 2002 was comprised of Hannah Billie, Devin Welch, Michelle Nolan and Adam Miller. The two LP’s this Chromatics released were unlike anything else I’m aware of to this day, and remain some of my favorite pieces of vinyl. My obsession for both Soiled Doves and Chromatics at this time spawned an obsession for the next Johnny Whitney project The Blood Brothers. The Blood Brothers claim to have been around since 1997, but my guess is they are counting The Vogue and Soiled Doves in there too. At the same time The Blood Brothers came to fame, Hannah Billie, Devin Welch and Michelle Nolan began a project called Shoplifting. Shoplifting never was as successful as The Blood Brothers, but they were every bit as good.

Chromatics (old) – Various Tracks
The Blood Brothers – Celia And The Silhouette Saloon
The Blood Brothers – Birth Skin/Death Leather
The Blood Brothers – Mutiny On The Arc Of The Blood Brothers
Shoplifting – Male Gynecology

What happened to Casey Wescott you ask? Well, around the same time as Shoplifting was coming about, so was a band called Fleet Foxes who Casey Wescott is to this day a part of. I believe (but hate) that Shoplifting has broken up, but as you can imagine, that didn’t stop Hannah Billie, Devin Welch and Michelle Nolan from making music. Hannah Billie is now a part of Portland’s own The Gossip (who has members of the band Die Monitr Batss, who once had a split with Chromatics) and Michelle has gone on to form Telepathic Liberation Army. Devin Welch is now a part of Past Lives, who also has 3 members of The Blood Brothers: Jordan Billie (Hannah Billie’s twin brother), Morgan Henderson and Mark Gajadhar.

Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal
The Gossip – Various Tracks
Die Monitr Batss – Various Tracks
Telepathic Liberation Army – Amish Touch+Unlimited
Past Lives – Various Tracks

By watching their live show, one could see that The Blood Brothers were getting a little bored, so naturally all of the members started side projects. Jordan Billie, and Cody Votolato started Head Wound City with The Locust members Gabe Serbian and Justin Pearson. Head Wound City was also a side project for Nick Zinner of The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s. At the same time the two members of The Blood Brothers started Head Wound City, Johnny Whitney and Mark Gajadhar started Neon Blonde. While Head Wound City was an abrasive noise outlet for its respective members, Neon Blonde served as a dancey outlet for Whitney and Gajadhar. Neon Blonde undoubtedly foreshadowed Mark Gajadhar’s current DJ project, DJ Gajamagic, and from that DJ Gajamagic has now formed a hip-hop/Dance project called Champagne Champagne. Johnny Whitney rejoined forces with Cody Votolato for the current Jaguar Love project, who also features Jay Clark from Pretty Girls Make Graves.

Head Wound City – All Tracks
Neon Blonde – Headlines
DJ Gajamagic – Various Tracks
Champagne Champagne
Jaguar Love – Various Tracks

Oh man, I forgot to tell you. Jordan Billie is currently dating Zoe Verkuylen, who used to be in The Red Light Sting (Who once had a split with Hot Hot Heat, who used to be an experimental dance-punk band!) until The Red Light Sting broke up. Now Zoe is currently taking on a new project: Baby Control, that is when she isn’t being Simian Mobile Disco’s tour manager. For an added headache, Baby Control is on Ache Records, which was started by Andy Dixon, also in The Red Light Sting, who now makes music under the Secret Mommy moniker.
The Red Light Sting – Various Tracks
Baby control – Various Tracks
Secret Mommy – Various Tracks

Remember me talking about Past Lives? Well, on top of featuring Jordan Billie, Mark Henderson and Mark Gajadhar the band is also what Devin Welch might call his current project. Adam Miller of course still associates with the current Chromatics. It’s truly gone full circle for most members of The Vogue, but if anything can be gleaned from all of these years of music, it is that Seattle/Portland are awesome, and that time has only allowed these people to discover what it is they truly love to do, and how. If it weren’t for everybody meeting everybody, we wouldn’t have all of these awesome bands to listen to and discuss.

Past Lives plays Situations on August 2nd at Dunes, and I’m sure you are dying to hear that afterward they are playing in California with The Crocodiles, who are members of The Plot To Blow Up The Eiffel Tower, who shared a label with The Blood Brothers and Head Wound city on Three One G, which is run by Justin Pearson of The Locust/Swing Kids/Some Girls/Holy Molar/The Crimson Curse/Head Wound City. Should I mention that one of Holy Molar is also a part of Portland’s own Get Hustle… and was once a part of the Chromatics?

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Posted By David Hutchinson