West Seattle sounds: Feedback Lounge, Easy Street, Phoenecia

SOUNDGARDEN CD RELEASE PARTY TONIGHT AT FEEDBACK LOUNGE: Our photo shows part of the Soundgarden memorabilia you can see at The Feedback (WSB sponsor) – but tonight’s about looking ahead more than looking back – looking ahead, once the party starts at 10 pm, to album sales at midnight, for the new Soundgarden retrospective Telephantasm. The Seattle-based stars themselves won’t be on hand, per the Feedback Lounge’s website, which says they’re “needed elsewhere to save the world from crappy rock ‘n’ roll,” but guess who will – the event’s happening in conjunction with Easy Street Records, whose website has even more here. And speaking of Easy Street …

EASY STREET IS TOPS (THOUGH YOU ALREADY KNEW THAT): The West Seattle-founded music emporium has just been featured by Rolling Stone as being among the 25 Best Record Stores in the USA. The feature (see it here) gives the nod to Easy Street for both locations, but as you’ll see with the click, the photo shows the sun-splashed, flag-topped classic West Seattle storefront.

PHOENECIA SOUNDS BETTER THAN EVER: It’s gained fame for its food (read their Seattle Times review here), but Alki’s reborn Phoenecia also has live music on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month by WSB contributor Jason Grotelueschen (Facebook page here), who tells us the restaurant’s just made some acoustic changes, in response to what they say is the main customer complaint since they reopened – not just during music nights – noise. According to Jason, Phoenecia’s Sonya Khazaal says customers will notice the difference and that the change is like “night and day” since they installed new acoustic paneling and draperies. (He’s looking forward to checking it out during his next performance on October 6th.)

dawsonct September 27, 2010 (11:09 pm)

And be certain to check out other changes at Phoenecia over the coming months. A renewed emphasis on the Mediterranean, especially the Eastern and N. African regions historically part of the Phoenician empire. More local, seasonal ingredients. Not a complete menu overhaul by any means, but certainly a re-imagining of some dishes, the return of others, and the deletion of a few, and some new tastes to excite your palate.

Alki IS the best place in Seattle for a sunset meal and an after-dinner walk. Don’t forget about us this Winter!

Jody Rodgers September 28, 2010 (12:36 am)

Congrats Easy Street! You rule. Want to be #1 on that list? Get serious about your used CD collection. I take a list of CDs I am looking for when I go down to Amoeba Music and I usually find 75% of what I am looking for. Easy Street? More like 20% at the QA one and more like 5% at the beloved WS store. Now you have the used CDs helter skelter all of the store which isn’t helping matters.

nulu September 28, 2010 (9:01 am)

Seattle impressively boasts three of the 25 top record stores listed by Rolling Stone.
Not bad for the burg in the boonies.

PeterT September 28, 2010 (1:04 pm)

I’m a very frequent Easy Street customer (both WS and QA), and I applaud the recognition given by Rolling Stone. Well deserved ! And to echo another user, yes, scattering the used CDs around the store is a little…well, scattered.

Now, I wonder why Academy (22nd St. in NYC) didn’t make the list ?

matt vaughan September 28, 2010 (2:18 pm)

By scattered , do you mean integrated? Over the last two years, the influx of used CD’s that has come into the store has been enormous. With less new CD’s selling, used CD’s have continued to sell, simply put, they are just cheaper and they of course sound the same. It’s my opinion that if a customer is looking at a copy of AC/DC Back in Black and one is $6 used and the other is $12 new, they will go with the used copy. For years, Easy Street separated new and used, but I think now our customers want to be able to look in one place rather than having to go upstairs for used and downstairs for new. I came to that decision based on customer feedback, no? With only 1,500 sq feet on the record side, it is utterly impossible to have as many CD’s as Amoeba in California, which is 50,000 sq feet and in an old bowling alley.

Thanks Rolling Stone for the nod and thanks WS Blog for noticing. Easy Street tries to fulfill the music needs of West Seattle and we hope to give the Junction a dose of culture here and there…and of course, ya know there are those surprise shows here and there. Food and music= shiny happy West Seattle people.