New Years Eve in Portland

January 7th, 2009 by Nick

We had an incredible time playing with a bunch of amazing people on New Years. Many thanks to all those who made the journey (no matter the length) to come and dance with us. Also a hearty thank you to Jason Mastrine for inviting us down to the best NYE party I’ve ever seen, and to Scott Law for sitting in with us on mandolin. That was the most lucid and funky Molly I think we’ve ever played. Happy 2009!

Welcome to our NEW Website!

December 9th, 2008 by Nick

Our wonderful friend Darin Reid (aka Mr. Fancy Web-man) has designed this beauty for us, and we are incredibly thankful for his time and skill. This site takes advantage of some brilliant little web features that not only makes it a breeze to update but can also make it simple for users to interact. Some highlights include:

• All of our beautiful Senate shirts and posters are now available online! And with the holidays right around the corner, what could possibly be better than the gift of music appreciation? Check it out and give it a spin!
• Our shows are now archived in a way that allows users to comment on them. Is there a certain song you want to hear? Let it be known!
• Feeds. Web feeds allow you to subscribe to dynamic web content, and receive updates in the reader of your choice. We now offer two such feeds: The Blog, and the Shows Calendar. This means that The Senate Show Calendar can automatically show up in your Google Calendar or iCal. Swing over to our feeds page to learn more and to set it up!
• We now have a blog. Pretty straight forward, however, see “Feeds” above.
• A brand-spanking new gallery of images will be coming along soonly. Stay tuned.

Hot new article on The Senate!

August 31st, 2008 by Andrew

Belingham’s What’s Up! magazine just published an awesome article on the Senate in their August issue – check it out here!

Love, 
Andrew
Bass, THE SENATE

The Triple Door 8/29/08

August 31st, 2008 by Oliver

This show was an absolute joy to play. We were invited back to the Triple Door (Seattle’s classiest music venue) for the first time since our CD release party in March, and this time they gave us a Friday night! Movin’ up, I say. We were nervous that we wouldn’t be able to pack it again without the buzz of a release party, but thanks to you we were proven wrong! Standing room tickets sold out lickety-split, with a line out the door. 

We decided that we had to do our best to top our last show there, so we scrounged up another cadre of amazing artists to share the stage with us. First off, Noah Gunderson and his band the Courage absolutely raged through their 30 minute opening slot. Keep an eye on these kids. Every time I hear them I’m moved almost to tears (plus they force us to play on our A-game. So fucking good!) Evan Kuhlmann, a Julliard-trained bassoonist, came up from Portland for two songs. Andrew’s younger brother Colin Pulkrabek again graced the stage with his beatbox and trombone skills. Dance duo the Harlequin Hipsters returned to perform a new work, entitled ‘Monster 26′ with music primarily written by Ryan Barrett of the HHs in collaboration with we three of the Senate. Last but not least, Tyler ‘The Blender’ Carson came down from Victoria, BC to shred on the fiddle and bring the evening to a close. I have played very few shows that were so challenging to put together and so satisfying to pull off. 

Set list:
Cross My Heart (w/ Evan Kuhlmann, bassoon)
Molly
Bandit
Spectacle (w/ Colin Pulkrabek, beatbox)
Lullaby
Monster 26 (w/ the Harlequin Hipsters)
Mary (w/ Colin on trombone, Evan on bassoon)
Life is Fine
Remaining songs feat. Tyler Carson, fiddle
Broken Dirt
Skeleton Line
Pied Piper

Space Shanty
Harmonopticon

Enormous thanks to Deby, Lisa, Will, Craig, Lauren and everyone else at the Triple Door who made the night happen, and to all of you for packing it to the gills! We hope to return very soon.

-Oliver

Awesome Bellingham Writeup!

July 22nd, 2008 by The Senate

Big thanks to Amy from What’s Up! magazine for this hilarious, yet informative review! Yes, Molly is indeed about nusery rhymes and love. Well deduced!

The Senate

June 17 – Three Trees Coffeehouse

by Amy Kenna

It’s always a little hectic when The Senate plays at Three Trees Coffeehouse. Even with a $7 cover, the Seattle-based trio (Nick Drummond and Oliver Franklin on guitar, and Andrew Pulkrabek on stand-up bass) consistently packs limited floor capacity. The venue closes shop before a Senate show to haul away furniture and allow the band ample time to tweak sound to perfection.

By the time the line of avid fans pour in off Holly Street, The Senate is sequestered away in secret pre-show quarters, donning signature black shirts and slacks, and primping their hair with Aveda Men’s Grooming Cream (pliable hold with a natural sheen).

For all the hoopla, you would think they were the Backstreet Boys, but there’s nothing bubblegum about The Senate’s music. Without percussion, these guys depend on strings and three-voice harmonies alone to create their uniquely aggressive polyrhythmic melodies. The result is what The Senate describes as “face-melting acoustic riffage,” and it has an explosive effect on a crowd.

The show introduced ‘Hamsters to new material from The Senate’s recent CD/DVD release, Live at Solstice (recorded last year at Café Solstice and released in March). A likely fan favorite is the explosive “Ocean Song,” while “Skeleton Line” and “Broken Dirt,” expose The Senate’s darker, more pensive lyrical streak (sometimes easy to miss within the catchy melodies).

My personal favorite of the evening was “Molly,” a whimsical song which I have deduced is about nursery rhymes and love — two things the world could use more of.

The night closed with a live burial of “The Awesome Song,” which quite frankly, needed to expire. Any song that compels a roomful of fans to raise hands in the air and shout, “Show me how awesome you can be!” is asking for last rites. May it rest in peace.

Onstage, The Senate has an endearing and gleeful quality that keeps fans coming back for more. Call it charisma, or sheer musical excellence, or a combination of the two. All I know is they don’t ever play a show without it.

The Senate will return to Three Trees on July 30 and August 21, and will perform at Boundary Bay on September 6. Check ‘em out. They’re worth the cover.

Corrections Department would like to point out that the September 6th Boundary Bay show is no longer on :(