Outside Chop Suey on Capitol Hill, a 12-passenger van was parked with a blacked out trailer. I thought how bands like The Miniature Tigers and Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band travel in close quarters, sleep in crowded hotel rooms, and travel through the night to make it to the next show. A life I am not jealous of. Neither band has reached the notoriety of charging more than a 20-spot for a ticket. After dropping my hard-earned 12 bucks, I thought, “OK, I could’ve bought something else with my cash…” but nonetheless, it was my first time seeing both bands live and I was looking forward to it. Arriving fashionably late to the show, I snatched a spot close to the best seat in the house, next to the soundboard. The crowd of about 100 people had a definitive level of estrogen, beating testosterone at least 2:1.

As Brian Bonz (part of the Goddamn Band) & the Dot Hongs were finishing their set, they were plowing through a raucous, toe tapping “Judy & The Alpha Queen”. The crowd was treated to the styling of guest tambourine player, Kevin Devine. If you have not heard “Judy & The Alpha Queen”, it is definitely worth the price of a download and will probably make it into your Top 40 playlist. Although the live version is heaps better. After playing their 30-minute set, they made way for The Miniature Tigers.

Think Weezer before they could afford a fuzz box. Their sound is alternative rock with a pop appeal. With a popular video on MTVU in rotation, it was easy to see how the crowd of amorous girls clumped together at the front of the stage was letting out the occasional “Woo!” They fired through the first couple of songs in their set, graciously thanking the crowd for coming every chance they could. Charlie Brand, playing the role of lead singer and Teddy Bear sweater wearer, has an air about him that says, “I’m emo, but I know I’m ‘eye candy’!”

Halfway through their set, I was blown away with the sound that filled the club when they said they were bringing up a guest drummer, thinking Rick Schaier was going to take a break, nope! Two drummers, one drum kit as they rocked “Dino Damage” from Tell It To The Volcano (Mental note: Download the album when you get home). Simply amazing! It also made me glad that I brought a pair of earplugs with me.

During one of songs, there is a “complicated” clapping part…kind of like the Friends theme song but a lot faster and a lot longer. As the crowd was being taught how to do it, Charlie thought he was getting the thumbs down from someone in the audience; turns out, she had a broken arm. That was awkward. With a little levity, the band broke into the opening chords of Nirvana’s “smells like teen spirit”. However, nothing more than that…tease! (I was secretly hoping they would cover ABBA’s “Mamma Mia” as they have on their MySpace page)

As The Miniature Tigers were finishing their set, they brought up members of Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band (9 people on the stage!) for “Cannibal Queen”. A very nice close to the almost perfect set…I say “almost” because they tried to get the crowd to sing the Frasier theme song. Epic Fail!

Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band came onstage next and were treated to the loudest applause of the night. Trying to keep his vocal chords in pristine condition, Kevin said he “felt like he had just done 250 lines of blow” after indulging in a cup of coffee. Hey, you’re in Seattle, why not?

The “Brother’s Blood” Tour is supporting the band’s latest release (4/28/09). Their sound is polished. Kevin is able to bring heartfelt moments to the mic and at the same time throw raw emotion right in your face. Sometimes when you go and see bands live, all the songs sound the same, bleeding from one into the next. Tonight was the exception to the rule, choosing a set that allowed band members to show off their individual talents and sound amazing as part of the whole.

Highlights of their set included “Another Bag Of Bones” and “I Could Be With Anyone” off Brother’s Blood. It didn’t matter if you’ve been following Kevin since 2002’s Circle Gets The Square or if you stumbled on his MySpace page a week ago and happened to like a few of the samples…Kevin is the consummate artist. He knows that you spent your hard-earned cash to come see him play, and he gives you a show.

With about 20 minutes left to play, Kevin let the band take a breather and pulled out his acoustic guitar. What followed was nothing short of chilling. I don’t know if it was the lighting or the fact that the bar area crowd had actually taken a minute to stop talking, “I Could Be With Anyone” seemed to make the world stop turning if only for a brief moment.

Kevin really used his voice as an instrument on “Just Stay”, screaming the chorus to let you know of his pain and it was effective, not just screaming for the sake of screaming. Their set finished with “Brother’s Blood”… progressing nicely from its mellow beginnings to a full-blown rock song, bringing down the house in thunderous applause. Well, as thunderous as the 150 or so people in the audience could get.

Bottom line: I’m glad I saw the show and I would recommend catching them before it comes to an end on June 7th. I went to see Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band, but I have to admit that I was impressed with both The Miniature Tigers and Kevin Devine. The best part about the whole experience was I saw some amazing bands for less than a 20-spot.