UTG PHOTOS: EELS Serenade The Moore in Seattle (6/7/14)

June 25th, 2014

Xander Deccio

Under the Gun Review sent photographer Xander Deccio to The Moore in Seattle, WA on June 7, 2014.

When it comes to EELS, only one thing comes to mind: their 1996 hit “Novocaine For The Soul.”

While it was played frequently on MTV in the mid ’90s, and was a staple in many mixtapes–yes, we made mixtapes–as there were no iPods and mix CDs were expensive to make as most home computers were not equipped with burners, and the MP3 format wasn’t introduced publicly until 1997, with Napster hitting the interwebs two years later. Unfortunately, as with such great ’90s alt-rock bands–including Primitive Radio Gods, Superdrag, Imperial Teen and Butthole Surfers–EELS became one of those bands that never fully materialized into mainstream like that of Nirvana or Smashing Pumpkins. However, what EELS did have was a devout fan base like that of Dave Matthews Band, or even Phish. You see, even though they never made it big after their initial MTV run back in 1996, the band has always released new albums and continued to still have that crazy fan base, and that’s what it should always be about.

It had been awhile since EELS had played Seattle, so finally seeing them live was well worth the wait. Frontman Mark Oliver Everett–although matured from his 1996 glory days–still amazed the crowd with a plethora of new songs from their current release, The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett. What I found rather interesting about the set was the fact that he opened things up with the Disney classic “When You Wish Upon A Star.” A rather random choice, but still fitting as it set the mood for that night’s show. Fans from all over enjoyed not only songs off of the new album, but also classic ones as well. To say the least, EELS brought their A-game to The Moore, and it made for a memorable night with revered and abiding band.