You think you’ve heard every star’s story? Rags to riches, riches to rags, sex, drugs, TV’s out the window, critic’s darlings, sophomore slumps. I bet you’ve never heard this one before.

Lovely, gifted, Christian girl becomes a huge musical success, wins Dove Awards, sells tons of albums, performs to huge adoring crowds…and then disappears. Jennifer Knapp resurfaced recently and she’s still a lovely, gifted, Christian girl but she’s not a “Christian Artist” anymore.

Find out why right here.

Hear her new sound:

Knapp

And see her tonight at The Hard Rock Café, Seattle. More information is available here.

- Shawn

Calling all glass lovers!

I went down to Tacoma on Friday to stay at Hotel Murano and see The Museum of Glass (for my road trip playlist, see my last blog entry).

I want to be honest – the hotel expenses were covered and I’m sure I got extra special treatment during my tour of The Museum of Glass, but I will go back on my own dime and stay even longer. It was such a fantastic experience.

The hotel is gorgeous and super dog friendly. I hate traveling without Charlie Trout, World’s Greatest Dog and the fact that Hotel Murano made her feel so welcome meant more to me than special amenities for humans. Travel tip for humans: leave a big tip for housekeeping when you travel with your dog. Dog hair gets everywhere,  it’s the right thing to do.

The Hotel is curated like the museum, with gorgeous glass objects everywhere, but it doesn’t have a snooty or stuffy vibe. You can see lots more photos of the hotel here.

And some fun photos from my tour of The Museum of Glass are there, too. The Hot Shop at The Museum of Glass is a whole blog entry in and of itself, so… more to come.

On Saturday night, generous animal lovers raised $665,000 for the Seattle Humane Society at the annual Tuxes & Tails gala. I’m a sucker for any animal-related event, so I was one of 27 “celebrities” who walked the runway with an adoptable shelter dog. I was paired with a sweet yellow lab named Howard. Here were are in action:

and here’s what Howard did when I commanded him to “sit” at the end of the runway — he plopped down flat on his back with his paws in the air:

That’s a big crowd-pleaser. Besides being a huge fundraiser for a great organization, it’s the one night a year that I put on a tux. Take a good look, because you don’t see that very often.

I’m taking the World’s Greatest Dog for a little overnight R & R at Hotel Murano in Tacoma. (You might recall my Thanksgiving trip to Portland where I bought my new headphones, the ones that make me sound like Satan. I stayed at sister property Hotel Deluxe and they served the WGD a homemade Thanksgiving Dinner. These people treat dogs and their two leggers right)

Anyhoooo… I need some road trip music and I’ve settled on 3 new CDs.

This might be my favorite disc of the years so far: Angus & Julia Stone’s Down The Way. If you dig Damien Rice or Bjork, you’ll like this too. Here’s my fave song:

bjp
Angus & Julia Stone – Big Jet Plane

Next up is a disc I just got yesterday and skimmer only once, Tracey Thorn’s Love and its Opposite. I think this is a divorce record… yeah, I’m pretty sure about that. Tracey is a pioneering British singer who had a seminal anti girly-girl group called The Marine Girls. Later, she formed the practically unknown but wildly influential Everything But The Girl. Her voice is a national treasure. Check out this harrowing tune!

tracey

Tracey Thorn – Long White Dress

Ok, now I’m gonna need a pick me up. How about another Brit?

I am bound and determined to figure out the difference between Kate Nash, Katy Perry, and Lily Allen. By the way, if you buy this Kate Nash album, heed that parental warning: this album is vulgar!

katenash

Kate Nash – Paris

See you Monday, unless you are a South Sounder, then I’ll be the girl with The World’s Greatest Dog.

- Shawn

Um, actually, we can!

Friend me on Facebook:

Or follow me on Twitter:

Here’s why we should be friends: Sometimes I clue you in to last-minute ticket giveaways or send out secret invitations to the Carter Subaru Mountain Music Lounge . . . and sometimes I just post pix of me and my dog Zoe:

Remember that magical time when Sarah McLachlan and Paula Cole defied the notion that two female artists could successfully play back to back sets?

Well, after ten years of hiatus, Lilith Fair is back – and McLachlan plus numerous other acts, both old and new, are bringing girl power to the Gorge.

Expect to see the likes of Brandi Carlile, Colbie Caillat, Corinne Bailey Rae, Emmylou Harris, Erykah Badu, Gossip, Heart, Indigo Girls, Ingrid Michaelson, Jill Scott, Loretta Lynn, Mary J. Blige, Miranda Lambert, Norah Jones, Sara Bareilles, Sheryl Crow, Sugarland, and Tegan & Sara, among others.

Lilith Fair will hit The Gorge on July 3rd.

Chances are good that Sarah will be playing a lot of new material. McLachlan’s first studio album of original material in seven years, The Laws of Illusion, will be released about two weeks prior to the show.

I’ve got my hands on a track from that album. Check it out:

Sarah McLachlan

Sarah McLachlan – Loving You Is Easy

- Shawn

They are also the whole Mountain staff raising money for local foster kids. We laughed, we cried, we wore pajamas and struggles to break 70. But we did it for the kids. This 2 minute film by me and Tami Bennett pretty much covers it:

Today’s afternoon highlights:

3:20pm The Spin Doctors, the most-baked band ever to play the Carter Subaru Mountain Music Lounge, with a live version of their song “Mary Jane.”
4:20pm: “Smoke Two Joints” by The Toyes, from Grants Pass, Oregon.
5:20pm: Who else? Cheech & Chong and their stoner classic, “Let’s Make A Dope Deal.”

And here’s a 4/20 bonus for your viewing pleasure:

Rolling Stones – Plundered my Soul

Rolling Stones – Plundered my Soul

Here’s the “new” old Stones tune for your pleasure. Now run out tomorrow to a real brick and mortar record store and buy it! It’s Record Store Day!

Speaking of old guy bands, Soundgarden are playing a “secret show” in Seattle tonight. Most of the tix were given away this am via the band’s website, but now the band is teasing fans with a crazy scavenger hunt all over downtown Seattle. If you see a bunch of flannel wearing rusty cage types frantically running around downtown, there are looking for a secret bottle cap. Wish them luck!

(Photo: Bill Thompson)

Here’s an annual tradition from The Mountain’s Earth Day concert — the presentation of the big giant fake check to the Wilderness Society. That’s Peter Dykstra, the Northwest Regional Director of the Wilderness Society, as I hand over $60,000, part of the proceeds from our last CD, Live From the Mountain Music Lounge Volume 15. That money goes to a great cause thanks to Mountain listeners who bought our CD and helped preseve the green spaces of the Northwest.

BTW, before this magnificent presentation, One Eskimo did a haunting, mellow set of music, including their sample-driven song Kandi — well-known to Mountain listeners, who were among the first people in the country to pick up on this band.

And after the big giant fake check ceremony, Train did a high-energy set featuring Pat Monahan’s animated lead singing — that guy’s a human dynamo.

It was great to reconnect with so many Mountain listeners — new ones, longtime fans, parents and kids. I somehow managed to get lots of big hearty hugs from listeners, and that’s a trend I like a lot — hug your favorite DJ.

Thanks for coming, and thanks for your support!