Dan Ray
The Sound of Giving
Three nonprofit music organizations worthy of support
In the March/April issue of this magazine, I wrote an article about the problems with Seattle’s music scene and how we can fix them. There’s a lot to be desired in Seattle’s music scene — like more regular, paying gigs for musicians at local establishments and a more reasonable volume level at venues across the…
The song remains the same, only better
Seattle's friendliest music venue, Tim's Tavern, reopens in White Center
When Tim’s Tavern was forced to close because its landlord wouldn’t renew its lease, co-owners Mason Reed and Matthew O’Toole told their real estate agent they wanted their new location to be like the Drunky Two Shoes in White Center. They wanted somewhere with an outdoor stage, somewhere “pandemic-proof.” A year and a half later,…
Arts: Seattle’s Rap Party
The sound that is now defining Seattle
Seattle has never wanted to be cool — and that’s precisely what makes it so. When the grunge movement of the ’90s sprung to the forefront of mainstream American culture, Kurt Cobain’s ripped jeans and thrifted cardigans did so in direct opposition to perfectly over-tweezed eyebrows and super-synchronized boy bands. As Clark Humphrey writes in…
How to Fix Seattle’s Music Scene
Why Seattle isn't the music city it once was and how we can change that
In September 2017, I founded Dan’s Tunes, a small publication focused on showcasing Seattle’s local music scene. Throughout the past five years, I have spent countless hours talking with musicians, artists, and other industry folks about the state of the current music climate in Seattle. When we’re on the record, everyone always has nice things…
Hip-Hop Healing in Seattle
Rapper Carter Costello’s house is more than just a venue for artists
The last time I was at Seattle rapper Carter Costello’s house was under the cloak of night. I had been invited to an art and music show — featuring Seattle photographer and artist Baby Claypool, a duo of fire dancers, rapper Nobi and Costello — by local photographer James Gerde. Once I set foot on…
My Day at the Naked Spa
Otherworldly experience creates an overwhelming rush of emotions
It’s 12:20 p.m. I’m lying naked, face down on a waterproof massage table in Lynnwood. There’s a woman wearing gloves exfoliating my entire body. She starts with my legs, makes her way up my back and down my arms. There’s another woman lying naked on the table next to me. The woman scrubbing me tells…