Common Market wows Block Partiers

Seattle Times staffer Andrew Matson blogged Capitol Hill Block Party on Friday; excerpts below. Find new posts today at www.seattletimes.com/festivalblog.

Common Market, 4:30 p.m. Main Stage

Common Market ran through songs from "Black Patch War," much to the crowd's pleasure. People know those songs already, and the EP's not been out for more than a few months. They were rapping along when they could remember the words. The microphone was not loud enough to discern MC RA Scion's complicated wordplay, but people were throwing their hands in the air nonetheless. The beats sounded great, at least.

Standing right up front provided better sound, and that's where I went to catch guest rhymers Theory Hazit (Portland) and Chev (Seattle). I like Chev. He's young (21) and raps about social and personal issues ... Most of all, he's addicted to rhyme-writing and cares to be smart. No joke: Chev has his lyric book with him in his backpack at CHBP, right next to his chessboard.

Past Lives, 6:15 Neumo's

Past Lives wowed a half-full Neumo's. Drummer Mark Gajadhar is an absolute terror of pounding precision, and people in the club were nudging each other, nodding, "You see that? He's AMAZING."

Menomena, 6:30 p.m. Main Stage

Right now, Menomena is doing its dramatic piano/guitar/drums indie rock on the main stage. The band's minimalist flair for pretty breakdowns and intermittent melody/drum explosions is perfect for outdoor speakers that can't handle intricate, fragile stuff. Menomena is all about being bombastic. They do it with vocals, too — sing pretty and then switch to urgent wailing — and people are loving it.

In the crowd

I ran into a friend who moved from Seattle to Spokane and came back for CHBP. He said attending CHBP is one of the city's best "move-to-Seattle" sales pitches. I would agree. I love Spokane (used to live there), but who wouldn't want to be here right now?