Ball of Wax
The Ball of Wax Audio Quarterly is now accepting submissions for its Spring 2011 volume. Recognized as one the Northwest’s finest music compilation series, Ball of Wax has been curating and showcasing the work of local underground musicians for more than five years via downloadable content and album volumes (available for purchase at Sonic Boom records). Interested artists should submit new, but not necessarily unreleased, recordings in hardcopy or in mp3 by April 11. This volume does not have a particular theme, but songs of Spring and rejuvenation are especially welcome (tunes of Winter and death or Autumn and Tofu will also be considered). Because the following volume has been reserved for songs about books, this will be the last Ball of Wax open call for a while. For all the submission details, check out the link. Also be sure to hit up the newly-unveiled Blog of Wax, an ongoing extension of the Quarterly’s mission to bring underexposed Seattle music to the spotlight.
LEVI FULLER: THE MAN BEHIND THE MIXTAPE
Seattle Weekly
There are plenty of ways to find out about new or otherwise obscure music in Seattle and beyond, but it’s a select, wise few who know to pick up Levi Fuller’s unassuming compilation CD, Ball of Wax Audio Quarterly, when a new edition comes out every three months. The case is made of chipboard and silk-screened with a minimalist design of circles (a play on the Ball of Wax theme), and the songs come in CD-R format. But this humble yet visually appealing homemade packaging contains one of the best ways for interested Seattleites to discover new or unsung local and national bands. You can order the compilations online (out-of-print back issues are available for free download), but the best way to get a copy is at the Ball of Wax CD release shows; these take place at the Sunset Tavern, and the cover charge, $7, includes a copy of the CD.
