Preview: Ball of Wax Volume 19 Release Party!!!

Ball of Wax Volume 19 Release Party @ The Sunset Tavern | 03/17 | 8pm | With An Invitation to Love, The Foghorns, Led to Sea, Vinca Minor, Tito Ramsey, Norman Baker, Can the Boy Tell Time? and Gene Pool and Chris Poage $7 (includes a free copy of Ball of Wax 19 CD)

It’s about time for another ball of wax! Some might remember when SSG covered the Volume 18 Ball of Wax CD release party in December 2009. When Levi Fuller reached out to SSG about the Ball of Wax Volume 19 release party that is going down tomorrow night, at The Sunset Tavern, I realized that Volume 18 of the previous release wasn’t just a random part of the album title. Slowbi Wan? Yes I am. With the epiphany realization that there were in fact 19 additions of this Ball of Wax, I had some questions for Mr. Levi Fuller. Here is how our conversation went down:

Nikki: What is the premise behind Ball of Wax?
Levi: It is a series of quarterly music compilations, bringing to light new music from Seattle, The Northwest, and beyond.  With each new volume we have a release show, with performances by as many of the artists involved as possible  The hope is that it builds community among musicians and between musicians and music lovers.

Nikki: I recall the last one was one minute singles. Do you master all of these Ball of Wax mixes?
Levi: I have been lately.  I used to have a rotating cast of friends who were actual audio engineers do it, but I didn’t realize how long it would go on when I first started.  It started to feel like a lot to ask of my friends every three months, so lately I’ve just been doing it myself.  I imagine the sound quality might have suffered a bit, but my friendships are alive and well.

Nikki: With all of these Ball of Wax mixes, which is your personal favorite and why?
Levi: That’s a reaalllly tough question, and the answer changes all the time.  I think the One Minute Singles might be my favorite right now, just because of the sheer scope and scale and diversity of it.  45 songs from all walks of life – and they actually flow together really nicely.

Nikki: What is the highlight if Volume 19?
Levi: There’s a bunch of great new music from people I’d never heard before I got their submissions: Led to Sea, Ora Cogan, Gene Pool, Househeld Objects, etc., etc.  My personal highlight might be the track that I contributed, which I wrote without the use of guitars or other stringed instruments. A first for me, which I had a lot of fun with.  I think Ball of Wax in general exists to foster experimentation among song writers and musicians, myself included.

Nikki: Do you already have your next project in the works?
Levi: I want to do something really fantastic for Volume 20, which will mark the 5th anniversary (!) of Ball of Wax, but I haven’t come up with the perfect theme yet.  I also have a really awesome idea for a project that I hope to make happen next year, but I can’t really talk about that yet.

Nikki: Do you have A.D.D.?
Levi: No, I’m just really interested in doing different – hey, have you been watching Lost lately?  Looking forward to tomorrow’s episode.  Man, the weather sure is nice.  Hey, it’s almost lunchtime!

Nikki: HA!

Get your booty down to The Sunset Tavern tomorrow night and witness DIY history! Being able to see so many good artists for only seven dollars should be impetus enough to get down there, not to mention you get a free CD with your admission. This is one of those shows that should make one proud to be a Seattleite. Go check it out, and here is a video to whet your appetite.