AAIIEE

BIO

The name is pronounced as a guttural scream, with “AAIIEE” being an approximate phonetic spelling. They claim they are Seattle’s hardest working band, but you have never heard of them. So let’s work on that.

It is time for AAIIEE – See You In Seattle. On vinyl. Colored vinyl. Random Multi-colored vinyl. So beautiful. In every way. Get it right here: See You In Seattle | AAIIEE | Green Monkey Records (bandcamp.com) and at fine stores!

AAIIEE released See You In Seattle on CD in 2012 for the 50^th anniversary of the Seattle World’s Fair.

Now, Seattle’s AAIIEE has re-released See You In Seattle on vinyl just in time for the 60^th Anniversary of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair.

See You In Seattle is aaiiee’s proud and thematically rich paean to “Century 21.” Additional “old Seattle” references (Boris S. Wort, Jones’ Fantastic Museum) complement this epic undertaking. See You in Seattle presents twelve fun & finely wrought tributes to this halcyon era. We hope you enjoy the ride!

1. Monorail – The futuristic mode of transportation built for the Fair.
2. Bubbleator – The clear, spherical elevator that carried people into the “World of Tomorrow” exhibit in the Washington State Coliseum during the Fair. The lyrics actually describe the later incarnation of the Bubbleator in the Seattle Center Food Circus (now the “Center House”).
3. World of Tomorrow — Inspired by the “World of Tomorrow” exhibit, which combined an optimistic vision of the 21st century with the threat of nuclear annihilation.
4. Space Needle USA — The Space Needle was the Fair’s most visible symbol and centerpiece. Sixty years later, the 605-foot saucer-topped tower remains Seattle’s iconic landmark. This song begins with Eddie Carlson’s napkin sketch of a space-age tower, and captures the optimism and enthusiasm that accompanied the design and construction of the Needle.
5. U.S. Science Pavilion – A “tour,” if you like, of exhibits found at the U.S. Science Pavilion, a complex comprising several buildings and a big hit at the Fair. It was later renamed the Pacific Science Center.
6. Johnny Vinyl Went to the World’s Fair When He Was 3 – Need we say more?
7. Boris S Wort – “The second meanest man in the world.” If you grew up in Seattle in the ‘60s and/or ‘70s, you know who this is. But for those not in the know, Boris S. Wort was the nemesis of J.P. Patches (very popular local kids’ TV show host), and this song will probably sound like a foreign language to you.
8. Gayway — The Gayway (later changed to “Fun Forest”) was the Fair’s midway, with rides and amusements. The song also delves into Show Street, the “adult” section of the Fair, which was near the Gayway. Show Street included attractions such as “A Night in Paradise,” Gracie Hansen’s Vegas-style showgirl revue, and “Les Pupees de Paris,” an adults-only puppet show produced by Sid & Marty Krofft (future masterminds of “H.R. Pufnstuf”).
9. Northwest Trek — A trip around the State of Washington.
10. Dingwall & Spilhaus — Ewen Dingwall oversaw and managed every aspect of the Fair, and was two-time director of the Seattle Center. Dr. Athelstan Frederick Spilhaus was Commissioner of the U.S. Science Pavilion.
11. Polar Star Intro (Universal Love) — This introduction is a spoken word piece from a record sold during the Fair. An extremely optimistic preview of the 21st Century, where technological advancements will lead to “no more wars” and “Universal Love.”
12. Polar Star of Love — Inspired by the “Universal Love” spoken word piece, this one features Lar’s supersonic love machine.
13. Come to the Fair — A bunch of things one might have seen at the Fair.

See You In Seattle Press
“See You In Seattle represents Seattle as much as Jimi Hendrix, Heart, The Thrown-Ups, and the Edgewater Inn do” This Is Book’s Music

“Making a garage-rock concept album about the 1962 World’s Fair is a lot like painting the Space Needle a garish shade of orange: a bad idea in theory, a worse one in practice.” Andrew Gospe – Seattle Weekly

“Musically, it’s all over the map (in a good way), with special recommendations for fans of The Butthole Surfers, Dead Kennedys, Devo, and Camper Van Beethovan … with the wonderfully giddy ‘Gayway’, a wink-and-a-nod to the Fair’s midway ” – The Terrascope.

Great aaiiee videos for See You In Seattle:
“Boris S Wort” https://youtu.be/3bh86bHAJB8
Monorail https://youtu.be/2tBj0YIFKWI

Folly is the second album by a band that debuted in 1981 at a gig with Seattle legends the Fastbacks and the U-men – a proud follow-up their 2012 tribute to the 1962 World’s Fair, See You In Seattle.

Folly is an eclectic offering, with songs ranging from barn-recorded smash rockers like “Keep Clam” (a tribute to “Old Seattle” icon Ivar Haglund) to the dreamy psyche-jazz-prog of the epic title tune. However, there is no song stranger than the opener “The Sportsman” a psychotic angling tale with a monster fish inside a grain silo. Not now. Not ever. So beautiful.

How did we get here? Well, in ’81, Jeff Larson and Johnny Vinyl, veterans of early Seattle punk bands teamed up with jazzbo Craig Flory and drummer David Shumate to form AAIIEE, a genre-defying band who loved Pere Ubu, the Ramones, Sparks and everything in between. They saw no problem with using cellos, clarinets and saxophones while playing to an audience of hardcore punks. AAIIEE’s refusal to fit any mold allowed them to play with a plethora of bands. Of course, it also made it difficult to find a rabid following.

That version of the band went down the tubes by the mid 80s (though they somehow managed to release a 7” EP in 1990). Flory and Shumate were replaced by a second guitarist Greg Stumph and drummer Brent Petty. Newly inspired, AAIIEE performed at innumerable dive bars and appeared on a bunch of fine comps. See You In Seattle led to their “discovery” by GMR mogul Dyer, who demanded their second album in 35 years. And now ladies and gentlemen, without further adieu, it’s Folly!

REVIEWS

Dec 31, 2012 Top 10 Albums of 2012

Top 10 Albums of 2012 – See You in Seattle “This record is ridiculous. Where else you gonna find a song about The Bubbleator I ask?” – Tom Dyer – Green Monkey Records

Dec 10, 2012