POP LOSER #6: Deep Sea Diver’s Jessica Dobson Shares The First Song That Made Her Cry

View this email in your browser Welcome back to Pop Loser! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, which means I'm stress-baking three pies and blasting Dionne Warwick for emotional support. The holiday also means that Black Friday Record Store Day is on the horizon, with music nerds lining up early to buy overpriced reissues that claim to be limited. I am once again asking, is it really ''imited" when 30,000 copies are pressed? (I'm looking at you, Chappell Roan.) I'll also get into the current surge of acting musicians, the two legends we lost this week, and why Miss Piggy was arrested. Plus, Deep Sea Diver's Jessica Dobson tells us about her first musical loves in another edition of First Times. By Audrey Vann This Week in Music: I ❤️ Heart. In local news, Heart took the stage at Climate Pledge Arena on Sunday night for a glorious career retrospective, which paid tribute to their roots with several Led Zeppelin covers (the Wilson sisters got their start playing them), along with Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun," David Bowie's "Let's Dance," and Chris Thompson's "You're the Voice." I sat in the audience with tears streaming down my face while sipping a "Crazy on You" cocktail, which consisted of blackberry Jack Daniels and lemonade.  Queen diva Miss Piggy was arrested at Sabrina Carpenter's final Short n' Sweet tour stop in Los Angeles this week on one count of being too "gorgeous." Carpenter offered her the coveted fuzzy pink handcuffs, but she was instead taken away by her dom boyfriend, Bobo the Bear. We've seen a surge of music movies this week, from The Moment starring Charli XCX to The Lonely Woman, featuring FKA twigs, Sturgill Simpson, and Bonnie "Prince" Billy.  My Bloody Valentine reunited in Dublin for the first time since 2018, dedicating their set to their friend and collaborator, the late Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassist Gary "Mani" Mounfield, who passed away this week at the age of 63.  We also lost reggae legend Jimmy Cliff. The trailblazing singer-songwriter died at the age of 81 on Monday, followed by a wave of tributes from Yusuf/Cat Stevens, the Marley family, and the people of his hometown in Western Jamaica. I highly suggest blasting the soundtrack from The Harder They Come in his honor this week.  Do you like gimmicks? It's almost Record Store Day Black Friday. Having worked behind the counter during this day of retail-hell, I tend to be anti-RSD. But, no judgment if it's your thing—there are some pretty cool releases this year, including Bratmobile's The Real Janelle & The Peel Session, Nico's Live in Reims Cathedral, 1974, and Jonathan Richman's You Must Ask the Heart (30th Anniversary Edition). And, I won't lie, the gimmicky pop-up gatefold reissue of A Charlie Brown Christmas looks cool, too. If you partake, just remember to be kind and patient with your local record store clerks.      ADVERTISEMENT     MILLY hits Madame Lou's on Wednesday, Dec 3 for a benefit supporting BumberWorks, the Bumbershoot Workforce Development Program. Fully produced by this year's cohort, the show also features Aurora Ave. and Filling - come enjoy a night of great music while supporting the next generation of music industry talent. First Times With Deep Sea Diver's Jessica Dobson Seattle indie rock band Deep Sea Diver—led by singer-songwriter Jessica Dobson—are playing a hometown show on Friday to celebrate their Sub Pop Records debut, Billboard Heart. The album's lead single, "Shovel," is upbeat and danceable, and would be right at home on a playlist nestled between MUNA and Chappell Roan. The title track, "Billboard Heart," switches gears, evoking labelmate Weyes Blood with kaleidoscopic synths and powerful vocals; it'll no doubt sound beautiful performed live. Ahead of their show at Paramount Theatre this Friday, I chatted with Dobson about some of her first musical experiences. Don't miss their stop at the Paramount alongside local favorites Coral Grief (whom I interviewed earlier this year).  What was the first song you sang in front of people?  I have a vague memory of singing a song from Aladdin, probably "A Whole New World," in front of my extended family. What was the first song you learned on the guitar? "Devils Haircut" by Beck. What was the first song that made you cry? "O Holy Night" sung by a church choir, just like that scene in Home Alone. Heavenly!  Who was the first musician you idolized? Toss-up between Gwen Stefani and Björk. What was the first concert you attended? A ska concert at a water park in Pomona, CA. I don't even remember what band was playing; there was just a lot of mild moshing, high knees and elbows flying around.     ADVERTISEMENT     'Tis The Season For Warming Wintry Libations Ready to get your nog on? The Portland Mercury, EverOut, and Travel Portland have you covered with Holiday Drink Week, an annual tradition this Dec 1-7. And the best part? They're only TEN BUCKS! For one week only, you'll find a variety of exclusive holiday-themed drink specials at participating bars and restaurants around town. Why not round up some friends and head down to Portland on a self-guided bevvy tour? One thing's for certain: these won't be your ordinary cups of cheer.  Music Events Worth Your Hard-Earned Money This Week An Evening with Sarah McLachlan Nov 26, Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages Built to Spill Nov 26, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages  Deep Sea Diver with Coral Grief Nov 28, Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages Seattle's Tribute to The Last Waltz Nov 29, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages KEXP Yule Benefit with Jeff Tweedy and Mavis Staples Dec 2, McCaw Hall, 6 pm, all ages The Songs That Keep Me Up at Night "Pipe (with Vashti Bunyan)," Sega Bodega Sega Bodega is a project from Irish-Chilean producer, composer, and founder of Nuxxe music collective Salvador Navarrete. While most of the music released under this moniker has been beat-driven electronic music, the first single released from his upcoming album, I Created the Universe So That Life Could Create a Language So Complex, Just to Say How Much I Love You, borders on ambient. Navarrete obscures and abstracts the voice of British folk singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan, making her whispery coo sound like it's moving through water. The composition has me anxious to hear the entire Sega Bodega album, which drops this Friday. "You're Gonna Need Me," Dionne Warwick Have you had your dose of Dionne Warwick today? If not, treat yourself to her 1973 banger "You're Gonna Need Me." This track is one of the most sampled songs in hip-hop history (most notably on J Dilla's "Stop!"), and yet, it still surprises me every time I hear it with its unexpectedly gritty electric guitars.     ADVERTISEMENT         ABOUT THE AUTHOR     I'm Audrey Vann, staff writer for The Stranger, as well as a lifelong fangirl, record collector, and former record store employee with a media diet that is equal parts pop trash and obscure old stuff (think: Memphis Minnie, Addison Rae, Peggy Seeger, Ashlee Simpson, Throbbing Gristle, Erykah Badu, and Roy Orbison, all on the same playlist). 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